At a Loss and Need Advice!!

I study natural healing and nutrition. It definetely is an allergy. I would keep him on a gluten free diet and dairy free. Make sure he gets a whole food suppliment if you dont think he is getting what he needs. You get more calcium from broccoli and dark greens than any thing. Besides our bodies are not made to digest cows milk,so dont worry about the dairy,its a myth that its good for you. They are finding more and more now that it is not healthy. Stick to the whole foods,fruits,veggies and beans and lentils for protein. If he's sensitive now,I would start now to read labels and keep him away from all the chemical laden stuff and especially sugar and red meats. There are alternatives to every thing. If you like to bake,use amaryth and other grains that are gluten free. Use natural sugars,like stevia and xzylotal. A little aloe juice with some water or liquid would help to clean out his body and heal it. Probiotics are very helpful too,Get some at the health food store in powder form to mix in his drinks.You can read about allergy testing,by muscle testing,on line,there is a way to do it for little ones through your self. Good luck!

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K., try a chiropractor that does Applied Kinesiology. It is easy to test infants and it does not involve needle pokes. It is a way to test for sensitivities/allergies. It worked on my daughter and my son. Call around- I know there is one in Elk River, but I bet your area will have one too. It is amazing what a differencr it can make. It sounds like your son has major food sensitivities. I hope you give it a try! Good Luck!

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K., my daughter had head to toe eczema when she was small, so believe me, this CAN be treated. Eczema is actually a yeast infection that is coming from the colon. Your son's colon is overgrown with yeast for many reasons (perhaps he was on formula as a baby and is allergic to some of its contents or he was given antibiotics once or twice already?). Regardless of the reason, you can help by doing the following:

~ Stop using Hydrocortizone Creme. It doesn't help and actually perpetuates the problem making it grow and spread each time it comes back (as you are experiencing).

~ Eliminate CORN SYRUP in all it's forms. Cheerios are made with High Fructose Corn Syrup or some other derivative of corn. Read the labels of all foods, many yoghurts have corn syrup in them.

~ Eggs, beef, fermented products (vinegar and soy sauce), and yeasted bread should also be eliminated for now... he will be able to eat these again later.

~ Never give him fruit juice of any kind. Fruit juice creates yeast in the body and/or makes it grow FAST. Fresh fruit can be given as long as he doesn't have a rash. Cut it out if a rash starts.

~ Acidophilus: give him chewable (or the powder form mixed with water) 3x/day. You can find chewable grape flavored tablets in the natural food markets or vitamin stores. If you don't have access to these, look on the web for Jarrow Formulas, Yum-Yum Dophilus and order it online.

~ Bathe his eczema rashes in a gentle soap (preferably PH neutral) and let it DRY OUT. Putting cremes on only makes the rash grow, both on the skin and inside his colon. Every rash that dries out on the surface is yeast leaving his body. If it itches him, wash it again.

~ If you have access to TEA TREE OIL (an essential oil available in all natural food stores), you can put a few drops in a bowl of warm water to bathe the rashes. Tea Tree Oil is anti-fungal and will kill the yeast spores on the skin that are making the rash itch. Tea Tree is also soothing and cooling to the rash, so it is inviting.

If you are willing to try something outside of the medical box, HOMEOPATHIC Calcera Carbonicum 30C given 3x/day for a month will help immensely.

He cannot digest dairy at this time because his colon is overgrown with yeast and cannot digest it. Once you get the yeast under control he will most likely be fine with dairy again.

Contact me directly if you need ongoing support. I have practiced homeopathy, natural food healing techniques and bodywork for over 20 years. My daughter has been eczema-free since she was 6 years old. Eczema will crop up now and then until it is completely eliminated. Acidophilus is a BIG key to this. She takes it every day 1x, and I expect she will take it for her life-time, it has no bad side effects... only good.

I hope this helps. Good luck, my heart goes out to you and your son! ~ A.

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Hello K.,
You could put him on a elimination diet it would be so much less evasive then allergy testing - but if you don't have the patience for this I know my sist in law had allergy testing done on her son at 5 months - so I don't really think it's an age thing I think it has more to do with the severity of the allergy. I see you say that he may be allergic to lactose - has he ever had any raw dairy products - 9 out of 10 times when a person has a milk allergy it's only to pasturized products - see when the milk molecule is still in it's natural state it's molecule is 3D in shape, but once it's pasturized it change's the molecule into a completly flat shape foreign to our bodies - that's a big reason so manly people have milk allergies - maybe you could try him on a good quality raw cheese - avail at most stores. I could go on for hours with nutrional advice - but I must go best of luck & take care - heres a link that may be some help, http://www.foodintol.com/eliminationdiet.asp
Cheers, L.

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When I read your opening comment..."I'm at a loss...", i immediately knew you were dealing with allergies. When i read your closing comment about being a bad mom, I knew i had to respond.

Your story sounds exactly like mine, 5 years ago! My daughter has multiple food allergies. She had all these "mysteries" her first year of life: lots of vomit/spit-up, strange rashes/flare-ups, and randomn bouts of "croup" in the middle of the summer. I suspected a few allergies, although she wasn't tested until 14 months. Their bodies change so much the first year, that testing during the first year can be unreliable. However, it can give some temporary answers, and a little piece of mind that YOU ARE NOT A BAD MOM!

I could write a book on this topic, actually i did! (8 Degrees of Ingredients), a hypoallergenic cookbook with over 250 recipes, all free of the Top 8 allergens (wheat, milk, eggs, soy, peanuts, tree nut, fish and shellfish.) Diagnosing food allergies takes time, nothing that can be resolved in one email. But from my experience, I would offer the following advice.

#1 - Go with your gut instinct. You are definitely intuitive and probably already 90% there with figuring out his sensitivities. If you suspect wheat allergy, avoid it. Babies only need BM or formula the first year. The solid food is just to practice. (My 11 month old still takes 4 bottles a day, with very few solids at this point, and he is 29 pounds!)

#2 - AVOID Peanuts and all Tree Nuts like the plague. If your child is susecptible to food allergies, you don't want to expose him to ones that can potentially cause fatal reactions. Probably wise to avoid shellfish too.

#3 - If you are at a loss for what to feed, my advice is to go slow. Start with things you know he can tolerate, and then SLOWLY add new things. A GREAT source for hypoallergenic products is www.allergygrocer.com. They have hypoallergenic Cheerios called Perky-ohs, Bars and cookies, and Rice based pastas. It is pricy, but at the very least, it can give you ideas of what to eat.

OR, i assume you are local, the BEST store is Fresh & Natural Foods (4 Twin Cities locations.) They have an abundant supply of Gluten-free and Hypoallergenic products. They also carry my cookbook if you are interested.

My best advice is that like everything in life, figuring out Food ALlergies takes time. Go slow. You will figure it out...unfortunately, they are not Black & White. Even the testing can be unreliable. So go with what you think is right because YOU are the Best Mom for your child and don't let anyone else tell you otherwise. Please feel free to email me anytime....you can find my email at www.EightDegreesofIngredients.com

I hope that helps...hang in there. It does get easier and as I have hypothesized in my book, You are NOT ALONE! Kind regards, M.

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K.,
I could scream at the thought that your doctor told you that he was too young to do allergy testing. All three of my children have food allergies. They were not diagnosed early, and we had a ton of allergy related health problems. My oldest daughter (now 11) missed so much school from headaches, earaches and sore throats. My son (9), also was ALWAYS sick. Then my youngest started to have issues(including eczema)...we had to do something. We found a clinic in Wisconsin...Allergy Associates of La Crosse. It is in another state from where we live, but I can not recommend it enough. We drive every 6 months. Treatment involves drops under the tongue instead of shots...which is great for the babies! Anyway, my friend is taking her BABY!!! and starting treatment. They say, the earlier you start, the shorter the course of treatment. We see DR. Mary Morris..she is wonderful. Please email me if you want more info. www.lacrosseallergy.com is their site. Good luck!
T.

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I have no idea if this will help you or not, because I have no medical evidence to back it up, but it works for me. Laying out in the sun makes my eczema go away. Try having him out in the sun with the infected area exposed for at least 20 minutes every day. It can't hurt, and at the very least, he will get more Vitamin D.

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You are NOT alone! My son, who is now nearly 5, had severe eczema as a baby. It was mostly on his face and also behind his knees. It would puss, scab and bleed. People would always ask me too, "what's wrong with his face". I just got used to it and decided to educated people about it instead of getting annoyed. It turns out some people I told realized that their kids had eczema as well. He has now outgrown the eczema and has nicer skin. He never was one of those babies with "baby soft skin". But things are better with that now! So hang in there!

As far as the food allergies, my son has allergies to peanuts and egg whites. He also has sensitivity to acidic foods like tomotoes, etc. This makes it very hard to feed him common things. But I learned a lot and educated myself on foods. It's much easier now! It sounds like your child may be suffering from some allergies/sensitivities as well. We had our son tested for allergies before he was a year old so I don't understand why you can't do the same. I would push the doctor to get you a referral. The testing was easy and gave us such clear answers as to what to avoid. We had our son re-tested at preschool age and will have him teseted again this summer before he starts Kindergarten. Sometimes they outgrow their allergies or have new ones. And this will give you help in understanding everything!

I hope this helps! If you have any questions or need to talk, just get in touch with me.

____@____.com

Good luck!~ N.

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K.-
Find a Chiropractor or Nutritionist who does allergy testing with a technique called muscle testing. It is non-invasive, painless and, most importantly, really accurate! I brought my son to see Dr. Jodi Fidler at Davis Chiropractic in St. Louis Park, MN and she helped be figure out his allergies. He was having "Colicky" symptoms and when we figured out his allergies and avoided those foods, he was a WHOLE NEW BABY!!!! If you would like, I can get you a certificate for a free consultation with her. Of you can call the clinic at ###-###-####. It is totally worth a shot! Good Luck!

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He is NOT too young to be tested for allergies! Try to find a doctor that practices kinisiology (chiropractor or naturopathic dr.). It is a simple muscle testing that can be done through you. Very easy and accurate. We have used this method on our children for years and it helped illiminate many unneccessary prescription drugs and find food allergies. It sounds like you're already aware of many possible causes! Also, use all toxin-free soaps and lotions.

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I have found that eczema can be caused by anything. I suffer "winter eczema" which I believe is brought on by lack of vitamin D. I find that when I get a small amount of sunlight (either natural 15+ or artificial for about 1 month) it can help rid my arms of this seasonal dermatitis; be careful not to burn his already wounded skin and protect his eyes if you choose to try this method. Laying him out in front of a sunny window inside the house may work well enough too.

Also, eczema is often caused by food allergens, nuts, eggs, wheat and dairy in particular. Laundry detergents and body soaps can also be a culprit, try switching to hypoallergenic soaps; those that don't contain perfumes or colorants.

I would first of all pray for guidance, then contact a naturopathic doctor as they will be less likely to administer drugs to alleviate the symptoms, but rather find the root of the problem to treat it. Then I would recommend eliminating his environment and diet of possible culprits (you can find more complete lists online) and see if it clears up; then reintroducing them 1 by 1, 1 week at a time to see if you can find out what exactly is causing it (it may be more than one thing).

You may try bathing him in a bath of Activated/Medical Charcoal powder (found at healthfood stores or online at www.buyactivatedcharcoal.com-this site has MUCH more information if you wish to read it) and warm water (avoid overly warm water, it causes the skin to dry out more). The charcoal may temporarily stain his skin (particularly around the wounded areas), but it will not harm him and may remove any pathogens from his skin that may be contributing to the problem. Then be sure to keep his skin moist; try lotions and soaps like Aveeno (unless you think he's allergic to wheat) or Burt's Bees brands that are made with natural ingredients and are hypoallergenic. 100% pure coconut oil/butter are supposed to be excellent for dry skin and are not supposed to trigger allergies like other lotions/oils.
If all else fails, visit Mayo Clinic. I hope you find relief for him soon. God bless!
H. R.

Other great websites:
http://www.safeminds.org/mercury/
http://www.drlam.com/A3R_brief_in_doc_format/print/2003-N...
http://milk.elehost.com/html/why_does_calcuim_leave_the_b...
http://home.bluegrass.net/~jclark/calcium_foods.htm

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Your son is NOT too young for allergy tests. My son had the same reaction to formula (big red blotches on his face, plus he spit it up almost immediately). He also was having serious problems with eczema. After months of trying various medicines to get rid of the eczema, we took him to a pediatric allergist and he was diagnosed with an allergy to dairy. Lactose-free stuff still contains dairy. The only formulas that don't contain dairy are soy or rice-based, or the extremely expensive hypoallergenic formulas. We ended up using a soy formula to supplement my breast milk. Because the dairy passes through breast milk, I also had to eliminate all dairy from my diet as well. I can't remember exactly how old my son was when I took him to the allergist, but I know he was younger than 8 months. They did a full panel of allergy prick tests (little pricks done on the back where each prick contains a different possible allergen.) Although the pricking part isn't pleasant, it only lasts for a second. My son didn't even cry. Then you wait about 15 minutes and see which spots of skin, if any, reacted. I would press your doctor for a referral to a pediatric allergist and get your son in right away. Allergies can be serious and the more exposure you have to an allergen, the worse the allergy gets and the less likely it is to go away. If you have Physician's Plus, there is a wonderful pediatric allergist named Dr. Healy at the U.W. Health Clinic downtown. I wish you the best of luck.

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