Natural Remedies for Severe Eczema

Eczema is a food allergy response. Try to figure out what he's reacting to. I suffered for years with psoriasis, was treated with steroid creams, all sorts of stuff. Only when I figured out I was gluten intolerant, got off wheat, barley and rye, did my psoriasis diappear. The skin is an organ, too, and usually the first to show sign of something not being tolerated.

My son had eczema as a young child, too. I know you don't want to use steroids, but please consider them just to clear him up and provide him some relief. Then use the natural remedies to keep it from returning.

My now 15 yr old had it pretty bad on her legs and feet as a baby. We used everything. Things that were very good were....Aquaphor, Eucerin, Aveeno, Calamine lotion (ugly but helped with itching), going to the beach...(serious here..every time we were at the beach it cleared up). If she walked barefoot in the grass...she had a bad outbreak.

Try to figure out when it is at its worst and eliminate the culprit.

On a positive note..my pedi told me it is most always an allergy of some sort and she would outgrow it. Right now, she has a couple of small spots on her toes that will sometimes act up and everything else is cleared. She was pretty clear overall by age 5.

Hopefully it will clear for your child too as he gets older.

My pediatrician recommended vaseline above any lotions and it really does the trick. It takes a little while to soak into the skin, so you can't slather it on then let him go sit on the couch. I would put it on his legs then have a special pair of sweatpants to wear for an hour or so. Good Luck!

Hi T.,

I use and LOVE Renew lotion for me and my 2 daughters. It is a natural lotion from Melaleuca and has helped so many people with their eczema. They also have body washes, oils and hand soaps too. This helps keep harsh chemicals off the sensitive skin. Melaleuca also makes a wonderful laundry detergent so there won't be chemicals bothering their skin from their clothes. All of Melaleuca products are from naturally derived ingredients and have helped sooo many people. I love it and love helping every mom out there find natural cures. Message me if you have any more questions. I wish you luck. I know it is hard knowing their poor skin is so uncomfortable : (

C.
Building Healthy Homes and Healthy Incomes

www.AttainingMyDreams.com

Aquaphor worked great on my boys. My older boy's eczema was pretty bad in the winter especially. I put the Aquaphor on him after every bad and on the bad places I would put in on before naps and bedtime. It did the trick for my son. I learned about it from my SIL who used it on her daughters who had it pretty severly, even throughout gradeschool.

During the winter I used the Aquaphor regularly, even when they didn't have an outbreak. It kept their skin clear. If I stopped using it, even for a day or two, the eczema would come back so I know it works.

Good luck!

Hi T.,
I see you've recieved a ton of responses but I thought I'd throw this out to you too, because with excema, what works for one, doesn't work for all. You have to find the right combo of things that work for your child. What worked for us? Well, I started the natural route for a while then ended up taking her to a dermatologist and put her on steroid creams with did end up working. But in the meantime I found this wonderful lotion called Borage Children's Skin Therapy by Shikai. You can buy it on Amazon, or find it in some natural stores and grocery. Good luck!

I like Dr Mercola's website. He has a lot of good ideas for inexpensive, natural remedies. The Carlson brand lemon flavored fish oil is a good choice for kids - my son takes a 1/2 tsp every day to every other day. Here is a link to an article and video on eczema.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/1...

looks like you have had a lot of responses, but here is my best suggestion, and it is well proven in my house with my now 4 yr old and my 8 yr old,

my 4 yr old got it bad when he was 2-3, and he would get it all over his feet legs hands and elbows, to the point that his skin would be covered in red scabs from scratching and his skin would be flaking off, he would wake up at night ad come get in my bed and I could hear him scratching all night long, it was bad, My Grandmother swore by Vitamin C, which helped a lot, but even better was using FLAX OIL, you can purchase Strawberry Flax Oil at the local health food store it taste like yogurt and the kids love it! two table spoons a day, easy easy! and we had a significant difference in one day, we were originally told to go of Dairy products and watch our Wheat intake but I tried this first and I was so glad I did, once we got his under control I didn't have to give it to him everyday now I just do it when if flares up, but it usually only takes a day or two to bring it back to "normal" You can actually put regular flax oil directly on the skin... which is messy but it can help, but I just gave him the strawberry stuff, and he was better with by the next morning and gone with in days...

well worth the try! if you Add the Vit. C it acts as an anti-inflammatory and will help clear it up faster, my 8 yr old uses just the Vit. C but my little one has to have the flax oil. if you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask.

S.

T., my 3 year old has had terrible bouts with eczema. We finally went to an allergist and he told us to give her oatmeal baths, keep her in 100% cotton pj's at night, to not have her in hot baths (warm), no showers, we use eucerin cream (with a steroid mixed in), and she takes Zyrtec at night. I have to tell you since following those steps (as well as taking her singulair at night) her skin is TONS better. She had dry scaly skin all over her little body. Always red and itchy hands, arms and legs. She is WAY better now. We also found out that she had some significant allergies and we stay away from those things and we are better.
I hope this helps. You are absolutely right...I could not find a lotion that helped AT ALL!! Actually some actually made it WORSE! I use the cream that was written for her from her doctor, use dove unscented soap,and let her air dry out of the bath (in her little robe). Good luck and keep us posted! I know you wanted natural remedies. Sometimes we need to go see a doctor and get them to figure out WHY we are having the issues that we are having. Children with eczema generally have some sort of allergy that is causing that sort of reaction in the skin.... take you son to the doctor ~ it might solve this issue for him so that he is more comfortable!

My daughter had mild eczema and it cleared up after we strengthened her immune system with removing food intolerance. Our pedi, Dr. Bain, tested for food intolerance and we removed them and she has flourished in so many ways since. We used Immuno Laboratories--which is based in FL (LabCorp drew the blood and expedited it to the lab)....amazing accuracy of results and has changed my daughters overall health and development besides clearing the eczema.

Dr. Bain orders it....
www.healthykidspediatrics.com

What worked on my daughter was Selsun Shampoo. She had it on her scalp and in her ears but if she used it in the shower and washed her body with it, it seemed to do the trick for her. Check with your doctor - there may be new meds developed to stop it in the tracks. Selsun isn't natural but I figured it was safer than alot of other things she could use. I know it's a frustrating disease adn so sorry your child has it. God's Blessings, Lora

My youngest son has severe eczema and there is a product called Aquafor (sp)that works wonders when nothing else helps at all. It's a little pricey, but you can find it in the lotions area of Walmart. It's not really a lotion, more like a vaseline based ointment but it is the ONLY thing I have found that works! Good luck!

Hi T.,
I have a pretty cool book by a PHD that is into "natural" and "nutrition." He says causes of eczema can include allergies, chemical sensitivity, toxicity, emotional stress and post viral reaction. He suggests testing for allergies (I'm assuming if it is ongoing) .... a diet rich in fresh fruits and vegies, lean meats, soy protein, high-fiber whole grains to be helpful. Offer your baby plenty of water too. He also suggest certain vitamins, but since your guy is so little a good multi would probably be best.

I have noticed that there have been a few moms that mentioned Melaleuca Renew. Well I wanted to let you know that Melaleuca now has Renew body wash & Renew hand wash & still the Renew lotion. The cause of most kids Eczema is chemicals that we come in contact everyday, from Laundry to bathtub cleaners. Even the foods we eat have a spray on them. If you can limit how much is getting onto your childs skin it helps to clear & clean. You can let anyone of us Melaleuca mommas if you would like more info. This is a work at home company & it is also just a place where you can get these safer products. GL

Milk of Magnesia is supposed to work wonders. Here's a link to an article about it:

http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/2010/01/07/mom-laxative-is...

You apply it- don't drink it or you will end up with unpleasant results! Good luck!
~C.

Hello T.,

My 7 year old had eczema. She would get patches between her arm, back of her knees and her face was dry.

I used Arbonne's baby wash, baby lotion and diaper rash cream. They are botanically based, vegan certified, pediatrician certified, contains no mineral oil, ph correct, hypoallergenic, never tested on animals and no harsh chemical or fragrances.

They also have baby oil which has plant and seed oil in. Since the products don't contain mineral oil it actually absorbs into the skin which will keep the skin moisturized.

The diaper rash cream stops the itching and is thick so it doesn't just wipe off.

I will be honest with you, stereoids works really fast to clear it up. These products don't clear it up as fast. But as long as you continue to use thme it will clear it up. I started to see a change in a week or so.

Please let me know if I can help you further.

Take care and God bless!

M.

Hi T.,
Shaklee has a wonderful line of organic baby products. Some have been helped just by using the lotion. They also have essential fatty acids in a chew for children called Mighty Smart. In addition, you might want to switch to the nontoxic Get Clean laundry produsts. You can find it all at http:www.shaklee.net/healthforlife
Click on "about Shaklee" to learn more about the Shaklee difference.
Good luck to you.
V.

My son's eczema greatly improved when we switched him from cow's milk to almond milk and pulled most of the dairy out of his diet.

meleluca renew skin lotion. the ONLY thing that helps my sons eczema.

Oatmeal is supposed to work wonders. Im a hairdresser and one of my co workers father had bad eczema and he started using the oatmeal and honey shampoo and he started noticing that there where clear lines running down his chest due to him rinsing out his hair. It might work, but I would first try oatmeal, just have it cooled to a lukewarm and then put on the skin. Also I would suggest going to Whole Foods and ask them in their whole body section, my husband works at the store and we always go there first before we go to the doctors, they are all about natural stuff, you can't go wrong:-)

Hi T., I know you have tons of responses but I can tell you that Sea Salt in the bath water or pour sea salt water over him after his bath will work. Try to let him air dry if possiable.My grandson now 3 had eczema severely. Like some one else stated when we went to the beach he cleared up in 2 days. So when we came home we bathed him in sea salt. Yes you have to be careful not to let him get it in his eyes & sometimes it burns an open wound but after several months of doing this & giving him showers instead of baths, he has now been clear for at least 18 months. You can get it a Wal Mart in the grocery section. Not expensive & it dries it up & it doesn't take long. Like I said we did it for about 6 months. It would come back if we quit for a while but after the 6 months constant use it has cured the problem. God Bless you & take care.

My daughter (now 2) had it as a baby and it drove us both NUTS! I got a book called Super Immunity for Kids and learned alot about essential fatty acids and all the things (eczema being one of them) that are a result of a lack of these efa's in our diets. Sooo...I took the advice of the doctor who wrote the book and started giving my baby flax seed oil in her bottle twice a day and rubbing evening primrose oil on her once a day and (viola!) it disappeared and has never come back. I still give her flax and rub her down with the primrose oil, partially because I want to make sure it stays gone but also because these things are so good for so many things, immunity for one. She has never had an ear ache, EVER, never been sick other than a tiny cough that may last a day or two and a slightly runny nose once. That's it. Get the book and run to GNC, it will greatly benefit your child and you!