Preventing Ezcema

Hey A.-

Sounds like you're doing it right. I'm always amazed at how many people treat the symptoms instead of the problem. In terms of probiotics, check out these dairy free options--they've been great for my 2 year old! In the refrigerated section at King Soopers, Whole Foods, etc, try Good Belly juices. They taste good and are a good source of probiotics. (you can often find buy one get one free coupons for them--we like black current & the watermelon one the best). You can also go to a natural grocer or Pharmaca & get Solaray BabyLife, which is dairy free. Just sprinkle it in food--it has no taste. Have you heard of NAET? Another thing to look into. Some friends have had huge success with it: http://www.naet.com. In Westminster: http://red-white.net/ Good luck!

I have eczema and both my kids were lucky enough to inherit the sensitive skin gene from their mommy. I use ReNew Lotion, which has helped out all of us wonderfully. It has naturally based products in it, and doesn't feel as greasy as other lotions tha are supposed to help with eczema or othe types of really dry skin. You can only get it online thought.

Drop me a line if you'd like to know more. I'd love to share the info!

Tricia
Mom to Alex & Arianna
www.mamas2mamas.com

My son had horrible eczema. We were doing steroids, hydrocortizones, antibiotics, topical and oral, etc. I finally told the doctor no and we went to nothing. Shortly after that, I found mangosteen juice. We did an ounce a day, spread out, or two ounces. Within two weeks, he went from having open, oozing, infected sores, to having beautiful smooth, soft baby skin. His eczema was so bad two different dermatologists took pictures to send in because they hadn't seen anything so bad. Now we do that, if needed, as well as a 10-15 minute bath at the end of the day, using unscented Dove or Ivory at the very end. Towel dry and then slather in Vanicream. You can get that OTC at the pharmacy. We actually have let all Rx expire and haven't refilled them. The bath thing came from the docs at National Jewish. I can recommend two brands of reliable mangosteen. The cheap ones at Costco and Sams, etc, don't work. One has a berry taste, the other a more pineapple taste. Either one is 90& mangosteen juice, with the rest of the ingredients being flavoring (all natural fruit juices). Hope this helps. GL!

I use an oil that I found at a homeopathic store called Down to Earth. I have lost it so I can't tell you the name, but I'm sure it isn't hard to find. I used it on my baby's exzema and it worked wonders. I also like Elidel. I have heard that oatmeal baths are work wonders. So there you go! Good Luck!

I think you are on the right track! Steroid creams really aren't that safe for long term use so its so beneficial to get to the bottom of WHY she has eczema. I would have her skin tested and/or blood tested for other allergies because there are probably others. Probiotics are great, too. I've found a couple of brands that are dairy free- I just buy the adult version in capsules, break open the capsule and stir the powder into water or juice. If you ask at your local Whole Foods or other Natural Foods market I bet they can direct you to a dairy free one. The other thing I would try is giving her Cod Liver Oil. Its great for the inflammation associated with eczema and helps with dry skin. My last suggestion is a liquid, whole food supplement I've found that helps your immune system not to be so reactive, helps your skin and helps your digestion. Its completely natural, organic, and it tastes good so its easy for kids to take. My daughter suffered from horrible eczema starting at 6 weeks of age. We removed all allergens and then started all of the above mentioned supplements and she's not only been eczema-free, but has been outgrowing some of her food allergies. If you are interested in the liquid supplement, you can contact me at ____@____.com. I was so impressed with this supplement, it has now become my home business and is the reason I can be home with my daughter...yay! Good luck and I hope you find some solutions.

My kids always had terrible eczema until we started using a water softener.

Hi A.! I have been in the same boat. My daughter turned 2 in April and since probably February we have been on a rollercoaster of trying to figure out what works and what doesn't. We've been to numerous Dr appointments but the one thing I would suggest is we went and saw an Allergy guy that works out of my chiropractors office so it's all natural stuff. I'm not sure what it's called but can find out if you're interested but he was able to test probably a good 150 things in a matter of 25-30 minutes. We found out that she is allergic to corn & shrimp - along with the common ones, dairy, cats, dogs, possibly peanuts, some grains. But we were surprised with the corn & shrimp because those were 2 of her favorite foods and common for meals at our house. So then I started researching and found that corn can be a huge allergy and if it's a major allergy it eliminates a lot from the diet (you gotta think about corn syrup, corn cereals, so so much) Anyway we still struggle with it but it's definitely better than it was. You may want to check with a local chiropractor and see if they are licensed to do allergy testing or if they know of someone. We also started her on a fish oil supplement and probiotics as well as giving her zyrtec everyday. Not sure which one or if it's all that's helping but we just continue! I think I'm going to try to stop giving her the zyrtec everyday to see how she reacts. And slowly we'll reintroduce foods to see if they are the definite reactors. I also cover her in cream after baths - I really like Aquaphor - trying Cetaphil right now but think I liked Aquaphor better. HTH! Good luck! I feel your pain with the not knowing and struggling to pin point it!

http://www.eczemamed.com/

I think Watkins kids vitamins have good probiotics in them, I'm not sure if they have dairy.

baby eczema cream and wash here:

http://www.gentlenaturals.com/products/eczema_cream.cfm

best of luck!

My boy had AWFUL eczema. He'd scratch to bleeding even in his sleep. We tried everything. The thing that helped the most was organic coconut oil.

http://www.amazon.com/Spectrum-Naturals-Coconut-Organic-l...

At first we used it in addition to all the other tips and tricks. Now we use it when he flares up or starts getting dry skin. He is 4 now.

Apply coconut oil to all the trouble spots any time you change a diaper. or if she's potty trained already (and wow if she is!!), first thing in the morning, and whenever you think about it, plus a ton right before bedtime..

We mixed powdered mangosteen into Eucerin cream. That worked well, too. But nothing works as well as the coconut oil.

-use ALL free and clear laundry detergent
-avoid all allergens
-luke-warm bath with NO soap 3 times a week. Air or pat dry. Apply coconut oil within 3 minutes of getting out of tub.
-Cetaphil liquid soap for washing hands and body. You don't have to wash it all off...it just absorbs into the skin....so quick rinse.....http://www.amazon.com/Cetaphil-daily-facial-cleanser-norm...
-avoid overheating
-keep nails clipped short
-wear pj's that cover the knees and ankles if she scratches in her sleep. http://www.amazon.com/Private-Label-Toddler-2-Piece-Sleev... (tuck tube socks under long sleeves if she scratches her wrists and elbows, too.

So, the more days she goes with slathering on the coconut oil, the more she'll heal, the softer her skin will become, the less she'll need the coconut oil. Apply as much or as little coconut oil between outbreaks as you feel comfortable with.

It will get better, hang in there!

the oil is solid at room temperature, but melts on your hand.

my son was NOT allergic to dairy or soy. He was allergic to oats - which ruled out alot of eczema lotions. He's also very allergic to peanuts.

Although you can't exactly connect a particular food w/a particular symptom, I do know a few folks (including, it appears, my DS2) who react to eggs with eczema. Just in case you'd like to eliminate yet another food. ;)

www.natren.com has dairy-free probiotics. They're cultured on garbanzo beans.
www.countrylife.com has some... I'm not sure if they're cultured on milk or not, but my dairy sensitive DS2 tolerates them well, FWIW.
You can find both at Vitamin Cottage.

It *sounds* harsh, but a recent study showed great results with a bath of diluted bleach: http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/eczema/.... Read the article...the baths were so successful that they actually halted the study so all the kids could have the bleach baths! And here's how to do them: http://www.eczemacenter.org/eczema_center/handouts_bleach...

And at Nat'l Jewish they do eczema wraps. Bathe child in warm water (try to keep affected areas wet the whole time) for 20 minutes. Remove child from bath and immediately apply cream/lotion to eczema patches. (this part assumes arms & legs are affected) Put wet (not just damp) socks over each arm and leg. Put dry socks over the wet ones. Put on a pair of wet pajamas, and cover with a dry blanket sleeper. Leave on 20 minutes or more. Can be repeated more than once a day if symptoms are severe.

And if you want loads more info about allergies I'm in a great allergy group on Yahoo. It's called TerrificKidsWFA.

Best of luck!

The best thing you can do is a food diary. She may be allergic to much more. Clear out all food/animals that may cause an allergic reaction. Nuts, eggs, strawberries & even cats & dogs. Then slowly introduce each one back. If & when you see the eczema reappear then you know which item to eliminate. The 100% is the key, she needs to be off of the dairy, wheat & soy 100%. There are not any 100% vegan probiotics that I have found as the cultures/starters they use are milk based. My 21 mo. old daughter & I were off of dairy & strawberries for 10 mo. about 2 mo. ago I weaned her & we have periodically let her have tiny bits of milk. She normally will have a slight reaction to it. We have just decided to keep it away for now as she has an 80% chance of out growing the allergy.

Also the eczema is the first sign of an allergy. It goes eczema, nose & ears issues then asthma. Hope this helps! ;0) G

My daughter's eczema flares when she is drinks soymilk. She usually drinks rice milk. I tried moving her back to soy under her Pediatric GI doctor's recommendation but it flared the eczema so bad we put her back on rice milk. Don't know if its helpful, but let me know. I also tried Bio-Gaia probiotics expensive but I'm unsure if they are dairy-free

Most children outgrow their eczema. It's also hereditary. To find a cure (don't know if there is one, though), I'd search google.

The very best solution we ever found, heads and tails above all the others, was applying Vaseline to the dry spots. (If the spots became infected, we would switch to the steroid cream, and that worked.)

I skimmed the other responses and didn't see epsom salt baths- a friend of mine with ezcema saw improvement right away.

Go to Vitamin Cottage or Whole Foods and ask them. Also, try increasing oil. They have tasty fish oil caps for little ones. My daughter loves them. Also, having tried everything for my daughter what seems to help a lot is totally chem. free laundry detergent and Bert's Bees cream - yes, I've tried all the usual ones and this is the only thing that has helped so far.

Hi A.,

I highly recommend Body Balance. It's an all-natural whole food supplement made w/ sea veggies and aloe. It works wonders for things like ezcema, as it extremely hydrating, soothing, and healing. You can get it here (and it has a $-back guarantee): http://tinyurl.com/agzsbp

If you want to watch a short (8-minute) video about it, you can do that here: http://tinyurl.com/rbffs8

Hope this helps... let me know if you have any questions. ###-###-####

-A.

Both my sons had it terribly when they were younger, and it got worse in the winters. I found a product with Mary Kay called Extra-Emollient Night Cream was the best to put on the areas right after their baths and in the am the patches were so much better to gone! Best part is it is very affordable and has no steroids!

My little sister has this very bad at this age too. It got better as she grew. We would use only glycerin soap , Neutrogena is good. Use dye free laundry soap/hand soap. Don't let her eat too many foods that contain dye. Fast food also sets off allergies because of the mountains of contents they contain. She may not like the restrictions at first, and I wouldn't blame her, but she will get used to the taste of her new diet and eventually like it. This also helps set good eating habits for her as an adult. Oatmeal baths may soothe on a day with much inflammation. Also, for moisture after a bath don't use just any lotion on her skin. It should be water based and very mild. Shopping at a whole food store or organic market may give you some ideas/solutions. My sister was able to drink milk again after some time on a new diet and routine. I hope she gets better! Good luck!

Hi A.,
I am probably not much help at all, but here is a link to some info about eczema. http://www.skincarephysicians.com/eczemanet/whatis.html
Our twins have developed a mystery rash & we think (and so do the docs) that it may be eczema. Good luck!
J.

All 3 of my kids have eczema - some worse than others. I've tried just about everything and I've found that the absolute best thing I've ever done to help prevent the outbreaks is to keep their skin very hydrated all the time - not just when the rashes break out. I've found that the very best way to do that is this - every time I get them out of the bath, BEFORE I towel them off, I get them out dripping wet and apply baby oil all over their torso, back, arms & legs. The baby oil seals in the moisture & forms a barrier. Then I pat them dry and apply Eucerin cream (not the lotion - the thick cream that comes in a tub). If they seem dry at other times, I just apply some Eucerin. Since we've done this religiously every day after baths, we have dramatically reduced the number of flare-ups and it has been months and months since any of them have had to have steroid creams.

You might want to look into Paula's Choice products at www. paulaschoice.com. She has "battle plans" for acne and wrinkles posted, and I think one for eczema, too. Her stuff is all fragrance-free and safe for the most sensitive skin. It's the best skin care product line I have ever used.
I agree with the previous mom who posted about keeping skin very hydrated. My pediatrician also recommends Eucerin in the tub, but I prefer Paula's Choice hydrating cream just because it's less greasy. Same idea, though, of preventing any dry flaking skin to be a trigger for a flare up. We use Eucerin Plus and/or Paula's Choice AHA as a mild chemical exfolliant to keep bumps and flaking away. Best wishes!

I'm sorry to hear about the trouble your little one is having with eczema. My son was having some trouble with it as well. We found and love Renew lotion. It is made by a company that uses natural ingredients, rather than the harsh chemicals that can be found in other products. In addition, you may want to consider changing laundry detergent, fabric softener, anything that comes into contact with her skin as the harsh chemicals could be irritating her skin further. Let me know if you like to find out more and good luck!

Hi there! Yes, yes, yes! We have found an amazing answer called Reliv that has helped me with chronic eczema I had for 17 years. Now 99% symptom free and my two boys use the same thing and one has a wheat allergy and one does not. They are both completely symptom free today. It is safe (I also used it as prenatal and for asthma and environmental allergies) it is a supplement with a FOOD patent and anyone can take it and if you haven't realized it yet, eczema is not a skin problem, it is a toxicity issue. You gotta cleanse that little girl! Those toxins are releasing thru her biggest organ, her skin! I would love to help you!
Lets talk!
J.

My son had ezcema, too; probiotics and California Baby Calming Cream were the cure. Also, I don't use soap on him in the bath except for his hair, face, and bottom. The pediatrician said soap isn't really necessary in other areas. Try a gentle soap, too; I'm a big proponent of California Baby products--they are very gentle.
Good luck!
S.