Eczema Support Group

Hi my name is Lori and I have a three year old with severe eczema. It is so frusterating for our family. We have been to four different pediatricians, a dermatologist and allergy specialist and nothing seems to help my poor child. It seems we have tried every type of steriod, oral steriods, oral antibiotics, allergy test, blood work and he still continues to have horrible outbreaks. He has been with this since about 7 months old. I cry every day because my husband and I can't be home with him during the day and preschool teachers can not watch every move he makes to see if he's scratching. At night it is worse. We live in Arizona and are thinking about relocating to Florida. We are struggling just like everyone else in this economy but if Florida weather is going to help my baby then we will have to make the big move. We are going to Florida for a week to test it out on his skin. Please give us any type of advice, we feel lost and hopeless. Thank you.

I am very sorry for your troubles and frustrations. I've had eczema for many years and can understand how you feel. You want to help your son so much but feel powerless to know what to do. My guess is that he has a very sensitive system that is reacting to food or environmental allergens. Care2 just had an article today which I will post here. It may have some ideas you can try. My intuition says that moving to Florida might improve things at first but then he will start to have problems again. Soon I am trying something new called Alternative Allergy Relief (www.allergyreliefusa.com). It is a completely different approach to allergy and intolerance elimination. Here is the Care2 info below.

Eczema usually causes inflamed red, itchy, and dry patches of skin that sometimes blisters and weeps. Psoriasis is similar in that it also frequently occurs on the scalp, knees, and elbows, but it can occur anywhere on the body and also often shows up on the buttocks and wrists. It doesn’t usually itch, but may bleed if the red, swollen skin or silvery or whitish scales are scratched. It is caused by skin cells that replicate too quickly, usually around ten times the growth rate of normal skin cells.Most scientists and doctors are mystified by what causes the these conditions or the skin cells to replicate. Natural medicine theories include: poor diet; deficiencies in essential fatty acids and fiber; digestive difficulties, especially with protein; Candida albicans overgrowth; deficiency vitamins and essential fatty acids; or poor liver function or toxic buildup. Here’s how to help:

Detox Your Liver and Intestines

Detoxify the bowels and liver to eliminate a possible overgrowth of Candida albicans or other microbes that may be infecting the body. To do that, be sure to drink plenty of water every day (usually 10 to 12 cups) and supplement with a high quality probiotic supplement that includes: Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus bulgaricus, Lactobacillus plantarum and Bifidobacteria, and Bifidobacteria bifidum. Avoid sugars and minimize fruit consumption while dealing with Candida.

Juice it Up

Drink more fresh vegetable juices. Because they are easy to digest, their nutrients are readily absorbed by the body and they encourage gentle detoxification.

Heal with Whole Foods

Eat a whole foods diet consisting primarily of vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds, and grains, making sure to eat protein foods like beans, raw nuts and seeds at every meal to stabilize blood sugar levels. Avoid processed and packaged foods containing colors, flavors, and preservatives.

Go Gluten-Free

Avoid grains containing gluten, which include whole wheat, white flour, oatmeal, spelt or kamut, since gluten sensitivity is common in sufferers of eczema or psoriasis. Instead choose gluten-free grains like quinoa, brown rice, buckwheat, and amaranth.

Avoid Allergens

Dairy products, sugar, chocolate, and citrus fruits are also common culprits that should be avoided. Because alcohol often causes flare-ups, it is important to eliminate it as well

Add Skin-Soothing Aloe

In addition to being a natural and gentle colon stimulant, aloe vera juice taken internally can be helpful for healing skin disorders like eczema and psoriasis. It also helps to heal the intestines, lessening chances of reinfection from Candida or other microbes. Drink about a quarter cup of aloe vera juice, twice daily. Avoid if you are pregnant or lactating.

Get an Oil Change

Supplement your diet with increased amounts of essential fatty acids, particularly Omega 3s, which are found in wild salmon, flaxseeds and flaxseed oil, and raw walnuts. Fish oil from a pure source provides Omega 3 fatty acids along with other essential fats not found in most vegetarian sources.

Improve Your Digestion

Lessen the amount of animal protein you are eating and supplement with a full-spectrum digestive enzyme formula with every meal to aid digestion and to increase the absorption of nutrients from your meals.

Add Liver-Loving Foods

Support your liver function by eating more leafy greens, olives and olive oil, beans and legumes, garlic and onions, tomatoes, raw nuts, flax seeds and flax seed oil. Season your food with the best liver-friendly spices like cayenne pepper, cinnamon, and turmeric. Supplement periodically with the herb, milk thistle, containing 80 to 85 percent silymarin.

Help Your Cells

While most ointments or cream only mask the problem, many of my clients suffering from eczema and psoriasis have reported relief using Cellfood Gel, which delivers oxygen and nutrients to the skin to promote healing.

Like Joanne found, a holistic approach to eczema or psoriasis can spell the difference between suffering and healthy skin.

Michelle Schoffro Cook, DNM, DAc, CNC is a best-selling and six-time book author and doctor of natural medicine, whose works include: The Life Force Diet, The Ultimate pH Solution, and The 4-Week Ultimate Body Detox Plan. Learn more at: www.TheLifeForceDiet.com.

Hi Lori,

I'm so sorry your little guy is having such a difficult time of it. I know how this can involve the whole family frustrating everyone.

I really don't have many better suggestions. We tried Hazelwood and hematite necklaces on my daughter with some success, I think. However, I also was told that eczema can be cyclical, so she might have been on an upswing anyway. It was suggested to me once to make a paste of 1 part baking soda + 1 part salt with just enough water to make a paste. I've NOT tried it because it sounded painful and my daughter had open sores, but the man who suggested it swore it worked for him, relieving the itch and soothing his skin. If anyone does try it, I'd like to know what they think of it.

But, like Maya said, I think a relocation may only be a temporary solution for your son... unfortunately.

For my daughter, our dermatologist suggested Aveeno moisturizers and "judicious" sun exposure. Swimming and being outdoors seems to help the most for her.

I wish I had better suggestions for you.

~Mary

thanks for the advice. I would try the past but he has open sores too. At night we are doing wet wraps for about 10 minutes and then we put Aveno and vaseline and then wrap him up again.Nothing seems to help though. It's so frusterating because we have been to so many doctors and have tried everything they have advised us and he gets relief for 2 weeks and then we are back to square one. We are watching what he eats and he is such a picky eater its so hard.

Oh, I understand how frustrating picky eaters can be! My oldest was a very picky toddler as well at a Type 1 diabetic. I wept for years! Now I can't get the kid to STOP eating! Just as bad.

How frustrating to try to track down allergens when you just want your son to eat! I can't imagine a little guy wanting to drink vegetable juice.

Hopefully, someone else can jump in here with some other treatments that you haven't tried yet.

~Mary

Post edited by: KwiteKontrarie, at: 06/27/2009 05:29 PM

hi my name is adaline i am new to this group and i am so sorry about your sons eczema i can only imagine the pain and disscomfort his is going through. I read you post and thought i would tell you about my daughter Mia she is almost 2yrs old. She had eczema from her neck down but not as savere as your son, her skin just was red and felt like ruff sandpaper. I was using aveno wash, lotion and oils but nothing worked and I didnt want to put her on steriods. My sister-inlaw turned me on to a product called Renew intensive therapy and Renew bath oil. They worked great! I also switched over to an all natural laundry detergant. This has been the only formula, the Renew products and the all natural laundry detergant, that for the first time my daughter has baby soft skin and no sandpaper skin. If you decide to try the products I hope it helps your son as much as it has helped my daughter.

Thank you for the advice, I am willing to try anything at this point. We have tried so many products that it seems it works for a few days and he gets immune and they stop working. I am going to look up Renew right now!! Thank you.

You can find it at Melaleuca.com this is a company that sells all natural products at a whole sale price. All of the products that you see online are super-concentrated to save you both money and save on plastic waste. Because of the degree of your sons eczema I would suggest also using the sent free all natural laundry detergent, and body soap it will help alot. My cousin uses it for his daughter because she is allergic to EVERYTHING! They only see Holistic Doctors and they shop from this website all the time. You get 30-40 percent off the price if decide to become a member, its like costco but all natural products instead. Oh ya and everything has a 100% satisfaction garantee. Please let me know how things turn out I just love a happy ending, hopefully this will be the one that works for you and your family.

I do know a woman who is a Melaleuca dealer, and I have to say, their products do appear to be high quality. She has a daughter who is also sensitive to allergens and the products do appear to work well for her. So, perhaps this is the way to go...?!

Best of luck with it! And, yes, do tell us how this works out for you.

~Mary

hi, i am leaving in nj and my son has same problem. did florida's weather work for you guys? please let me know?we are also planning to move florida.

Thanks.