Any Advice on Controlnig Excema

J.,

Just a thought.
An overwhelming amount of the time, eczema is caused by a food allergy. Although treating topically with a steroid or some other cream may help, it is only treating symptoms and does not affect the cause of the eczema at all.
Dairy is the #1 cause (followed by yeast and gluten). However, it can take up to 30 days for dairy to completely get out of the body's systems. I would suggest eliminating all dairy from his diet for 30dys and see if it clears up.
Also, seeing a homeopathic-minded MD might help. Some are more willing to explore the reasons, while others just write an Rx for topical steroid to relieve itching, etc.
Just a thought.

Last fall we started a food elimination diet to discover the cause(s) of my dd's frequent headaches. We eliminated all dairy, corn and artificial food dyes -- both obvious and 'hidden'. If you'd like a list of all the hidden/obvious dairy ingredients, just email me (though you could probably find them on the net).

HTH
K., mama to
Catherine, 4yrs
Samuel, 14mos

Hi. I copied and pasted this from the interet.
What is the solution to eczema? Eighty percent of eczema is caused by contact with harsh and toxic common household chemicals and environmental pollutants. Start by purging your household – get rid of the myriad of chemicals in your bathroom, your kitchen and the closet where you keep cleaning products. Get rid of skin products that contain toxic ingredients like fragrances, dyes, propylene glycol and other chemicals. Switch to natural, non-toxic products.

My kids use to have bad eczema too. NOTHING worked, until I changed to non-caustic products. He still gets outbreaks though when we go to other people's houses sometimes.
Contact me and I'll tell you about the products I use and where you can get them. We also use a great lotion called Renew. It's been proven in double blind studies to be more effective than Eucerin for treating and soothing dry skin. also, do you have carpet. Dust mite allergies are another cause of eczema.

Go to your local grocery store or pharmacy - actuall all stores carry it. Cetaphil. It comes in a round white jar, cost is about $13, it lasts forever and it works! My son had signs of excema when he was young and this always helped. I have a friend who's son has had it his whole life, bad like your son and the dr. said to use cetaphil.
Good Luck

Most kids out grow excema but some dont, the only thing that helped my daughter become completely healed is Elocon, and I switched to Eladon when she became immuned to the first. They are both really good and I could switch back and forth to keep her from becoming immuned. The other thing is a oatmeal bath. Do not used perfume/scented soaps or water to warm. Eveno is the best and would help my daughter sleep thru the night. I put my white cloves on her to make her feel special for she could sleep and that would keep her from hurting herself when scratching in her sleep. Your regular dr shouldnt have a problem calling one of those ointments in for you, it beats waiting till April. Its worse in the winter months than summer. There are alot of good over the counters like Eucerin but its just temp. relief.
goodluck. S.

Something else to try. Avoid all detergents and other agents in your laundry, which touches his skin all day. Get the book Greening the Cleaning by Diedre Imus and read about the chemicals and our bodies' reaction to them. Something else to try is a chlorine filter on your show/tub. Chlorine is terrible for the skin and if you can avoid it do so. I bought mine at American Health on 249 & Louetta. Also, excema is a reaction to stress so try to maintain as low key a lifestyle as possible. Good luck, C.

I too have Excema. When I had my first break out My doctor told me about a cream that did not need a prescription for. I was given a can of Crisco Lard! Funny! But it works. This is what you do. 1. Avoid bathing the child in hot water. 2. Avoid putting on too warm of clothing on the child it is bad when we sweat. 3. Avoid giving the child whole milk. 4. When you bathe the child use simi lukewarm water. 5. No more perfume soap, lotions, or baby oil. 6. After the bath pat the child dry(Do not rub)(That tears the skin) Then put on the Crisco lard all over the body and small amount on the face. Also you need to cut the fingernails very low. Do this only at bedtime. In the morning use a damp cloth to wipe down the child's face & body.

Get your doctor to give you that hydrocorticione cream and don't use any lotions or body was that has perfume or scents. Use Aveeno baby wash it works real good for two of my children who have it. And don't let the water in the tub get too warm. It makes the skin dry out real fast and if it is that bad try not to bathe him so often wait two days or so until it starts to clear up and then make his baths real short. Get him in and out so his skin dosen't dryout real fast. Make sure to lotion his body two times a day with either the cream or aveeno baby lotion. The doctor should have some other types of medicated lotion they can give you too. Maybe even samples until you find one that works. Less bath time and lots and lots of lotion.

HI J., MY 17 MONTH OLD NEPHEW HAS IT AND SO DO I BUT HE HAS IT LIKE YOUR SON AND I ONLY GET IT AT THE CORNERS OF MY ARMS. I PERSONALLY BATH IN DOVE UNSCENTED SOAP AND I MAKE SURE MY NEPHEW DOES THE SAME. MY SISTER TRIED AVENO OATMEAL SOAP AND THAT WORKS ALSO. BUT PLEASE MAKE SURE U NEVER BATH HIM IN ANYTHING SCENTED EVEN BE CAREFUL ABOUT BUBBLEBATHS. I KNOW SOMETIMES IT GETS SCAREY WHEN HIS ITCHING AND U FEEL HELPLESS BUT THE BEST THING U CAN DO FOR HIM IS TO PUT SOCKS ON HIS HANDS. I TOTALLY AGREE WITH THE MESSAGE BELOW ABOUT SARNA LOTION IT WORKS GREAT ALSO.

J., have you looked into getting your son tested for food allergies? If not you really should push the issue with your insurance and or your ped dr. Excema is usually caused by an allergic reaction to food, and unfortunately most ped drs do not go to this diagnosis when they are faced with a child that has this symtom. If you have already done the allergy test and that's not the cause of the excema, then I do not have an answer for you as to how to treat it. If its a food allergy that's causing the excema, and once you have ellimated from his diet you'll be surprise how quickly his body will react and improve from the elimanation of a food source. Typically its an allergy to milk. Good luck. A.

I am so sorry your son has excema. From what I understand, it is possible for your son to outgrow this, so don't dispair. I, however, never did. So what I am telling you is something I've experienced first hand. But first thing, is to get some old socks and cover his hands when he is at home. That way if he tries to scratch,it's not so acute. Secondly is to bathe him in warm or tepid water with Dove/Oil of Olay sensitive skin soap. For a lotion, use the Sarna lotion, it will assist with the itch and you can use the lubriderm lotion, but get the regular kind. You can use the Eucerin, but it's kind of pricey and sort of on the greasy side - use at night, definately.
The issue is to use product without any perfumes/alcohols. Ive heard that Cetaphyl was good, but I have not tried that one. My PCP was trying to get me to use the medication w/o steroids (I stopped typing to find the tube, but I cant find it and just as I was coming back I remembered)Elidel. Elidel does not have steroids and MAY work for your son. If not, ask for something with steroids, but do not use the Kenalog. I've heard terrible things about that. Yes, I've used it (and it works), but I've only used it in a mixture - kenalog and lubriderm lotion. Other things you may want to consider is his diet. Orange juice/strawberries/sodas are irritants. I'm not supposed to have those, but I eat it anyway - I guess I love to suffer. All in all, keep him lubricated. I hate when parent oil down their kids in Crisco. Please do not do this. I know it may help, but the baby looks crazy and gets all of your furniture greasy. (LOL)Keep a sense of humor. Excema is horrible enough, make sure you try not to make a big deal of it to him. Sorry for the long note, but its a subject close to me.

There is a product called Renew Intensive Skin Therapy that has been proven to be more effective than Eucerin. Your dermatologist is probably going to recommend an expensive cream. A friend of mine had to use it on their child and it was about $200 a tube. The Renew healed his child's eczema in just a week or so. I'd be willing to give you some to try it out.

J. Pierce
www.familyfirst.fourpointwellness.com
www.prepareandsucceed.com