Hello,
I'm looking for a naturopath, homeopath, someone who practices Chinese medicine or anyone who will basically look outside the realm of traditional medicine to test my child for what is causing her whole body eczema. I have looked into a lot of things and have seen a classical homeopath, a doctor who practiced Chinese Medicine and a NAET practitioner. The homeopath and doctor did not offer to do any testing but basically gave me advice on what to do or gave me herbs. My daughter would not sit still enough for the NAET practitioner to do her work so that didn't work. I saw another doctor who basically gave me a ton of pills to give my 1 1/2 year old daughter. That definitely didn't work. My daughter has had eczema since 4 or 5 months old and it has gotten worse. I was able to get allergy testing for her (RAST) and found out she was allergic to a slew of things. I took everything out of her diet and her eczema remains. I have switched detergents, body products, etc. I have tried probiotics, fish oil, etc. Nothing made a significant difference. Right now I suspect Leaky Gut or allergy to disposable diapers. We are potty training her now so eventually that will test my diaper suspicions. I would appreciate any referrals to someone who can test my daughter for what is really keeping this eczema around. She has eczema all over but especially around her neck, inner arms and backs of legs, around her stomach and I don't remember the last time her diaper area has looked normal. Her skin is very discolored, patchy and bumpy. I'm sorry this is so long but I am at my wits end and I really need her to get a more comprehensive test done. She is 2 1/2 now.
Thank you all for your help. I am working with a naturopathic physician to help heal my daughter from the inside out. The Dr. also recommended giving her probiotics and fish oil. I have also changed her diapers to Tushies (gel-free diapers) and that seems to help the eczema around the diaper area. I will keep you all posted on the results. Thanks again!!
My son had a rash for 2 years the drs said would clear up on his own. We recently switched to Melaleuca and he has been using the Renew Lotion and after a week it was about 80% gone. We also use their laundry soap and he is using the bath soap. Next month I am going to finish getting him completely switched over with deodorant and shampoo. I swear by this stuff.
Hi!
My son had major eczema 7 years ago. I went through a lot of the same things you did. I knew his immune system was way out of whack and was pulling my hair out. I had just started taking a whole food product called Juice Plus for myself because I was going through some immune issues too. A holistic nurse had told me about it. It is 15 fruits and veggies in a soft chew or capsule. I also did quite a bit of research and decided to give extra vigin olive oil a try. I would bath him at night and when he got out of the tub I would rub it on him and put his p.j.'s on.
I am so happy to tell you that is what worked for us and he has not had a flair up for years. They key is a balanced immune system and JP+ has published, peer reviewed studies showing that it does that.
You can check out the studies at www.StudiesOnJuicePlus.com and/or I would be happy to answer any questions you might have.
Good luck!
I am in Northern VA, so I don't have any specific practitioners close to you to recommend, however, there is a chapter of the Holistic Moms Network close to you http://montgomeryctymd.holisticmoms.org/ and the mommas there may have some ideas for you. The Holistic Moms Network also has a partnership with Wellness Possibilities, who have an online searchable databse of practictioners. Hope this helps, and good luck in your search.
I'll also say that if you haven't already tried removing dairy, wheat, and or soy, that it could be a significant factor in exzema as well.
L.
Wayne Bonlie practices in Timonium. Perhaps he can give you a referral for someone closer to you. ____@____.com; ###-###-####. You mentioned that you switched laundry & personal care products. Have you tried MelaPower and Renew? I've know LOTS of children to get great results. Good luck!
It could be allergies causing it, but often it is the chemicals in products. I know you said you switched some products, but melaleuca worked for us. My little guy had eczema all over and we tried numerous things until I came accross melaleuca and switched all our products to them and his eczema cleared up within a few weeks. Either go to my website or send me a pm and we can talk if you are interested.
I read the other replies, and while I don't have first hand knowledge of useful solutions for babies/toddlers, I do have an excellent doc in Tyson's Corner that my husband has seen for 10 years - he has severe skin issues, including psoriasis and eczema.
While she is a licensed MD in dermatology, she's really much more than that - she focuses on the patient, the true cause of the issues, performs appropriate bloodwork to diagnose specific allergies or issues, and also uses a holistic approach to treatment. She is the first person I would recommend contacting and - bonus - she takes most insurance. She's Dr. Duyen Faria, and her practice is Excel Dermatology on Gallows Road. In non-traffic times it would only take about 30 minutes from Germantown. Their URL is http://www.exceldermatology.com/staff.html, and I have only amazingly positive things to say about the results our family, and others we've referred to her, have experienced and continue to experience. It may be the most economical way of approaching things as well if you have health insurance.
I wish you the best in finding a solution that helps your little one. We have a 16 month old with minor eczema and I cannot imagine having as intense a case as your little one does. Please let us know how things work out!
~J
I agree you need to have someone find out the cause, but in the mean time, have you tried aquaphor or hydraphor? My boys have really dry skin with eczema on their faces and arms in particular. hydraphor works well for them, but I'm also a Mary Kay consultant and it's been my experience that our after sun replenishing gel is great for this as well. I get an alergic reaction after wearing some of my silver jewelry for any length of time... I have a cross I like to wear 24/7... and the MK replenishing gel really works to relieve the itching and hives. Amazing. If you're interested, check out my website at www.marykay.com/jblack2012 or ask your current consultant. Best wishes for quick answers. :) ~J.
The Feingold Association (www.feingold.org) claims on their web-site that the Feingold Program can help with eczema. Basically the program is an elimination diet which excludes the following: artificial colors (dye), artificial flavors, the preservatives BHA, BHT and TBHQ, artificial sweeteners and synthetic fragrances from foods, personal care and household products. Some foods are also eliminated temporarily and are reintroduced to determine whether they are a problem. The above additives are never reintroduced.
You don't say what you eliminated from her diet, but you may want to look into whether Feingold eliminates some things which you have not already tried. Also, processed foods (and even some not so processed foods such as low fat milk) can contain hidden additives not listed on labels. These are almost impossible to eliminate without contacting manufacturers (or joining Feingold which has already contacted them and publishes a book of additive free foods).
Unfortunately, there is no "test" to see if Feingold will help or not - you just have to try it and see. Also, they go into other areas of dietary exclusion such as gluten, dairy and additional foods/additives for extremely sensitive individuals (sounds like your daughter may be one of those). A clue that Feingold might help in this case is the age it started - around the time she probably started eating some solids.
My recommendation would be Breda Pixley at Solas Holistic Healthcare in Annapolis: http://yellowpages.washingtonpost.com/solas+holistic+heal...
She is incredibly sweet and knowledgeable. I used her for a homeopathic remedy for morning sickness that worked wonders.
My daughter also had eczema in her diaper area especially. Potty training really helped, so you might want to wait -- maybe it will clear up on its own soon! I even tried cloth diapers, which seemed to help a little bit, but really, potty training worked best. The other thing that really, really seemed to make a difference is to stop bathing her! Well, not altogether! But I only gave her a bath about every week and a half, and when I did, I used only a small amount of water and absolutely no soap. I wonder if there are some who are more sensitive to the chlorine or other chemicals in tap water. And her skin is so dry, she never really got sweaty or smelly anyway. Now I give her baths more frequently because the problem is gone.
Edited to say that I forgot to mention that just because you have eliminated her allergies doesn't mean that she doesn't have a food sensitivity. Does your daughter have really messy diapers sometimes, especially after spicy food, ham or other processed meats, or colorful fruits? She could have a salicylate sensitivity. Mine did. There are other food sensitivities too.
