Eczema--Natural Remedies Thursday

Up to 10 percent of children under the age of five develop eczema.

The disease in a child calls for special attention.

Last March it began. Morris started getting a little rash. I already knew he had extremely sensitive skin as he was allergic to most laundry detergents, soaps with fragrance, harsh cleaner residue, and even disposable diapers. Because of these sensitivities I had already made sure none of of these factors were present in our home. I also tried to keep his skin moisturized with a good fragrance-free lotion.

His rash worsened. I exhausted nearly every natural remedy and by April it was bad enough I considered using a steroid cream. This concerned me greatly because steroid creams are known to thin the skin and are linked to creating long term allergies. They are only to be used once in a great while and only for 10 days (max) at a time. The safety still seems sketchy to me.

By May, I felt I had no choice. I am not against modern medicine and know that it has it's place, so we gave it a go.

10 days. The steroid did nothing. Didn't even touch it. In fact, from there on out Mo's eczema went downhill. What was I to do? I thought I had tried the Natural route and then 3 different MDs--(one was a specialist). The rash only worsened.

Morris' case was turning into extreme eczema--textbook. When you google childhood eczema, you will find photos of kids completely wrapped in gauze and believe me when I say he was almost there.

It is so sad to look back on this---It was a dark time. You don't immediately think, "Eczema= Extremely difficult life trial", but I tell you it was one of the most stressful things I've ever dealt with. I was on the verge of tears at any moment.

Other than the one up top, I could never bring myself to take pictures. 4 months of his life is virtually undocumented. This condition occupied my every thought, every moment. He was so uncomfortable and his skin just looked painful. It had spread all over his back, both calves and onto the upper thighs. Both arms and hands were raw and the final straw was his face and ears. Just thinking about his whimper as a 7 month old makes me cry.

It was oozing and bleeding and his only relief was if I held him completely naked in my arms-skin to skin and rocked him to sleep.

.

.

.

Then he got a staph infection.

This almost completely broke me.

What does a parent do when all that doctors can give is the hope that he might grow out of it?

My gut kept telling me to go back to the Homeopathic route. His case turned severe so quickly that I didn't feel I spent enough effort searching for natural cures. Sure I did all the obvious ones--Oatmeal bath, humidifier, vaseline, 100% cotton clothing, Omega 3 oils, kept him away from pets, moisturize, moisturize, moisturize, etc. etc. etc.! I was reading constantly, searching for the cure. But because it was so bad, social pressure caused me to turn away from alternative medicine quicker than I should have. I knew there was a balance that had to be struck---all the factors had to be in perfect harmony.

I decided to start over.

Homeopathic medicine sometimes takes longer to have an affect on the body, but the cure is long lasting with no side effects. When a condition gets severe so fast, it can be scary to go the slow route. We are a society that wants quick results. But It is my feeling that the steroids disrupted his system and put him on overload. The necessary antibiotic for the Staph only added to it. From there on out his little body just couldn't handle anything it seemed. At this point, what did I have to lose? The steroids didn't work and there seemed to be nothing else to try.
We eventually worked out the balance.

Heat and dryness are the main triggers for him.

We live in Arizona.

A Hot Desert.

Not conducive to his condition.

It's March, and it has started again, although so much better than last year. We know how to manage now. Basically we just can't leave the house in the day and humidifiers are on constantly.

Here are some natural tips for helping your child to manage their eczema:
Moisturize - bathe your child in room temp water (even a bit on the cold side if they can take it) for no longer than five minutes. Use very little mild soap or non-soap fragrance-free cleanser from a health food store. Sprouts and Whole Foods have a good selection.

We like Dr. Bronner's Baby Mild Pure-Castile soap. (Can be found at most health food groceries--Sprouts, Whole Foods, etc.)

After bathing your child, pat the skin dry and apply a moisturizing cream or ointment within three minutes.

Eczederm Rescue is an ointment by Peaceful Mountain and it is awesome. It contains healing ingredients like comfrey, calendula, olive oil, avocado oil, and arnica. Very effective. (Found at Whole Foods)

We tried about 20 different lotions and found Alba very emollient body lotion--unscented, to be the best. When Mo gets the urge to scratch,

Wise Woman herbal salve does the trick. (Online)

Only use all natural soaps, laundry detergents and lotions. Avoid anything perfumed.

I swear by Biokleen Free & Clear. The last 2 factors that really helped were the use of a homeopathic remedy of sulphur and adding Omega 3 fish oils to Mo's diet.

A spoonful of fish oils mixed into their food is so helpful to help rebuild the skin.

Boiron is a product line that both Sprouts and Whole Foods carry.

3 Sulphur tablets- twice a day, made all the difference. (30c dose)

A few more tips:

Keep your child's fingernails short to prevent their scratching from breaking the skin.
Dress them in 100 per cent cotton clothing to reduce sweating, which can be an irritant. After purchasing new clothing, wash them before dressing your child to make them softer and remove any tags to avoid irritating the skin.
Avoid wool and other coarse or rough-textured clothing or blankets and if possible, remove wool carpets. If you are wearing woollen clothing, put a cotton diaper over your shoulder when holding your child.
Keep your child's room at an even temperature.
Use a cool mist humidifier in dry or heated rooms to keep the air moist.
If your child is allergic to dust or dust mites, use protective coverings for pillows and mattresses and wash bedclothes frequently in hot water.
Keep pets off beds and other furniture, or outside.
If night-time itching is a problem, use a cold, damp washcloth to soothe your child's skin, followed by a moisturizer.

Children, like adults, experience emotional stress which can exacerbate their eczema. To help your child cope with their illness, it's important to develop and maintain a routine. Anyone who cares for your child should also keep to this routine. Talk to your child about eczema and inform him/her about what triggers the disease. Explain the importance of treatment and how necessary it is to use moisturizer and avoid triggers.