Eczema Remedies?

[UnsophisticatedFarmGirl]

My 9 year old son suffers from Excema badly during the fall and winter dry months and was wondering if any of you know or have some ideas on what could help him in that department that is natural... I dont want to have to resort to "steroids" and DR Perscriptions if there is a better way... The last few years I have always used Thick heavy cream but they always have it scented which I think is a hinderance than a help.

Thanks

JEANNIE

 

[Dace]

I have read that excema is very often tied to wheat and/or dairy intolerances. That would be my first action, take those away for a couple of weeks and see if the excema goes away.

I know of a little guy (under two) who has it pretty badly,he scratches the spots on his legs until they bleed. His momma has been told to take away dairy and wheat but alas, she has not done it yet.

 

[Up-the-Creek]

UFG,..I have heard that homemade lye soap will work wonders on Eczema. You could look into it. Wish I could be more help.

 

[FarmerChick]

Use natural soaps. Chemicals in products help that winter dry even worse.

and use natural lotions unscented.


all can be found in a local health food store. visit one and tell them your son's problem and they will easily give you great products to help.

 

[UnsophisticatedFarmGirl]

Thanks guys on the tips... My nephew also has bad eczema during this time of the year and he lives in CO where its really dry... I already try to buy unscented laundry soap since my hubby has sensitive skin on top of our son having the eczema.. I will look into the soap stuff too... wonder what I can find as far as shampoo that will help since son uses that to wash his head and its always scented.

I didnt think of the Dairy and Wheat I will give that a try... Thanks guys

 

[ZohBug]

Allergies/Asthma/Eczema is the trio that docs say go hand-in-hand-in-hand so you'll often see some connection there. In addition to wheat and dairy, eggs are also a common trigger in some people as are berries and nuts. Synthetic or irritating fabrics can also be a trigger so breathable fabrics like cotton are recommended (my dd always has a flare up after wearing polyester which makes her sad because most costumes and dress up clothes are made of polyester).

When looking at soaps and shampoos, the ingredient you want to look to avoid is sodium laurel sulfate. Using "free" detergents may help some people, but not all, because they leave a residue behind on clothing and actually build up and coat them, so you may be better off using soaps instead of detergents.

Coconut oil is a great moisturizer and it absorbs into the skin. Other good options are olive oil , coconut butter, and shea butter. You may want to stay away from things with nut oils as an ingredient in case there's a possible nut allergy (you never know when one will appear). It's best to moisturize right after the bath while the pores are still open and not to bathe with water that's too hot or too cold.

ETA: I didn't realize this was my first post! I've been lurking for so long, I felt like I belonged. Sorry about that!

 

[dragonlaurel]

Allergies/Asthma/Eczema is the trio that docs say go hand-in-hand-in-hand so you'll often see some connection there. In addition to wheat and dairy, eggs are also a common trigger in some people as are berries and nuts. Synthetic or irritating fabrics can also be a trigger so breathable fabrics like cotton are recommended (my dd always has a flare up after wearing polyester which makes her sad because most costumes and dress up clothes are made of polyester).

When looking at soaps and shampoos, the ingredient you want to look to avoid is sodium laurel sulfate. Using "free" detergents may help some people, but not all, because they leave a residue behind on clothing and actually build up and coat them, so you may be better off using soaps instead of detergents.

Coconut oil is a great moisturizer and it absorbs into the skin. Other good options are olive oil , coconut butter, and shea butter. You may want to stay away from things with nut oils as an ingredient in case there's a possible nut allergy (you never know when one will appear). It's best to moisturize right after the bath while the pores are still open and not to bathe with water that's too hot or too cold.

ETA: I didn't realize this was my first post! I've been lurking for so long, I felt like I belonged. Sorry about that!

Welcome
I think I'm getting eczema. Back of my hands- it's driving me crazy. Got a list of allergies that I'm used to avoiding. The dish soap has probably been triggering it. The gloves died, so I'll have to get new ones. "SLS" is nasty stuff. I also react to coconut which makes sense. SLS is an extremely processed version of it.

 

[freemotion]

I think I'm just gonna be pretty open with this one: OPC-3 is a fantastic product for exzema and I have many clients who are in full remission by using it. It is a super-antioxidant and some great studies have shown that taking this type of product in an isotonic-capable formula is far, far superior to other delivery systems (such as pills.)

I will give three examples...the first one I heard when attending a lecture by a doctor who had a family member of the Welch family (grape juice and jam, etc.) as a patient. Her grandson had psoriatic arthritis (yeah, not exzema, I know, but similar and worse) and his fingers were like sausages, he couldn't even bend them at times. Grandma told the doc that he would mysteriously go into remission in the late summer/fall, but would also have terrible diarrhea. After some questioning, he discovered that the guy would drive a truck in the grape harvest and would put a box of grapes on the passenger seat and munch on them all day long, every day, and thus get diarrhea....and a load of oligomeric proanthocyanadins (OPC's) as well. Put him right into remmission. So he started taking multiple doses of OPC-3 so he could get that big load of opc's without the crate of grapes and the digestive upset.

The two most dramatic of my clients with exzema are a doctor in her mid-thirties with exzema who had been under treatment most of her life and had tried everything available. Her own dermatologist had basically given up, she couldn't think of anything else to try. Her husband, also a doc, was in the process of evaluating the product line I was presenting and put his wife on this product without telling me of her health issues, just checked to be sure it was ok for a nursing mother.

Her exzema completely cleared up in about three weeks for the first time in her life. She also had to reduce her Synthroid level twice for the first time in years....ever, actually (her thyroid gland was destroyed completely in a cancer treatement some years earlier.) Her docs were stunned.

The last story is of a teenager, the son of a student in one of my weight management classes. He had exzema so bad that he didn't even wear shorts, it was all over his legs and trunk as well as his hands, and nothing would touch it. He also cleared up within about three weeks....there was just a stubborn area on one thigh that wouldn't go away. I suggested to his mom that he double dose for a while and see what would happen. It cleared completely in a couple more days. It will come back a little if he gets a lot of oxidative stress on his body, such as getting a sunburn. So now they know to just take an extra dose when this happens, and then reduce it again when he goes back into remission.

Allergies/asthma/exzema are three things that I always know I can impact when someone wants to consult with me on nutraceuticals. Always. 100% of the time.

And yep, I am a distributor of nutraMetrix (the lack of capitalization is not in error) products and MA OPC-3. This is my shameless commerce post!

 

[me&thegals]

Welcome, Zohbug!!

OPC-3?!? My worker-share woman has been telling me about OPC-3 all summer. What a coincidence to hear about it again today!

Ditto on asthma-allergies-eczema. My good friend's little baby (actually several friends) had eczema. All have asthma and allergies. This little girl needs to stay away from peanuts. If she gets into them at all, her skin literally splits and oozes. It's not pretty.

Humidifying winter air is probably good for all skin.

Avoiding alcohol- and petroleum-based moisturizers is probably another good idea. Can you get your hands on something homemade with coconut, olive, shea butter or other of the good moisturizers? When my hands get bad (not eczema), I like my body butter made with oil, beeswax and essential oil. The beeswax seems to help seal in the moisture.

An elimination diet would probably be a good idea for possible allergens. There are several threads on here right now about elimination diets if you need the guidelines.

 

[TanksHill]

We fight Eczema on a regular basis at my house. Our pediatrician recommends coating the kids with Cetaphil cream while still wet straight from the shower. My mother always had me rub down with coconut oil.

I am now in the process of testing for gluten allergies. This may resolve my issues. I hope you find a solution to yours. I know my kids are miserable when itchy and red.

Good luck,

gina