Talk to me about Eczema

[Mama Lo]

My dad has bad eczema on his hands. He has tried several topical treatments, including calendula lotion to no avail.
Does anyone have ideas? Do you know what causes it and and some other natural alternatives to help him treat it.
Thanks for your input

[kjbrown92]

how long has he had it for?
is it worse one season than another?
Eczema is often an environmental allergy, food allergy, or food intolerance. My SIL had it from latex gloves. My DD2 had it from ingesting corn. I got it just on my torso when I went on an abx for a UTI. When it started is a clue as to what would help.

[candacebr]

I used to get eczema but since I started to add kefir yogurt to my smoothies on a daily basis it has all disappeared and even dry skin patches I'd had for years are on the way out.

[neetling]

My 3 year old gets it and it seems to be connected to a dye in some foods. Either red or orange. I haven't been able to pinpoint it exactly.

[blessedwithboys]

It's a casein allergy over here.

[Alvie]

What I've seen helpful is to take adequate doses of good quality Omega 3 oils, like flaxseed oil and/or fish oils. Also, avoiding common foods that are challenging can also help. Wheat and dairy are some of the major culprits.

Any skin condition like excema usually starts with an unhealthy bowel. Like another poster said, kefir or other naturally fermented foods like saurkraut can also be helpful.

Hope he finds some relief!

Edited : forgot to add...have him drink alot of clean water. Like 8 big glasses a day!!! Thats probably the most important thing!

[MrsJewelsRae]

For my dd it was food and environmental. She would scream in itching bleeding flare up agony from milk, soy, cats and dogs. But it was still tough to get it to go away. I had some success with probiotics and homeopathic tablets specifically for eczema, but not enough. I tried lots of natural HFS lotions and creams. It also helped a bit to bathe her and immediately massage her whole body with a gentle cream to seal in the moisture. I wanted to be able to clothe her in organic or natural non-fire retardant treated clothes, but didn't have the $. Finally when she was 4 we moved to a new house and her eczema cleared up very fast. I couldn't figure it out until I noticed our toilet and sinks turning orange and her skin also broke out in eczema again. We needed to add more salt to the water softener. The light went on- it was the water softener that cleared her skin up the rest of the way instantly. She's 6 now and has really grown out of a lot of her sensitivities, or has a much higher tolerance to them. She has dairy and soy in moderation and we have cats and a dog (outdoor) and she has no problems.

[mellowjello]

Sometimes excema can be related to gut issues. The body is clearing stuff out from the inside out through the skin. A healing diet (like GAPS) can help. It uses only easily digestable food and probiotics, especially food based probiotics.