Eczema / reflux

[LilLilly]

I am on day 3 of eliminating wheat and dairy to see if it helps my EBF 6 mo old with his eczema. We went for our 6 mo check up today and the doctor thinks he has reflux and that is contributing to our sleep issues, which, along with the teething, is all causing the eczema. He doesn't think I should pursue the wheat and dairy thing right now, but instead elevate his sleeping surface and give rice cereal in the evening to thicken the gastric contents. I haven't had time to really research reflux yet, but cant food sensitivities (like dairy and wheat) also contribute to reflux? I feel like I'm trying so many things all at once that I won't know what is actually helping, if things improve.

[DevaMajka]

I don't get how any of the rest would be contributing to eczema. Did he explain how that could be? I don't know much about reflux, so I can't really answer that specifically. I would assume food sensitivities could contribute to reflux, but I'm not sure.

I know that eczema can be related to food sensitivities. In our case, I think the food sensitivities are caused by nutritional imbalances, maybe gut imbalances, leaky gut, stuff like that.

I understand the feeling of making so many changes that you won't know what helps and what doesn't. But don't let that stop you from making changes that might help. You can always figure it out by trialling after things are good. And some things, like probiotics or supplements, could fix it once and for all.

Can I ask why you are focusing on wheat and dairy? Apparently, egg is also common eczema trigger. And peanuts. Wheat and dairy do make a logical starting point, because so many people have trouble with them, though.

[deminc]

Originally Posted by LilLilly 

I am on day 3 of eliminating wheat and dairy to see if it helps my EBF 6 mo old with his eczema. We went for our 6 mo check up today and the doctor thinks he has reflux and that is contributing to our sleep issues, which, along with the teething, is all causing the eczema. He doesn't think I should pursue the wheat and dairy thing right now, but instead elevate his sleeping surface and give rice cereal in the evening to thicken the gastric contents. I haven't had time to really research reflux yet, but cant food sensitivities (like dairy and wheat) also contribute to reflux? I feel like I'm trying so many things all at once that I won't know what is actually helping, if things improve.

Doctors generally think of reflux as being caused by weak esophagas in babies. So the common approach is to elevate the baby, and thicken the solution so it stays down. If it doesn't help,they may give you something (can't remember what) to add to the feed. But persistent projectile reflux is something else altogether and needs more specialised attention. It can be related to food. My ds1 had colic and reflux until I took out dairy, but his reflux was never so bad. He just kinda threw up and that's it. It was more the screaming colic that got us worried and we took out dairy at the advice of a retired nurse. She turned out to be right when I trialed one teaspoon of milk wtih ds1 later on and he broke out in rashes immediately.  

For eczema do you see a pattern? DS2 had really poor sleep from birth, but no clear sign of eczema yet. After one, he started scratching a lot and we subsequently found that he was allergic to dustmites.He would be fine the entire day, until he goes to bed. He scratches most after a few hours into his sleep. So his key trigger for eczema is environmental. He does have food sensitivities that is related more to digestive and growth issues, except for seafood which is a clear trigger of eczema for him but much easier to avoid.  

[kjbrown92]

yes, food sensitives can cause reflux and eczema. Eczema is from food allergies, food intolerances, or environmental allergies. If you go to www.reflux.org (which I believe is sponsored by Neocate) you will find discussion boards on there filled with people figuring out what foods caused their child's reflux. Both my food intolerant kids (first one was healthy) were on reflux meds until I figured out their problem foods and removed them. And my DD2 also had eczema until I figured out what was causing that (corn). Most doctors don't believe in food intolerances and would rather medicate you then make you change your lifestyle. I can't figure out if it's because they think people won't comply or if they just think it's too "hard". We've been avoiding dairy, corn, gluten, soy and more for 2.5 years. It's not impossible.

[PTmorgan]

DS2 is now 21 months old.  Starting at 4 months he had quite significant reflux and eczema.  I did the conventional route to no avail - scopes, reflux meds like Prevacid, etc.  Docs told me nothing was wrong, gave us a diagnosis of "feeding mismanagement" aka "blame the mother", and a prescription for a really big tub of hydrocortisone which I didn't get filled.

DS2 and I (because he was nursing) did an elimination diet of the top 8 allergens.  Within 2 weeks his reflux and eczema were GONE.  On a side note, DS1 (3 y/o) started sleeping through the night and stopped having tantrums.  (He was following the elimination diet by default - I only made one meal each time!)

I was able to determine DS2 has intolerances to dairy and egg, possibly wheat. Have been treating him for leaky gut and gut flora imbalances - pretty good results over the last 6 months.

Over the last month the reflux and eczema have returned.  I suspect corn - have started a corn elimination diet, but keep finding out more hidden corn....  I'm hopping onto Kathy's recipe box site again for ideas!

Basically, our situation was very clear:  reflux symptoms and eczema were directly correlated to dairy, wheat, and eggs.

Good luck with your detective work.  It's hard work, but worth it in the long run.

[LilLilly]

My little guy doesn't even really spit up all that much, I think the doctor was basing the reflux idea on the poor sleep, how he acts when he wakes during the night, and the eczema.  He is actually a holistic doctor and didn't even mention anything about medication.  I was surprised he didn't think food intolerances were something worth pursuing.

I've been off wheat and dairy since Sunday, and while the eczema isn't gone, it looks better than it has since it first showed up about a month ago.  One concern I have though is that by avoiding wheat and dairy, I find that I am consuming more of other common allergens like corn, eggs, and tree nuts.  Maybe after another week, I will look at taking some other things out of my diet.  I'm having a hard time finding the time to research and plan meals, so I feel like I'm not really getting what I need nutritionally right now.  I'm nursing both my 2 year old and the baby so I feel like I really need to stay on top of what I'm needing.

[aldensmom09]

eczema and reflux can definitely be food-related, and unfortunately most drs don't recognize/know enough about nutrition and its effect on the whole body.

cutting out dairy has helped my son's eczema (and when he was an infant, severe colic) tremendoulsy. he is gluten free, but was having eczema flare-ups when I ate dairy (he is breastfed). i've been mostly gluten-free myself for about a month and his eczema has improved even more.

i went for biomerridian allergy testing today and learned that low vit D levels are also linked to skin issues like eczema and psoriasis- how is your vit D status?