The Eczema Tribe - Page 10

[JaneS]

Yeah, well the info sometimes leaves as fast as it comes!
I'm much better with my secondary storage facility (my computer).

[delfuego]

JaneS... thanks for the info!

so, my dh was diagnosed with ADHD as a child (and this was 38 years ago, before every child had it). cheers to his mom... he only took the meds for about a week and then he never did again so he's learned how to deal with it but it is still a problem for him. as in... sometimes he can't sleep for days and he has to "put himself down" with a bottle of whiskey. oh, yeah and he's "lactose intolerant", allergic to nuts, and had all kinds of food sensitivities as a child (wheat being one).

both of my brothers have always shown signs of ADD and they both have food sensitivities. my little brother more so... we didn't find out til he was three that the reason he was in such a bad mood all the time was because he was "lactose intolerant" and his tummy always hurt. now i'm connecting 5that with his frequent ear infections and later IBS. Both brothers have problems sleeping, takes hours for them to fall asleep if they don't self medicate with pot.

ds... family history... already having problems... poor little man. i really want to solve this so that it doesn't become a major problem in his life.

my diet changes of recent (some in accordance with "the ph miracle" some related to ayurveda some just pieced together from my own conclusions) have been:

i don't eat fruit with my meals, only separately - related to stomach acidity.
i don't drink water with my meals, but i drink alot of water through the day.
70% of my food (if not more) is raw vegetables, mostly leafy greens.
i eat the salad before i eat the rest of my dinner.
i avoid wheat and rice. i try to eat sprouted wheat and brown rice when i do eat it. instead i eat buckwheat, millet and quinoa.
i chew my food well before swallowing (i try to avoid eating on the go in relation to this).
and i drink a cup of lemon juice every day.

wow, i sound like a health nut... i wish i could say that i do the above things strictly but i often fall off the wagon. it's hard, it makes eating out almost impossible... and my dh and i can't really share meals anymore. but darius' eczema looks great. i'll try to post a pic as soon as i figure out how.

anyhoo... i've rambled on alot and i don't really even know what i'm talking about. though it feels like i've read enough to get a degree in nutrition.

love y'all!

[Mommiska]

Hi all - I keep reading and reading these threads, and I've been reading through the links on the 'healing the gut' cheat sheet (thanks JaneS!).

I really really want to clear up dd's eczema, and I'm willing to try the 'healing the gut' stuff - but I want to feel like it has a decent chance of working for us, and I'm not convinced.

I just don't have all of the yeast-related problems that seem to go with the yeast-eczema connection. DD and I don't have thrush (only ever had it with baby #1, 6 years ago). Neither of us have had antibiotics or anti-inflammatories. I eat very little processed foods, etc. etc.

My health is very good - I almost never get sick at all, and when I do, I kick it very quickly (I've always thought I had a really good immune system!). I used to have eczema myself (and I've had VERY bad flare-ups in the past), but I haven't been bothered with it in years (no dry patches anywhere).

I guess I just have a hard time believing that I have a leaky gut without there being any ill-health, you know?

The ONLY thing that is 'off' with me at the moment is that my stools are very soft. But that started after I pretty much moved to eating salads (mostly spinach) 1-2 times a day. So I've put it down to that - wasn't a problem before I started on the elimination diet to try to help dd's eczema.

Is it possible/probable that I still have some form of 'leaky gut' that is contributing to dd's problems? Or does she have a leaky gut herself (she is still exclusively breast-fed at almost 7 months)?

Any ideas/suggestions/thoughts? I'd appreciate anything!

[arcenciel]

: I've just read the first and last couple of pages and here I have to post. Hi Jane: Well. I tried not doing the SDC and here I am, turning up on another board where I see it's going to be inevitable!!

I started looking because my dd (2.5yrs) has had dry patches for a while and just in the last couple of days they flared up and I recognised it as eczema. Now reading this thread I realise that the horrible dry patches I get on my hands are also eczema. It only started when we moved to a hard water area from my lovely soft Scottish water so I didn't think of eczema. I notice my hands are worse at certain times of the month so I put it down at least partly to hormonal changes.

My poor dd woke up several times last night complaining that her hands hurt so I want to do what I can before it gets worse. You poor mommas who have little'uns with it much worse.

I never quite managed the SDC properly, but I think I might start with eliminating those 6 after Easter. We're going on vacation tomorrow and I'm not even going to try starting then. But I get to try out the water theory for 10 days though And stock up on supplements.

Thanks for all your stories which make it quick and easy to find what's relevant.

[KestrelDream]

Is there anywhere on the site that lists the ingredients?

Thanks for passing the info a long!

[RiceMomma]

Best clothes for eczema- the only closed hand jammies *cotton* that we cvould find anywhere- they've been a life saver.

http://www.eczemaclothing.com/

DD- Improvement over time with NO vaxes and whole diet (very little processed foods.) Off to figure out how to improve diet further.

The eczema on my hands seems to get worse and worse.

[delfuego]

chlorine pool and eczema

so, now that the weather is (finally) starting to get nice i really want to start swimming lessons for my ds. however, i'm concerned what the chlorine in the pools will do to his eczema. sadly, i doubt there are any saltwater public pools around.

does anyone have any experience/advice?

[cobluegirl]

chlorine really bothers my dd's eczema....you could rub him down with coconut oil before you go....

[rainsmom]

Dds (5yo) eczema first appeared last summer when she started swimming lessons at the Ys indoor heavily chlorinated pool. It seemed ok if we showered her b4 we left......but now with the warmer weather she's already flared up again. I think we might have to skip swim lessons this summer, and just use our unchlorinated pool at home

[mamakimber]

Hi all-
I am an old lurker- here before the crash many year ago.
I will go back and read the pages.

My ds, 22 months, was just diagnosed with atopic dermatitis. It has been horrible. It started as a rash on the palms of his hands. He bites them, scrathces them, flings them into walls. His hands have now peeled and it has spread to his arms, legs, feet. He hasn't slept more then 3 hours in a row for weeks due to the itching. The dermatologist prescribed 2% cortisone, oral antahistamine (stronger then benadryl) and the big concern is the oral prednisone.

I am considering giving it to him as I need this to heal, and then we can go from there. My question is where do I start. It could be diet, or it could be environmetal...the dog, soaps, the trees blooming...who knows!

It started after we were at an indoor water park. Initially I thought it was scabies. I have had others though tell me that water tends to flare it up.

thoughts, concerns, ideas... would be helpful!
thanks

[delfuego]

mamakimber... i haven't checked this thread for awhile... i hope you're not feeling ignored.

let me start by saying that there are many people who are much more qualified to answer you but i will give it a shot. my ds has had eczema since he was 2 weeks old... we finally have it under control but it flares up every once in awhile... it is obviously related to my diet (he is still bfeeding).

from all the research i've done, i've peiced together that the skin is a waste removal organ and eczema (i'm not sure about dermatitis) is a reaction that the body has to being overloaded by toxins. it is very possible that the chlorine put your ds over the top and that's why he broke out after the pool. i'm debating wether or not to give my ds swimming lessons this spring because i'm worried about the chlorine (a very nasty chemical). most likely though, he was probably battling toxins before the pool.

has he had anything new introduced to his diet recently? i found the biggest change happened in my ds when i took milk out of his (my) diet. however, it didn't solve everything and i just started eliminating foods one by one until i saw positive changes. also, if you're not already doing so, use perfume/dye free detergent and i found that aquaphor works the best on my ds. i slather him down right after his daily bath (the daily moisture helps alot and i never use soap on him), once in the morning and once at night.

i never used prednisone or antihistamine on my ds but i found the corticosteroid that i hesitantly used caused a bad case of thrush and a rebound effect that caused ds's eczema to get worse so i stopped. i use florasone whenever he has a flare up and otherwise i just keep his skin moisturized.

good luck. i hope some of this helps. if you keep posting how he's doing and what he seems to react too i'm sure that other people will recognize things they've had to deal with and let you know what has helped them.

[Brasilmom]

My dd is now 7 month and she had severe eczema since about 1 mo. The worse of it was around 3-4mo and I was going crazy to see her skin in such poor condition. I tried calendula oil to relief her dry skin along with oatmeal bath and moisture cream. The culpirit for her are nuts. I totally eliminate them from my diet as a very small quantity will break her skin out. I cannot use commercial baby wipes either, so we use a dry "paper towel" that we first come across at her birth. Her skin has cleared up, but she will have severe itching if she gets too hot. I stil use lotion/oil on her skin every so often. I tried homeopathics to strengthen her digestive system, as the cause for her skin's outbreaks was digestive. It was certainly not an easy time and I am relieved that I found the cause.

[sarahariz]

Causes of eczema

Hi All,

I haven't posted in a long time, but got this info the other day and just have to share it. I bought some enzymes from Transformation Enzyme company as a licensed health professional (psychologist) and they sent me this fact sheet on ezcema. It confirms what Jane S. has been saying, along with others! I will quote part of it here:

"ETIOLOGY
The specific cause of this superficial inflammatory repsonse involving the epidermis is unknown. Eczema is not a distinct disease entity but it is rather afiliated with disorders such as atopic and nummular dermatitis. It is frequently associated with a personal or family history of allergies to foods such as milk, fish, and eggs. Transformation's clinical experience shows that it also commonly occurs with Paras, the body type that has difficulty breaking down starches and sugars. Inhalant allergens rarely cause this condition. It is commonly found in children but also occurs in adults. Children with eczema, however, tend to later develop other allergic conditions, most often hay fever or asthma. Factors that exacerbate ezcema include sudden temperature change, humidity, psychological stress, fibers, detergents, and perfumes.
RATIONALE
This condition can be attributable to an intestinal dysbiosis, a diruption of the normal bacterial flora of the gut with a disproportionately high concentration of unfriendly bacteria in the mouth, skin, intestinal tract, and vagina. Candida is a necessary bacterial component of normal flora. It co-exists in a balance with acidophilus, the friendly bacterium. If an imbalance occurs and Candida over-populates acidophilis to the extent that it penetrates the walls of the large intestines, it can enable undigested lipids and proteins to leak out of the walls. This can instigate food allergies and promote ezcema. Consequently, enzyme supplementation along with a probiotic can help restore the balance of microflora and ensure complete digestion and nutrient absorption of foods...
NUTRITION
It is very important to avoid those foods that are known to be problematic for the individual."

I'm not sure why they refer to Candida as a bacterium rather than a yeast, but essentially they are saying "leaky gut" is the cause of ezcema. Of course, one might figure that they have come up with this to sell their products.... but there are a lot of sources that seem to be saying the same thing.

[cobluegirl]

very interesting..thank you.

[delfuego]

that is perhaps the most concise explanation i have read about eczema.

it does seem that everyone who is trying to explain what is happening to our dc's is saying the same thing... they are all just saying it in multiple different ways or explaining only one part of the problem.

thanks for the info. is that a proprietary enzyme blend? do you know what enzymes are in it? is it possible for non-health-professionals to get some... and have you found that it works?

[bluets]

in breastfed infants, it is important to consider that mom might also have leaky gut. it is, in fact, important in that case to start healing mom's gut first, with the hope that it will help heal babe's gut. in the case of mom having leaky gut, the nasties (bacteria, various molecules etc) are escaping into her body (between cells of the intestinal lining) and getting into the bloodstream, then into the lymph system (hence, hives is a common symptom), and most likely into breastmilk.

the lactulose/mannitol urine test can help determine (a) leaky gut in mom and (b) malabsorption possibilities in mom. it is possible to have both conditions.

if i had identified leaky gut in myself before ds had shown interest in solids, i would have really delayed (and, in fact, actively discouraged) solids.

[KestrelDream]

Can anyone recommend a good liquid infant probiotic? I have been mixing mine with water or breastmilk, & it ends up being a lot to get DS to take....he ends up spitting it all out. Letting him suck it on my finger just seems silly too....the dose is a 1/8-1/4 teaspoon, it's just a pain....it would be easier to have something that is only about a 1/4 teaspoon of liquid & shoot it in his mouth with a small syringe.

Thanks!!

[sarahariz]

Originally Posted by bluets

the lactulose/mannitol urine test can help determine (a) leaky gut in mom and (b) malabsorption possibilities in mom. it is possible to have both conditions.

How do you get that test? Through an MD? I agree about not starting solids if baby has ezcema. I delayed too, because I figured it would complicate things. By the way, the practitioner who did my live blood analysis (and found yeast/fungus in my blood) said yeast travels through the breastmilk. So I had dd's blood tested, and yes, she too had yeast-although not as badly as I did! I've really kept her away from processed foods and sugars, or else I am sure it would be worse. She told me to give dd some enzymes sprinkled on her food at meals and a probiotic after meals (or between). Luckily, dd loves to lick the probiotic off my fingers or hers.

[circlemama]

what type of enzyme is recommended for yeast?

[bluets]

Originally Posted by sarahariz

How do you get that test? Through an MD?

Unless your MD is into holistic medicine as well, you'll probably have to find a naturopath. Here's the test I did: http://www.gdx.net/home/assessments/ip/

I had my annual physical last week or so and my MD was curious about the leaky gut thing and even offered to assist if I felt I needed extra testing run. In fact, when I mentioned I had leaky gut, she asked about supplements and if I was taking glutamine. I decided then that I'd be switching my ds away from the pediatrician to my family doc (which I probably should have done a long time ago).