This is long but it may be of use to someone out there...
My 5 month old son has eczema and while it's very mild now it did flair quite badly when he was around 2 months old. His face, ears, scalp, eyes, and elbows had big, itchy, sometimes oozing patches. I could see where it was also spreading around his belly and a bit on his legs and hands...I was very distraught over this and wanted to try to find some kind of relief without using the steroids my pediatrician suggested.
I ended up taking my son to a local acupuncturist who is also trained and experienced in a Japanese form of needle-less, pressure point bodywork called "Sho-ni-shin". I took my son in once a week for 6 weeks and gave him the Chinese prescription herbs that were recommended with the treatment. I asked if there were any herbs that I could use as a compress and was given an herbal mix that I could put in his bath water to help dry up his oozing patches.
My son's skin improved dramatically with the acupuncture and herbs. I'd say 90% of the horrible, persistant eczema is gone. He still has some small dime-sized spots on his ears and a quarter-sized spot on his forehead.
I'm so pleased with the results of this treatment and would just like to tell others that if they are open to the idea, they should consider finding an acupuncturist who is trained in Sho-ni-shin and who also has experience treating infants and kids. Children's bodies respond very well to acupuncture so it may be worth a try if you've exhausted all other avenues...(now if a child is covered from head to toe with eczema - with no healthy skin to work on - then this treatment may not be an option... but I'm not exactly sure).
Another resource I found very helpful is the National Jewish Hospital's web site. National Jewish is the #1 respiratory hospital in the US (Denver) and they have a department that specializes in pediatric eczema and allergies. The site lists a toll free number that people can call to talk to the pediatric nurses about their children's eczema. I called this number and found the nurses very supportive and knowledgeable. I know the hospital's eczema clinic teaches and recommends wet/dry wraps for eczema...
I live in Colorado and have taken my son to National Jewish for allergy testing...I was given some samples of the Atopiclair that is mentioned in the above posts (the pediatric doctor who saw my son was the leading doctor in the study of Atopiclair and eczema) I have not used any of the samples though. I was told by the doctor that the medicine is effective for treating mild to moderate eczema and that it is very expensive - $100.00 for 100ml tube. I read online that it contains shea butter and I've seen general posts online that some people can react to this?
My routine with my son:
*chinese herbs every day given orally
*Florababy brand probiotics given once a day
*bathe 2-3 times a day, 20 min, no soaps, pat dry
*moisturize within 3 minutes of getting out of tub. i slather on pure grapeseed oil all over body except scalp.
*moisturize all over, including scalp, with Nelson's brand Calendula cream. this stuff has worked great with my son - takes away redness, relieves itch, not greasy at all. i use it throughout the day as needed.
*dye and fragrance free laundry soap, 2nd rinse cycle.
*with the extreme flair-up i also used pure aloe vera to help soothe skin. haven't needed to use it at all since acupuncture.
My 5 month old son has eczema and while it's very mild now it did flair quite badly when he was around 2 months old. His face, ears, scalp, eyes, and elbows had big, itchy, sometimes oozing patches. I could see where it was also spreading around his belly and a bit on his legs and hands...I was very distraught over this and wanted to try to find some kind of relief without using the steroids my pediatrician suggested.
I ended up taking my son to a local acupuncturist who is also trained and experienced in a Japanese form of needle-less, pressure point bodywork called "Sho-ni-shin". I took my son in once a week for 6 weeks and gave him the Chinese prescription herbs that were recommended with the treatment. I asked if there were any herbs that I could use as a compress and was given an herbal mix that I could put in his bath water to help dry up his oozing patches.
My son's skin improved dramatically with the acupuncture and herbs. I'd say 90% of the horrible, persistant eczema is gone. He still has some small dime-sized spots on his ears and a quarter-sized spot on his forehead.
I'm so pleased with the results of this treatment and would just like to tell others that if they are open to the idea, they should consider finding an acupuncturist who is trained in Sho-ni-shin and who also has experience treating infants and kids. Children's bodies respond very well to acupuncture so it may be worth a try if you've exhausted all other avenues...(now if a child is covered from head to toe with eczema - with no healthy skin to work on - then this treatment may not be an option... but I'm not exactly sure).
Another resource I found very helpful is the National Jewish Hospital's web site. National Jewish is the #1 respiratory hospital in the US (Denver) and they have a department that specializes in pediatric eczema and allergies. The site lists a toll free number that people can call to talk to the pediatric nurses about their children's eczema. I called this number and found the nurses very supportive and knowledgeable. I know the hospital's eczema clinic teaches and recommends wet/dry wraps for eczema...
I live in Colorado and have taken my son to National Jewish for allergy testing...I was given some samples of the Atopiclair that is mentioned in the above posts (the pediatric doctor who saw my son was the leading doctor in the study of Atopiclair and eczema) I have not used any of the samples though. I was told by the doctor that the medicine is effective for treating mild to moderate eczema and that it is very expensive - $100.00 for 100ml tube. I read online that it contains shea butter and I've seen general posts online that some people can react to this?
My routine with my son:
*chinese herbs every day given orally
*Florababy brand probiotics given once a day
*bathe 2-3 times a day, 20 min, no soaps, pat dry
*moisturize within 3 minutes of getting out of tub. i slather on pure grapeseed oil all over body except scalp.
*moisturize all over, including scalp, with Nelson's brand Calendula cream. this stuff has worked great with my son - takes away redness, relieves itch, not greasy at all. i use it throughout the day as needed.
*dye and fragrance free laundry soap, 2nd rinse cycle.
*with the extreme flair-up i also used pure aloe vera to help soothe skin. haven't needed to use it at all since acupuncture.
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