Pleading Please don't OT bump me re: eczema/allergies

[turquoise]

If this belongs in a PM please let me know but here's my stretch in logic as to how it belongs here:

1)Vaxs have been shown to cause any number of ailments including eczema and allergies, DS is fully vaxed, DS has eczema and allergies.
2)Vaxs can cause issues and damage the immune system, reactions to allergies are a function of the immune system.
3)Amnesiac has helped her children’s allergies/eczema and I could really use her help
4)There are probably others in this forum who could use the info to.

(sorry for all the whimpering and pleading) After that is said, I understand if you need me to bump this to a PM but I’m hoping it’s ok.

So now for the actual question….
Amnesiac mentioned in her intro that she has been able to fix some of the probs from vax including eczema and my DS has eczema and allergies and I wonder if they could be due to vax. Can you (Amnesiac et al) give me some info or point me in the direction where I can find some info on diet change, lifestyle change, etc to help his allergies/eczema?

[amnesiac]

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[turquoise]

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!

[amnesiac]

You're welcome. And feel free to PM or ask questions-- we enjoy a good discussion around here!

[turquoise]

I just wanted to check in and let you know that this is soooo much information and I truly appreciate it.

I also wanted to mention how entirely P*$$ed off I am at my son's dr! I took him to an allergy specialist for his eczema, stuffy nose, and occasional wheezing. She discussed removing known allergens, and gave him a scratch test. She also put him on Zertec, and Nazonex daily and indefinitely (or at least until they stop working then we could try something new) which is iffy to me. But she did not at all discuss his diet! Now I'm reading this article http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/q...&dopt=Abstract and it shows a correlation between zinc deficiency and his symptoms and then this article http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/full/71/1/367S that shows that children who take a supplement of Evening Prim rose oil (EPO) can have lasting an PERMINANT improvement of their symptoms! The latter also discusses how a lack of Essential Fatty Acids can cause eczema and that the immune system has a “memory” and if the deficiency is treated early enough the immune system will be corrected before it has a chance to “remember” to freak out so badly resulting in eczema. (Please correct me if I’m reading this article wrong.)

Now if I have absorbed this article correctly, which could be considered questionable as I haven’t any education beyond my high school degree, there is a whole different avenue of treatment that my son’s SPECIALIST completely left out! A less invasive, treatment with little to no side effects. Something as simple as proper supplementation could have improved his condition, and maybe rid him of the cause, not just covered up the symptoms! Now if in fact there is (or was) a window of opportunity, I can only hope that it is not completely lost. Why didn’t she look at my son’s body as a whole? Why did I have to find this out through other sources? Why do dr’s want to resort to a band-aid when a possible “cure” is available? It is becoming more and more clear to me that I will have to basically know what is wrong with my family’s health before seeing the dr so that I can get the most out of my visit.

But don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that I believe that EPO is a wonder treatment and will defiantly cure my son, my complaint is that it is possible that it might cure him, and it does not contain steroids or other chemicals that are known to stunt children’s growth (I read that from the inserts that came with his meds) yet it was not even offered as an option in his treatment. My complaint is that she gave me a cookie cutter treatment and said “here you go” she didn’t even discuss this option. I don’t expect dr’s to know everything. There are so many things that we know about the human body that I don’t expect one person to be able to remember it all, just as there are so many things that we don’t know that no one can possibly have all the answers. But I do expect them to be able to find out the information that is available and to offer it to me in terms that I can understand so that I can be an active partner in my own (or in this case, my son’s) treatment. Is that too much to ask? Am I crazy? (Go ahead and tell me I am, I’ve been called worse) sorry for the

[BusyMommy]

Dunno. We got the same runaround. I really do like our ped. but her only sol'n was benadryl and elidel.

Went to the ND and treated it sucessfully (sp? ) w/o either.

Just different training.
Diff. fears of liability.
Diff. amounts of trust in our ability to follow through and be semi intelligent.

[rrr]

elidel works great for us for a few weeks and then not so well. then a month later it works great again.

acidpholus/bifidus is really helpful

a whole food diet helps.

no dyes, artificial junk, refined foods.

plenty of nursing and/or water.

plenty of veggies help to detox.

teach your child to love salad!

source of life animals on parade vitamins are good, too.

[BusyMommy]

yup

okay, i'll add the best thing to work for us even though it sounds quite silly--vinegar in the bath water.:

[amnesiac]

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[amcal]

Just wanted to add that my 18 mo DD also had eczema when she was 2 mo. We stopped vaxing at 15 mo because, unfortunately, I didn't know any better at the time. We're not vaxing our newborn. Anyway, I don't know if the vaxes had anything to do with her eczema but I was uncomfortable with the doctors recommendations of steroids. I did tons of research and found a strong link between omega fatty acids and eczema so I started giving her 1tsp of organic flax oil a day and within a month her eczema had dramatically improved. By 6 months it was completely gone and has never flared up again. We are seeing a ped now who is studying homeopathy and she was really excited about the flax oil since she had just been studying this herself. I think dr. sear's website has information on flax oil for eczema as well.

[amcal]

Ooops - double post

[goodpapa]

turquoise,

I saw you over at hope,faith,activism. Take a look at the L.casei info I've been getting for PumpkinSeed. Looks like eczema is also an IgE response issue:

http://www.womanht.com/health/how_eczema_occurs.htm

"When an allergen comes into contact with IgE, IgE will stick to it. The receptors on mast cells and eosinophils fit IgE cells easily. When an allergen links to 2 adjacent IgE antibodies attached to a mast cell, the strain tears open the cell, releasing the granules, which cause severe inflammation, causing eczema."


Ray

[rrr]

ray, please interpret yr. info in plain language.

i think the vinegar in the bath and the pro biotics work similarly.

reduce sugars and refined foods.

eat fresh. up the veggies.

[goodpapa]

Here's another quote on allergies and IgE production

"The body's immune system is designed to produce various factors to fight foreign substances, including bacteria and viruses that the immune system perceives as threatening. An allergic response occurs when the body's immune system over-responds, or is hypersensitive to particles known as allergens. Common allergens include plant pollens, molds, dust mites, animal dander, industrial chemicals, food, medicines and insect venom. More than 10% of people get hives.

Important components of the immune system are the antibodies produced by lymph tissue. A key player in the allergic response is the antibody known as immunoglobulin E (IgE). IgE is overproduced in certain people, usually those with inherited susceptibility.

During an allergic attack, these antibodies attach to cells known as mast cells, which are generally concentrated in the lungs, skin and mucous membranes. Once IgE binds to mast cells, these cells are programmed to release a number of chemicals. One of these chemicals, histamine, opens the blood vessels and causes skin redness and swollen membranes. Histamine causes many of the symptoms associated with allergies. Hives are a common allergic reaction involving the skin.

What causes hives?
Widespread hives are an allergic reaction to food, medicine, viral infection, insect bite or environmental exposures. Often the cause cannot be determined. Hives localized to just one part of the body are usually due to skin contact with plants, pollen, food or pet saliva. Hives are not contagious."

What's particularly interesting is that these Japanese studies show how Lactobacillus casei can control the IgE response:

"Lactobacillus casei Inhibits Antigen-Induced IgE Secretion through Regulation of Cytokine Production in Murine Splenocyte Cultures"

http://content.karger.com/ProdukteDB....asp?Doi=69458

"Lactobacillus casei strain Shirota suppresses serum immunoglobulin E and immunoglobulin G1 responses and systemic anaphylaxis in a food allergy model"


http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/ser...4.2002.01354.x


Get Cultured!


Ray

[mama2m&m]

wow, so much info and so confusing too. my dd has eczema that started as a couple small patches and just lately here has exploded! we're trying a diary-free diet which is incredibly difficult given all the small ways that caseins and wheys are included in products. i'm wondering if tomatoes are a trigger cause she's been eating them like they're going out of style.

thanks for the links and discussion. i'm reading everything i can get my hands on to figure out the trigger, control the symptoms or hopefully get rid of at least some of it. i have set up an appt. at the allergist for testing but not until Oct. It's my hope to make some determinations with natural products as opposed to cremes and oral meds although i think the skin or blood test may be inevitable, at least in my dh's eyes. i think it would be so much easier to control if I knew the allergy triggers, assuming that's what it is. i don't mind being dairy free if that's part of it, otherwise, it seems a lot of work for not much good.

btw, with the vinegar bath, what kind of vinegar do you use and how much? just pour it straight in? i'll be interested in trying this in addition to the oatmeal baths.

[BusyMommy]

I just use the white vinegar I buy in bulk at CostCo. Pour it in while the water's running. But, my mom just said apple cider is purer, so I dunno.:

I'd tried baking soda and it didn't help at all. Dr. said it was the wrong pH : for ds and to try vinegar. Yup, it works!! He even said we could squirt him w/a bit of vinegar after swimming at our heavily chlorinated pool.

[mama2m&m]

busy moma - thanks! tonight's bath night so i'll give that a try. i have the white but might try picking up a small container of the other and see what the difference might be. i feel so badly for my little one and really want to get away from these cremes we've been slathering her with. thanks again

[BusyMommy]

Sure! Don't forget to try the Vit C (buffered w/bioflavonoids) and maybe some probiotic.
Hmmm...maybe I said that earlier?

[rrr]

reduce sugars and refined carbohydrates. grains should look like kernals of grain, and brown.

lots of greens. greens greens greens

raw carrot helps to detox blood. fiber binds with toxins and poops them out.

we eat it every day.

acidophlus supplement--yes!

vinegar bath sounds complementary.

how old is child?

active ingredient in elidel is a fungus. this works well for us on and off.

the fact that my son is so much better in summer makes me think he needs more vit D. i give him norwegian mercury free cod liver oil. omega 3 and vit d and a (carlsens)

BREASTFEEDING the more the better. nurse before offering food so that they can easier process all that food.

rrr

[mama2m&m]

RRR, my dd is 2-1/2 so she generally gets most of her nutrition from food and drink now. the nursing, though frequent, seems more for comfort but i am following the same diet as dd. i'm also trying some of the other suggestions too. poor thing. thanks everyone!