Dietary Changes
★★★★★
Dietary Changes
★★★★★
After trying so many other things: coconut oil, shea butter, Eczema Free cream, Chia seeds, probiotics, fish oil, sea salt soap, among others, I went back to using the topical steroid. He was desperate, embarrassed by the stares, and so miserable. However, I still wanted to try to figure out the cause. There were a few posts about food allergy testing, so I thought we should try that. I had him tested and it turns out he is allergic to all dairy, wheat and eggs (very allergic and he ate them often). These foods are in almost everything! His naturopathic doctor is confident eczema is caused by a stomach issue, as several other posters have said. Based on her experience with other patients, she believes we need to heal his gut and his eczema will go away.
About 5 years ago, my son started gaining weight. He was always a thin child, but all of a sudden he went from Slim sizes to tight Regular sizes. From what I could tell, he was not eating too much and rarely drank sugary drinks/cokes. He has always been very active in lots of different team sports and participates in something athletic at least 5 days a week. He has always had problems with stomachaches. I have taken him to countless doctors over the years and all they have done is prescribe medicine. I hate medicine. Now, that we have changed his diet to remove the foods he is allergic/reactive to, he is doing so much better and has lost weight. Unfortunately, I cannot say that it is curing his eczema because this episode was mostly gone prior to changing his diet, due to the steroid cream. His naturopathic doctor thinks it will take about 2 months of avoiding the foods he is allergic to for his gut to heal.
ACV seems to help some people and is worth a try, but please consider food allergy testing. I am kicking myself now that I didn't do this sooner for my son. Also, none of the doctors at Children's Hospital that I have taken my son to in the past have recommended it. I just asked his top-rated, Harvard-educated dermatologist last month and he told me it wasn't necessary. I couldn't disagree more. This doctor also said they don't know what causes eczema. Well, I'm not a doctor, but if your body is allergic to something you are eating, then it is probable it is going to show up on your skin. Maybe they don't know the cause because it is different for different people like the people that don't respond to ACV. There are different types of food testing. We did IgG testing for 96 foods. I don't know if this is the best test available. We are still in the learning process. Hope this helps someone. Thanks to everyone that has posted their suggestions!
(Colorado)
03/14/2021
I am sorry for your son, mine is not diagnosed I just call it that, I can keep it at bay w Steroid cream, I drink V water daily not sure if anything works for me. But I always read Excema is caused from Yeast, which Sugar is really bad for causing Yeast. I gave up Sugar pretty much 3 mo ago and see no change tho.
Dietary Changes
★★★★★
What changed: My diet for one thing. I discovered that dairy and meat were causing the itching and the breakouts. At the same time, I had been doing a colon cleanse, taking black walnut hull supplements (probably for about 6 weeks).
I remember having to rush into a department store restroom and urgently using the bathroom.
What I saw (yes, this is gross but important to those who might be helped by this information) was a t. bowl full of floating black-spider things.
I had obviously purged parasites. After this the DH (dermatitis herpetiformis) was gone. I still got itchy when I tried to eat meat, esp beef. I have been a vegetarian for many years now. Easy to do with all the meat-like analoges.
I believe all skin problems are the result of the GI tract being overloaded and the skin is the next organ of detoxification. Clear the gut and health prevails.
Dietary Changes
★★★★★
What REALLY helped was changing my diet to traditional foods, namely raw dairy (milk, butter, cream, etc. ) & fermented foods & drink, in particular homemade yogurt. The idea is to get ALL of the beneficial bacteria from real live food items. Helpful traditional fermented foods: pickled veggies, certain raw cheeses, kombucha, natto, miso, raw soy sauce & of course ACV. Many "pickled" items in grocery stores are pasteurized & therefore don't contain beneficial bacteria. Anyway, it's no wonder ACV is the top remedy on this site. It's a raw fermented drink!!! These items, taken regularly, help us digest our food & maintain a healthy balance of good bacteria in our bodies. Bacteria are not baddies! I'm now convinced that we need to be mindful of beneficial bacteria in all aspects of life. In gardening & farming, we depend on good bacteria to break down, to compost & make nutrient-dense soil. Earth can't survive without them.
The concept is the same within our bodies. Similarly, anti-bacterial soaps & products and chlorine destroy the "good" as well as the "bad", making our bodies weaker in the end. It all makes sense to me now. You don't have to be vegetarian or a raw foodist (though I like many of those recipes) for clear skin. By sticking to whole, unprocessed foods & adding fermented items at each meal, we noticed a difference in our family's skin (child had severe eczema too, now much more beautiful skin! ) & in overall health. Best to avoid non-raw dairy whenever possible. That's when we begin to see little flare-ups.
Very helpful resources were "Wild Fermentation" by Sandor Katz and "Nourishing Traditions" by Sally Fallon. Fascinating info on this site!
Dietary Changes
★★★★★
Digestive Enzymes
★★★★★
Digestive Enzymes
★★★★★
Discoid Eczema Remedies
I am suffering from discoid eczema on my legs. However on my palms and fingers I seems to have a mix of a fungus infection with my internal eczema. I always have these tiny mini cluster of bubbles/blisters beneath my skin, which has already thinned due to my long term use of steroid creams.... These terrible cycles has happened over the last 2years... taken prednisolone; ketoconazole, creams etc from the expensive doctors... Nothing CURES me.. When these blisters break due to my scratching and peeling,the skin cracked and bleed and they are itchy, inflammed and red... It is such an embarrassing condition...
I am considering the use of Apple Cider Vinegar, Virgin Coconut Oil, Grape Seed Extract GSE, and Hydrogen Peroxide to cure myself.
Anyone can advise me? I tried soaking my hands in ACV before, they stings but healed abit, however it doesnt clear the bubbles/blisters... I am thinking of soaking in Hydrogen Peroxide 3%. Should i dilute with water or in full strength? Thank you!
(Wisconsin, Wisconsin Usa)
05/17/2012
★★★★★
This will resolve the itchy blisters--makes them stop itching immediately and rapidly disappear. Apply 2x daily and continue at least overnight for at least a week after all visible signs are gone:
1. Wash with gentle soap and then gently with baking powder (sodium bicarbonate) Pat dry.
2. Apply thin coat of tea tree oil
3. Apply thin layer of coconut oil.
4. Paint effected area with thin coat of zinc paste. (I used one that also contained castor oil, was made for babies and had no added scent.
Cover effected areas to prevent touching anything. Is it contagious? Maybe. Clean everything In your household, using bleach when possible.
Those four steps are the heart of this treatment. I also took turmeric with pepper during treatment, but am not certain that is essential. (1 tsp w/ pepper 3x daily during active phase; tapered to 1 tsp / day during "99.9%" sure it is gone phase ( the extra week)
The first time I tried this, all blistering was gone in 10 days. Furthermore, at step 2 or 3 above, the itching stops, so you will be comfortable.
Good luck.
(Wisconsin, Wisconsin, Usa)
05/22/2012
Just Realized that I left out one step in my remedy, above. Sorry!
It is this: right after washing with mild cleanser and/or sodium bicarbonate, and before applying tea tree oil, I dabbed all effected areas with hydrogen peroxide. Let this dry, or pat it dry before applying the tea tree oil.
H2O2 bleaches everything it touches, so if you have dark hair, you might be concerned about that.
Do Nothing
★★★★★
On eczema, I believe removing the cause is the best cure. The causative factor is usually soap. No matter what kind - if it's soap, don't use it. One of our psychiatrists came in with a classic case of exzema (in his forties). I took one look at him and remarked, "that looks itchy, is it?" He said yes. When I caught him without an audience, I asked him if he ever tried leaving off soap for his eczema. He said he had and it got better at first, then got worse.
This almost threw me off track, until I thought to ask him what he used instead of soap. He replied that he didn't remember the name of it but it was some kind of medicated cream. I then suggested that he try leaving off soap again and not using any thing instead. He was surprised when told to just use a thick, wash cloth and water when bathing, nothing else, but agreed to give it a try. Several days later when he was next on call, he came in with the smoothest complexion and very happy with it.
People who forgo the use of soap also find that they have less body odor and attract fewer insect bites.
Again, on headaches, remove the cause, instead of looking for a cure. Aspartame (Nutrisweet) is well known for causing headaches. So is Monosodiumglutamate. If you want to find some other things they can cause, type in Excitotoxins, and hit search. For those who think MSG is only found in stir-fried (Chinese foods), make a list of the names MSG is hidden under in the ingredients list, then go into your kitchen and see how many of your foods have one or more of them listed in the ingredients.
Classic example is the 15% chicken broth that may be contained in a well-known brand of raw chicken that you must take home and cook...The MSG isn't mentioned because they didn't add MSG - they added chicken broth which contained the MSG.....Learn to protect yourself and your loved ones by learning these legal loop-holes. Oh, yes, you will also learn that that they are named excitotoxins because they excite the neural cells (Brain & Central nervous system) to death.
If you also research meta-bolic syndrome X (now called insulin resistance) by orthodox medicine) you will also find that excitotoxins are the same things that cause insulin resistance which ends up as full fledged Diabetes Mellitus,Type 2 which used to be called DM, adult onset, but was renamed to DM type 1 for juvenile onset and type 2 for adult onset, because children (even toddlers, are now developing type 2. So be your own health defender by learning all the names the excitotoxins are hidden under, stop buying these products, and write the supplier telling them why you aren't buying their product. You will only have to make one list because the excitotoxins are the same ones that makes us kick out excess insulin, proceed through insulin resistance, then to full fledged DM, type 2 and all of its complications.
(Ct)
03/06/2016
★★★★★
What you are stating is, in fact, supported by hard science;
The skin care producers know that at least one-in-thirty moisture cream users will have a severe reaction to a key "antibacterial/preservative" present in an ever-growing number of products, namely a compound known as MIT, a shortened version of methylisothiazolinone, which, like MSG, goes by many labeled names, and which has several chemical cousins.
First, it is a well documented neural toxin, and was never meant to remain on human skin. It was only approved in surgical antibiotic soaps, which were intended to be immediately rinsed with copious amounts of water away from the body to literally sterilize all pathogens from the exterior of a human. Even then, they knew a large percentage of humans would develop raw, burning skin, replete with oozing blisters and secondary bacterial infections.
Great product, right?
So then it was approved for mass-market, antibacterial hand washes. Now it is in nearly all of your liquid laundry detergents and, worse, most of the commercial moisturizers and make-up products.
It was NEVER intended for prolonged contact with human skin...ever...just as a flush-wash to kill pathogens.
Again, not only does it cause blistering contact dermatitis, it also causes permanent neurological damage, including blurred vision, peripheral neuropathiEs and palsies, and the like.
I wish that I was making this up, but the same people making these skin care products are also selling the "cures", like prednisone, benedryl, and even Claritin.
I know this because the the pharm company that made the "all-natural" moisturizer that gave me a blistery, acid-burned, scarring rash and bacteria-infected skin (sleep scratching) is the same parent company that made the $846/tube "cure" my doctor prescribed to get rid of said chemical burn.
The first irony is that she also prescribed a different moisturizer, Eucerin, which also contains MIT, to help combat this "skin disorder/allergy" I had supposedly contracted, "out of the blue".
Kind of genius, in a Dr. Evil sort of way.
Oh, and if you buy veggie wash soaps, it is the main ingredient, so you might not want to eat that...even if you don't blister internally, you might not appreciate the premature dementia.
Then again, you won't have the mind to care by that point.
Thank God for my informed allergist, is all I can say.
Egg Yolk Oil
★★★★★
I don't know of anywhere that sells it, so you'll probably have to make it yourself like I did.
Here's the method I used:
Take a dozen eggs (i used eggs from a friends chickens, very good quality with dark orange yolks) and separate the yolks from the whites, put the yolks in a shallow pan (frying pan) and whisk them with a fork to mix to a even consistency. I suggest doing the next part outside on a camping stove or gas grill burner, as there is quite a bit of smoke and it smells pretty horrible. Making sure the yolk liquid is not too deep (only about and inch or less deep in the pan), cook over med-high heat until the yolks turn black and bubbly. It should look like tar bubbling, then it's done. This should take about 15 minutes depending on how deep the yolks are in the pan. Remove the pan from heat and quickly pour the oil that is on top of the "tar" into a jar. The tar will stay in the pan, it's basically just burnt black egg stuck to the pan. You can filter it with a mesh filter to make sure no crumbs get in the jar. The oil should be black or dark brown and smells like burnt eggs of course.
A dozen eggs produces about 1 oz of oil, so if you're using it over a large area of your body you may want to make a bigger batch.
My routine which worked very well is this: soak the eczema in 50% ACV for 15 minutes once a day, apply the egg yolk oil in the morning and at night (in between I used a myrrh and frankinsence salve if it got dry), take 1 tablespoon of fish oil per day, and use gloves when washing dishes or cleaning. That's all I did, and my finger and ankle are amazingly better in 10 days. The worst part is the smell--you won't want to be in public when you have it on, but the results are so worth it. Try it and let me know if it works for you!
Thanks for reading, Lydia
Eliminate Citric Acid
★★★★★
"The bottom line is that anything that is not organic or has artificial ingredients is poison. Citric acid is It is the reason you have eczema/acne. Even regular fruits and vegetables and meats, if not organic, are full of pesticides and other junk that can do nothing but harm you.
Just to let some of you know the real face of artificial ingredients, I finally researched what citric acid is. Unless the citric acid is coming from citrus fruit, artificial citric acid is derived from MOLD. You are eating or drinking a product that comes from MOLD. This alone should let people realize that artificial ingredients are poison."
The dermatologist here prescribed citric acid for a patch of psoriasis on the back of my neck. I did not know it was mold. That could explain the huge eczema flare. He should be fired.
Eliminate Citric Acid
★★★★★
(Adelaide, SA, Australia)
06/28/2009
★★★★★
I would say that Teri from Atlanta is on the right track regarding citrus. I had eczema all of my childhood. My family and I eventually came to the realization that acidic properties were to blame, in particular oranges. Every since that discovery I have stayed well clear of them. I also have to watch my intake of other acidic fruits such as tomatoes, lemons, limes and even grapes. Your little one is so young, but even now you can record what you feed her each day and in another column you can write her reaction to that food, if any. Eventually you will see a pattern form. There may be one or more culprits. As your daughter gets older, the key is to put a topical cream on before she feels the itch. That is if you want to use that on her skin. I used to apply it once I had already starting scratching and by that point it was useless because it would just make me want to scratch even more. When I learned to apply it religiously (about 2-3 times per day) it would be more controllable. Stay away from soap, there are plenty of soap free products today that will be gentler for your baby's sensitive skin. The worst thing one can do is scratch an eczema spot 'vigorously' as that will only spread it. Just digging a nail lightly in or even just pressing against the itchy point is usually enough to relieve the itch. Remember 'Knowledge Is Power' so explore this condition as much as you can and you will help your daughter no end.
Eliminate Citric Acid
★★★★★
Eliminate Dairy
★★★★★
Eliminate Dairy
★★★★★
