Natural Remedies for Excema

Just as an FYI:

My Mom has eczema... and for her, the triggers are: oatmeal & anything with oats in it no matter how scant, and citrus, and jewelry with nickle in it.
And yes, her outbreaks pops up in certain areas. Who knows why.

You might also want to watch what you are eating, since you are breastfeeding.

All the best,
Susan

I have 3 kids with eczema - 2 are pretty severe. The best treatment I have found is preventive. I never use soap or baby wash of any kind on them - at this age there is really no need. I don't use any lotions with any kind of perfume or additives in them. Each time they get out of the bath, BEFORE I towel them off, I put baby oil all over them (not on their face). The baby oil seals in the water. Then I lightly pat them dry and rub Eucerin all over them (the tub of thick cream - not the lotion). That is usually enough to keep the worst break-outs away. If they have some patches, I will put the Eucerin on those patches several times a day - just when I think about it. If that doesn't work, I use a little bit of the hydrocortisone to get it under control & then go back to my preventive routine. I have had to use the hydrocortisone very rarely since I started doing this. It has worked very well for us.

My 5 year old daughter has severe exzema and we have been to countless doctors and so far the best is cetaphil wash and Renew cream it is a melaluca brand. You should not be giving baths everyday it actually drys them out and if you do give a bath get them in and out don't let them sit for awhile.

My daughter is on zyrtec too and does have steriod cream for when its horrible, but most of the time her skin is bad.

Hi, I have been dealing with the same issue the past few months. My 3-year-old has dealt with eczema on his hand and it started to appear on other parts of his body as well.

The peditrician prescribed antibiotics and a hydrocortisone cream to go along with it. My husband and I researched natural alternatives mainly through mercola.com and this is what we came up with:

*no dairy, wheat in the diet
*6 chewable fish vitamins a day
*min. 20 minutes of sunshine a day
in the am - apply primrose oil, geranium oil, lavender oil and Vanicream
lotion (found at Wal-greens) directly to the area
*apply lotion about every hour or two throughout the day
*in the pm - follow the same routine as the am

This process has worked wonders and we're able to control the eczema naturally without the use of drugs. A friend of mine has gone the drug route (particularly the cream) and eventually the skin builds a tolerance to it and the eczema reappears.

I hope this works for you. If you would like more specific info about what I'm doing you're welcome to email me directly at ____@____.com care and great job researching this!

Eczema isn't always an allergic reaction to food. It may be a reaction to products you are using in your house- cleaning products, laundry products, even perdsonal care products. Mine had been trigger by dish soap long ago. And later, laundry detergents. Even the "clear and free" ones aren't necessarily clear and free. There are still chemicals in it that may cause reactions.
ReNew Lotion and the ReNew product line have been shown to help those with extreme eczema and those with psoriasis, rosacea, and just dry skin. I use it with myself and 2 children as we all have sensitive skin. My son and I both have eczema, and my son has "chicken" skin. The ReNew lotion is all I use on my kids.It works, and I can tell when my husband hasn't been putting it on my son.
Plus, I use the EcoSense line of laundry and cleaning products because I know it's safer for my family and better for my wallet.
I'd be happy to tell you more if you'd like.

I know you'll find a solution here!

Sincerely,
Tricia
www.4OurFamilysWellness.com

I tried everything on my daughter and the ONLY thing that seems to have worked for her was Burt's Bees Thoroughly Therapeutic. She used to be like a greased pig with aquafor and it had little effect for us. Just keep trying things until you find what might work for your son.

I would go to www.basabody.com they have a "stick" for $7. it works wonders! It is 100% natural. I would also start cooking with Coconut oil they have a link to a coconut farm and it is organic it also does wonders for your skin. Only thing that has helped my kids, my mom and me.

Coconut Oil Ladies..... It has healing properties! Go online and Google it you will be amazed! Make sure it is 100% Natural and Organic. I get mine from Coasta Coconut Farms the link is on the Basa Body website where they only sell 100% Natural coconut products and it if free trade and very cheap!

Renew by Melaleuca is AWESOME!!! It does not leave you greasy like most products out there and it is 7 times more effective than Ucerine. Most products you have to keep applied non-stop to just maintain the excema. Renew actually will heal it. I have so many friends that when I give them a sample, they can not believe how well it works. You can use it with your doctors prescription or just on its own. I slather it all over my 1 year old - and he is not a greasy pig. If you want me to mail you sample, just write me back a mailing address.

Good Luck!

V.

I've never tried breastmilk, but I hear it's a wonder drug for many things so I would try that.
If it doesn't work, I have a friend who's son had bad excema and she bought a hazelwood necklace (baby sizes for necklaces and bracelets) for it and it completely took care of it.
I know it sounds weird, but the wood has some kind of natural oil in it that takes the excema away- no matter where you where it. I'd buy a necklace and wrap it around his ankle a couple times and then put a sock over it so he can't pull it off. You don't have to keep it on constantly, but I think the more during the day the better.
Good luck! :)

Here's what Dr. Mercola (osteopathic doctor) says:

Eczema (atopic dermatitis), and the closely associated psoriasis, are two very common skin problems.

Both eczema and psoriasis are potentially allergic conditions that can be triggered by environmental factors and dozens of other external irritants like:

•Laundry detergent
•Soaps
•Household chemicals
•Workplace chemicals
•Perfumes
•Animal dander
•Metals (such as nickel in jewelry)
While psoriasis is most often linked with external allergic triggers, eczema is often caused by food allergies.

However, although they’re different diseases and have varying triggers, their treatments have many commonalities. .

How to Effectively and Inexpensively Treat Eczema and Psoriasis

Eczema is “the itch that rashes,” meaning, there’s really no rash until you start scratching the itchy area. Hence, the first thing you need to do is to stop scratching!

Addressing the itch -- As anyone with eczema will attest, this is easier said than done. But fortunately, there IS a really simple, inexpensive way to relieve the itch: Simply put a saltwater compress over the itchy area.

You’ll want to use a high quality natural salt, such as Himalayan salt. Simply make a solution with warm water, soak a compress, and apply the compress over the affected area. You’ll be amazed to find that the itching will virtually disappear!

Another method that can be helpful for reducing or stopping the itch is EFT.

Proper skin hydration – When working with any type of skin condition, you need to make sure your skin is optimally hydrated. Skin creams are rarely the answer here, but rather you’ll want to hydrate your skin from the inside out by consuming high quality, animal-based omega-3 fats in your diet.

Your best sources for omega-3s are animal-based fats like krill oil or fish oil. I also find it helpful to include a bit of gamma linoleic acid, typically in the form of primrose oil, as this works remarkably well for eczema. Products like “krill for women” are good for both sexes for this condition as they have both fatty acids.

Plant-based omega-3s like flax and hemp seed, although decent omega-3 sources in general, will not provide the clinical benefit you need to reduce inflammation and swelling in your skin.

Secondly, you’ll want to reduce your exposure to harsh soaps and drying out your skin with excessive bathing. Use a very mild soap when you cleanse your skin, especially in the winter to avoid stripping your skin of moisture.

Taking care of your gut = Taking care of your skin – Many don’t realize this, but the health and quality of your skin is strongly linked to the health of your gut. I recommend taking a high quality probiotic to ensure optimal digestive health. Fermented foods can be used as well, but are neither as common nor as easy to use.

Diet and skin quality – Food allergies play an enormous role in eczema. In my experience, the most common offending agent is wheat, or more specifically, gluten. Avoiding wheat and other gluten-containing grains is therefore a wise first step.

If you were to visit my clinic outside of Chicago as a new patient, one of the first steps we would advise would be to go on a gluten-free diet for a number of weeks and carefully observe any health improvements. This is an enormously common problem and many of our patients are surprised to find how much improvement they actually achieve from this step.

Avoiding grains will also reduce the amount of sugar in your system, which will normalize your insulin levels and reduce any and all inflammatory conditions you may have, including inflammation in your skin.

Other common allergens include milk and eggs. I recommend you do an elimination trial with these foods as well. You should see some improvement in about a week, sometimes less, after eliminating them from your diet if either of them is causing you trouble.

Basking in the sun – Vitamin D in the form of sun exposure is your best friend when dealing with either of these skin conditions, but it’s especially helpful for psoriasis.

I produced a one-hour lecture that explains the health benefits of this long under-appreciated vitamin, so if you haven’t seen it already, I strongly recommend you take the time to watch this free video now.

Ideally, you’ll want to get your vitamin D from appropriate sunshine exposure because UVB radiation on your skin will not only metabolize vitamin D, but will also help restore ideal skin function. High amounts of UVB exposure directly on affected skin – but not so much to cause sunburn! – will greatly improve the quality of your skin.

However, if you can’t get sufficient amounts of sun during the winter months, a high quality safe tanning bed can suffice. A safe tanning bed will provide the optimized forms of UVA and UVB wavelengths, without dangerous magnetic skin balance.

Why Conventional Treatments Fail

You don’t have to use expensive, dangerous medicines to treat eczema or psoriasis!

Steroid creams especially, are clearly something you’ll want to avoid, because although they work initially, you will tend to rapidly develop tolerance to them. These creams contain synthetic steroids, which are absorbed into your skin, and can wreak serious havoc with your adrenal system.

So please, avoid steroid creams and other potentially dangerous medications for these skin conditions and use these natural methods instead. You’ll find they work almost all the time, especially if you diligently apply them.

My son's dermatologist suggested Cerave (http://www.cerave.com/) for his eczema. My sister-in-law uses banana peels on her son's trouble spots. You just rub the inside of the peel on the eczema. She said it works every time. I haven't tried it yet because the smell of banana makes me gag and what we use works so far.

If you think his eczema may be related to food allergies, you could contact a pediatric allergist and have your son tested. My son's skin problems were really bad until we had him tested for allergies. Once we eliminated the foods in his diet that he's allergic to, his skin problems decreased dramatically. He was tested when he was about 7 or 8 months old. Good luck!

J.,
I am a Shaklee distributor and our products have helped many infants, children and adults with eczema. I would recommend the organic baby products and the natural nontoxic laundry products. When he is old enough to chew, the Shaklee Kids Mighty Smart will help. You can check this out at http://www.shaklee.net/healthforlife.
Someone mentioned Ivory soap. I would definitely avoid that. Although it is advertised for babies, it is not ph balanced. The only brand at the store that I am sure is ph balanced is Dove.
Good luck and God bless.
Victoria

It sounds gross, but try Crisco on his skin. And go back to eating what you want. I heard of a pediatrician that recommends Crisco for diaper rash and any skin irritations on babies and kids. It is all natural - there are no chemicals in it, and it is very inexpensive.

I also heard Noxcema works, or using soy-based soap to wash the skin.

Put breastmilk on it!

C. M.
The Westside Birth Connection

Both of my kids have excema. I took them to a dermatologist and he recommended limiting the amount of time they are in the bath, using only Dove for Sensitive skin, and Vanicream lotion. You can purchase the lotion at Wal-Mart or Target at the pharmacy counter. It has helped both of them.

Renew lotion. It is working wonders on my 14 month old.

Hello J.,

I'd eliminate all soy from your diet and see if that helps. You might have to do a bit of detective work to see if you can figure out what triggers it. as others mentioned, question everything you use in the house and that comes in contact with your baby. Good luck! ~C.~

My daughter, who is soon to turn 5, also has eczema. There is a great website called greathomeremedies. They suggest to boil mango skins and the pit and then rub it on the red spots. I just found this last night, so I have not tried it, but it sounds good. You have to keep in mind that these creams have steroids in them. also try to wash all the clothes, towels and blankets with perfume free soap and no softner. Also try to use fragance free soap for yourself too since you are breastfeeding. Good Luck!

Hi there! My daughter had mild excema and we started using some Aveeno baby products. They seem to do the trick...hope everything goes well!

Hey! Maleluca makes a great line of skin care products that are natural and non-toxic. There have been a lot of customers that have reported complete clear up of excema after using the Maleluca skin care. It's a wholesale online store of natural products, and it does require a yearly membership (like Sams or Costco). Let me know if I can get you set up with them. I've been very, very happy with their products. Good luck!!

J.
____@____.com
www.workathomeunited.com/Joycita

Okay my three year old still has eczema and here are some things that have helped. I use Dove sensitive skin body wash on her and if she has a flareup I try not to wipe her face with wipes. Also snot and other yucky stuff can cause it to flareup if left on their face(thank you daycare). Also if you wear perfume, only spray it on your neck. My kids have really sensitive skin so I don't wear perfume anywhere but on my neck. Also even though my girls are 2 and 3, I still use Dreft. I have seen Tide and other perfumey laundry detergents eat their skin up. Also my pediatrician prescribed Selena Desinide cream. It really works. That and the eczema cream they have at Wal-mart that has Winnie the Pooh on the front. Hope these help out. Good luck.

I love Eucerin in the tub, not lotion. Good luck!

My son had excema so bad when he was a baby that we had to duct tape socks to his hands at night. If not, he would just dig his face to pieces. I don't know about natural, but I can tell you what worked for my son. His dermatologist told us to bathe him 2-3 times a day with a soap free cleanser. It's called Cetaphil, you can also get generic brands. Just ask the pharmacist at a Walmart on where to find it. When he gets out of the bath tub, rub either vaseline or crisco over his entire body. This helps lock in the moisture. The apply the hydrocortisone to the rashy parts. Eventually the rashes will go away and your child will be so much happier. I know the crisco sounds weird, but it really really works and it's a lot cheaper than the vaseline, but both will work. For the first 3 years of my sons life he was known as "The Crisco Kid". Now he is grown out of it, and only has problems once in a while, not very often. Mainly in the winter when the air gets extra dry. I know it's not "natural" like you asked for, but if you can't find anything or nothing else works, it's worth a shot!! Hope this helps, and good luck!

I agree with the no soap! I bathe my daughter in only water except for using natures organics on her hair. If she is exceptionally dirty I will use it on her body as wel, but I only use the nature's organic stuff. no johnson stuff. I also use nature organics baby lotion or baby oil after the bath.

as far as the allergies go, I had to make sure I was off all dair, and i mean all dairy,like nothing with any kind of dairy in it, including no whey or cassein. That was the number one thing that helped my daughter. She is also sensitive to soy. If your son has a protein intolerance the that can be common,to be sensitive to both soy and dairy. Although we have found that she can handle soy sauce and soy lecithin, but not soy protein.
She is also sensitive to strawberries. So keep testing out the diet thing.

Do you have a cat or dog? that could be contributing to excema.
What laundry detergent are you using? That could be a factor.
Do you wear any perfume or lotion that he could be sensitive to?
Try a humidifier.

When she is really bad I do use a prescription cream that her doc gave her. But after going off all dairy and staying away from johnson baby products I have only had to use it a few times.

Hope this helps. good luck

My son had severe eczema. We used Gentle Naturals eczema wash and eczema cream. Has Whinny the Pooh on it, but I can't remember who the maker is. Maybe Gerber? Anyway, I love that cream for everything. Much better than Aquaphor, and doesn't burn.
I found Xango brand Mangosteen juice and started giving him an ounce a day. It cured his eczema, and we were able to take him off all his meds (he was on 4 daily, with more for outbreaks and still never had it under control). He now takes allergy medicine, but the mangosteen juice always clears him right up. You can mix the juice in lotion to put directly on the effected areas.
Now we go to National Jewish, and his doctor there recommends a 10-15 bath at the end of the day, using Dove or Ivory soap (unscented) at the very end and getting out immediately. While the skin is still wet, use Vanicream all over. You can get that at the pharmacy.
My son now does just the last two things with his allergy meds and does just fine.
Good luck! I know it's hard to see your baby in pain. I should say, part of the key is doing it even when he doesn't seem to need it. Eczema is described by doctors as "the itch that rashes", so even when his skin is soft and smooth, it may still itch and be on the edge of a break out. Now that our son is older, he is able to tell when he need to treat it, but as a baby, we just did our routine everyday.

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