3 yr old Son has Chronic Eczema...
scotslass
Posts: 317
Hi everyone,
Sorry I know this is an adult site but I'm hoping someone out there may be able to help me. My little boy suffers from Chronic Eczema, covered head to toe and tears his skin open during the night through his bandages, it's that bad. I have finally been refered to a child specialist Dermantologist after begging for help, but I'm lost to what I can feed him as I am cutting out dairy and wheat.
Any Help / advice welcome
Thank you xx
Sorry I know this is an adult site but I'm hoping someone out there may be able to help me. My little boy suffers from Chronic Eczema, covered head to toe and tears his skin open during the night through his bandages, it's that bad. I have finally been refered to a child specialist Dermantologist after begging for help, but I'm lost to what I can feed him as I am cutting out dairy and wheat.
Any Help / advice welcome
Thank you xx
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Replies
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Poor mite. As with a lot of these things, diet can have a part to play. Have you tried the usual things - eating whole foods, super foods, fresh fruit?
Maybe a child multi-vitamin?
Of course, the dermatologist will be able to cover these things, so best of luck with that.
Maybe this site has some good advice too - http://eczema-natural-healing.com/0 -
Poor mite. As with a lot of these things, diet can have a part to play. Have you tried the usual things - eating whole foods, super foods, fresh fruit?
Maybe a child multi-vitamin?
Of course, the dermatologist will be able to cover these things, so best of luck with that.
Maybe this site has some good advice too - http://eczema-natural-healing.com/
Thank for taking the time to reply, I really appreciate it :-) He only eats bananas, sometimes apples, but can't give him citrus fruit as it flares it up and tomatoes too, he's a plain eater and mostly wheat and diary, which I will be cutting out over the next few days, slowly easing him into a different way of eating, I will probs be the bad one as I am banning anyone from giving him yogurts and chocolate, even my family but I need to be cruel to be kind, I hope the dermatologist can point me in the right direction I am freaking out lol Thank you so much for the site I will have a look now! I will buy in some child multivits too :-)0 -
A trip to a good allergist would help. A little friend of mine has her just about all cleared up after eliminating what she was allergic too.0
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A trip to a good allergist would help. A little friend of mine has her just about all cleared up after eliminating what she was allergic too.
Thank you I will arrange this too :-)0 -
Dairy, tomatos and citrus can all be bad for Eczema.
You may want to try an elimination diet, no fun for your son but may give him relief in the long term. You basically eat a very plain diet for a couple of weeks and then start slowing adding foods in, if you get a reaction then remove it.
You can google elimination diets and get lost of examples. A trip to see a dermatologist is probably in order if you haven't already, they can help with diet also.0 -
I have eczema as well, nothing as serious as that but nonetheless eczema. Diet wise I couldn't really suggest anything but my advice to you would be to just be careful what you're putting on his skin. I know for me hand sanitizer doubled the severity of my eczema and it does for most people so I went out and bought special organic lemon hand sanitizer. It's alcohol free and they've taken out all those disgusting chemicals, it comes in a little spray bottle and you can find them at Sobeys. Other than that I would say make sure he's sticking to his medication and he should clear up soon. I apply my prescribed cream 2x a day as directed and I'm already seeing improvements. Also eczema usually hits in "waves" of years, you'll break out severely for a year or so and it will go away for a little bit in most cases.0
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We're dairy and gluten free around here and it makes a world of difference to eczema! You can try substituting coconut milk yogurt, coconut milk, rice milk. They even have rice milk chocolate bars and ice cream. My son was under three when we started. I did it cold turkey and explained those foods were making him sick and giving him eczema. He felt so much better he gave me no bother. I planned ahead and made special things for him if we were going to a party. Called ahead at restaurants. He can have a little bit of each occasionally now but it was a solid year before we could start that. You may also want to see a naturopath about probiotics and fish oil. Both will help heal his skin and probiotics will help heal his leaky gut. Just make sure if you buy it over the counter that the fish oil is certified mercury free. I would really see an ND though, he will likey need higher doses than what are on the bottle and NDs have access to higher quality supplements. Good luck!0
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I also suggest an allergy test. I took my son who was only 2 at the time to a natropath. She did some allergy testing and we discovered he had some pretty severe food intolerances. Once we removed them it literally changed his life. No more chronic runny nose, congestion, skin rash, behavioral outbursts and aggression. He also started sleeping better and went off all reflux meds. It was interesting because I had done elimination diet with him myself and had my suspicions and she proved everyone of them right!
Going wheat and dairy free can be rough at first but it gets easier...I promise
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I can not thank you enough for taking the time to reply for me, I have copied all replys so I can start a Diet overhaul, I have decided I will do it with him so he understands that it's doing it for his own good. He has an appt with a Dermatologist on Monday too, thank you so much again xx0
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go to natural help for exzema and see if any of those things may help0
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Thank you I will try that also :-)0
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I second the suggestion for an elimination diet. You can find tips all over the web on how to implement it. At 3 years old, he should be able to understand why you're giving him these foods and only these foods, if you just explain to him that the other foods are what's making his skin hurt. We cut out food dyes for my son because he was extremely aggressive, and I just explained to him that some foods have colors in them that make him angry, and that's why we couldn't have fruit snacks and various other things. He was ok with it, and he even tells people that he can't have things like Kool-Aid because they make him mad. So try talking to him about it. He'll probably understand far more than you think, and it will make the transition easier for both of you if he knows the reason. *hugs*0
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My daughter had it so bad when she was a little one, the scratching, the bloody sheets, the stares.
I put vaseline on her at night, as she got older we found out she could not eat nuts only almonds were ok, nothing with nuts, like peanut butter!
Check labels0 -
My son has suffered from psoriasis for many many years and has been to all sorts of specialists etc, he has had light treatment the lot. Like most kids he is a fussy eater but after watching a programme back in November we tried him on Omega 3 tablets. Two months later he is completely clear of it and this is just taking 500mg twice a day. We dropped the dosage to one a day but it is showing signs of returning so back to two. No other diet changes happened although they also recommended Turmeric. Worth a shot......0
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My heart goes out to you
My son had eczema, vomiting and joint pain-to the point where he wouldn't walk (he was 5 at the time). I had taken him his pediatrician and allergist with no results or answers. In a book by Mary Lou Henner (believe it was geared to kids diet/cookbook). I read about lactose intolerance (which everyone swore he did not have) causing joint pain and eczema, took him off all dairy and put him on lactaid. It helped him immensely! My son is 16 now and is able to eat dairy. I think you are on the right track. I know how frustrating it is - wishing you the best! 0 -
The diet and seeing a naturopath definitely the best. The fish oil and probiotics good advice. The dermatologist may just give a cream and not look at diet. But I will still go see what he/she prescribes.0
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DISCLAIMER- I am a not a doctor, so dont take this as medical advice - it's just my story. . I had eczema also. I had it since I was a young child. When I was 19, I was studying nutrition in college. I read in one of my textbooks that lack of linoleic acid in the diet wouldn't cause eczema but could make it worse. I researched what foods contained linoleic acid. I learned it was in fats that were liquid at room temperature - things like safflower oil. At the time I didn't eat any salad dressing or things with oil in them so i tried an experiment. I ate a tablespoon of safflower oil twice a day. I just mixed it into orange juice and gulped it down. In about 6 weeks my eczema cleared. Could be coincidence - but I didnt think so at the time and still don't. My eczema has been mostly clear now for decades.0
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I would take him to am allergist my son has eczema and was diagnosed when he was only 3 months old. turned out he was allergic to everything but mainly rice and they put rice powder in everything, he also had allergy induced asthma.....he is now 13 yrs old and it is much better now i wish the best of luck because it is not easy to deal with0
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A trip to a good allergist would help. A little friend of mine has her just about all cleared up after eliminating what she was allergic too.
I agree with this too. Your Dermatogist or Pediatrician might recommend that your Son be tested for allergies. When my son was a few months old he started getting red patches all over his face. We had our Pediatrician check it out and he said it was due to an allergy possibly cow's milk. I wasn't able to nurse at the time so he was on formula. To make a long story short, he was tested at 2 years old and we found out that he had an allergy to cow's milk, beef, shell fish, eggs, and highly allergic to nuts. My son is now 18 and he has outgrown those allergies with the exception of nuts. His skin has cleared over the years as well. I wish you and your son well.0 -
I feel his pain. I also have chronic eczema and I'm 26 years old. I would take him to an allergist. 80% of the time, eczema in children is caused by food allergies. If someone can tell you what those are, it'll be much easier to control.
Unfortunately (and fortunately, I guess), I have no food allergies. I have had luck controlling my eczema flare ups with a combination of fish oil supplements twice a day and benedryl and steroid cream on the bad days.
Good luck!0 -
I would take him to am allergist my son has eczema and was diagnosed when he was only 3 months old. turned out he was allergic to everything but mainly rice and they put rice powder in everything, he also had allergy induced asthma.....he is now 13 yrs old and it is much better now i wish the best of luck because it is not easy to deal with
My son does suffer from acute asthma. I agree it is not easy to deal with, but he was able to participate in sports and other things so he was not inhibited as long as he was taking his albuterol treatments back in the day and now he is doing great!0 -
I am not sure if this will be of any help or not but i remember watching a series on 4Od that covered food and different medical conditions one of them was Eczema another was psoriasis and i thought you might find the information useful. I'll give you a linc and perhaps it will be helpful. The episode's are 2 and 4. http://www.channel4.com/programmes/the-food-hospital/4od0
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My son also had this issue as does my nephew, very severe with bleeding. Always cortisone cream is prescribed but it can cause thinning of the skin, we got an antibiotic cream to get it under control due to scratching was causing it to flare, then minimal cortisone cream but like someone else posted, slathered in vaseline petrolium jelly before bed, feels awful but makes a big difference. As he got older he used head and shoulders instead of soap to shower with, also seemed to help.0
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I don't know about diet, but both my girls have eczema. I found tha the more sun they get the better they got. You obviously need to make sure to use a safe sunscreen, but it really helped. They always got worse in the winter months.0
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I had eczema as a child...right into adulthood. After my mom told by the family dr it was eczema and not a whole lot could be done, that was the end of it.
When I was old enough I started researching and seeing specialists on my own. It wasn't until arthritis developed that someone clued into psoriasis. I need immune suppressing drugs to keep it under control.
Hopefully diet changes and the Dermatologist can help your son.0 -
Find a good allergist---FOOD ALLERGY TEST---my son had it and also has asthma....he is 12 now and better but allergic to peanuts, eggs and shellfish....these type things usually go hand in hand....I would get him tested for sure!0
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The diet and seeing a naturopath definitely the best. The fish oil and probiotics good advice. The dermatologist may just give a cream and not look at diet. But I will still go see what he/she prescribes.
Definitely give the probiotics a shot. All three of my kids have mild eczema, and we seem to keep it under control with Greek yogurt on a regular basis.0 -
My daughter had major excema - from the time she was a baby...she has small patches here and there while a baby and it got worse when she got older...
Two years ago it was the worse it has ever been - her arms and hands were cracking open and bleeding...our pediatrican and dermatologist just kept giving us prescriptions for steriod creams.
I did some reading and found excema can be a symptom of lactose and casien intolerance. So I made an appointment for a pediatric GI to have her tested - as she was also exhibiting some other symptoms (stomach aches and pains, gas). In the mean time I took her off all dairy...within a week of taking her off all dairy the excema was 100X's better...
We went to the GI and they did a boatload of blood tests and told me everythign came out fine...I had to insist on a hydrogen breath test, even though they told me the chances of testing positive after all the other tests were slim...I told her our family always seems to be the "exception to the rule" - so we did the test and sure enough - positive...So the lesson here is if you go this route to have him tested and you think it could be a lactose issue and all the other tests come out negative - DEMAND a hydrogen breath test. After we had recieved the results of the other tests the next thing the dr wanted to do was an endoscope to check for some certain bacteria in my daughters gut...I resisted that until I had confirmation from the breath test...
She was never a big dairy person...as a baby she was on soy forumula due to a possible milk protien allergy. When we did switch her to regular milk she didn't like and would only drink a little bit and would prefer water...she wouldn't touch cheese or yogurt UNTIL about 3-4 months before her excema got all out of control - then she had discovered cheese sticks, and yoplait yogurt - so she was having maybe 3-4 servings of dairy a day vs. the barely 1 she was used too and I think it just all built up in her system.
Looking back my husband and I could pinpoint certain things - for example she would complain of pains at bedtime - well when you are dealing with a small child you brush it off thinking they are stalling...looking back a lot of the times she complained bedtime was about 30-45 minutes after having a scoop of ice cream....
We switched out certain things - like for a beverage she drinks Almond Milk (in school they do provide lactose free milk...at home I find buying Almond milk is cheaper than buying lactose free milk) -We kept her fully off dairy for a month and then slowly allowed her to have dairy with a lactaid to see how she did - she did ok, but she knows that is not a cure all and she still has to watch the dairy intake...do for her ice cream is like 5-6 bites not a whole serving. and she stays away for the most part from things that are dairy heavy (cheese sticks, dairy yogurt) - there are a ton of options out there now a days - almond and coconut products (we stay away from soy products as I don't want to expose her to an over abundance of soy - especially as she is going through puberty right now)
She still has some execma but it is very minimal...almost like a dry patch - for her it seems to be mainly on her hands and arms and the crooks of her knees - but she will occassionaly get a small patch on other places on her body- but she does well with putting lotion on most nights (over the counter Cetaphal) and she will actually sleep in moisterizing gloves from time to time.
Certain times of the year can effect it more...dry weather and now during the summer she swims most days so it is important to really wash the chlorine off and moisturize her skin so it doesn't have the chance to dry out.
Definately take him off all dairy and see if that makes any difference in the execma...I would do dairy first and see what happens, rather then cutting both dairy and wheat at the same time - after 2 weeks of no dairy if it isn't any better then try cutting out wheat - that way you can see if it dairy vs wheat or neither...0 -
Eczema is an autoimmune condition in which the body (responding to leaky gut syndrome) can have a reaction to the skin. You need to resolve the leaky gut. Eliminate gluten, gluten-like proteins, dairy, legumes, nuts and seeds, nightshades, eggs, and everything with a peel. Take vitamin d and a probiotic. Raise protein and healthy fat. Most doctors know as much about nutrition as I do about the Ming Dynasty (which is to say not very much).
This is the auto-immune protocol paleo diet. It will help resolve the systemic inflammation. If yo want blood tests to confirm, take a C-Reactive Protein (CRP) and look for a number 1 or less as good.
Starting on page 22-23 of this podcast transcription helps to identify the autoimmune issues caused by leaky gut.
http://robbwolf.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/the-paleo-solution-episode-69.pdf
Page 17-18 of this one will help too.
http://robbwolf.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/the-paleo-solution-episode-70.pdf
Definitely correlative with the gluten and dairy. Once you eliminate that all for a couple weeks, you can re-introduce eggs, all veggies, eggs, nuts and seeds, nightshades and a very gradual basis. You should see some good improvement over that time, or find certain things that your son can't handle well.
Best of luck0 -
BUMP I do not have the answers for you...but I have read about Organic Coconut Oil and it has a lot of believers. In fact , there are a lot of ideas. Goggle Organic Coconut Oil and read for yourself.....Delicious Obsessions is one I just read yesterday. Started putting on my skin. Good Luck. So sorry for the little one, our oldest Grandson had it and as he aged it did get so much better. 0
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