Infantile Eczema - helping it from the inside out

When you're trying to conquer eczema on the scale that we are you look at all options. No matter how far fetched they may seem you just need to try them all just in case one would work. One mans waste is another mans treasure, the same goes for health and remedies I think. One person swears by homeopathy, the other by reiki, and some don't like looking further than textbook western medicine..etc. 

In our efforts to learn more I heard about Dr. John Pagano and his work healing people with psoriasis. (Link to book on Amazon.co.uk) Psoriasis isn't the same as eczema, but he has a chapter dedicated to eczema, and states that by following his regimen patients that he has had that suffer from eczema are now free from their troubles provided they stick to it. 

I won't quote everything from the book, I'll just share with you in my own words what I found relevant for us, and the actions I'm taking. 

Some people think Dr.Paganos research and work is unfounded and disagree with it. I read and absorb books like his with a pinch of salt, and intend to keep my wits about me. I believe in 'You are what you eat' so whether Dr. Paganos theories are correct or not, I am inclined to believe the majority of his book and am willing to give it a go as his methods can only make us healthier. Eating better and learning how & why can't be a bad thing. I have since shared my findings with our family doctor and public health nurse and they also agree for the most part. 

Leaky Gut Syndrome which is linked to both psoriasis & severe eczema has different names and can be understood slightly differently by different medical professionals. Some call it Malabsorbtion Syndrome, and say it's the failure to absorb the right nutrients needed..either way whether the gut lets toxins through or doesn't absorb nutrients properly, both boil down to the same thing. A problem with the gut, with too many toxins in the body, that shows itself in many ways including eczema. For the purpose of this blog entry I will call it Leaky Gut Syndrome. 

Also, seeing as I don't want to bore people I will break this post up into a few parts. I'm gearing this towards people like myself and Tom who are desperate to help their sick child and I know its difficult enough as it is to find the time to research and read. I strongly recommend getting a copy of the book though if you are interested in this topic. 

Part 1:

One if the first things I learned from Dr. Paganos book is that both psoriasis and eczema occur due to certain areas of the intestinal tract being too thin and porous. Instead of passing along the intestinal track and being eliminated, toxins leak into the bloodstream and lymphatic system. Mr.T's lymph nodes in his neck have been swollen since day one. No doubt ones kidneys and liver are then overworked and can't do their job properly so the skin and lungs come to the rescue and try help purify the body and get rid of toxins. 

There are a lot of reasons why Mr.T could have acquired Leaky Gut Syndrome, one of which could be me having to take antibiotics when pregnant, another could be that I was very depressed in his pregnancy making my body acidic, it could be a sensitivity due to genetics, or even environmental pollution. I have had kidney and bladder problems for the last ten years and when I was pregnant, both times my kidney infections were chronic and though I tried to stay away from them, I had to succumb to antibiotics in the fear that my overloaded kidneys may fail with such a severe array of infections and the added work of looking after an unborn baby. 

Improper elimination of toxins also makes the body more acidic, which in order to be healthy should be relatively alkaline. My goal with Mr.T is to try stop more pollutants getting into his bloodstream, to strengthen his gut, and to cleanse and rebalance his body. One way I am already keeping pollutants away from Mr.T is going detergent free (which has made a big difference!)

The first step in Dr.Paganos regimen is internal cleansing. Having enemas, colonic irrigation, laxatives and apple diets would not suit a baby as I feel there is no need, it is invasive, and they need a balanced diet but I'm sure any mother reading his book would come to the same conclusion using common sense. I am however putting more effort into making sure he always has water at hand. Drinking enough water is the major factor in eliminating toxins. Of course you also have to bear in mind that the quality of the water needs to be good. Fluoride, chlorine, & chemicals are not good. We are lucky enough to have our water connected to a well on the bottom of an uninhabited mountain. Our water has been tested and is better than mineral water apparently. :) luck!

Also I try make sure Mr.T has fiber in his diet. He is still on dairy free formula, but mainly on solids. I'm sure the formula doesn't help but right now I need to weigh up the odds and at his age a bottle of balanced milk is still needed. When I make him organic rice milk pancakes (he's allergic to dairy, goat & soy milk) I always use organic wholemeal spelt flour. I also give him organic unsalted rice cakes as a snack. 

He also gets plenty of fruit and veg (excluding nightshades & citrus) with skin on if organic. If not organic I peel the veg due to spraying of pesticides. Almonds are high in fiber and highly alkaline but I haven't tried him with nuts, almonds, or almond milk just yet in case he's allergic to them. 

So that's what I've done so far in the internal cleanse process. Pretty easy really if you have access to good water.  Not only will Mr.T benefit, but also the rest of the household. Living to the best of our ability and being happy is all down to the information we receive and how we receive it. I am enjoying our venture to happier healthier us :) This last year has been one of the most difficult I have ever experienced, and myself and Tom are utterly exhausted but I have high hopes for our future. Winter is settling in and I'm loving it. 

Crisp frosty mornings with fires lit and misty fog over the mountains. Warm snuggly clothes and cold nosed walks in golden hour sunshine. I just love it. 

In my next 'Healing from the inside out' post I will cover the next few steps we are taking in Mr.T's process. At least this is a start. I apologise for the lack of posts, I have yet to master the challenge of finding time to write and think at the same time as being a mum to two young kids :) 

Thank you guys for all your support!

Thank you

I have decided to change the look of 'The Reality Of A Perfect' life. Rather like a blog birthday I guess for having reached over 3,500 views, which in my eyes is absolutely amazing as I only started this venture 7 months ago. 

I hadn't expected such a great uptake on the blog, and am delighted it's being viewed by so many all over the globe. It is time to take on a more clean, focused look as I am more serious about it now. I realise now that I can really try help people especially parents battling the fight against infantile eczema and I am driven to spread the word. It's how I first came to learn how we could help our little boy, and his life is a hundred times better for it. When I think about the battle we have behind us and the rewards we have reaped I realise how the spread of real-hands on information is so important in a world full of useless tabloids and marketing schemes. My experiences may not help everyone, or have all the answers, but when you are desperate to find out anything, anything at all to help someone you love you feel incredibly elated when someone finally provides a clue as to what you can do. 

I am by no means a medical professional, and do not want to belittle any doctors advice. I appreciate everything our doctor has done for us. I take his advice, but I also use my common sense, and an approach that covers not just medication but also natural healing from the inside out. Some wise words: 

"Let your food be your medicine - let your medicine be your food." -

                                                                           Hippocrates - The 'Father of Medicine'

Modern medicine is great for diagnosing, and sometimes treating, but we can do a lot at home also by learning about what our body needs to be tuned and to work healthily at its peak. I am nearly 30 and think that by the time I reach 35 I will surely have learnt after extensive research and reading what my body needs and how I can feed it so that it's happy and healthy. I aim to encourage my family to do the same. Every individual is different and has different requirements. 

At the moment this blog concentrates mostly on infantile eczema, allergies, and leaky gut syndrome, as these are the main focuses of my life at the moment. I will share my experiences with you and hopefully help anyone that stumbles upon it in need of support, and I will hopefully not bore the rest of ye to tears :) I promise, as the road to Mr. T's health gets easier I will also post other topics. 

I would hereby like to thank anyone that has shared my blog. You are making a real difference. Mr. T has taught us a lot in his little life, and I believe good teachings should be shared. It is you that can make this possible, and with six degrees of separation we will surely be able to help more little babies out there who need our support. 

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart :)

Infantile Eczema - September - Reminders to myself

This is seeming to be a blog simply about infantile eczema.....so apologies if people think I'm ranting on. It's just that it is my primary mission at the moment, and any free time I get I try learn as much as I can about it. I then try relay it here, as just like I found out, when someone else tries and tests stuff before you it can be an immense help, and can save lots of money.

Today I'm going to remind myself, and you...if you are on the same mission about the whole - going detergent free issue. I have realised that due to only having sporadic time to research and read I have forgotten a lot of the important information about what I should be focussing on. I haven't been doing a 100% job when trying to get this house detergent free. Sleep deprivation and lack of being able to concentrate makes for a scatty cleaner :)

Mr. T's condition has improved dramatically since April when I started going detergent free, but I have always struggled to get rid of his outbreaks on his face and neck (front and back). I went back to the drawing board, back to www.solveeczema.org and this time printed out the whole website so I could read it while walking the buggy or cuddling Mr. T. Even though I have read her website at least three times I was never able to focus on it properly. Now I read it through, and highlighted all the bits I wasn't doing. I also got stuck into more literature about it, but that's another blog date. 

So if there's parents out there that are still battling with eczema outbreaks after months of hard work getting rid of detergent in the house, consider these reminders:.... I needed reminding myself :) Thank you to A.J. for all the following information, and please excuse the fact I have been emailing you questions for which the answers are already here. I have been a little frazzled :) 

Please note, the following information is from www.solveeczema.org by A.J. Lumsdaine. Excerpts used with permission. I am simply writing a reminder for myself, and others who may find themselves a little lost and unfocused with the task. 

- One thing that sprung out for me this time is Mr. T's sensitivity to everything around him. Pollen, dust mites, food, animal hair,.... Surely a little boy can't be allergic to everything. 

Solveeczema quote: When our son is exposed to oak tree pollen - which gives him the usual respiratory symptoms - he then breaks out from lower levels of detergent exposure. But absent any detergent exposure, the pollens don't seem to cause him eczema. 

So I stuck Mr. T in the shower, made sure he hadn't come in contact with anything that could have detergent on it. I then tested him. I put coconut oil on one of his hands (he had reacted to that a few months ago) and I put beeswax on his other hand (I wasn't sure if he was sensitive to it or not). Three hours later he was still looking normal, and hadn't reacted to either. So when he had reacted to coconut oil in the past, it was simply because he was exposed to detergent at the time too....phew! thank goodness. Finding real soap or castille soap without coconut in it has been a nightmare over the last few months. So now I'm back to being able to use Dr. Bronners castille soap. Yipee!

- Another thing I have learned is that the detrimental effect that detergent has on the body is made worse in small amounts of water. Hence eczema always being worse where babies sweat. Which explains why when some babies 'grow out' of eczema, they develop asthma. Their skin is less permeable at the age of two than before, but of course the lungs still have to be permeable to leave oxygen in, and contain water vapour, so its rife for detergents to attack. There's motivation for conquering the detergent if ever I saw one! I want my little man to be healed when he's two, not have it develop into asthma. 

- I have also learned, rereading the site that I have to be more specific everytime I see a breakout. I hadn't yet written a diary on when breakouts happen. I felt I could remember myself, and who has time to write a diary with a little girl and a baby in the house.... I am now going to start taking written notes. I need to use the clues Mr. T is giving me. They seem random, but when written down I'm hoping the picture will become clearer.  A list of probable causes like A.J. says, then eliminate or test each probable cause and write them down too. 

- I am also using any free time to google ingredients in products that I keep seeing but am unsure of. I am creating a list of 'not good' and 'good' ingredients. I have a notebook now for notes and ingredients so its all together. 

- It also seems that barrier creams, not moisturising creams are more effective. Terminology is different in different countries as what comes under the heading barrier or moisturiser, but the creams like Aquaphor, or Vaseline seem to work better as they protect the skin rather than absorb into it. This of course is only true if you are sure that there is no detergent on the skin before putting them on. I use itchybaby balm as Aquaphor is not available here, and I only put it on after Mr. T has a bath as then I'm sure there's no detergent dust on him that may get trapped. From our own experiences it seems to be better than the moisturising creams. Even the gentle zeoderm moisturising cream that was natural seemed to be too 'strong' for his sensitive skin,  and Mr. T had a horrifying reaction to the emollient prescribed by the specialist we went to see. I can still remember him shaking and screaming with pain. Here in Ireland Infantile eczema is stated as being random, unknown cause, unknown cure. The fact it may be detergent related to the extent that I have learned is not even considered. Maybe this is why emollient moisturisers are still being prescribed as opposed to questions asked beforehand whether the child is sensitive to detergents. I stay away from such prescriptions now as long as his sores aren't infected, and use the balm above or sudocreme if he scratches himself to bleeding point on his cheeks or neck. 

- Mr. T seems to be allergic to everything, but on solveeczema I realised he may not be allergic to a specific food, but rather the environment it was made and packaged in. With this statement I am by no means encouraging you to take risks with your childs health, I am only stating my own personal experiences and what I am doing. I feel that as Mr. T's parent I am making the correct decisions based on the knowledge I have learnt in the last year about his illness, and also using common sense and a high respect for the allergies he does have. Obviously you always have to follow the advice and warnings given by your doctor. Nonetheless I have decided to look at the matter from a different angle, maybe some of his more 'normal' allergies could be investigated.  

The dairy and egg allergies that Mr. T has cause a reaction that is so severe that I am  too afraid to investigate these, but little at a time when I know there is no detergent around him I am going to try anew to see what he is really allergic too. I have to think about it all, all the steps of the food he eats. Where it is grown, by whom, with fertilisers and pesticides? What pot is it cooked in? What is it stored in?  Organic doesn't matter, it only has to be 79% organic apparently to be stated organic. Water is classed as organic, so as an example, if something contains 79% water, all other ingredients could be detergent/non organic/synthetic additives but it is still allowed to be called organic. The best bet is to have your own vegetable plot and grow your own organically and process it in your detergent free home. Luckily I have the luxury of being able to do this as our vegetable garden is a hobby of mine that I am hoping to get back into in the spring. 

- I have been looking up ingredients online of products I have found in our health food shop, and have been baffled trying to figure out what is a detergent and what not. I have also been trying to understand surfactants on a molecular level, and it's all a bit mind boggling. First I thought that anything anionic may be safe, but it's not that simple. Only traditional anionic SOAP is safe. Detergents can be made from plant, animal, and petrochemicals. So the whole family of 'plant based surfactants' is still not suitable for our mission. Looking at the products available, there's not much left to choose from, but in a way that's ok. Thank goodness there's such thing as castile soap!

- One of the places Mr. T still have breakouts is his neck. I hadn't realised that synthetic combinations in collars of clothes don't have to be labeled, so I am also going to write down what tops he is wearing when he has a breakout. All his clothes are made of organic cotton now, but maybe the collars are not! Crazy. I also have to try and keep his cheeks and neck dryer, as I have to try stop the increase in permeability that happens when his skin is wet. 

- I have also been giving Mr. T porridge and baby food from packets occasionally. I am now in the process of reading John O.A. Pagano's book "Healing Psoriasis" and it is also an amazing find. Even though Mr. T has eczema, not psoriasis, Mr. Pagano makes a clear link between the two. I am hoping to find out as soon as possible what way I can help Mr. T's condition from the inside out, and then either get the veg out of our organic vegetable garden or an organic stall at the farmers market. I am trying to get away from processed, packaged foods. Lets face it, even the most freshest, organic veg you can buy in a mega superstore probably rolls down shoots that have been scrubbed with disinfectant and detergents, and come from warehouses that have been scrubbed with detergents and have people around them that wear detergents. Our garden is the best bet, and a farmers market with local organic stalls is the second best option. I then want to make Mr. T's solids in our detergent free kitchen, in bulk, and then freeze. In pots that are BPA free....complicated! :) I have also been advised to use ice cube trays, good idea!

- Another problem I am faced here when going the anti-detergent route is lots of people visiting and lots of people in 'farm' clothes coming into the house for lunch. I have been trying to combat this problem in several ways, but now that Mr. T is crawling, I can see that his contact eczema is worse on his hands. ie. there is still detergent being brought in and left on the floor. Farm dirt is usually 'safe' dirt like soil, but when pollen or other allergens stick to their clothes its very hard to pinpoint the cause of a reaction and how to treat it so for now I'm playing it safe. I have gotten two storage boxes, one for 'house' clothes, and one for 'outdoor' clothes, and put them in our hallway for people to change into. People that don't live here currently sit on a plastic chair in the sitting room that I can easily wipe down,...even if it seems a little unsociable :) Generally I clean the floor and seat after people leave but it's easy to get lost with this regime when something else important has to be done at the time. If they stay a day or two they get sent to the shower straightaway and I give them my clothes to wear. Poor Mr. T was getting a little affected at the lack of socialising with other kids due to being a bit isolated so now I take him to the playground once a week where he has a ball.  He's an adrenalin junkie with the slide already :) It's healthy 'dirt' thats there, and though he gets the odd reaction to something there, he is generally happy and as soon as we come home I stick him and his sister in the bath.

- Finally, it has been very hard to find some detergent free products here in Ireland. Many companies like Cal Ben don't ship to Ireland. I'm using a bar of olive oil soap for hand washing dishes at the moment and can't seem to find a trustworthy alternative.. I looked up a recipe on how to make some myself with castile soap, but I wasn't impressed. I am still on the lookout, if anyone has any ideas, please shout. Ecover is not an option at this point as it contains detergents. I have emailed them and they replied saying detergents are not actually as harmful as many people think. I think I won't argue with them, Mr. T's case is proof enough for me. Marketing officials are obviously on their own mission. 

         There is hope that Mr. T will become less sensitive to detergents. I know this is definitely his number one problem. Some people may think I'm crazy doing all this when doctors here don't seem to see it mainstream, and it is such hard work. Or that I am crazy for following one website so closely and believing every word. Well solveeczema just puts it all together, and her research is well founded, and similar evidence can be found everywhere online. Also I know that if I put Mr. T into a normal baby suit, washed with normal "hypoallergenic, for sensitive skin" detergent he would flare up and become upset and disturbed, and his skin would be covered in itchy sores. I am working off what works for him, and I can see he is happier and healthier this way. My aim is to have a happy baby boy that can play and move as any other, and that doesn't have to worry about having weeping elbows or calves when he is trying to crawl. 

So here lie a few reminders that seem plain and easy, but I still have to brush up on them. There is still a missing link to Mr. T's eczema, and I am determined to find it. Although his legs are sometimes still itchy, his body (the areas that are covered by his sleepsuit and clothes) has brilliant skin now. Baby soft and kissable :) There must still be contact detergents in my house somewhere. His cheeks, and neck are still flaring up at least every 36 hours.  Mission not completed yet,....but it's not mission impossible :)

Please note: I am not qualified as a medical practicioner. My views and opinions on this blog are due to my own experiences and information I have received. By no means do I encourage any parent to take risks with their child or go against their doctors wishes. My actions are due to my own decisions and as far as I am concerned I am doing the best for my child with the knowledge I have.