Infantile eczema update - December 2013

(I will provide links & better editing on this post in the morning when at the computer. For now, this is all that's possible via my phone)

Hey folks, 

I haven't given ye an update in a while as to how our little Mr.T is doing. I've been trying to get life a little more normal over the last few months. It's hard going when you're constantly fighting to keep your little baby (toddler now!) from being ill, and keeping the rest of the family sane and happy too, as well as myself,..... Must not forget! 

I had been warned about the colder months having a bad effect on Mr.T's eczema, but now that it's happening it's still difficult to watch. The winter winds make his cheeks drier and more prone so I try keep him greased up when he's outside.. But the warm air inside also makes his skin drier. The first weeks of winter this was very apparent and even the skin that had been healed under his organic clothes over the last 6 months got dry. Tom suggested we try the oatmeal baths. I had been cautious before as some people are allergic to oatmeal, but we decided to give it a try. He didn't react, and it definitely helps. 

For anyone wanting to try it here goes:

- Put a cupful of organic oat flakes into a muslin cloth, tie together with a hairband to keep it nice and secure. 

- Put it into your bath as you fill the hot water first. What is recommended is that you only run the hot water and leave the oat flakes steep until the bath is the correct temperature for your child. ( the same temperature as your elbow when dipped into the water.) Usually though we don't have that much time as it's either bedtime soon or Mr.T is itchy and needs relief fast. So we run the hot water, leave it steep a while, and then run the cold until it's at a suitable temperature. 

- the muslin bag will feel slimy and squishy. We use this as a sponge to wash him down, and then just have a bit of play and splashing until he's ready to get out. 

The oatmeal baths leave his skin lovely and soft, and after that we've been applying the itchy baby balm or Vaseline on skin that has been thoroughly dried with a clean soft towel. (Yes, I know, I'm not a fan of petroleum products, but when you're seeking anything at all that can give your child relief, then sometimes needs must, even just for a little while. ) I generally leave his good skin alone now after a bath, why try fix something that isn't broken eh? The skin thats healthy seems to be happy doing it's own moisturising. 

On the contrary, I can't say the same for his cheeks, ears, and hands. If I left them moisturise themselves Mr.T would have itchy bleeding sores. After his oatmeal baths we dry these areas as best we can, and then,....well I haven't found a solution. We've been trying alsorts. Here's some that spring to mind immediately:

- homemade lard - we're lucky enough to live on a small holding where we had our own two pigs for the freezer (appropriately named 'Rasher' and 'Chop'). Thanks to Toms geniusness as I call it we now have our own pig lard, homegrown, without antibiotics and GM food. I usually use it for cooking when olive oil, grape seed oil or rapeseed oil aren't called for, but we decided to try it as a moisturiser. What harm could it do? At least we know what's in it,.... Well, it wasn't the miracle cream. It moisturised, and I still use it on him sometimes, but it didn't ward off more sensitivity. 

- sudocreme, works well sometimes, but I feel it can be quiet harsh when he's badly inflamed. 

- cumin seed oil/ coconut oil/ beeswax, all do the same as the lard really, good for keeping the skin moisturised, but does nothing for being inflamed. 

- steroid cream, yes. At our wits end we tried it. I didn't want to go back using it as I feel in the long run it makes Mr.T more susceptible, but we did try a course of it. I thought maybe our house was detergent free enough that maybe his skin just needed a helping hand to heal. Maybe it would kick start a cycle of stronger skin cells that would in turn be stronger against mild, occasional, unavoidable detergent exposure, but no. We tried the steroid cream, thinly, for about 4/5 days and though it stopped Mr.T itching and the redness might have faded slightly for an hour or two, it would be back. It wasn't worth staying on it. Needless to say, I still have detergent in the house, but where? It's heartbreaking. 

- Since my own face is super sensitive I now use organic chamomile tea as a toner. We're also trying to dab this on Mr.T's sore areas after washing, then dab that dry again, and either moisturise or leave air at it if it doesn't look dry. 

- Hopes relief intensive moisturiser, this seemed great for a while but it seems Mr.T is like me and builds up intolerances to skin creams after a while. Hopes relief is one of them. I tried it on my face to test and my face didn't like it. Lol. Sounds strange I know, but if my face can handle a cream, then it's MILD! :)

So yeah, that's what springs to mind. I must have detergent in the house. It baffles me. We had a week in September where I thought we might have crossed the final hurdle but no. Then we've had someone stay with us that was secretly smoking, and made Mr.T exposed to perfume which set us back again. We've also had wintery weather. I keep going through it in my head, what are we missing? We've been at this for 9 months now since we discovered Mr.T's reaction to detergents, and we should have gotten to a stage of maintenance rather than detective work 5 months ago. Instead we're exhausted and not thinking clearly, running round in circles. Don't get me wrong, we have achieved masses, Mr.T has skin on his body now, soft, baby skin, and he sleeps without having to be 'restrained' by us from scratching, and he hasn't got infected bleeding sores anymore, but this last hurdle, grrrrrrr,.... It's invisible and we haven't managed to combat it. 

His cheeks, hands and ears are what still give him away as being a child with severe infantile eczema. I am trying to figure out step by step what is causing it. 

There is a forum from the solve eczema site, that I haven't yet had a chance to look at. I think this will be my next port of call when I get a chance over the next month. 

I put Mr.T to bed tonight and looked at him and thought what a strong little boy. How special is he. I just wish he wouldn't have to go through this. I just said sorry, for not having combated it so far. He doesn't know what a carefree life is yet, but it is my mission as his mum to provide him with a loving, balanced carefree childhood. I just have to try stay focused,....... The answer is right in front of me - somewhere. 

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!