February 1997 Eczema Mailing List Archive

About a week ago there was a discussion on Aqueous cream and there were some people wondering exactly what was in it; it was found to contain emulsifying wax and people wondered what that was... My pharmacist says that emulsifying wax contains cetostearyl alcohol and sodium lauryl sulphate (and some purified water).

Citrus is a common allergen. I've been told that anyone with eczema/psoriasis ("Leaky Gut") should avoid the Nightshades (tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, peppers of all kind, and paprika) and to avoid foods high in fat (counting whole milk dairy products).

If your child is in fact actually allergic to corn it might be worth mentioning that corn products are in a zillion foods--due to corn starch and then corn syrup used as a sweetener. My allergy book ("Allergies Made Simple" by Phylis Austin, Agatha Thrash, MD, Calvin Thrash, MD). lists even things like cough syrup, aspirin, envelopes, stickers, gum, candy, salt, paper cups, vinegar..and some toothpastes. The list goes on and on... 

I use Bold Free with an extra rinse cycle. You wouldn't believe how much more soap comes out of the second rinse ! 

In my experience there is more than one Bag Balm on the market; the name seems to have become generic, rather than a brand name. As I write this I have at home three different jars of something labelled Udder Cream or Udder Ointment: all different, most at least reasonably good.

All were bought at a chemist or pharmacy.

I can never say I'm cleared "completely." The best my skin can be is "under control." And that's where I am right now. I am so grateful for the prednisone/antibiotics 1-2 punch that seems to re-set my internal computer, and allows me to feel in control again with what I have learned to identify as a "normal" level of skin irritation for me; a certain amount of rash, open sores, dryness, itchiness, etc. I go crazy when it gets worse than that level, but as long as I am able to see direct improvements from use of antibacterials, steroid ointments, and moisturizers, I am able to tolerate living with this condition.

In the beginning, when you haven't had it very long over your entire body, the visual appearance gets so much attention. It's easy to put so much energy into how it looks, comparing it to how other people's skin looks, without any idea of what is the "normal" way for their skin to look. People with eczema have to learn over time how eczema skin looks! It doesn't look like other people's skin! And they have to learn over time how it's supposed to feel on the inside, too.

Anyway, after 40 years I have learned how to recognize when I can say my skin is "good" and it is good right now, but as I'm sure you know, "good" is relative for us.

My dermatologist recommended using ALL's Free and Clear (hypoallergenic) version. With double rinsing. Double rinsing always yields suds on with any detergent I have tried.

This product is not seen as much as the standard "All" but I am sure if you ask your store manager to order it he/she would, as it sells easily. As long as you are at it, ask him if he can order the largest bottle possible.

Betadine is useful for prophylactic skin cleansing. It's main ingredient is Iodine. Doctors caution that it might have a drying effect, and should be used carefully as should all stuff we put on our skin.

I like Bag Balm because it acts as an emollient and an antiseptic. So, when I use the product I'm taking care of two things in one application. In the US if you can't get it at a pharmacy, try your local "feed store", look in the yellow pages (phone directory) for an outlet like Southern States. The stuff also comes in a small one inch square can if you want to sample. 

Brigit's right, "bag balm" is a generic term, so there are several producers. I can't remember the brand names, but one comes is a green can, the other in a yellow can w/ red cap. As far as when to use it, it depends on the occasion. It has that healthy barnyard smell. Very different from the fishy smell of the Preparation H idea I got off this list. :-) 

Here in the States, there is only one "Bag Balm", the brandname of one specific product sold in the ubiquitous green can with red roses, put out by the Dairy Association Co., Inc. of Lyndonville, Vermont... I'm sure there must be other udder creams/ointments on the American market, but only one product goes by the name "Bag Balm"... 

I've never seen a yellow can... do you know who makes it, and what brandname it uses? ("Bag Balm" is the brandname of the green can... )

I find Bag Balm has very little smell to it, and what smell it does have I find "medicinal"... I only use it at night due to its thickness and 'stickiness', not due to its smell...

I use Tide Free. I use about half the suggested amount. The only time I double rinse is when I accidentally add too much detergent. With hot washing all the stuff from 3 beds every 2 weeks (plus the curtains and small rugs), I take every possible shortcut in the laundry drill! 

My dermatologist said to avoid Tide. I don't know if he knows about Tide Free. I never heard of it either.

I don't use corticosteroids if I can help it. I have been using Curel as a moisterizer and an oatmeal soap. I always wear make-up. My skin seems to get worse if I don't. It seems to protect it and it keeps me from scratching.

When I wrote the first letter asking about evaporation my face was getting pretty bad, along with my hands, forearms, neck, and legs. Right now, and I'm not sure why, it is completely, without a trace, gone from my face. My arms and hands are much better, too. I started taking B complex last week, and I don't know if that's the reason, but I thought I would pass this along just in case.

I have used the yellow-can-with-red-lid brand named Dr Naylor Udder Balm, made in Morris, New York. The writing on the can says it's a "antiseptic ointment for udder and teats". 

This morning I was diagnosed with KERATOCONUS, which is an eye disorder (specifically, the cornea). I mentioned that I had been using topical steroids etc and the Opto-wozzizname bloke suggested that it was more likely that it was due to the eczema itself than its treatment, although the steroids may have aggravated the situation. He says that the asthma-eczema-hay fever-keratoconus connection is "quite common".

I have years of wearing weird-shaped contact lenses and the prospect of a possible cornea transplant to look forward to. Lucky old me.

If emulsifying wax contains "cetostearyl alcohol and sodium lauryl sulphate (and some purified water)", then this makes aqueous cream sound almost *exactly* like Diprobase! I think those were the two missing ingredients that Diprobase had that Aqueous Cream "didn't". So, it turns out that Diprobase, cost GBP 12.50 for 500g contains exactly the same ingredients (possibly in different proportions, admittedly) as Aqueous Cream, cost GBP 2.50 for 500g.

And there you have it.

Dave, I'm sorry to hear about your eye troubles. What exactly is keratoconus? Had you been using topical steroids on your face, or just on your body? Do keep us posted, and I wish you luck with the necessary treatments.

I've embarked on a wheat-free, dairy-free, egg-free elimination diet.

As this is not for life, just for a month, I expect to be able to keep it up; the only real problem I have is in finding something to eat for breakfast/lunch. Bread is out; cheese is out; yoghurt is out; eggies are out-- so here's my question:

Does anyone have a quick&simple recipe for corn-based pancakes (no eggs, no milk, no wheat)? Rye is out, too, but all other grains are OK. It has to be quick&easy, so that I can bake a bunch and freeze them in for use instead of bread. 

I bought a pack of gluten-free bread mix, but the stuff is horrible. There is no way I can stand it for a whole month... 

Please, can anyone help me solve a riddle from the archives:

It's about something called Ultravate. In some posts, this is described as a non-steroid ointment made by Westwood Squibb and containing halobetasol propionate; in others it's referred to as a strong steroid cream!

Are there perhaps TWO different things with the same name?

I have been on a hunt for a new moisturizing lotion similar to Shepard's, but cheaper. So far I've experimented with Eucerin, Jergen's Dual Healing, Lubriderm, and Shi Kai, all because I was able to get sample sizes of them. They were all OK, not great.

The sample that I am now trying seems the best so far: Keri Anti-Bacterial Hand Lotion. I like the fact that it is an antiseptic and a moiturizer together, since I need both. My skin drinks it quickly and so far has no reaction to it, either immediately or over time. But I'm giving it more time before I buy a large size.

I also just bought tea tree oil soap to see if I can benefit from the antibacterial effects of that too. I was talking to a pharmacist who said that it would be good to rotate using various kinds of antibacterials (like Betadine, Hibiclens, etc.) in order to keep bacteria from getting resistant. So I am creating an arsenal of antibacterials. Since I started emphasizing the antibacterials, I am less itchy.

I talked about coffee inhibiting homeopathic remedies. If you're not doing homeopathy, don't worry about it.

Interestingly it's not the caffeine that nullifies the remedy, it's coffee. I can drink tea and eat chocolate but I can't do even decaf coffee, or a coffee nip.

No one knows why.

I don't know if this is related but for as long as I have had eczema (about 1 1/2 yrs) I have been getting conjunctivitis and blepharitis. I just went to the eye doctor last week and asked if there was any connection. He said no and that topical steroids do not affect the eye itself. He said long term use of steroid drops (which I have been using for the infections) can eventually cause glaucoma. Just thought this was interesting.

I know that you're not supposed to drink coffee when taking homeopathic remedies. By the way, I was told that the homeopathic medicated pellets Thyrodium, Graphites, Sepia & Sulphur are supposed to be good for eczema. Has anyone had any luck with these?

Brigit- Can you find tortillas there? Crepes? You might need to look at some bread alternatives while you undertake your "starve and the eczema will go away" diet. Good luck, and let us know how things go. 

The Ultravate I have here is manufactured by Westwood-Squibb and contains halobetasol propionate .05% ; I assume that it's pretty powerful because it can clear up my lips in one application.

I tried a wheat- and dairy-free diet once, though I still ate eggs. You might enjoy cornmeal mush (polenta) for breakfast; just get some water boiling, and add cornmeal, stirring quickly with a whisk until it thickens. Are you eliminating soy, malt and rice as well? If not, you could put soy or rice milk in it, as you would with oatmeal. 

Fry sliced mush leftovers on a greased griddle to make "pancakes". Rice flour makes good muffins (though rugged), and you can use soy flour in place of eggs in baked goods; just use 1 heaping tbsp. of soy flour and 1 tbsp. water for each egg (add flour to dry ingredients and water to wet; don't mix the soy and water together by themselves, because you'll just get a brown paste!)

Have you seen mochi in a natural foods store or Japanese market? It's a glutinous rice cake that you can bake in the oven; makes a hearty, sticky bun with a crust. Make sure it's rice-only, if you're trying to avoid other grains.

Debbie, Thanks for the reply, he was a little worse this a.m. with lots of itching in the night, even spots that don't look bad, the back of his knees always itch at night. 

We don't eat any corn, I make our bread and we eat almost no premade food. I did some natural chicken broth for soup and I think it had paprika so maybe I am on the right track. Are you the one that said earler that yams are not in the nightshade family, he eats them a lot (not sweet potatoes). 

I have been a vegetarian, and occasional vegan, for years. For any who want to try this, let me suggest a few books:

All of John A. McDougall's books are vegan (no egg, no dairy). They include The McDougall Program, and the McDougall Program for Maximum Weight Loss, and at least 2 books of recipe collections. A good portion of these books review the health benefits of the diets, and include simple and quick recipes... lots of tips for substitutions. The recipes are pretty generic, and include lots of canned foods, frozen juices, and vegetables (of course)... they are not all to my taste, but for day-to-day cuisine, quite satisfying.

"Eat More, Weigh Less" - Dean Ornish, MD. Another pep talk on the health benefits of very low fat vegan cookery. The recipes in this one are a collection from various chefs -- they can be quite elaborate, but are very good. Great suggestions for the more gourmet palate... and lots of sauce and stock recommendations.

"The Single Vegan" -- Leah Leneman. This is a British cookbook (Thorson's Publishing Group), and I have not seen it in the US for years! I love this book --- it organizes recipes for one by week, complete with weekly shopping lists. The daily recipes take only about 30 minutes to prepare... the Sunday meal takes a little longer. The food is plain, but quite good -- I resort to this book when I haven't got the time to think about cooking. Added benefit: my grocery bills go *way* down.

"Vegan Cooking" -- Eva Batt... another Thorsons title. Very utilitarian, well tested recipes... but this and the Leneman book use higher fat ingredients, and lots of nuts. Here's a pancake recipe for Brigit:

Pancake or Fritter Mixture

• 12 fl oz water 
• 4 1/2 oz plain flour (or whole wheat, corn, or any other ground meal) 
• 3 rounded teaspoons soya flour 
• Pinch sea salt 
• Vegetable oil for frying.

Beat again just before using. (If required for fritters use only 8 fl oz water)

Fry on both sides in very lightly oiled pan and serve while hot with lemon juice and fruit sugar or syrup.

Footnote: I feel much better on a vegan regime, but don't use it frequently. The eczema is a new problem for me. I have tried several of the supplements and creams suggested by this list, and my condition has improved considerably. Now that I am on my second week sans red wine, however, I have soft skin again on my hands-- imagine! Real skin! No cracks, no redness, and complete feeling!

My understanding is that homopathy treats the person, not the disease. In my history I have successfully treated eczema and my repetitive stress injury with one remedy, Rhus Tox. Now it doesn't touch my eczema but Phosphorus is doing really well against it so far. Also, Lycopodium has been successful for me.

But I'm never given two remedies at the same time. And I *go* to the homeopath. I don't do it over the counter.

Kim, Have you considered having your son tested for allergies? We just had our 2-1/2-year-old tested. We already suspected an allergy to cow's milk and had been feeding her soy formula. Turns out she was allergic to that, too. One week later, with soy eliminated from her diet, and her drinking Carnation Good Start (regular) Baby Formula and a nondairy product called Vitamite, her skin is completely clear! :+)

We had tried elimination diets in the past but these were unsuccessful since she is allergic to so many different foods. Perhaps your son has a similar problem?

My only regret about the allergy testing is not having it done sooner.

Dave, you certainly seem to be taking it well. Does it hurt, itch, look red or can it be seen or felt at all? I am so sorry - I trust you have the strength to deal with this? It seems that we always do when it comes down to it. Stay in touch - the support is so strong here. What's the next step in keeping it manageable?

Me too, Shelley. Except putting Alpha-Keri bath stuff is like lighting a match next to me. Yet, the antibacterial stuff works really well, as long as I don't forget the Nivea skin conditioning oil. When I put that on, I can almost hear my skin gulping it down.

My daughter sent me some 2oz sizes of stuff called Purell instant hand sanitizer: "Kills 99.9% of most common disease-causing GERMS within 15 seconds". Could it be that this beastly stuff is also killing the dust mites or neutralizing the "mite-poop" or something? I'm surprised I can bear it, since the thing is 62% ethyl alcohol. Geez, that's almost all that's in it! Just that and water, isopropyl alcohol, "emollients" and "thickener". Maybe my skin's not so hyper dry and weak after all -- maybe if I just swab the deck more often, I'd be okay without all the gloves and vaseline routines.

I'm one of those opto-wozzisname blokes, so I can fill this in some. Keratoconus is a deformity of the cornea (the eye's surface layer). The cornea is responsible for about two-thirds of the eye's focusing power. In keratoconus, because of the corneal irregularity, light rays entering the eye are bent in odd ways, which blurs the image and reduces the sharpness of vision.

It has previously been discussed in this forum that the potential ocular complications of steroids include cataract and glaucoma. For those of you using steroids, you shouldn't sweat this one - I don't think of steroids as causing keratoconus, but there is some association with atopy (asthma-eczema-hay fever).

For Dave, however, understand that this is a very treatable eye condition. If the distortion is great enough that spectacles will no longer be adequate, the mainstay of treatment is to wear hard contact lenses (they must be hard lenses - I suspect they will want to fit you with a gas permeable hard lens). Hard lenses do not really alter the shape of the cone. Rather, the hard lens surface effectively becomes the new surface for the eye, and the area between the hard lens and your own cornea fills in with tears. Since the hard lens surface is smooth and regular, the blur is eliminated. 

It can be a little tricky to fit a keratoconus patient with contact lenses, but it is almost always possible. Corneal transplantation is only needed if the cornea is so badly deformed that it is impossible to fit a contact lens, or if there is scarring due to the keratoconus that obscures the central vision - that is clearly the minority of patients. If needed, however, corneal transplantation for keratoconus carries about a 90%-ish success rate - it is one of the diseases that we do pretty well with when performing transplants. If you wish to learn more, you should find a discussion of keratoconus in most standard ophthalmic texts - it is not a rare disease.

Thanks for the breakfast suggestions. Real meals are not much of a problem, as I'm a decent cook and work from scratch anyhow (very little ready-made stuff in my food ever); so I just choose things without cheese, cream and eggs. No really big deal, as meat is OK. (Lovely lamb casserole tonight, yummy yummy.)

I will certainly try the pancake recipe. The mush idea I'd stumbled on already, what I'd done is mix 1 measure of corn flour with 2 measures of boiling water and a dash of walnut oil, then bake in the oven for about half an hour, then cut up in cubes. It's surprisingly good, firm but moist, and I can see how herbs and spices would make it different every time.

I just got a tube of Ultravate. The enclosure says it's a steroid - my Dr said I would like it, that it was stronger than the Beta-Val I was using.

I don't see a difference on me. I really only have eczema on my hands, mostly, and I prefer B-V to the Ultravate. B-V is a cream, while Ultraval is an ointment, kind of like vaseline. My preference is only because the cream is a little less "messier". They both seem to do the trick, however.

My eczema looks great right now - no angry, itching patches, no cracks I have had to glue just a few rough patches of skin.

I have been using B-V, Ultravate & zinc oxide, on an informal, rotating basis to calm everything down. Haven't even needed the hot water trick for itching in the past week or so.

Actually, I'm not altogether sure it was the medicine that calmed me down - maybe just a "quiet cycle". When my eczema is really active, the medicine, while it DOES help, doesn't calm it down the way it looks right now.

Brigit, sounds to me that you need some plain chocolate (some plain chocolate has milk in, but the best doesn't). Now melt that over some corn flakes -- I think I could well live on that for a month... but I am a signed up chocaholic... 

I once asked a pharmacist and he looked it up and decided Diprobase and aqueous cream were the same, possibly whipped up to a slightly different consistency.

The ophthalmologist reckoned that the general set of symptoms asthma, eczema, hay fever were not uncommon in people who suffer from keratoconus, and he implied some unknown root cause which probably leads to all of them. I mentioned that I had been using topical steroids on my hands and arms and occasionally around my eyes, but that I had stopped when I read about "alleged" effects these had on eyes based on something I read on this list. He thought that it was unlikely that the steroids would *cause* the keratoconus, but that it might aggravate it, simply because steroids thin the skin etc.

You're right, yams are not in the nightshade family. Neither are sweet potatoes, so I've been told.

Regarding the antibiotic cause/trigger: I've read that antibiotics are rough on the stomach, particularly in an allergic person. With Leaky Gut, it is said that constant bombardment of allergens can cause the Leaky Gut or the porous walls may "cause" the allergies. It goes either way. But then becomes a vicious cycle.

Now, supposedly, there is a connection with certain misalignments of the spine (don't remember if I've mentioned this before). We've taken Julia to 3 chiropractor appts. so far. On the first visit he said she was extremely tight in the area of the spine that corresponds with stomach and liver. At the second visit he said she responded really well (stayed pretty loosened up--apparently it usually takes some retraining of the spine before it stays in the right place). Since the 2nd visit she's been eating better again. He said it will help her stomach area for sure, whether it helps her eczema he's not sure... but agrees it's quite possible if the stomach is the cause of her eczema.

In addition to this, we've once again been using a slight amount of topical cortisone behind the knees (knees and neck often keep her itching all night) and a dose of antihistamine. I needed to resort to some drugs for some instant relief as she was very sick with croup and getting worse because she wasn't sleeping at all due to itching. Before this though we hadn't used cortisone or Benadryl since Aug. (tried 2 homeopathic remedies instead, one she's still on). 

She's never had a clear day since she got eczema at 2 wks. old, whether on drugs or not. Now my philosophy (this week, anyway) is to use drugs for an emergency but to still continue all prevention measures and keep pursuing original cause(s). I really do believe the drugs just suppress the immune system and I want her immune system to find its on way to heal itself, so I don't want to overuse them. I really want to avoid messing up her immune system even more and possibly contracting other auto-immune diseases. Homeopathic routes can just take an awfully long time sometimes, especially for a baby who can't speak for itself.

I hate to buy things and then not like them. Lubriderm does not feel nice on the skin. It hasn't given a bad reaction just not a nice feeling. 

Yes, it's interesting how the drug companies mix and match ingredients and come up with a wide range of prices that don't seem to correlate to what's actually included. We have to become educated consumers and unfortunately waste time investigating these ingredients to see if there are actually cheaper sources for the same stuff. I am in the process of researching antibacterial lotions and soaps and am finding the same phenomenon of very similar ingredients with a wide range of prices. 

I am so happy to hear that you're trying not to use drugs on your daughter. I agree that they suppress the immune system. When I was a child I took so much medicine for my allergies, eczema and a chronic allergic bronchitis (I had a deep mucousy horrible cough which I never found out the cause of but it went away as mysteriously as it came). I think I ended up paying for the use of all that medication I took as a child; I am now allergic to all oral antibiotics (can't take any without getting violently ill and breaking out in hives). If I have to take any medication I was told to take acidophilus because it helps to build up the friendly bacteria that the antibiotics kill. That may help to build up Julia's system too.

I used to get eczema behind my knees, inside my elbows and on my neck only, now it can appear anywhere at all (except I never had the problem with my hands). I watch what I eat (basically stay away from starch or high carbohydrate foods, citric acid, yeast, nuts, most cheeses (I'm allergic to mold) and fermented foods (including vinegar) although sweet potatoes & yams don't bother me.

For the itching, have you tried evaporation at night or zinc oxide. My dermatologist put me on prednisone last month because the eczema was so severe. It cleared me up in 2 days but as I started to wean off the medication my eczema started up all over again. It wasn't until I started using zinc oxide ointment, evaporation and Zinc Pyrithione 2% (SKIN-CAP) Spray that it started to clear up and stop itching. 

These 3 things have helped tremendously. I use them every day on any affected areas and it seems to help it heal and keep it from coming back. Sometimes I take the antihistamine Zyrtec (it's non-drowsy). I also use Theraplex emollient and clear lotion as moisturizers and sometimes vitamin E oil. There's not too much I can use that won't irritate my skin but these moisturizers definitely have helped me. I have used cortisone cream for twenty some odd years and I am so happy to have something else that I can use in place of it (at least most of the time). The overuse of these steroids caused atrophy (at least that's what I think it is) on my neck (the skin is smooth but it's discolored -it looks like dark lines).

As we all know everyone is different; unfortunately no one thing will help us all. I hope the chiropractor etc. helps to prevent the eczema. I will be looking out for any messages you may send on your progress. Julia is very lucky to have someone who cares so much about her. 

Coffee is a homeopathic remedy in its own right and often used for insomnia. My homeo-doc told me that - like mint - it just happened to be particularly potent and would overwhelm any less robust substance. I would not be at all surprised if either substance provoked strong allergic reactions too.

Fingers crossed, but I'm "in remission" at the moment. I have no scrupulous scientific evidence, but I have a suspicion this is down to taking valerian to aid sleep (I've taken everything and this WORKS!) and liberal applications of TCP to deal with a recent bout of folliculitis. TCP is phenol-based and I imagine you can get it in the US. The more I deal with this, the more convinced I am of the bacterial/fungal connection plus stress.

I'm no doctor but I often feel we will find one day that eczema is just the skin's way of reacting to a number of things the body doesn't like and has no consistent cause. And I think the evidence built up by all you good people out there will one day give us all the answer.

I've been on homeopathic graphites and sulphur for about three weeks now (no coffee, and no caffeine for good measure!). Things were going well, the eczema on my legs had stopped oozing, the rest of my body was not noticeable, no itching to speak of. Then last Thursday I was on a home visit and had drunk a cup of coffee before I realised what I'd done. I thought, 'oh well, in for a penny... ' and had two more cups later in the day.

I had no sleep that night at all, I was itching so badly. Even the cold water/damp sheet didn't work, and it usually does. Since then all of my eczema has been burning (it feels better today though).

I also got a new kitten on Saturday, so maybe that has something to do with it. But I'm loathe to have coffee again as I think my improvement might be partly due to giving it up.

I think I might be doing this wrong too, then! I have a friend who's a homeopath, so I asked her what might be good to use, and she suggested those remedies, so I tried them both together. I might drop one and see what happens. In the past she recommended euphrasia when my eyes kept watering for no apparent reason, and that worked really well. But I suppose eczema is a bigger problem.

My eczema covers both of my hands (but nowhere else). I have two young boys, so I am constanly washing my hands throughout the day. Well, this anti-bacterial lotion really makes my hands break out bad!!! What a dissappointment. I am sensitive to most lotions and find it hard to find some type of moisturizer than won't "burn" my skin. Eucerin cream has worked about the best so far but it gets so greasy.

I seem to remember that it took me a day or two to rash up after drinking the coffee. And maybe a week to get better.

The fact that I'm never given two remedies at the same time could be my homeopath's idiosyncracy.It's really beyond me to understand it. That's why I go to the homeopath.

I'm doing really well lately. Just a few traces if you know where to look.

All, What do you know about the UCSF gamma interferon study? Also do you know if gamma interferon is safer than steroids? 

We have had him tested twice (last about 6 months ago). Both times he tested postive only to cats??????? No cats here, however the dr. did indicated that kids don't always show correct test till they are about 5, I wish it would have worked. I hate having him off things that might be ok because it seems that all fun foods are bad for him. I know what you mean about the food challanges there are lots of variables that you have to keep track of.

I'm glad to report that my expedition helped my Jodi a whole lot. ( She has been suffering from E since she was 3 weeks old and will be 11 months in a week.) We were in China getting her Chinese Herbal Treatment. Everyday, I brewed a big bag of herbal mix with 48 oz of water and reduced it into 6 oz of decoction. She didn't like the bitter taste but got used to it soon enough. The dr checked her pulse, skin, tongue etc every day and changed the herbal mix as needed. He also prescribed herbs to be brewed for bathing her. During the whole time when she was taking the decoction, no emollient was allowed.

Jodi's diagnosis was toxins in the blood. The herbs were said to cleanse the toxins and expell them through the skin and intestines via her bowel movements. The first 2 weeks her skin weeped so much I was really worried. But since I was warned by the dr about such a reaction, I was prepared to take on the shock. Then, starting on the 3rd week, her eczematic skin turned from red-inflamed-hard-weepy-acne-like to soft and dry. She looked happy and comfortable from within. She smiled a lot and interacted with people around her. She slept much better and had very good appetite. She was no longer the little baby who scratched and scratched and scratched some more. I had tried Chinese Herbal Treatment on her before when western medicine had failed her but the results had never been so successful. I came back with a full luggage of herbal mixes and just finished them all not too long ago.

Since our return, nothing has worked in her favor. It's so cold, even when I turn my heater down to minimal, it's still very drying indoors. It became difficult not to use emollient. (You see, there is no indoor heat in China.) Then, she had a viral attack. Blisters first developed on her lips and perhaps through her hands somehow got onto her right cheek. Imagine blisters over eczematic skin. It was horrible. [Ann, I can now empathize with your full body herpes infection. It must have been really hard on you.] Thank god the topical antibiotic stopped it from spreading to other areas. No systemic antibiotic or steroid was needed, else, it would have contradicted her herbal treatment. When the last piece of the ugly scabs fell off her face with no signs of scarring, I went out and brought a lottery ticket.(Didn't win, never get that kind of luck!)

Then, the Aveeno Oatmeal Bath... a disaster. Jodi developed full body contact dermatitis. Once again, it proves everybody's eczema is different. She seems to recover from the Aveeno Bath just today and I'm definitely not trying anything new on her for a while.

Right now, this is what I'm doing for Jodi:

• Alimentum formula (I believe in the leaky gut theory) 
• solid food like rice, yam, lean pork, apple, pear, rice cereal, Chinese leafy green vegetables(only available in China town) 
• tea tree oil ointment for dry and chapped skin
• Aquaphor and Eucerin after baths
• borage oil taken orally
• an herbal extract drink (with 23 herbal extracts) taken orally 1 oz a day
• double wash cycle on clothes
• fight dust mites
• leather and wood, no drapes, no carpet, clean mattress
• short nails, 100% silky cotton mittens at night
• 100% cotton clothes
• wash hair everyday [BTW, Jodi perspires profusely on her skull at night.]
• drink lots of water

Would anyone please advise on handling sibling jealousy? My 28 months is getting quite jealous lately. Anything Jodi has she wants too. My husband and I try to maintain a one-on-one situation whenever possible. It's just that Jodi and her eczema gets more attention at times.

Rita, Could you find something your 28 month old could do to help Jodi? Bring ointment, get clean diaper, hold a bottle, etc. If she's part of the care-taking, maybe she won't feel quite so left out. 

Hi Kim, So sorry your son's allergy testing didn't produce more definitive results. One more thought: He didn't happen to be on any antihistamines in his system at the time of testing, did he? Our allergist gave us a long list of medications (antihistamines and others) that our daughter was not to use for at least one week prior to testing, as use of certain meds can alter test results.

It's so frustrating trying to find a cause and treatment for this horrible condition. I keep telling myself things could be lots worse, though. At least eczema isn't life-threatening.

Hang in there. Perhaps the next allergy testing session will produce some answers.

Hi. This sounds kind of disgusting but I figure that this is the place to go for some good advice on this subject. I have eczema on my scalp; it's falky and scabby and I can't get rid of it. I've tried DHS Zinc Pyrithione Shampoo, Nizorol Shampoo, tar shampoos & Derma Smooth (which is an oil based cortisone solution which, in the past, has helped the eczema on my skin).

Does anyone know of a good remedy for an itchy, flaky, scabby eczema scalp that won't irritate my skin and that doesn't stink like tar?

I have found success with Long's Drugs Scalp Itch Treatment lotion. It is marketed under other names also and contains: 1.0% hydrocortizone, menthol, propylene glycol, and SD 40 alcohol. Recently, when I ran out of hydrocortizone cream I put this on my face and it acted MUCH MORE effectively there than the cream--practically the "magic bullet" for MY facial eczema. I can't imagine why this simple concoction would be so much more effective than one of the over-the-counter creams, but it is.

Royce, I have had good results with T-Gel shampoo by Neutragena (leave it on scalp for a few minutes before rinsing, and do a second application if you have time). It really helps control the flakey, powdery areas for me. But if the scalp is inflamed or has sores and scabs, I need steroids. 

My derm doctor told me that scalp eczema is different from other eczema in that the scalp needs to be kept DRY (not oily). Therefore, he gave me an alcohol based steroid for the scalp (I think it was called textacort). It's hard to believe that ANY type of eczema benefits from a drying agent, but the stuff helped me. I eventually went back to just using ointment on the bad spots (I have absolutely no oil in my scalp so I don't think the drying effect is real important for me) but it might help you to get away from the oily meds. Scalp sores and cracks take FOREVER to heal; I have had individual scalp hives that lasted for many weeks! 

When I got eczema on my scalp it was weeping so the dermatologist gave me some prescription medication that was a steroid concoction suspended in alcohol. After that ran out I bought some Dry Scalp Head and Shoulders. The little bit of itchy, flaky eczema that I had left was cleared up using the shampoo. This took a couple of months of use to clear up, but I haven't had any of the eczema return and it is the middle of winter around here and the rest of my skin is flaring up from the dry, cold air. Hope this helps.

Shelley, just a word of caution with hibiclens. They supply the soap dispensers at the hospital with hibiclens and it is murder on my eczema so if you need it for anti-bacterial cleansing I would not use it daily if you can avoid it. A lot of my co-workers cannot use it either and they don't have eczema. It is so drying.

Royce, I've had this same problem. Nizoral did help for a while, but then stopped working. At the moment my scalp is very good, not even dandruffy. It seems to be that way due to a combination of Camille Albane deep cleansing shampoo and dandruff controlling shampoo (both Avon products) and Pantene Shampoo/Conditioner for dandruff. I use the deep cleansing shampoo first, then either of the others. I only began using this stuff when I gave up on finding anything else to help (the tar preparations did nothing). I thought I might at least smell decent! I can't promise they'll help you, but they seem to have done the trick for me.

I also remember my mum using olive oil on my scalp eczema when I was younger. She used to warm it up, then rub it into my scalp, then leave it on for about an hour. After that she'd shampoo it. I presume it did some good (but I can't remember for sure).

That was an excellent suggestion to get the other child involved with caring for the one with eczema. That way they both get the attention they need.

One of my older sisters was just talking to me about how she remembered helping to care for my eczema and how that made her feel special and at the same time close to me. And I had a similar experience with helping one of my younger sisters who had really bad asthma. I will never forget how important it made me feel to know that I was capable of helping someone else and also instilled a value in helping others which is a large part of my character.

I highly recommend getting all siblings involved to whatever degree possible. And make it fun, not just an awful serious chore. Allow the kids to bring their natural playfulness into the experience.

Ann: I know nothing about the UCSF gamma interferon study but your question makes me curious about it. What little do you know about it? Is it a dermatology department study or what? I could call and do some research if I had some basic information to go on. 

I am doing well using tea tree oil soap (from The Body Shop) once a day. And I have stopped using lotion/cream-type moisturizers. My skin seems to prefer ointment-types right now (Aquaphor, zinc oxide, etc.) My skin is the best it's been since my flare-up began last December. I have not relapsed after stopping the prednisolone and antibiotics. Hooray! 

Shelley, How great that your skin stayed under control after stopping the meds - you were so smart to go for it! I read about the study in the EASE newsletter and called out of curiousity. I wouldn't be able to truck over there every 2 weeks. I didn't keep the phone number, but it was a doctor named (I think) Koo and a nurse named Pat McClelland. They said they were on Spruce St. It sounded like it was a private Drs. office but the actual study was to be done by UCSF. 

Julia is doing extremely well!!! The best--by far---since when she was 3 mos. old (when it was all just starting up). She'll be a year old this weekend. She's had 4 visits w/ the chiropractor in the last 2 weeks. He says she's doing amazingly well, that kids often respond/heal much faster than adults. Said it probably would have taken an adult who was that bad a good 3 mos. to get to the same point. Anyway, I can't even believe my eyes. No itching in 8 days. Six nights in a row of no itching. Haven't changed the sheets all week... I've even given her some of the suspect foods (mainly because she begs and screams so I thought I'd try again!). No reaction. Chiropractor says to expect a couple more quick bouts before healing. But at any rate I'm real hopeful now. But this whole thing sounds logical to me. He explained that the misalignment probably did happen at birth--after all, she was 10 lbs. 7 oz. and had a broken collar bone. So, why not a misalignment too? She started breaking out BAD (as acne, etc.) right away at 2 weeks and just got progressively worse and evolved into "eczema."

Still haven't been to the Ped. GI yet. Feel like I may need to bring photos to show him instead!

I'm feeling euphoric (it's probably also due to finally sleeping!). I have my fingers crossed, fully expecting this beast to rear its head again, but at least I have hope now. 

Just this morning I made buckwheat barley pancakes:

• 1 cup barley flour 
• 1/2 cup buckwheat flour 
• 1/4 tsp salt 
• 1 and a half tsp baking powder 
• approximately 1 cup water, more if the batter's too thick.
• Sugar, molasses or honey to taste

As long as we're talking about breakfast, I've been eating an immune support cereal for 2 or 3 months that I think has kicked me back into health. (I no longer sleep with socks sewn to the ends of my pj's to keep from itching. I don't really itch. I've been waiting to say this because I don't want to encourage a relapse by bragging.)

Who knows exactly what is helping the most. I am staying away from wheat, dairy and eggs, too, but here is my cereal.

• 4 cups grain flakes, usually oats 
• 2 cups oat bran 
• 1 cup soy lecithin 
• 1 cup ground flax seeds 
• 1 cup ground milk thistle seeds

My theory about my body is that after 20 years of using topical steroids, and 6 weeks of using oral ones last summer (to combat the flare I caused by quitting the topicals cold turkey), my liver wanted to speak its mind and did so through my skin. My herbalist pals tell me milk thistle supports and repairs the liver. After investing a million dollars and hours in vitamins, blood tests and every other possible natural cure, I think they are it. Good, that is. And good luck to all who try this.

I don't think many remedy shampoos work once the eczema digs into your scalp -- I've seen two heads, my own and another that bear the evidence. The one thing that helps is putting jojoba oil on it. Jojoba oil is very expensive, but some health food places sell it in bulk, and you don't need very much.

Debbie, I am so happy for you and for Julia. Would you like to share with us what did you/or chiropractor do to make this amazing improvement?

A few unrelated things:

1. There's a Web site where you can "Search for the pharmaceutical of interest by first character of name", at http://www.rxmed.com/prescribe.html. I tried it on a few items; many of the "official" ones (Eucerin, Lac-Hydrin, Aveeno, Eurax etc.) are there, but the "alternative" health-food store ones (Simicort, Herpacine) are not.
2. Can anyone confirm or invalidate my suspicion that the "special ingredient" in Eucerin, which is Eucerit, is also in good old Nivea cream? All I can find about Eucerit is that it's a special form of lanolin/wool wax alcohol. No idea what's so special about it.
3. Aveeno Powder is 100% colloidal oatmeal. Now, what does "colloidal" in colloidal oatmeal mean?

1. I tried Semi-cort because a few people said that it worked wonders. I thought it worked okay but there are a lot of ingredients in it (I think one of which is not the greatest for my skin) so I can't use it for a long period of time. I switch off with cortisones, zinc oxide ointment and zinc pyrithione 2%. Has anyone else had any luck with Semi-cort?
2. I can't use Nivea or Eucerin so maybe it does have at least one of the same ingredients.
3. The dictionary says that "colloidal" is a substance made up of tiny insoluble, nondiffusible particles that remain suspended in a medium of different matter. 

I'm getting married in August, and my grandmother has asked me if I would like to have her make my dress. I'm thrilled, but I don't like this feeling of shame that I have regarding my eczema. It's not weeping; it just looks like patchy, dry red spots. I do manage to keep it under control (it's always worse during winter and during certain times of the month), but I *can't stand* the looks of consternation on my relatives' faces when they see it. My mother always has a new theory about why it flares up, and other people ask why it hasn't gone away, etc. I know that they love me and want to see me well, but I don't want them to bring it up. There's a tremendous lack of eczema information out there, I guess.

Anyway, I just wanted to know if anyone can empathize with what I'm feeling. I don't know what condition my eczema will be in on the day of the wedding, so that has limited my choices of dress styles (I don't trust my back/arm eczema enough to wear a sleeveless dress with a low back, but then co-workers ask my why I would want to wear a dress with short sleeves in hot weather, etc.). I've also felt painfully self-conscious in the bridal salons I've been in, worried that the sales assistant was looking at the spots on my arms.

Heather- for all people who ask terribly personal and none-of-their-business questions, I would respond, "Why in the world would you want to know that?" This works especially well in public places if said in a slightly louder than normal voice. For some reason, it seems to make them realize they are poking their noses... 

Eczema is just a part of who you are, and you are certainly more than eczema (one would assume your beloved didn't make his decision to propose based on how much you itch!). None of us would have selected this condition if given our druthers, but this is what we've got. I'd say that eczema will be the least of your problems once you're married, but then I'm divorced so my outlook might be a shade jaded! 

I wonder why they feel it is any of their business... And why you feel you owe them an explanation... I know women who, for religious regions, never wear sleeveless garments.

Anyways, a way around this is to have the sleeves made out of lace -- it will give you the coverage you seek, yet be cool in the summer.

So what if the sales assistant is looking? YOU are the one spending the money, if she indicates she has a problem with your skin condition, YOU indicate that you have enough of a problem with her attitude to consider taking your business elsewhere... 

When I got married I got on prednisone for it. I figured that those will be pictures we will look at for the rest of our lives so I wanted to look normal. I know what you mean about trying on dresses. I was very self-conscious about it. Fortunately I found a dress that I loved on the first visit. Anyway, it is true what you said that you can never tell how bad it is going to be. That is why I took the prednisone. And of course, my skin hasn't looked that good since! Ah well. Good luck!

Why not have a theme for your wedding then you can wear a dress that covers you and just say you like "traditional" or whatever. Then get yourself something slinky to wear at before or after wedding activities, so you can pick when you think your skin is at its best. I understand my mom always has another cause for my son's eczema and if he has skin out for people to see they think I let him get a sunburn, I want to say, mind your own business we are doing the best we can.

I think but am not positive that "colloidal" means that the oatmeal is ground up and processed so tiny that it acts like it dissolves in your tub. Actually what I've used instead with similar results is: Take a piece of cheesecloth, put oatmeal (I used organic when I could) in it and tie it up tight. Now put it in your tub. It is just as soothing as Aveeno and a lot less expensive. You can just toss it out or compost it when your done. I used to take at least one oatmeal bath a day and it was the only time I felt comfortable in my skin. Great expression: Feeling comfortable in one's skin. I wish it to everyone on the list!

Heather, First of all CONGRATULATIONS. I hope you 2 have a lifetime of happiness which clears your skin forever! 

As Wendy suggested, consider prednisone as this is a very special day. I've used it (or amped up my topical drugs) for less honorable occasions, if ya know what I mean! What ever dress or medication you choose, I think it is wise to have one stock phrase for those who comment on your skin. I forgot who suggested "Why are you concerned about that?" , but I think it's perfectly brilliant. You can choose a tone of voice to suit your mood and/or the status of the questioner. And whether you put the emphasis on the word YOU or THAT also varies the spin. Once you are prepared with a simple comeback, you will be more relaxed and able to enjoy dress hunting and also the big day. I bet you'll look so good at your wedding, no one will even think about your eczema! 

Congratulations on your wedding plans! And I'm so sorry you feel that awful self-consciousness... the last time I went dancing, one of my partners backed away when he felt my hands (strategically bandaged!) and said "I have to ask... is that contageous?" Turned out he was a dentist -- (I laughed and explained, but notice I have not been dancing since.) 

I have recently tried smiling and saying "eczema" when I get "that look" -- and to my surprise, I have met so many other people who have it, who have family members who have it -- I had no idea it was so widespread. So I would recommend being up front with someone like a dressmaker or sales clerk -- their job is to help you find a dress to let the inner beauty shine through, and I expect they will all have good suggestions for your outer looks as well if you let them know what you're up against. (I notice, with new understanding, how beautiful my mother looked in 1945 in her long-sleeved "old fashioned" gown!) And while I'm at it, think I'll revive the fashion for wearing elegant gloves to a dance!

Heather- Congratulations! I'm also getting married this summer and I absolutely LOVE this list and I am sooo happy that you wrote in about this. Sometimes this condition makes me feel so alone in the world and it is nice to know that there are others that can empathize. I think some of us with eczema live somewhat parallel lives. I have the same type of situation with my family.

I actually picked out a dress for my wedding. It's a simple, off the shoulder short sleeve dress and I am praying that my skin is clear for the big day. Everytime I went to go shopping for a dress my skin would decide to flare up and become a lovely shade of sunburnt looking red (really bright against those white dresses).

My family is very supportive but sometimes they say hurtful things and don't even realize what they're saying My father suggested that I make a drappy scarf out of the material from the dress to put around my neck because I have these brown lines as a result of overuse of steroid creams. He didn't realize it but that made me even more self-conscious than I already am. Everyone used to try & make me feel better by saying that I was the only one who noticed it and now I realize that it's not necessarily true. I am super sensitive about my eczema and when it's bad I feel disgusting. One thing I am definitely grateful for is my supportive fiance. He never thinks it looks bad (or so he says).

I'm going to the hair salon next week for some trial wedding hairdos and I am afraid that the woman is going to be kind of disgusted by my scaly scalp. My eczema is the worst there right now. Usually this is a place no one can see; it figures that it's bad now when someone will need to concentrate on this area.

I don't mean to sound like "woe is me" I know things can be worse than this but it is a big time in a person's life and I hope that out of all the people out there the ones on this list will understand.

Good luck with your wedding plans and remember that there is at least one other person out there who can totally empathize. Thanks for making me feel like I'm not alone.

My daughter (age 2-1/2) has eczema and complete strangers are always asking questions about it, so I can empthasize with your self-consciousness.

I encourage you to select the wedding gown that you'd feel most comfortable with and not worry about what friends and relatives think. After all, it is YOUR wedding! 

Thanks for the oatmeal tip. I was going to try grinding some oatmeal in the food processor, but maybe I won't go through the bother. Or maybe I will, and do a comparison test.

Donna is right; if people have problems with your eczema, let them deal with it. It is YOUR problem, not theirs, and is NONE of their business. I've been asked all of my life about mine, and it hurts sometimes (because it is so embarassing), but I've learned to deal with it (as you obviously have). Simply tell them what it is, and if they ask any further, take your business elsewhere. You don't have to put up with people's crap. Trust me, I know this from experience.

Another bit of advice. If, and when you begin to really not care about what people think of your eczema, that is when most will begin to ignore it. It is some psychological thing, I believe. I noticed that when I thought my eczema was some horrible, demonic thing, I rarely if ever dated (and incidentally, it flared up more!). When I began to really not even care about it, I began dating this absolutely gorgeous girl (and its flare-ups decreased). The more YOU care about it, the MORE others will care about it. At least, that is what I have noticed, though I am probably wrong, but at least that is my observation.

I hate these looks too. I dumped a friend largely because she was so goopy feel-sorry-for-me it made me sick. And she always had new stupid theories to make me feel bad, make me feel like I had to follow her out-of-the-blue ideas. It's domineering to offer those theories. Tell them to stop it, that they don't have a clue. One guy was making up theories to me and I told him that I have this list for talking about my rash. I don't need his concern, thank you very much.

I was thinking of making a paste of zinc oxide and hypoallergenic brownish lipstick for covering the rash but my eczema has subsided so much that I don't even use much zinc oxide anymore.

Sometimes I think that my eczema is really everyone else's problem nearly as much as it is mine because they have to look at it -- and on your wedding day, it's their tough luck. The day belongs to *you* and your intended and nothing else matters.

Best wishes for a wonderful life together.

This sounds like a clear case of lace to me. How about whichever dress you fancy with a lace wrap on top? If your eczema shows on the big day, you pin the wrap on with a brooch, if not, you just nonchalantly put it on and take it off as you wish.

BTW: I agree that if you tell people you have eczema, more often than not they say things like, Oh, I used to have it, but fortunately I outgrew it; or, Yes, Isn't that awful, my daughter has it, or things like that. Most people really are not malicious, they simply do not know. And more than you would think do know, and react quite sympathetically.

A colloidal 'solution' is not a solution in the true sense, as the particles are in fact suspended in the liquid, and not dissolved -- but the particles are so tiny that it SEEMS to dissolve.

Thanks to everyone who gave recommendations for the scalp problem I'm experiencing. It has been an ongoing problem for years. Sometimes it will clear up but it usually comes right back. I just went to the dermatologist last night and he gave me a sample of Temovate .05% (Clobetasol propionate .05% in a base of purified water, isopropyl alcohol & carbomer 934P & sodium hydroxide). I'll let you know how that works for me.

Another thing... My derm. also said that they just found out that Head & Shoulders is just as effective as the Nizorol shampoo that he prescribed for me the last time I was there... interesting.

Also, I just figured out that I'm allergic to Polypropylene Glycol which is in the majority of medications my doctor prescribed to me for all these years. I discovered this while using DeSowen lotion- after using it on my face & other areas of my body for over a year. My doctor raved about this stuff because it is weak enough to be used on the face. He seemed to be happy that I figured out (or at lease I think I figured out) one of the culprits but he also seemed a little embarrassed (or maybe even mad).

I'm pissed that my DOCTOR actually caused part of the problem. It makes me wonder why they don't test things on each patient (especially people with such sensitive skin) before just prescribing things at random. As we all know, and you would think all doctors would know, we all react differently to things. I guess I should be smart enough to test new products in one spot before putting it all over but I get anxious and I want to try to make my skin better right away. Sorry, just venting.

The chiropractor seems like he's just rubbing and gently pushing specific spots while she's positioned a few different ways:

1. Me sitting, her leaning against me chest to chest
2. She lies chest down across my lap
3. She lies on her side. 

I'm trying to work on it from both ends. Searching for things (easy-to-digest foods, supplements, minerals, vitamins, homeopathic remedies... MAYBE medication, though less likely) to help repair stomach, intestinal, liver areas. Plus treating the misalignment.

Her face started clearing for 3 days on her own (no cortisone), yet wasn't sleeping due to "all-over-itchies." Looks like a sensation of bugs crawling all over you. So I resorted to Benadryl for a few nights as a crutch to help break the cycle. But if she's really itchy the antihistimine doesn't do a thing--she'll still wake up all night. 

Anyway, this weekend she was completely clear for the first time ever!!!!! In all, it was a total of 9 days in a row of gradual improvement and great sleep. Then the next 3 days were a gradual downhill. She had a disastrous itching fit in the car yesterday. Earlier in the day yesterday, she saw the chiropractor. He was concerned that she was pretty tight again, out of the blue. (Her face still looked real good at this point so he wasn't just reading her.) He hadn't really expected that. Although he did tell me to expect a few more cycles of good and bad times before healing. (Just like with homeopathy.) 

This wasn't a big shock to me since she was showing other signs of stomach distress at home: squirming all over when nursing again, etc... Hmmmm. Two things I did differently at the end of the good cycle were: Let her eat a few things she hasn't had all month and visited a house with a dog again (last 2 itching fits were while visiting a "dog" household and patting their dog.).

I've been noticing a 3 day cycle to the "bad" times. Today is day 4 and she is better so far. She's still way better than before---hasn't gone that far backwards. And she's nursing normally today. So we'll see. I did have the chance to whisk her off to a Portrait studio on her best day--so I had some luck there. I was able to get a beautiful one year old portrait for her birthday! I hate to sound vain about surface looks, etc. but it is important. I want her to look back on her babyhood and not just see eczema in every picture!

Royce, You may want to try Satina 'D' wash lotion - it's good for all over the body and it helped me clearing my scalp problem (most of it). It's manufactured by Bayer, Germany and free of polypropylene glycol. The liter bottle (green front) is sold at approx USD 16.- in the pharmacy. Keep your hair very short while using it. 

Royce, Don't apologize for being angry at a doctor! That's one reason we have this list -- so we can vent our feelings without offending professionals on whom we must rely. I have been fortunate to have doctors who always prescribe ointments rather than creams. Ointments (in general) don't contain things like polypropylene glycol. All doctors SHOULD know this and should only prescribe creams (or lotions or gels) for allergic people when the greasiness of ointments can not be tolerated. 

Here's something I've pondered for most of my lifetime. No doctor, pharmacist or other expert has been able to give me a definite answer. Is it safer to use huge amounts of a low potency steriod ointment or tiny amounts of a highly potent one? Anybody got an opinion? 

Heather, the lace suggestion sounds like a good idea to me. If lace isn't good for some reason, then experiment with other light materials to cover up yet be cool. I'm sure you can figure out something that will be at least tolerable.

But mainly I just wanted to offer some emotional support for what is certainly a difficult situation. I know what a big deal it is. The stress is high enough without eczema! You are right to remember that you don't know how your skin will be that day. Sure your skin could be broken out, but it could be really good because you'll be so happy, right? Try to set up the situation so that you have lots of little reminders that you're happy to be taking this step. No matter what condition your skin is in, the important thing to focus on is the wedding. Do whatever you can do to keep your focus off your skin so that whatever its condition, it won't take centerstage.

One of my sisters still had braces on her teeth when she got married, and I remember how upset she was, moaning about how the photos were going to be terrible, practicing smiling without showing her teeth, etc. Everybody I know who's gotten married has worried about their wedding being ruined by something. Just do the best you can do and keep talking about your fears with your loved ones. When you get overwhelmed, post another message like you did, that's what we're here for. Don't suppress how you feel. Let it out, and let it go as much as possible. You'll get through this...

I also thought that polypropylene glycol was not used in ointments but my dr. was going through all his little sample boxes and found that every one of them contained that ingredient.

At the moment I'm not using cortisone because my skin is pretty much under control except for a few small areas and the usual dry, slightly itchy skin that I don't think will ever go away (I use emollients & zinc for this). I'm not sure what he'll find for me if I need a cortisone cream in the future (which unfortunately I'm sure I will) but I'm not too worried about it... yet. I would really appreciate it if you or anyone else who may know of of a cortisone that doesn't contain polypropylene glycol could let me know the name(s).

I've been using various cortisone creams, ointments... my whole life. I'm not positive but I think I just developed an allergy to this within the past couple of years.

Also, is anyone allergic to glycine/glycerine? I think I am but my doctor says that it's not possible (I think it's possible for me to be allergic to ANYTHING).

I believe that the rule of thumb is to consider the combination of time and potency. A lower potency steroid could be taken for a longer period. In other words potency1 * time1 = potency2 * time2. If potency1 is lower than potency2 then time1 is greater than time2. Whether or not it is safe is relative to your point of view regarding the long term effects of using steroids.

I was using a very potent steroid for about 4 months last year. Then I started receiving this mailing list. I use Lubriderm as a moisturizer (my doctor's suggestion) and Clotriminazole 1% (I got that tip here). This is just as effective as the steroid. My only concern now is that the anti-fungal properties of Clotriminazole will lessen due to extended usage and I may have to start using steroids again.

If you are allergic to *glycine*, there's not anything you can do about it, since it is one of the amino acids that your body uses to make proteins. Even if you don't eat it, your body will make it from something else. So, I think your doctor is right about this one. If you were somehow allergic to glycine, eczema would be the least of your problems, since glycine is in virtually every protein in your body.

Glycerine is a different thing, though.

I used to use a hydrocorozone cream that was in a cold cream type base. I could never seem clear my eczema 100%. Eventually every time I put the cream on my eczema would burn. I figure that I am allergic to some sort of petroleum derivitive in the cream. So I went to my pharmacist and a doctor. The doctor just wanted to put me on stronger steroids. The pharmacist suggested switching to a hydrocorozone mix with a Cetaphil base. I went with the pharmacists suggestion and within a week I have almost entirely cleared up my eczema. Cetaphil is an apparently very hypoallergenic solution.

A good example of a colloid is MILK!

BTW, does anyone know where I can buy egyptian cotton sheets? I have tried a few of the large dept stores. No one seems to have them or even know what they are. One store told me that they have "sheets with all kinds of designs"... !

Date: 11 Feb 1997 21:55:42 From: Faith Subject: colloids - egyptian cotton sheets

Try Lands End (their Coming Home catalog). They carry many Egyptian cotton things, and I think sheets are on that list. Their prices are probably not what you'd find at the local Wal-mart, but they're not outrageous, either. And the sheets are almost always over-sized and really nice.

They also carry natural (unbleached, undyed) cotton sheets & blankets, even a cotton-stuffed pillow (no down).

You can contact them at http://www.landsend.com/ or by phone at (800)963-4816 (international: (608)935-6170).

Am I the only one that notices her eczema tends to calm down considerably immediately after the dermatologist appointment has been made? Twice this has happened to me -- and this'll be my second dermatology appointment!

Incidentally, I'm intending to confront him with my need/desire to find a permanent solution to this -- I want him (or someone he could refer me to) to help me track down the triggering allergen(s). I don't want to always be trying to control this and never hunting for why it happens in the first place. I want the root cause! If it can't be found, then I'll settle for controlling measures, but I want to at least try for prevention first... 

Impatient, aren't I? Frankly, one chronic, poorly-understood medical condition is plenty; I didn't need the eczema on top of the repetitive strain injury problems I already have. I've done enough doctor hopping with the RSI -- time to make a stand against the eczema. If I go down in flames, so be it -- at least I will have tried!

Faith, I couldn't agree with you more, I am of the same mind. Lets find out what is causing the outbreaks and go from there. Our Derm. (for my son who is two) said childhood is the problem. Not foods, not diet, not animals big or small. O.K. I sent him packing but I think a lot of Drs feel this way.

Now how do you control all the variables so you can find causes?

I am thinking of purchasing the book. Has anyone used it and would they want to comment on the relation to eczema especially for a toddler?

Royce, I stand corrected. After sending my posting about ointments vs. creams, I got that uncertain feeling and went to check my Elocon tube. Sure enough, polypropylene glycol is in there! Well, in the good old days, ointments DID have fewer ingredients than creams. I still prefer ointments because for me, greasy is better. The important thing is to read ALL labels. Hope I didn't mislead anyone. 

Look into a book called "Is this your child" by Dr. Doris Rapp. It is a great guide to figure out your child allergies without the aid of high technology expensive dr. visits. Easily done at home with food elimination diets. Four days off, fifth day, eat a lot of the suspected food. Shows up every time. 

This book talks about the misalignment of the spine causing psoriasis and eczema problems. Debbi and I have used this concept on our babies. Debbi went one step further than I by using a chiropractor. I am very excited about her development and will look into it for my son.

Oops... I meant to write GLYCERIN.

Is anyone allergic to Glycerin? I tried a 100% pure glycerin soap and had a reaction.

I don't know which of these might be marketed in the UK, but here are three similar formulations that were on the shelf together. Again, I found the first (Longs proprietary formula) to be astoundingly effective on my eczema, i.e., it's vanished since I started using the stuff. I haven't used the other formulas. The following ingredients I copied directly from the labels.

1. Longs Clear Liquid SCALP RELIEF ANTI-ITCH MEDICINE. 1% hydrocortisone USP; Also contains: Menthol, Propylene Glycol, SD 40 Alcohol, and Water.
2. Scalp-Itch "by the makers of Lanacane", Combe Incorporated, White Plains, NY 10604. 1.0% hydrocortizone USP, SD alcohol 40.
3. Cortizone 10 Scalp Itch Formula. Thompson Pharmaceuticals. 1.0% Hydrocortizone, Benzyl Alcohol, Propylene Glycol, Purified Water, SD Alcohol 40-2 (60% v/v).

Egyptian cotton refers to the fiber it is made from. Egyptian cotton has longer and thinner fibers allowing a higher thread count (threads per inch). The tighter weave makes it feel wonderfully silky. Some have 320 threads per inch. I don't know but wonder if this tight weave makes things tougher for the dust mites.

I would not have believed this was true until I experienced it!

Previous to the Egyption cotton sheets, I had on some occasions changed sheets 3 times (all 100% cotton). Will the flannel be better for me to touch? I am sure many of you with eczema know the frustration of trying to sleep when everything you touch seems painful or makes you itch.

I brushed my hand on the sheets in a department store and couldn't believe the silky smooth feel. They were 100% Eqyptian cotton. I checked the price and asked the clerk when they would be on sale. They were already on sale. Fortunately, I was self indulgent that day and bought them anyway (about $50 a sheet).

Now any time I get into bed I enjoy the feel of those sheets. They seem to last longer than other sheets and still look great after a couple of years of frequent washing. 

I have found them at all department stores: Bloomingdales, Nordstroms, Macy's. I don't think so at Penny's or Sears. Most of the designer brands include Egyptian cotton. They come in dark colors and prints that hide stains from scratching and weeping.

We deserve the treat of something nice next to our skin. Treat yourself.

I've been reading your posts for a couple of months and was surprised to see that there is a link between asthma, allergy, stomach problems and eczema. I have all of them although my eczema is limited to my hands. I can't imagine having it all over my body. 

I want to share with you information regarding a new moisturizing lotion I have been using. It is the best I've found and while it hasn't completely cleared my eczema, I think it is going to. The name on the bottle says therapeutic Atrac-tain with 5% urea. It is made by the Sween Corporation, N. Mankato, MN 56001. I don't think it is widely-used because there were only two bottles on the shelf and they look like they've been there for a while. I just decided to try it because it was one that I'd never tried and it didn't contain lanolin. The ingredients are: water, urea 5%, sorbitol, glyceryl stearate, lactic acid, isopropyl palmitate, octyl palmitate, stearyl alcohol, stearic acid, ceteareth-25, ceteareth-6, peg-40 jojoba oil, quaternium-15, menthylbenzethonium chloride and EDTA.

Just a note to Heather: My niece go married two years ago. She was a beautiful bride and she had a beautiful wedding. However, she still worries that her wedding was ruined because her mother-in-law used coloring in the wedding cake batter and the inside of the cake was pink and blue instead of mauve and green like she wanted. How's that for a "major" problem?? :-)

It is a good book.. In fact, I tried the suggestions in it first. Unfortunately, for some reason it never occurred to me that my daughter could be allergic to soy, so I never eliminated that, which has turned out to be the major culprit in her case. Because of that, even though I eliminated other suspect foods, there never was any profound change in her eczema.

Glycerin is an irritant to many people. It used to be a popular ingredient of many skin-care products, but its popularity has significantly gone downhill since it was found to irritate so many.

The reason it's still used is that it's absolutely necessary to produce a certain type of emulsion; it's not just something that's added, it's something you need when you want to produce a so-called "vanishing cream". These days it's often replaced by one of its components, sorbitol (yes, the sweetener).

A Web search should yield more information than I can give you off the top of my head.

I have always suspected that glycerin may give the illusion of lubricating the skin while it is in fact drying it out. My chemistry isn't great, but if glycerin is one of those substances that draws water to itself (hydrophilic?) from the air, then it must also drag water out of any other surface it's in contact with, in this case the skin. That's how honey and sugar pastes work when they're used as antibiotic dressings - they draw water out of the bacteria and kill them, I'm told. I should have paid more attention to the class on osmosis! Either way, it dried my (very oily) skin and that's the last thing eczema-people need.

1. Someone posted names of some anti-dust spray products. I had been thinking of trying these, and wondered if anyone has already used them and with what results? Can one be equally allergic to their ingredients as to dust? Also, can they be sprayed on clothes as well? Mine pick up a lot of dust in the closet, but I would wonder about having the spray so close to my body.
2. Has anyone had any experience with natural ways of increasing adrenal support (for those of us who have ruined our adrenal systems with too much prednisone)? One health practitioner recommended bovine glandular supplements, but I've heard these are controversial (and possibly connected to mad cow disease). II know there are other things one could do, involving minerals and vitamins. I am already on an extensive vitamin/mineral program, but wondered if anyone had strong feelings about or experience with the glandulars.

I've read it! He's the author that speaks about Leaky Gut... and says along with it there seems to be a little trouble with elimination (recommends enemas or high colonics on a fairly regular basis) and talks about specific spinal misalignments (different ones for psoriasis vs. eczema) and specific recommendations for diet and supplements and topical agents.

I like the book a lot. And like I've explained, I've been doing the chiropractor work, and dietary changes... but no enemas yet! Not on a baby (my opinion). I just give her a little bit of prunes every day. Now she's having one or two (better) bowel movements a day instead of one every two days. This is supposed to be better for them--to have food pass thru more quickly. The author does not speak at all about children or infants so I just use common sense, ask health food store prof. about supplemental/topical info, etc. If you don't already have a book like it then I think it's worth reading. 

That's interesting, because glycerin is one of the few things my skin will tolerate. I use Curel Unscented almost exclusively because it's glycerin-based, with no mineral oil. In fact, I usually add a bit more glycerin to it.

I finally got hold of one of the doctors involved in the gamma interferon study at UCSF. They haven't started yet because they haven't gotten approval from the UCSF review board, but they anticipate starting within the next few weeks. Here's some of the basic information you need to know:

They will teach you how to give yourself a daily injection of gamma interferon, which they said is a synthetic version of what is normally produced by the body. You have to give yourself the injection every day for 3 months. You have to come to the office to be checked 6 times (baseline test, then week 1, week 4, week 8, week 12, and week 16 as follow-up). They will pay $140 for participation. He said they didn't think it would get rid of eczema permanently but would keep it under control (like insulin for diabetes). I spoke to Dr. Siebenlist at 415-476-4701 in San Francisco.

Obviously you have to be in the Bay Area to even consider doing this, but he said there are other places doing the study. I will have to ask him where else so that others could check on the possibility of doing this closer to home.

Criteria for inclusion in the study: Must have eczema for longer than one year, must have family history of related problems, must have 20% of the body involved or 10% of face, feet, or genitalia, must have normal kidney, liver, and blood levels (which they will test), if taking antibiotics must be only taking one type, if on allergy shots must have been taking them for at least 6 months already, must have no heart disease, no diabetes, no vascular or rheumatology problems, no HIV, no cancer, no active infections, not pregnant nor lactating, no central nervous system problems, and never used interferon before.

So that's the basic information. Very interesting. I don't know if I will do it because I'm nervous about giving myself injections, but I'll think about it. 

Flannel sheets seem softer to the touch but they still make me a little itchy. I've been sleeping with a soft, white cotton tee-shirt over my pillow case because it's the only thing that doesn't make me itch! These sheets sound like they're worth a try. Maybe I will treat myself. 

Debbie, I am sorry this GI was a disaster or so sounds like it. The formula he is recommending is the most expensive stuff on the market. The blood test in my opinion means nothing, even my GI never performed these tests on Mac. I do agree with the idea of changing your diet. It does directly affect the baby.

Sounds like they do not like the competition of a chiropractor. So who are they to make these types of judgements of other professionals?

I called my homeopathic MD for a referral for a chiropractor, unfortunately he is unavailable until Monday. Mac has not been well lately, he had a fever siezure on Sunday. This was new to me, I called the ambulance and had him rushed in. He is better now but still not right. He is crancy, flaring up, generally unhappy. He is not sleeping well even with the periactin. They plugged him full of medications, antibiotics, drugs, drugs, drugs. I did complain but they looked at me like I was crazy. That was when I threw the towel in and took him to my homeopathic MD. He said take him off everything. He will get better on his own. Best advice yet!

The homeopathic MD suggested vitamin therapy for Mac, first and foremost the colloidal minerals. These he has been receiving. He also suggested a vitamin high in leafy green vitamins. The first suggested vitamins he will not chew. I am now looking for a liquid form of the same type which can be mixed in his food. Any suggestions? 

I'm sorry to hear about Mac's illness. Scary stuff. Did I tell you that I also broke down when Julia was sick with croup 2 weeks ago, and took her to a derm. for the first time? Thought I'd try it. But it was as expected: topical prescription cortisone, Bactroban (antiobiotic ointment), and a prescription antihitamine (Atarax). They seem to make no real difference in the sense that if she's itchy she still wakes up to scratch regardless of being drugged around the clock (which I did for a week). So, I stopped it, and will do it at just bedtime for a bit longer---just in case it's helping at all.

Julia's clearing again right now. So, she had 9 clearing days (with only 2 actual days of "looking" clear since she started out as mess), then went downhill for 3 days (but not too bad at all really) and now has been going back uphill for the last 3 days. Since she was no where near raw/bleeding/oozing this time she's practically clear after only 2 days of no real itching.

You know, I am really wondering if it's not (also) due to the homeopathic remedy. This is the exact time period she described it would take. And it has been pretty gradual since Christmas... But I've been doing everything else since then too (diet, colloidal minerals, chiro.). But even the chiro. didn't seem to know why she was worse again on Mon. (while she was also starting to flare again too)... All I know is I am thrilled... something is working! Even the rest of her skin is becoming "baby soft" everywhere! Gotta go, off to the chiro.

If you don't already have a liquid form of colloidal trace minerals the one I get is by "Innovative Natural Products", brown bottle, 1 oz., 4 oz., and something like 7 oz., called Colloidal Multiple Minerals. I'm not doing a green leafy thing so I don't know anything about it.

My pet peeve is people who act as if the rash is my fault somehow, as if I rolled in poison ivy or something. My second pet peeve is people who with all the authority in the world announce that it is stress-related. They say this as if it is the same as being all in my head, and therefore still my fault. It would be enlightening for them if they could walk a mile in my shoes sometimes. 

We are going to see a chiro on Monday on next week, while he did not think spin manip was the way to go he had a plan called B.E.S.T. that we are going to try. He read me the riot act about all the antibiotics from last year, but what is a mom to do you work with what you have till you find something better. Sorry to hear Mac got so sick, I know how scary that is last winter. Fever up to 104 about every two weeks for three months, they I didn't sleep because of worry now I don't sleep because of the itch factor. Truth be known I would rather it is the itch, my son is now at the point he can say "I itch" I like having the communication even if it is 2:00 a.m.

Date: 14 Feb 1997 12:58:04 From: Bob Subject: Red wine

I have the same reaction as Diane... Red wine is a problem, white wine much less, and any alchoholic beverage has some irritation.

My skin also tolerates glycerin much better than it does mineral oil. Because of this, the zinc oxide ointments (with a mineral oil base) bother me. I've called everywhere in town looking for Sudocrem, which was a zinc oxide preparation mentioned in the Eczema FAQ sheet, but to no avail. Does anyone know who manufactures Sudocrem? No pharmacy in town could tell me.

Date: 16 Feb 1997 06:00:23 From: David Subject: Sudocrem

The jar of Sudocrem I have says:

Sudocrem ANTISEPTIC HEALING CREAM Napkin rash, Bed Sores, Eczema, Acne, Surface wounds, Sunburn, Chilblains, Minor Burns

Zinc Ox EurP 15.25% Benzyl Alc BP 0.39% Benzyl Benz BP 2.02% Benzyl Cinnam 0.15% Lanolin (Hypo-allergenic) 4.00%

Made in Ireland for:

Tosara Products (UK) Ltd PO Box 5 70 Picton Road Liverpool L15 4NS

Sudocrem is on the shelves of most pharmacies in the UK and is also available in supermarkets and cut price "drug stores". It is usually found with the babycare products as it is used for napkin/nappy/diaper rash.

FYI, I read in the paper that the FDA has announced its intent to ban terfenadine, which is the active ingredient of Triludan (anti-histamine). It seems that in combination with certain other medications, which were not specified in the article, terfenadine can lead to heart rhythm problems.

I for one will not be taking any more Triludan.

My understanding is that Triludan on its own is safe. I understand the problem occurs in combination with certain antibiotics - including erythromycin - interesting since a lot of us have probably had the case of antibiotics and Triludan!

Lynn, Craniosacral therapy () can help in restoring all the hormonal functions. I've just completed a course in it, and my skin is looking a hell of a lot better. If anything, the itch is worse, but I think that's a healing response (I really hope so) as the lesions are healing up, the dry patches and my total body eczema (mild) are practically gone. I'm back to eczema on my legs only.

The theory is that your body knows how to heal itself, and practitioners just provide that little boost of energy to kick start the process. It GENTLY repositions any dysfunctions in your body, and re-aligns the cranial bones to their correct position. This frees up trapped nerves, blood vessels etc, throughout the body and allows the organs to work properly. It's like osteopathy without the force. You feel light touch only. But it has powerful results, including a decrease in tension/stress.

As you can see, I'm sold on the idea! I'd recommend it to anyone.

We are still going to the chiro., although he just cut her down to once a week (after 3 wks. of going twice a week). There are a ton of chiros everywhere, as opposed to the amount of pedi GI's, for example. Although the quality of some might be better than others, I think they are probably all going to be of the same general philosophy. It's just what chiropractic med. is all about. And it is still considered alternative by alot of conventional med... Our insurance does not cover it. It was $45 for the first visit and $35 for the rest.

By the way, I didn't consider the Pedi GI visit a disaster at all. I'm all for the specific tests he's running... and I didn't expect much more since we already got Julia under control once ourselves. I was hoping for tests, actually. And specific nutritional info. I don't know he could tell it's leaky gut or not without specimens. How did your Dr. diagnose it, by the way? If she takes to the formula (which I doubt) they'll give us a prescription for it which will just involve a $5 co-payment for us. We go back in 3 weeks.

Julia just had her birthday party this weekend and was clear for it!!! That night though she started another mild bout--itchy, a little pinkish red----but nothing like she was. I'm seriously wondering about an allergy to dogs/cats. We don't have any. But everyone we know does. I used to visit my sister's house practically daily. Since everyone had one and I was always going somewhere I was never able to connect it. She just had chronic breakouts--every single day, worsenig as time went on. 

Now the only breakouts she's had this month have been after being around them: two bad ones after actually patting two different dogs on 2 different occassions, and then two mild ones after being in a dog family's house and then after dog owners came to our house and held her for a while, etc. (her party). I've been avoiding visiting anyone with a dog for 3 weeks now and these are the 3 weeks she's been clear. Now it doesn't take a rocket scientist to at least suspect it. However, this is the same month that we've done a lot of other things differently too.

I started flax seed oil yesterday. That stuff sounds great--I should probably be taking it too! Hope Mac's illness is improving...

We think that Isaac's eczema is related to allergies, but we have not been able to pin down exactly what he's sensitive to. He's had RAST tests that identified peas, peanuts, and dairy as allergens, but we know that he has at least superficial (skin irritation) sensitivities to eggs, peaches, tomatoes, and especially mold.

We also think that his eczema got triggered by a series of antibiotics that he was on to fight ear infections that began at about 5 months. Our doctors just put him on one anti-biotic after another, and we went along with it, not knowing we should be concerned, for a few months. Then we began an ongoing "fight" with the medical community that we continue to fight. At first we didn't have much ammunition--we just tried to talk them out of prescribing antibiotics--but eventually we started seeing specialists, and got better information... 

So, about a year ago, we did a while lot of things, which have definitely improved Isaac's skin from being very itchy, red, and cracking over a large percentage of his body, to today's cycle of flares and clear-ups on his legs and arms:

• stopped all antibiotics. He still gets ear infections, but our ENT lets him fight the infections without drugs. We still might have to do ear tubes at some point, but his ears are NO WORSE than they were when he was on the antibiotics.
• wash all his bedding in superhot water once a week, including his stuffed animals, pillow, and bumpers.
• wash all his clothes in hot water (with All-clear, which seems to work for him), and double-rinse them.
• put him on a four-day rotation diet (only gets a particular food once every four days) from age 14 mos. to about 18 mos; now it's a two-day rotation).
• eliminated all known allergens, and also several that the dermatologist suggested we stay away from "just in case". We started eliminating lots: dairy, wheat, eggs, tomatoes, corn, chocolate, citrus, peanuts. Then we slowly added them back in, except for dairy, eggs, peanuts, and corn, which he has an obvious reaction to.
• saw a chiropractor. Not sure if this helped or not. We saw two different ones, and stopped after he became VERY scared of the second one (her adjustments hurt him). We might start this up again, and have a referral to someone with a good reputation.
• see a homeopath. We don't know whether this has helped or not. The guy has a great reputation, and Isaac's skin has definitely improved while in his care, but we've also done all these other things at the same time.
• started supplements. At the recommendation of a naturopath, he was taking all kinds of weird things, most of which we have now stopped. The one thing that we think really worked was the evening primrose oil. We started out with small doses (1/2 tsp. per day), with no results. Then a doctor who knows about alternative medicine (but has since closed up shop) told us to greatly increase the dosage, to 2 tablespoons per day. We usually gave him 4-5 tsp/ per day, and think that this really helped him. However, we recently heard from a nutritionist that large does of gammalinoleic acid can actually hinder brain functioning, which scared us so much that we stopped it altogether. And his skin went downhill, slowly, after about amonth. So we've just started up again, with 1 tsp/day, and looking for ANYONE who might know what a safe dose of this is. I have pored over medical journals, written to researchers, and still can't find anyone who will say what/if the negative side effects of evening primrose oil are.
• footed sleepers. Because his legs are his worse area, I have sewn socks into all of his jumpsuits and pants. This makes it much harder for him to get at his legs, and definitely helps him not scratch. It doesn't seem to drive him to his hands, either for some reason. It's a pain to change his diapers, though--have to take his shoes off each time.
• cool clothing. We dress him TWO full layers lighter than we are dressed. This was suggested by our doctor, and is hard for me to do because I grew up being constantly cold (for economic reasons) and have a big emotional reaction to cold. However, he is not at all bothered by it--he prefers it. So I have to get over my own stuff and dress him lightly.
• "training." This sounds weird, but I began very early to help him figure out how to stop himself from scratching. When he was about 10 mos, he understood the concept of "stop." So we began a game where we would (both) scratch our legs for a second, then throw our hands in the air and yell "STOP!" For a while, say at age 11 or 12 mos, this actually worked to help him stop. We'd play the game, and he'd stop. Now that doesn't work as well, but he's a pretty good talker now, so we have new options.
• "counseling." Our theory is that his eczema/scratching is in part his way of dealing with emotional challenges, and that he scratches because it distracts him from the confusion/fear/pain he's feeling about something in his life. So when we have the attention for it, we have sessions where we lovingly, but physically, restrain him from scratching. He yells, cries, kicks, and struggles, but we calmly hold him, encourage him to keep going in his crying and kicking, and assure him that he's doing the right thing, we love him, and we'll help him through this. Getting his eye contact during this is tough, but important. These sessions seem to really help him. He finally slows down, seems to look at us more openly, asks to get down, and goes to play--without scratching. These can last from two minutes (any diaper change is an opportunity for a session) to an hour or more, depending mostly on our attention, not his.
• home daycare. We had to pull him out of a group daycare setting because his skin got so bad there. We have a person come to our home three days a week. This is expensive, but it's helped him, and we hope that eventually he'll be able to tolerate other environments more easily.

Was your son tested for soy? And is he, by chance on any soy formulas since he's allergic to milk?

I ask because my almost-3-year-old recently underwent allergy testing and was allergic to many of the things you mentioned, including milk and soy. Not knowing she was allergic to soy, we had been giving her soy toddler formula. Stopping the formula and following the allergist's protocol, her skin is the clearest it has ever been. There are still mild patchy outbreaks from time to time, but it's not nearly as bad as it was.

My daughter is also allergic to tomatoes she reacts with redness, itching and hives around her mouth. In spite of keeping her off of her allergic foods (tomatoes, chocolate,peaches) her eczema never cleared up. When allergy testing showed a MILD reaction to potatoes, we took her off of that favourite food and her skin cleared up considerably. Tomatoes, potatoes and peppers are in the deadly nightshade family. Often there are cross-allergies between these foods. 

Regarding Evening Primrose Oil: I took it for 3 yrs for Fibromyalgia and severe PMS. It worked beautifully but I had to discontinue it because it aggravated my irritable bowel syndrome. That is the only side effect that I have heard of, I believe it is generally quite safe.

According to my "Bumper Book of Drugs for Hypochondriacs" or whatever it is called, adverse effects from terfenadine are rare. Occasionally indigestion may occur. Headaches, drowsiness and dizziness are rarer, as are palpitations and fainting.

As for interactions with other drugs, antifungal drugs (including Ketoconazole and Itraconazole) and the antibiotic Erthromycin increase terfenadine levels and may affect the heart.

Terfenadine may increase the sedative effect of antidepressants, sleeping pills and antipsychotics, whilst antidepressants increase the chance of abnormal heart rhythms.

The anticholinergic effects of terfandine may be increased by drgus which have anticholinergic effects. This includes antipsychotics and antidepressants.

(Anticholinergic drigs are used to affect muscle movements and are used to treat urinary incontinence and IBS.)

If you want to read all about it see:

The British Medical Association New Guide to Medicines and Drugs. Dorling Kindersley Limited, 1994 472 pages

Hi Sue, I am doing the exact things you are! Julia's face has always been the worst. During 7 mos. to 11 mos. she was raw, red, oozing, bleeding on her face and it started spreading more to neck, wrists, legs, and elbows. Right now (and for last 3 weeks) she's doing great: clearing completely on some days. Even her bad days now are what good days used to be. Before this, she never had a clear day.

I'm a little confused what to blame the clearing on. She's been going to a hom eopath for 5 months. First remedy wasn't the one but she's doing much better since we started the second one (mid Dec.). But I also started a diet change then. I removed almost everything from her diet except rice, pears, apples, sweet potatoes, squash. We've also been doing the chiropractor for 3 weeks now (twice a week) with great success. These are the same 3 weeks she's been clear. I've just started her on flax seed oil, which is kind of similar to evening primrose oil. I've also been giving her colloidal trace minerals.

As for the other routine stuff, I also use Tide Free, double rinse... hot water bedding... no antibiotics (she either had a bad reaction to Keflex at 7 mos. or coincidentally got a virus then). I wasn't putting on any steroid ointment in those bad months because it wasn't changing anything so I didn't want the drugs. However, I use them occasionally now that she goes a week at a time with no new breakouts, etc. I've been giving her an antihistimine once at bedtime lately too. Although I'm not going to continue this much longer. I started it to help her sleep better while sick with Croup a few weeks ago. If she's itchy, she still wakes up anyway though.

Regarding the chiro: Did your chiropractor describe Isaac's condition to you in a visit-by-visit basis? Was Isaac real bad when he first came in, etc.? Because my chiro. had a lot to say about Julia. Said she was really, really tight in the shoulder blade area, also has said she is making incredible progress--except for one session where he said she went downhill a bit. And sure enough we had just had a horrible night's sleep, which was the beginning of a bad 3-day cycle. The condition of her spine always coincides with the state of her eczema. I don't know if this is just coincidence or what... I'm most inclined to think that it's a case where everything is working together towards the same end cure. The remedy, the diet, the chiropr., etc. We are sleeping now though and she looks great so whatever the reason, I'm thrilled!

Tell me about the homeopath you go to. Do you feel it's successful? Julia's on Bufo (toad poison), a minor one, not many people have heard of it. The first one she was on was Phosphorous. My homeopath feels absolutely certain that we'll get it right and that the eczema will be gone (along with future allergies, asthma... ). Did yours feel that confident about it. After just spending 3 months with an unsuccessful one, though, I wasn't feeling as confident as she was.

Have you been researching "Leaky Gut?" Your info. and solutions are just so similar to many of ours on this list. What have your doctors attributed all the allergies to? Any mention? Any theories of your own?

A friend called to tell me she'd caught the last few seconds of an MD on television talking about Psorelief. She said the doc was saying it was something new & effective for psorasis and eczema. I was wondering if anyone on the list is familiar with this? If so, what can they share? 

I am finding all this very interesting because all these children sound just like my son Daniel. He is 16 months old and has been itchy since just a couple of weeks old. I nursed him for just over 5 months and our doctors all said he probably didn't have food allergies. Just bad cradle cap etc... My husband grew up with fairly bad eczema and is still itchy... The doctors finally said Daniel had eczema when he was a few months old and in the last few months we have been seeing an allergist.

Daniel is highly allergic to peanuts, filberts, cashews and eggs. A little allergic to citrus, beef, chicken, wheat and a few other things. Oddly enough he has no problem with milk and that is usually a big one. When we first took him to the allergist his skin was so bad they couldn't test him there. They had to send blood to a special clinic. He then tested positive to potatoes and soy, but his last test came up negative.

Since removing some of these foods from his diet his skin has improved but not totally. His face and hands are still red and swollen and he gets blotches on the rest of his body that come and go daily.

The other day my husband was in restaurant with Daniel and a man gave him his card and recommended trying enzymes. He said his wife and children were itchy from head to toe and they are totally clear now. Has anyone heard of this or tried it?

We use antihistimines at night. Before we did that Daniel was awake every 20 minutes to an hour scratching and crying. Now he wakes up about once a night for a water bottle. I saw on TV that some antihistimines can slow a child down over time, has anyone researched that yet?

We use topical steroid creams when he gets real bad only about once or twice every couple of weeks but they scare me.

His allergies sound exactly like mine, and I'm 15. I still have problems with all of those things, though especially to eggs, and any nuts. My skin is almost completely clear now, thanks to a good vitamin regimen, and a little change in diet. If I will do what I must to my diet, I believe I can rid myself of the problems that I even have now. 

Actually, the summer was normally the worst for me, because I was outside the most. I would recommend that you bathe him very often in warm water (hot water will irritate the skin usually, and cold is unbearable) during the summer, as the dirt irritates the skin, causing itching. I would also recommend that when you clean him, clean him thoroughly. Simply because, from my experience, only light cleansing is more irritative than none whatsoever. A thorough cleansing should help the itching quite a bit.

I've used topical steroid creams regularly since a baby, and I use them fairly regularly now (my eczema is not as bad). Though I am sure it is different for different people; I suppose I am very lucky.

I believe diet is a major factor, as well as regular bathing. I believe (though I may be wrong) that regular bathing would remove some of the bacteria that causes the itching. Also, a vitamin regimen would help sufficiently. I have noticed that a good vitamin regimen has almost eliminated the itching (it got to the point at one time that I wished I had a wire brush to scratch with), as well as induced healing. It has been extremely helpful on my scalp eczema. I might also suggest that "sun bathing" be used as well. I have found this to be very helpful in my case. The summers that I went swimming very regularly were the ones that I had the least problems, if I could tolerate the clorine. Though be careful and to not let the skin burn. That is no good. It can do nothing but make the skin worse.

I would suggest that you find a good allergist, and experiment with many of the therapies that have been mentioned in this group. The "evaporation" therapy that was mentioned by someone in the group has been something that I used in the past, though I never knew anyone else used it. It was a method that I stopped using (for some strange reason) a few years ago, and that is why I could not recall anything about it, until my mother told me that I did that at one time. It is quite helpful. There are so many things you can try. Though, if you are lucky, the condition should clear up as he gets older. Be careful that he does not scratch any particular places on his body regularly though. I have some really glaring scars on my body from when I was much younger from where I scratched a particular area constantly. If you can clear up the itching problem, 90% of the condition is solved. 

David, whatever your book from 1994 says, the FDA is about to BAN the stuff!!

New research has shown it's not as safe as was previously thought. For this reason, it's recalled from the market.

My understanding, from talking to my pharmacist is that it is purely an interaction problem. The killer is that these things are available for sale widely and that you can't check people haven't got the other drugs it interacts with.

Hi Susan, I am also new to the list and felt very moved by your post. I personally suffered very much with my skin problems as a child (my brother had it too but not as bad). When I was a teen, I cleared up and had no problems until about four years ago. Now, I am the worst I have ever and can barely stand to be in my own skin. 

I have a three year old that we were afraid would get it but no problems so far (she had several ear infections until she was two but now can blow her nose and has never has another). I am not sure if you can do this with a toddler but Vitamin C gives me a lot of relief. I takes the burn out of my skin and also seems to promote the healing. I tried Primrose Oil along time ago and don't remember that it helped much but since your post, I think I will try it again.

My son, Brian, is now 6-1/2 mos. old and has eczema on his face, scalp, and a few spots on his body. My dermatologist asked me to stop nursing last week asap ... so I haven't breastfed him since last Friday evening. And I started using Vitamin E cream on his face. Already his face is looking much better -- thank God! The derm told me to see how he is after one week off breastmilk, and if it's not better, he would need to have allergy tests done. So, you've already been down the path that we might need to walk. Could you tell me how they do the allergy testing on a baby -- just curious in case we need to do this.

I also have eczema. When I was pregnant, my hormones went crazy (of course!), and so did my eczema. I was on prednisone during late pregnancy when I just couldn't stand it anymore. Since Brian's birth, my eczema has calmed down a lot. When I read through past archives, I could relate to those of you talking about scratching for hours in bed at night. There have been many times in the past when I couldn't stop scratching. It's easy for my husband to say "stop scratching", but he's not the one who is itchy!

No, Isaac didn't/doesn't get soy formula. Because his strongest allergy was to peas and peanuts, we just decided not to mess around with soy (and our allergist agreed). So he drinks rice milk (on his rice day, which is every other day now), fortified with calcium.

We are trying to distinguish between foods that Isaac's skin is sensitive to, and ones he's actually allergic to. Many, many foods make his face red and blotchy as he eats (he's not too neat). As I understand it, this isn't technically an "allergy"--that word is saved for reactions that involve his immune system. For example, tomatoes make his face red and itchy while he eats them, but don't seem to have a secondary reaction through his skin (ie, his eczema doesn't get worse after having eaten them). We used to get concerned these food "sensitivities," but we've gotten so used to them that we don't get so concerned about them now. We still try to avoid those foods, though.

In the last couple of weeks, we have noticed a change in Isaac's skin--I've even wondered if he even has eczema anymore. His skin used to be red, patchy, raised, and when he'd scratch, it would get very angry red, raised, dry looking, and eventually bleed. In the last few weeks, his skin has been blotchy, but the blotches are not usually raised--they're splashes of color. Instead of that red, raised skin, he gets welts. Welts everywhere, all the time. He almost always has a few on his face these days--isolated little raised circles, whitish, that look like what a mosquito bite looks like in the first minute or two after you get it. These do not then get red and angry--they just disappear. And new ones show up somewhere else. When he scratches now, instead of that red and abraded skin, he gets BIG patches of welts--dozens of small, white bumps, amost contiguous to each other. They are raised by just one or two swipes of his scratching, and they last for about ten minutes, then go away.

Has anyone else ever seen this change? It looks so much more "allergic" than it used to. And he's so SENSITIVE now... just getting excited during play will bring welts out on his face and legs. He's always been sensitive, emotionally, but this physical sensitivity is striking.

What you are describing on Isaac is hives - a condition I also have. If they are left alone (although they itch horribly) they will fade and disappear within 30 minutes or so. They tend to pop out on me when I get excited. 

Sue: You are a wonderful mother to be doing so much to help your son! I am greatly impressed with your efforts, especially what you call "training" and "counseling". If my mother had had the intelligence to handle the emotional aspects I think I would have made major improvement. Keep up the good work! 

Susan, What you describe on your son's skin sounds like hives to me also. Please mention it soon to a doctor. Most of my hive attacks have been of no consequence. But occasionally I've had throat swelling and have needed medical help. Generally, I prefer to deal with hives rather than eczema (because hives go away on their own), but the hives are more medically significant. 

Thank you Chris, for writing to me. It is so amazing how many people have the same problems as our household. And you have been dealing with them as a teen. Ugh! I have already sent away for mailings on how Daniel can cope with all this growing up. What do you find is the hardest to deal with, such as itchiness or blotchiness or food allergies... not being able to eat what other people eat? My husband has a better understsanding on the inability to stop scratching than I do since he grew up with eczema, but not on his face, it was mostly wrists and arms.

I pretty much like our allergist. He seems to know what he's talking about, I think he's scared of overwhelming us though with too much information.

Has anyone out there heard about using enzymes?

Has anyone else heard about antihistamines causing long term problems?

Reading the recent postings on the possible causes of eczema, I have been thinking about the cause of my 11 months' . So far, we haven't been able to pinpoint what causes it. There are just all these theories.

I used to think her problem is leaky gut but am not so sure anymore. The only thing Jodi has benefited from is Chinese Herbal Treatment. Her diagnosis is toxins in the blood. When I asked the Chinese dr where the toxins came from, he said it was from me when I was pregnant with her. True there was a history of atopy. My father had asthma as a child. Several of my siblings suffer from rhinitis. Another is highly allergy to certain food. I had eczema as a child but quickly and luckily outgrew it very early on. Could Jodi's eczema be due to bad genes?

Jodi was born a full term baby at 8 lbs 2oz. Delivery was very very smooth, less than 10 minutes. Could the pressure from the birth canal have caused damage to her craniosacral system? I doubt it. I had acceptable weight gain of 33 lbs during that pregnancy. Felt great all through pregnancy, needed no medication or had no complications at all. Jodi has had no blows to her head or trauma to her spine; couldn't think of anything that could cause any neurotoxin or any malnutrition. She was breast fed till 7 months. Never had any thrush or any sign of candida, no ear infection or use of antibiotic . Never used antihistamine either, only used steroid for a short period. Her formula is Alimentum which has no milk protein or milk sugar or soy. Her solid food only include pear, apple, rice, carrot, yam, very lean pork, Chinese leafy green and rice cereal. She has bowel movements 2-4 times a day, with her poo looking either soft-sausage-like or custard-like. She has no diaper rash from her poo which may suggest undigested food and she has very good appetite. I also cook her food from scratch. Still, something is missing and I don't know what.

Well, the benefit from the Chinese herbal treatment seems to give way to a series of countered epidsodes . Jodi has not had much luck since her return from her Chinese Herbal treatment in China. The Aveeno oatmeal bath caused full body contact dermatitis. Then a viral attack caused huge blisters over her lips and eczematic right cheek. 2 more major flare ups within the past 10 days, both happened when we were dining out in a restaurant which was overheated and crowded. We ended up leaving in the middle of the course but it was too late. Damage had been done. I wanted to kill myself for letting all that happen to her.

I try to put these pieces together and still couldn't make sense of what I've noted. All I know is Jodi likes cool and well ventilated places like our home. When her body temperature rises, her skin acts up and rashes develop quickly, especially on her cheeks. I still cannot tell if the pruritus comes first or the rash comes first. They almost always happen together. She also tends to scratch more when she is not content i.e. like when she is sleepy but doesn't want to sleep; or if she can't get to where she wants to go. She's learning to walk holding onto things around her. But since she hates lying on her belly or being in the crawling position, there are times she can't find anything to support herself to move around. I notice that is when she'll start scratching, more like out of desperation and not because she needs to. Not like her sister, who cried out for help when she was in the same situation at the same age. Jodi doesn't call for our help, she simply starts scratching. I sometimes think that's her way of drawing our attention. Either my husband or I have to stay with her or else she'll start scratching. And now her sister wants the same attention. Being part of the care-taking doesn't seem to appeal to her anymore. I wish they could grow faster. I know things will get easier when Juliet has passed her terrible TWO and Jodi's immune system gets stronger.

I'd better get my mind off her eczema. I can go on and on and on... thinking... there must be something I can do to help. 

Rita, Your post was heartbreaking... I was born with eczema, came home from the hospital with it. I suffered with it until I was about 15 years old. It gradually got better, then... I thought I was cured. 

At 32 years old, my husband and I moved to a new house to start our new family. I now have eczema the worst I have ever been in my life. I am miserable in my own skin with it head to toe. When I am nervous or hot, it is much worse and if I sweat, I feel like I will die. My mother and I have gone back over my highs and lows with it and the relationship to the homes that we lived in. It all fits!!! I have been tested my times, the most thorough being a blood test. I had very few reactions to foods, just swordfish. Many plants, trees, dust and molds had catastrophic reactions.

The different houses that I have lived in have been the pattern. Even when I was a child, my parents built a new home and I completely cleared up. There is a company called "National Allergy Supply, Inc." 1-800-522-1448 that markets a test that you can order for $25. In a nutshell, you collect dust from your home and send it to John Hopkins, they will analyze it and tell you what is in your home. I haven't tried this yet but am planning on it. I am researching the possibility of asbestos being the problem at the house I live in now. I am not sure that will show up on the test.

My mother always told me how heartbreaking it was for HER that I had eczema and not to itch it!... just tell your baby that you will find a way for her to be normal... I always just wanted to be normal.

P.S. Vitamins help me a lot-- C and E

Date: 19 Feb 1997 19:26:31 From: Patsy Subject: Good condition

I've hesitated to say anything for fear it would put a jinx on this improvement, but I chance it to say my skin is in the best condition it's been in since I first encountered eczema. This group did it. By stopping itches as soon as possible with cold water followed by air drying, I've pretty much got it to a tolerable stage. I now double rinse clothing that touches the affected areas and omit fabric softener on them. I've added zinc to my vitamin regimin. I also keep my heat turned down in the house to the point that others complain, but heat and sweat drive me batty. Thanks, group! 

I have been hesitant for some reason to post vitamin regimen. I suppose it is because so many people are probably allergic to many of these things... but here we go (These are all taken twice a day):

• 1 Vita Smart Men's Multi-Vitamin 
• 1 capsule (400 I.U.) Vitamin E 
• 1 capsule (19 grains) of lecithin (I believe this is a soy derivitive --I am just experimenting with this one!)
• 1 Calcium/Magnesium/Zinc tablet (333 mg/133 mg/5 mg) 
• 1 Potassium tablet (99 mg) 
• Cod Liver Oil (A & D Supplement) (1250 I.U./130 I.U.)
• 1 Nature's Biotics caplet (500 mg) 

Along with this, I treat the condition further with Schering's Elocon Ointment (0.1%) (a steroid cream; not regularly), and Vaseline Intensive Care Lotion: Sensitive Dry Skin w/ oatmeal.

This is my treatment for my eczema, and it helps a lot. I have noticed that since I have quit taking the Nature's Biotics caplet, my eczema has gotten worse, so I KNOW that that one is helpful. I also may note that the Lecithin may be causing more harm than good (I am experimenting with it). It may also be worth noting that the Cod Liver Oil (A & D), as well as the Vitamin E are essential.

Again, this is only my way of treating the problem, and it differs from person to person; depending on allergies, etc. Much of this regimen is not simply to help the eczema, but to help my health in general (I don't eat what I should).

I took Isaac to the pediatrician yesterday because he'd developed new spots on his chest--a new kind of spot he hasn't had before--not even hive-ish. Turns out he probably has a viral infection (white blood cell count is up), which could be accounting for why he has so many hives lately. The great news was that he weighed 20 lbs, 15 oz--a gain of a whole pound. We have been struggling with his weight for so long--he limps along on his little 1st percentile growth curve. Then last month he fell off even that curve, and our doctors were concerned that we have more than eczema to worry about. Which still might be true, actually, but it was such a great thing to have him break the 20-pound barrier. (Jeez, he's almost two, and technically, he should still be in the infant car seat!)

Linda--I had a question about the breast-feeding advice from your dermatologist. I spent the first year of my life as a very sick kid, and it took the doctors a year to figure out that I was very allergic to dairy--so allergic, that I was reacting to the dairy coming trhough my mom's breastmilk. I think that the same thing happened to Isaac--I was drinking lots of milk, and eating lots of peanut butter, when I was breastfeeding him, and I was making him sick. So I stopped breastfeeding about about five months, but the allergies were all rolling by then. And, unfortunately, once I wasn't breastfeeding him anymore, he got in this never-ending cycle of ear infections. Now I'm not sure that he wouldn't have had the ear infections anyway, just because of the allergies, but in retrospect, I think I should have forced myself to stop the diary and peanuts in my diet, and kept breastfeeding him. Even knowing what I know now, though, I might not have done it, then--breastfeeding was terribly painful for me, I was really ready to quit... So I was wondering how you're feeling about stopping so abruptly. I know doctors can sometimes be pretty blithe about their recommendations, not thinking through the whole picture and just concentrating on fixing the portion of the problem you've presented them with... 

About enzymes. Our first naturopath recommended that we give Isaac pancreatic enzymes. We used a product called "pancreatin," and I think it was by NOW vitamins. It's basically ground up pig pancreases, or something gross like that. We went through a bottle of the stuff, but never noticed any change, and quit. It comes as powder in a capsule, so it was easy to give him--just sprinkled it on his applesauce.

My heart also went out to Rita. That feeling of just not knowing how to put all the clues together to FIGURE IT OUT is so FRUSTRATING. Two or three days a month I spend raging around my house, my mind going 100 miles an hour, going over and over and over my notes, articles, the labels of foods and vitamins, just trying to find the thing I missed that will make the whole picture make sense. AGH!!!

The picture of Jodi on the floor, scratching rather than yelling for help, is a replica of what Isaac used to do. He does it less now. I don't know if what we did helped, but here's what it was. First, we would go over to him and get right in his face (which sometimes meant lying on the floor so we could look UP at him), and saying something like, "Looks like you're having a problem here, huh?" in a concerned, but light voice. Then we'd say, "I'm going to try to help you!" Often Isaac would look away, or get this vacant look in his eyes, and keep scratching. So we'd start over. Sometimes we'd have to pick him up, or put him in our laps, to get even enough of his attention to talk to him. The problem with holding him is that he's not forced to acknowledge us. Eventually, we'd get his attention, and then we could talk about the challenge at hand ("It looks like your blue truck is stuck under the couch... ". OR we'd have to hold his hands, and get into one of those "counseling sessions" that I described in my other posting. This seemed to help him, but it takes a lot of attention.

Out of that, Isaac developed a new "defense mechanism." He started sucking his thumb and twirling his hair--a trick he still uses when he is frustrated or overwhelmed. We prefer this to scratching, but we occasionally try to break this one up, too, just to make sure he isn't "going away" to deal with his problem by himself. My trick is another game--I stick my thumb in my mouth, suck on it a second, then pull it out and scream, then laugh. Isaac thinks this is very funny, and he tries it, too.

I am slowly getting used to the idea that there might not be a final solution to I's eczema--we might always ride this roller coaster. Not easy for a control freak like me.

Sue, I have been through about the same thing except have not tried as many treatments. My son's eczema started after alot of antibiotics and we do have ear tubes, I think they were harder on us than him. We have used evening primrose oil topically only and flax seed oil orally. I don't know if they helped but like you I had a problem with high dosage. 

When my son was tested at 9 months it was a prick test of tiny pins (six I think) on a base that was pressed onto his back. I have been told that prick test doesn't alway tell the whole story till a child is atleast 5 years. Maybe they will do some other test for you.

Tina, I read your post about your son not getting to eat what everyone else does. I have been taking my son's lunch to daycare for over a year (he is 2.5) and since he never has eaten what other kids do he doesn't seem to care. He talks about Pizza or HotDogs but never offers to have a fit over not having them. I do send him a special treat when other kids are getting something special for a party or whatever. Anyway don't worry about the having to be different yet. Just maybe it will make him be a leader (not wanting to be like everybody else) and that will be a big plus in the years to come.

Rita, I feel the same way, if I would work just a little harder I could solve my son's problem. I guess we just have to go day-to-day.

As Sue described her son Isaac, who scratches when he is frustrated, I realized that I too learned this habit in infancy and never got over it. After 40 years, the habit is so ingrained it is automatic. Nothing else is as satisfying as scratching. It's like the Newton law of physics that says "every action has an equal and opposite reaction." Every frustration I experience seems to require the equal and opposite reaction of scratching. The force of the scratching seems to be the only thing that equals the force of the frustration. I've tried pounding pillows, but that doesn't match the refined motor skill sensation of fingers scratching.

The only thing that I've known to give me equal satisfaction is when I can ask a friend to gently rub my back, and of course this has to be a very close friend, and I have to be willing to let myself sink into the feeling in my body at the time. When I can allow myself to really experience the feelings, I can tell that the comforting sensation of a hand rubbing my back is something I never got enough of as an infant/child. That simple gesture means so much to me. My skin was always so bad that I understand why my parents were reluctant to touch me, but I recommend that parents find a way to touch in a repetitive soothing manner, otherwise the child will continue to scratch in desperate efforts to provide the physical sensations they crave.

And scratching is a short-term stimulation, not the deeply fulfilling comfort of tenderness, so scratching just leads to more scratching. It's like junk food, empty calories, you keep eating and eating and you're never full. But if junk food is all you have access to, you keep stuffing your face with it.

It's heartbreaking to read all these posts from mothers. They remind me of my childhood of agony and help me have sympathy for my mother who had no one to talk to about her experiences. Those of us who've had eczema all our lives remember the hope that we would grow out of it, and I hate to be a spoil sport and say "don't get your hopes too high" because I remember how that hope kept me alive for 14 years. As an adult, I have to find new reasons to live each day.

Today I'm grateful that my skin is under control. My friend rubbed my back yesterday and that was wonderful. The sun is shining and I'm going out to take a walk. 

I don't think my "Drugs for Every Occasion" book exactly says terfenadine is safe. The side effects can be nasty, but are rare and are more likely when it is combined with other drugs.

If the FDA has found something new I'd certainly like to know.

I've had a look at http://www.fda.gov and found nothing on it, but that may be because I didn't know where to look and the search engine didn't work.

I did find a couple of press releases from the manufacturers and everything is of course all right ;)

The press releases are at:

http://www.newspage.com/NEWSPAGE/info/d20/d10/d50/public.pre/public.pre/pub lic.pre/public/A.p0113173.100.prw75100.htm

and

http://www.newspage.com/NEWSPAGE/info/d20/d10/d50/public.pre/public.pre/pub lic.pre/public.pre/public.pre/public/A.p0107075.800.prw75100.htm

I would like to get to the bottom of this because I take Triludan for hay fever in the summer, and my mother takes it ALL THE TIME for allergic rhinitis.

I don't think it's good to take *any* drug all the time, if you can avoid it.

Thanks to all who responded re: mothers of children with E. My heart also goes out to all the moms -- I know what it's like, and it's heartbreaking. It helps to know there are other moms out there going through the same struggle. As I said previously, I suffer from eczema, but I no longer even worry about myself (although I should). Brian started with E at 5 or 6 weeks old... and I cried and cried several times in the beginning blaming myself for "giving" this disease to him. It took a while, but I've gotten over the guilt, and realized that it wasn't something I wanted to give him, it's just part of life and heredity. We are trying to help him as best we can right now, but I also believe in prayer. My husband and I pray daily for Brian (and myself) for healing of the eczema. God has been my source of strength through this time.

Shelley: Thanks for your point of view re: touching, physical contact. I do rub Brian's back sometimes, but he scratches his head the most, so I try to rub his head (and massage with baby oil) for him whenever I catch him scratching.

Sue: Thanks for sharing so much about Isaac. I'm glad you found out what the hives were from. Brian's derm was quite blunt -- she wanted me to stop nursing that very day! I just laughed and told her I'd stop as quickly as possible (within a week). It was difficult to stop so suddenly, although I was down to feeding him only 2 or 3 times a day since I work full-time. I do miss that one-on-one contact with him, but he seems to be OK with it. He never gave me any problems going back and forth from breast and bottle. I guess it's a good thing he was used to having a bottle. He has had three ear infections so far and (after reading some of the stories on this list) now I wonder if there's any connection between the antibiotic and the eczema. 

Hmmm. .. it will be interesting to find out what exactly he's allergic to. I also eat lots of dairy and peanut butter. I was trying to eat nutritious snacks to keep my weight up -- I kept losing weight while nursing. Of course I also had my share of goodies -- chocolate. It upsets me to think that by nursing, I was causing his eczema, but it's probably true. Sometimes I guess breastfeeding isn't always the best for baby! We started feeding him corn this week, and his back and stomach are broke out again with E. Wonder if he's allergic to it? I'll keep you posted. 

The leaky gut concept has been talked about several times here. For those with knowledge on it, please clarify how it can be diagnosed. Thru some kind of test? Is it done thru Derm or Intern?

My herb doctor said that seafood can easily cause flare-up. I am throwing it out as I have not seen seafood being mentioned here.

I have been reading alot about nursing and eczema and allergies on this list. Our Dr. never said nursing caused E (I nursed just 5 and 1/2 mos) but Daniel was always broke out. I also ate alot of peanut butter, nuts and dairy because I don't like much meat. Now Daniel is allergic to peanuts, but not dairy. The Dr. still says that even though the allergies make the E worse, he will still always have some problem with it since my husband has E and is allergic to dogs and cats. The allergist says Daniel will most likely outgrow the food allergies all but eggs and peanuts, but by the time he is 4 or 5 will become allergic to airborne allergins. Has anyone else been told that?

Our Dr. also says that E, allergies and asthma all go together. Besides my husbands E and allegies, we have a nephew with bad asthma, and my husband's great grandfather had asthma also. So I do believe it.

It is good to know there are other parents out there that have a hard time getting there little ones attention to stop itching. Daniel just sits on the floor, pulls his pant legs up as far as he can, pulls his socks off and scratches til he is almost bleeding. If I am not in the room my 3 and 1/2 year old can be heard yelling----stop scratching!!!!!!----so that's my cue-----

What do I look for in a tar shampoo? What are some well known names? Daniel's head is real flaky and itchy and scabby from scratching. I've been using J and J new sensitive skin formula baby shampoo but it doesn't do any good.

Thanks, Kim... I hope it really turns out that Daniel does't care about the food differences. I ordered the video "Alexander, the Elephant who can't Eat Peanuts". It is pretty good. Especially at the end it has children with allergies being interviewed. My 3 and 1/2 year old understood what it was about. He goes around telling everyone about how his brother can't have peanuts.

Last October, I had a major flare that knocked me down for a couple weeks. I had to go to prednisone for the first time in my E. career. After 10 days, I tried to wean off and had a return flare as bad as the first. The prednisone did a great job but I couldn't seem to get off of it. Around that time, I ran into a product that involved a conbination of multivitamin, cheleated minerals, a variety of antioxidants and proanthocyanidins (in the class of bioflavanols. I began these products for a week and then again attempted to wean from prednisone. To my surprise, I did not have any problems. In fact I have not had any E. since, anywhere, except a small 1-inch patch of dry skin on my upper arm that does not grow or itch!

This has been a tremendous three months for me. I have caught up on literally years of sleep. I have renewed energy, do not scratch at night and am not experiencing any itching that I cannot easily resist. It would almost appear to me that I mark significant improvements on a weekly basis... especially this last 3 weeks. I have gotten many compliments from friends and family on the condition of my facial skin, my eyes (which were typically so bloodshot that it looked as if I had been on an extended bender) and the fact that I look rested. My wife and children have noted a definite positive change in my demeanour. I am not on the edge of constant irritation and feel that I have had my sense of humour return! I think the midnight scratch-fests and constant irritation sapped my energy reserves over the years. Maybe I am getting some of that well needed energy back now.

Bill, please post this new miracle vitamin regimen to the list! You KNOW that I'll be the first to try it, no matter how badly it puts me financially "in the hole." Please post it. I've gotten rid of 90% of my problems, and now if I can just get rid of that last 10%, I'll be so very happy. Please note, that the vitamin regimen I listed above needs to have vitamin C added to it. We've been out of that for a few weeks, and I have noticed that since it being neglected, the eczema has worsened just a bit. But yes, WHAT is this miracle cure? 

Shelley--It is so interesting that the repetitive motion of a backrub can help actually quell the itching for you. It gives me hope that we CAN do something to break this cycle of scratching that our kids are just building now. Kids are smart--they'll find all kinds of ways to substitute for what they know they need, but aren't getting. I wonder if you could find people to rub your back for a few hours every day, if you could help your skin. The world owes you a lot of catch-up back-rubbing!

I think it was Linda who talked about the guilt feelings of passing her eczema on to her kid. I still struggle with that one, because right after Isaac was born, we took him to a naturopath who told me I should immediately take all dairy, corn, wheat, and peanuts from my diet, as long asI was nursing him. The guy had a terrible "bedside manner," and I was so pissed off at his seeming disregard for what *I* needed that I didn't follow his advice. I was starving! I'd had gestational diabetes for the last 2 months of pregnancy, which I controlled with diet, not drugs, so I just couldn't get enough to eat. Then I could not eat enough to maintain my weight while breastfeeding, and then he tells me to cut out foods that represent about 90% of my calories.

I know I did the best I could. But if I could have gotten over the hurt from his manner, and enlisted my husband's help in figuring out a new diet (instead of feeling defensive because he agreed with the guy's recommendation), it probably would have helped Isaac. I bring this up because it highlights how complicated this whole thing is, and how important it is to have some care-givers who are sensitive to the whole picture... 

I have never had eczema, but some of my insights that I use to help Isaac come from growing up with a younger sister who was very debilitated by it. Sometimes we even had to carry her because her skin was so bad that if she walked, scabs would break open and she'd bleed. Feelings of anger, guilt, and frustration at my parents still cloud my thinking now, esp. when I remember the times that I didn't help my sister because her whining and scratching were driving ME crazy. After years in a Zen training center and a major diet change, my sister now has good control over her skin, and she is very articulate about the emotional hurts that her scratching helped keep at bay.

She's also a great source of advice on Isaac. She's the one who told me to start the "Just say "no" to scratching" technique. I'd thought that interrupting him would just make him more frustrated, or angry (he sure reacted that way!). But she said she thought that babies confronted with such terrible itchiness NEEDED their parents to step in and stop them--they just weren't strong enough to help themselves. The trick, however (which my parents did NOT do with her) was to stay loving and close and be willing to put up with the tirades that would come with forcing him to stop... when I think of all the nights that that little girl lay in her bed, with socks pinned over her hands, moaning and crying, I cry. Every time.

Jeez, this is such an emotional topic! What can we do to help the traditional (and even alternative) medical profession deal with that fact?

We just started using a tar shampoo for EJ. It is "Nutrogena T" and we found it at the grocers after seeing an ad on television. The timing was interesting because we had talked to an old-time pharmacist who swore by tar shampoo for cradle cap for his children (now grown) but said he couldn't remember the last time he had some in the store.

Then I saw the ad and walked out and bought it.

I haven't been using the shampoo long enough to see how it works. It smells like the parking lot at Six Flags on a sunny day (creosote) and I wonder if it will be too harsh.

EJ just recently took up scratching his scalp. The rest of his body is totally free of eczema now (big HOORAY with Lac-Hydrin 5), but his scalp is a mess of dandruff.

Let me reiterate a cure I found for my daughter's cradle cap: Head & Shoulders Shampoo. I tried it on a hunch after having dealt with all the useless salves and ointments the MD had prescribed. It took the second application, but she never had the problem again. 

About the connection between eczema and later respiratory difficulties... The medical community uses the concept of "atopia" to describe people who have a predisposition to allergic reactions... they predict it based on family histories of allergies. For example, when Isaac's skin was terrible, by age 8 or 9 months, our doctors assured us that he was "atopic," (we both had allergies as kids; my husband still has them), and that it was very likely that he'd a) be in the 40% of babies who kept their eczema for their whole lives; and b) develop athsma when he got older. Signs they looked for were: eczema (alraedy obvious); ear cracks (where his ear lobe meets his head--a pretty constant crack there); creased eyelids (instead of just one fold in his eyelid, there were always a couple, both top and bottom); etc.

Our natural practitioners have given us a very different view on this "atopia" idea. In their opinion, kids retain these symptoms for their whole lives because doctors don't CHANGE anything that CAUSES the problems--they just deal with the manifestations--quiet the skin with steroids, open the bronchial tubes with inhalants, etc. So the body just keeps manifesting the underlying problems--first through eczema, then through athsma, etc.

I don't think that anyone believes that eczema or asthma is caused by just one thing, so it's really hard to ever wipe out the root cause. But I think we can to lots of things to attack the problem ENOUGH so that the body can take over and heal itself. I think the leaky guy syndrome is one example of a cause--if substances are leaking into the wrong body cavities and causing problems, then the body will manifest this problem with eczema, maybe. Fix the leaks, or remove the offending substances that leak, and the skin can get better. And maybe (and I guess this is faith) the body can eventually heal itself if it can get out of the cycle long enough to "catch up".

So I am refusing to believe the inevitability of the eczema-athsma progression. And examples from this list give me hope. People are finding the right combinations of vitamins, diets, allergen avoidance, emotional assistance, etc., and are actually getting better. At age 10 months, our doctors were convinced that Isaac was "atopic" (and he was, in their definition). They are amazed at what he looks like now--no extra eyelid folds, no ear cracks, a clear face, etc. His legs are still a mess, but they're getting better. And they are actually suggesting now that maybe he WILL be part of the 60% of baby eczema sufferers who WILL outgrow it. Now, of course, they attribute his improvement to pure aging--he "grew out of it." Very convenient.

And even if he doesn't--we will keep looking for underlying causes. And avoiding the antibiotics and steroids. I would put money on a bet that in the next twenty years, they will find that antibiotics and steroids contribute to the progression from eczema to athsma... just a guess.

Christopher, Your supplement list included Nature's Biotics. I read their advertising on the Internet and it sounds like a miracle; but then again, it is their own advertising. Can you elaborate a little on your personal experience with it. If anyone else has used it, please chime in.

I was just rereading a supportive message from Royce (thank you again!) re: wedding dresses and E., in which she mentions turning a lovely shade of bright eczematic red when she went dress shopping. I just wanted to second her itch, if I may. ;-) I've noticed that when I'm clothes shopping or fabric shopping, my hands frequently start acting up (getting hot & itchy; patches of E. start to redden). My dermatologist doesn't think that my E. is allergy-related, but I do know that textile manufacturers treat fabrics with a number of chemicals, including formaldehyde, which probably don't do much for us E. sufferers!

Also, with wedding dress-shopping in particular, there may be emotional baggage aggravating the E. (been there!).

By the way, I went dress pattern shopping with my grandmother & mother and chose a pattern with a cap sleeve and high-cut back which looks stylish, but which doesn't make me feel uncomfortable. When my mum suggested something with a low back or no sleeves, I just said, "Well, I don't know how my skin will feel that day, and I'd be happier in a different dress." She agreed, and the whole process was much more low- key than I expected (no attempts on her part to find the "cause" of my E., etc.). Thank you again, everyone, for listening.

Dear Rita, If only we could do something! My son reacts strongly to smoke filled rooms and antique stores, this is in addition to his food intollerances. Your daughter is on the same diet as my son but we have not embarked on the Chinese herbs. I do worry about enough vitamins, my homeopathic MD recommended essential minerals, it did make a difference. He also recommended other vitamins but I am still in search of something he can chew or tollerate. In your list of foods you mentioned carrots, not in our camp. We have had success with lamb, turkey, butternut squash, baby food squash, prunes, peas and spinach. What chinese vegetables is she taking?

By the way, I am the leaky gut person, my gastroenterologist diagnosed his as a birth defect. He placed him on a special diet along with the anti histamine (periactin). I use the periactin when he has a bad flare up, it does help. Next I am trying Debbie's suggestion of a chiropractor.

Have you looked into the dust mite issue?

It is true everyone's E is different but I suppose all E sufferers share something in common.

Sue - Though the viral attack started a month ago, Jodi still has a few scattered blister-like rashes broke out on her skin here and there. When I see them, I put tea tree oil ointment over them to avoid secondary infection. They usually dry up and go away in 2-3 days. I only hope that Isaac's viral infection is not going to get as ugly as Jodi's. When blisters show up on eczematic skin, topical antibiotic helps to stop infection from getting out of hand. Try not to use systemic antibiotic. It won't stop the viral attack and it destroys good flora. I also give ecchinacea-for-children and an herbal extract drink to my kids to boost their immune system.

Breast-feeding Linda & Tina - It's not difficult to continue breast feeding your baby even if your dr asked you to stop for a while. I rented an industrial breast pump when my milk first came in and when we needed to go out and Jodi's still sleeping, I pumped it out for later use. Unlike manual breast pumps, the industrial pump is very gentle on your skin and does the job really quickly. I tried 2 manual once, couldn't stand them. I was also advised not to breast feed my baby for a week to see if breast milk was the culprit. I went right back to nursing Jodi when the expedition made no difference to her E. I also stopped drinking milk myself when I resumed breast feeding. Though Jodi's E is not a result of milk protein or milk sugar, I think it's worth testing to see if your E baby is allergic to cow milk or soy by replacing regular formula with Alimentum or if you nurse, try avoiding all products with milk protein or milk sugar or soy if you could. Speaking from experience, I believe breast milk is the best for babies. Don't give it up just because your dr asks you to.

Tina - I suppose when it comes atopy, the bottom line is really bad genes. Did you try Head & Shoulder? I notice that when I wash Jodi's hair everyday, her E clears up on her scalp.

Sue - I absolutely agree with you that games are the best for E babies. Since Jodi doesn't like to lie on her belly, and seems to like standing up like everyone else in the family, one of our favorite games is that while I sit in the center of a couch, I ask Jodi to get a toy from one end of the couch and give it to me. Then, I'll have Juliet puts the toy to the other end so Jodi will have to go fetch it again. Being right in the center of the couch allows me to stop Jodi from falling when she loses her balance. This game keeps both girls happy and they both have my attention.

Shanon - I'm beginning to believe it's something in the air which cause Jodi her E. We're moving the end of this month. I hope it's THE right move for Jodi. I'm thinking about getting someone to do a comprehensive air testing in our new home. Hopefully, Jodi's E will get better. I never thought my E may come back to haunt me but is not so sure anymore. The last time I had a flare up was 2 weeks before I gave birth to Juliet, my older one. I had it really bad all over my belly but it went away as soon as I gave birth to Juliet. I sometimes wonder if I had had a flare up when I was pregnant with Jodi, she would not have had her E.

Thanks to all who wrote about kid's scalps. Daniel's head looks really bad. I am going to try Head and Shoulders first, since there is some of that in my bathroom already. Then we'll see the results. I was kind of concerned about it being strong and burning his raw spots. Then if that doesn't work I will look for the Nutregena T. 

About new clothes. Daniel has broke out after wearing an outfit that was new at Christmas and it was washed before he wore it... but maybe the load was too big and didn't get rinsed thoroughly. Our allergist said there are chemicals in the clothes to make them hang nicely on the racks... I use to work in retail and would stock shelves and just the chemicals from the cardboard would make me red and itchy---I don't have E.

Sue, Thanks for the imput on E, allergies and asthma. I really do hope that nothing else develops over time. I have hard enough time with the food and itching. Sometimes I just feel totally overwhelmed with the whole situation. My husband actually has more of an understanding than I do since he has E. He remembers when he was a toddler that he use to take a receiving blanket and wrap it around his arms so he wouldn't scratch too hard. Sad. His Mom kept a piece of it in his scapbook... She thinks he just loved his blankie... 

Sue writes something that struck a nerve with me.

Exactly. I think that, in general, with most chronic problems, modern western medicine seems to do just this. The question I have is how do we find someone who *can* help us work toward the cause?? I mentioned a week or two ago that I was going to push my dermatologist in this direction, and I have had a start down that road. He drew blood for one set of tests, and has me scheduled for an allergy patch test (aagh! can't use the antihistamines for 2 days before or the 2 days during, no baths or showers during... I'm gonna be a mess!). If something shows up, he'll see what he can do to help it. If not, he said something that I noted immediately -- "We'll just have to call it eczema, and you'll just have to live with it".

What that tells me is, if we don't come up with anything in this round of testing, I'll just have to drop the guy and move on to the next doctor, or naturopath, or whatever. He can call it whatever he wants -- that doesn't mean I have to "just live with it"! The trick is finding the next specialist to move to... 

Sue also mentioned something that she had done with Isaac (and I note many of the other parents on here are doing), where she breaks him away from scratching, but in a loving, helpful way. Anybody got any ideas on how I can teach my husband to do that??? I think I need to sit down with him and tell him that his blunt "stop that scratching" doesn't help me stop. As I told him once, "You're easier to ignore than the itch is... " Yes, I know that my scratching is making things worse. Yes, I know that my scratching is just prolonging the flare-up. And yes, I know my scratching is probably keeping him awake at night as much as it does me. But there's a BIG difference between knowing and being able to do something about it, sometimes... and feeling like I have to hide my scratching or get lectured only makes things worse... I like the suggestion someone made of getting a backrub to take one's mind away from the scratching! :) And frankly, now that I think about it... there are some other things he has done in the past that have taken my mind off the scratching, too... < blush blush > :) :)

Anyways, just had to get that off my chest... 

When I start scratching, I immediately put some lotion on, or anti-itch cream (Sarna) or steroid ointment, depending on how the E. looks (dry, bumpy, etc.). My fiance does this for me if I can't reach the itchy spot, and I find that putting something on it really does help. Also, We sometimes play a game where I hug him if I'm still itchy after putting lotion on; I hug him as many times as I feel itchy. It does take my mind off the itchiness! He tells me not to scratch, which is helpful when I'm not aware that I'm doing it.

I know that backrubs help Daniel, too. Sometimes when he is scratching alot I lay him across my lap and rub his back and down his legs. I guess kind of a softer form of scratching since a 16 mo old can't understand softer. He will lay there as long as I want to rub. Using Eucerin after bath time, he likes the rub down also.

Do any of the children out there use their teeth to scratch themselves? Daniel scrubs his teeth along his wrists and hands... this makes them look pretty raw and swollen on top of the normal dry and cracking. It is very hard to get him to stop once he gets going.

Sue and Faith-----our first Dr. said of Daniel's bad skin----he just has Eczema, like his Dad. There would't be any allergies, not many kids really have allergies. It was my husband and I who pursued seeing an allergist and seeing if anything was actually causing it or at least making it worse than it really had to be. Behold, he has all sorts of food allergies! Peanut being bad enough to need to tote the Epi-Pen! Makes me wonder sometimes... 

Where did you find the Nature's Biotics site? I found it LONG ago, but lost it, and can't find it. The stuff is great though. I could see a substantial effect within only a few days of taking it. The problem is that you MUST take it the way it says, or it will cease to have an effect. My problem is that I cannot financially afford the dosage that it asks. I have noticed that since I have kept it at the two capsules a day, it has had no more effect, and its effect has actually lessened. It's great stuff though, at least from my observations.

Well, now that you mention it, yes, at one time I *did* use my teeth to scratch myself, and did so quite regularly up until about a year ago (when I started trying to take care of the stuff... by simply NOT SCRATCHING even though it about drove me out of my mind, as well as experiments with vitamin supplements. I thought I was the only one who did that. My parents called me a "vampire." <g> 

Though it is not one of the most pleasant things in the world, it is not as bad for the skin in my opinion as just plain scratching. And in truth, it was much more effective in stopping the itching than many of the treatments the doctors prescribed. <g> But seriously, I know what he is going through. And if later he thinks having eczema as a child is bad, wait until he gets to become a teenager. Thanks be to God that there are actually some beautiful females my age out there who don't care that much about looks (and subsequently, will date me). But hey, I wish him luck, and I know EXACTLY what he is going through. 

I received the following note about ten days ago, and am finally getting around to passing it along. I can't vouch for the relevance or accuracy of what follows, knowing nothing about Dermatitis Herpetiformis myself, but I'm hoping someone on the list will be able to comment on how this might relate (or not relate, I guess) to our shared problem.

>>

Out in the newsgroups I have several times found people that thought they had "eczema" but really had undiagnosed dermatitis herpetiformis. 

For images of severe cases see: http://www.panix.com/~donwiss/index.shtml#DH

Then there is is Peter Thompson's web page at http://www.demon.co.uk:80/webguides/nutrition/diets/gluten-free/ with an article written by Dr. Joseph Murray (University of Iowa Medical School).

<<

Yup, I have used my teeth to scratch the itch on my wrists. I'm quiet on this list now as thankfully, my problems have subsided for the time being. I stay on here because all the info is so interesting and because I know sooner or later, I'll have a flare-up again, which will be caused by stress. Last time I had a problem was in the fall when I had a scare with my mammogram. So there I was, disrobing for practically the whole world to see, and my arms bright red with excema! Such is life! I have to say, *all* who saw it didn't flinch and seemed quite at ease with it.

I had that patch test (T.R.U.E. I believe) done twice and it showed nothing. It cost $400.00 each time too. Yesterday I went and had some food allergy testing done and once again NOTHING. They also did a blood test to test my thyroid. I hate to say this but I hope something show up, at least I would know what is causing this. I know what you mean when you talk about scratching during the night. Last week during a nighttime scratching frenzy (must have taken the socks off my hands!) I tore part of a mole off. I then had to go have it removed which was real pleasant. My regular dermatologist was in Hawaii (probably funded by me) and the doctor filling in for him actually joked with me about my eczema. I kinda let him have it. This really gets frustrating. I hope your patch test shows something.

Has anyone looked at the "Cutaneous Drug Reaction Database" at Dartmouth? gopher://gopher.dartmouth.edu:70/11/Research/BioSci/CDRD

Almost all drugs have side effects of dermatitis (eczema), psoriasis, pruritis (itching), pityriasis, etc.

I developed eczema after taking an antibiotic. It was necessary - nothing I could do about it. I wonder though, if we are not perpetuating the problem, by taking these legal drugs so often. I have had rashes, pityriasis rosea and eczema. These skin diseases always show up after I take a drug for awhile. Thank goodness for pyrithione zinc.

I would like to hear some opinions on the drug/E relationship. The information in the database seems to speak for itself. 

Faith: You have already have some answers to your own question, as noted above. It's good that you've recognized the problem. Now you need to find the right time to talk to your husband about how he can help you. Pick a time when there are no other distractions and he can give you his full attention. Just open the conversation saying something like "Honey, I figured out something important about my skin and I need your help with it. You know how I scratch in the night? Well, what I think would help me to stop is if you could... " Spell out the details about specifics that he could do (without saying anything about his actions in the past NOT being helpful) and then ask him "What do you think? Does this sound like something you could do? Or is there some part that wouldn't work for you?" and just have a frank discussion about the situation, what works and doesn't work, without blaming each other for anything.

If you have difficulty bringing up the subject, try practicing either by yourself or with a friend. Or here online with the group. If you can open the conversation, you can bring some improvement to the situation. And every bit helps. You are fortunate in having a loved one who is there for support. They just need instruction. Otherwise they are ignorant about what is helpful and what isn't. Best wishes... 

Faith- I'm wondering if your husband has some bad habits it's hard for him to break? For example, would he find it helpful if you constantly said, "Lose Weight!" or "Stop Smoking!" I expect he would not only not find it likely to help him, but he'd find it debilitating. Shoe on other foot? 

What I find the hardest to deal with is the "dryness" of the skin (as well as in the past, the "cracking, blotchiness, and bleeding"). It is NOT the most pleasant thing in the world, especially if you date fairly regularly. <g> My eczema was most active on my hands, and feet, though at times it attacked my ears badly.

Strangely enough, my allergist never recommended zinc (which does quite well), nor any of the vitamins I take. When I suggested them one time while talking with him, he shrugged them off. I tried them anyway, and I have had great success. <g>

I found a posting I made to this list on Sep 10, 95 that refers to a warning I read about in the National Psoriasis Foundation's Pharmacy Newsletter (v6#2, Jul 94, p9). This is what the NPF warning s says: "Do you take either terfenadine, an allergy medicine sold as Seldane, or ketoconazole, which is used to treat skin infections? If so, you should know the following. Recent research has shown that when combined, these two medications can cause fatal changes in heart rhythm. So never take these two medications together. For more information, contact your physician." Note that Seldane is an antihistamine that is not supposed to make you sleepy, and the ketoconazole, I assume, is an antibiotic (because the warning mentions that it is used to treat skin infections).

Thanks, everyone, for some great ideas on how to deal with my husband on this. I think Patsy's given me the one angle that's going to help me help him understand, though!

Putting the shoe on the other foot may indeed strike a nerve with him. His mother was after him, for many years, to lose weight. Every time we saw her over those years, it was inevitable that she would, at some point in the visit, bring up the matter of his weight, either with him directly or through me. It got to a point where he avoided seeing her at all, simply to keep her from harassing him about it. Ultimately, he has managed to lose much of the weight (and she's quite proud of him for it!), but it had nothing to do with her harassment and everything to do with finding a way to do it that he could live with.

If I can explain to him that I want very much to stop scratching, but need to find a way to do it that I can live with, as he needed to do with his weight, then I believe he will understand. And given that I'm in the middle of a particularly itchy flare-up at the moment, this may come in handy... 

I feel overwhelmed, there are quite a few of us who have babies with severe E. Debbie, Rita, Jolie, Karen and more. Let's get organized, lets spend this week listing foods that work. The following week lets talk about ointments, creams, external aids. Perhaps the 3rd week we can discuss homeopathy or alternatives. We are all anxious to help our little ones and we all have so much we can share. I hope you agree with me. I will send another message tonight and call it E Baby Food. Add on your successful foods, by the end of the week we can print one list and start testing new foods for our little ones. Looking forward to everyones response.

I have been fortunate to work with a nutritionist who has provided me with lists of foods to test. This is what has worked:

• Gerber applesause 
• Gerber pears 
• Gerber squash 
• Gerber prunes 
• turkey (some reaction) 
• lamb 
• pork 
• spinach 
• peas 
• Gerber rice 
• rice crackers 
• puffed rice 
• apricots

What is Sarna, is it an over the counter anti-itch, but not a steriod? I would like to find an anti-itch cream that is not totally nasty.

Also, I am on an anti detergent kick, I remember Kaye was going to try those disks to use in the washing machine. How do you think they worked.

Sarna is an over-the-counter anti-itch lotion; it comes in an 8 oz. pump bottle and smells a bit medicinal, like Ben-Gay or something mentholated. It is light, not greasy, and gives your skin a cooling sensation. I've found it near the cortisone creams and calamine lotion in the pharmacy, but it doesn't have any steroids or other drugs in it. You might ask your pharmacist if s/he can order it; my dermatologist suggested it to me.

For those of us who have often wished we could go out with a paper bag over our heads (and for everyone else, too), I heartily recommend reading Lucy Grealy's book Autobiography of a Face -- her story of growing up with a facial deformity. It is a charming book, and you can read it in a couple of hours. She has some good insights, and experiences I resonated with.

For Christopher, and others who may want to pursue the Nature's Biotics link: the Web site is http://www.getbuzy.com/nbiotics/nbiotics.htm.

Since Patsy brought up the subject of an Eczema/Asthma Vaccine, I thought I bring up the Ribomunyl Vaccine again. Has anyone heard of this vaccine in the U.S.? All my returns on the vaccine on the internet are in French. I e-mailed and wrote to the company who manufactures the vaccine and has not heard from them yet.

Chinese Herbal Treatment - Was on the phone last Friday with Dr. Mary P. Sheehan who is now in Pittsburgh. She said her clinical trial on Chinese Herbal Treatment in the U.S. is still awaiting the FDA's approval. It has been more than 4 years and there is no word when she'll get the green light from the FDA. I have signed Jodi up for the clinical study as she'll be a year old in 2 weeks. Dr. Sheehan won't take anyone younger than 1.

I have also contacted Phytopharm in the U.K. to find out if I can get Zemaphyte, the Chinese herbal treatment equivalent in pill form. If I hear from the lady, I'll relay.

Wendy, Sorry to hear about your scratching frenzy last week. I've been there... believe me! Also, I can't believe a dr. would actually JOKE about eczema. Obviously he hasn't ever had it -- because if he had, he would know it's nothing to joke about! Too many doctors are just "all business" so to speak, and show no empathy. How could a dr. be so ignorant to the emotional/psychological factors of E. I'm glad you let him have it, 'cause it sounds like he certainly deserved it. Hope you're doing better. Hang in there!

Faith, I understand your dilemma with your husband since my husband basically does the same thing. Telling me to stop scratching doesn't really help me at all! I guess it's hard for him (husband) to understand what I'm going through. I read the suggestions to you from this list and really appreciated it. I think I'll try their ideas, too. Personally, I think I'll like the "hugs" method. Good luck to you and yours! 

The long leafy greens are only available in China town. I don't know their names in English since they are indigenous in China. But I know they are usually used as the steamed veggies to go with soup noodles. The whole veggie is of the same shade of green. The two Jodi likes the most are light green and dark green. Both have very long leaves and what I do is snip the leaves off and steam them together. After I steamed the veggie, I cut the stem in 3-4 inches a piece and give them to the girls as finger food. The leaves I puree and mix with her rice and meat. They love it 'cos the veggies are slightly sweet. Jodi has no problem with carrots. She does have a reaction to green peas though. I also use Beechnut and not Gerber.

I also give Jodi a multi vitamin drop by TwinLab but only when she doesn't eat right. I think the name of the drop is called Infant Care Vitamin Drop. The health food store I go to sells it for $4.19. I don't give her the drop very often since her appetite is mostly good.

I thought about dust mites. Our mattresses are wrapped and cleaned often. Our furnishings are either leather or wood, no fabrics, drapes nor carpets. The only possibility may be the vent. Our building is 5 years old. Central air may bring the dust mites into our unit. That's part of the reasons why we're moving the end of the month. I hope the central air is really the culprit. If so, she'll be better in our new home.

Someone mentioned something called Sarna as an anti-itch lotion that gives the skin a "cooling sensation." I have long believed that any lubricant that produces a cooling sensation is actually drying the skin (the cool you feel is the water leaving the skin). If it works for YOU, great! But be aware of what a cooling sensation means for some of us.

Rita, You are probably correct to suspect that the central heating in your building brings in dust and mold. Sometimes stray cats live in basements of buildings and their dander gets into the heating system and bothers cat-allergic tenants who THINK that they don't live with cats! And even if a central heater is free of all allergens, the air itself is so dry that it can irritate already dry skin. 

I found this message on sci.med.nutrition. Has anyone here tried L-lysine or heard about this study?

>>

Usually the MD will give you a steroidal drug. You should try L-lysine, the amino acid. Totally safe and no side effects. I read one research paper that recommended 500 mg 3X per day for eczema, psoriasis, herpes, shingles and got very good results.

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As I was reading the archives and comparing notes I came across the eczema & cold subject. Some of you said that when your eczema is bad you rarely get sick and visa versa. This is something that definitely seems to happen with me. The flu and viruses go around and I just don't catch them. The conclusion, I guess, is that the immune system is fighting so hard when the skin is bad and it stops fighting as hard when the skin is clear so we're more susceptible to colds.

For the last 2 weeks my eczema had been more clear than it has been in years but I've had a horrible cold - the first one in as long as I can remember. The funny thing is that I think I prefer the coughing, sneezing, stuffy nose & headaches to the all over eczema I had been experiencing. I feel more alive (happier with more energy) when I'm sick and have clear skin than when I'm well with rashes.

Now that my cold is finally subsiding I am starting to get itchy again and I am getting some red rashes on my legs. I thought for a little while there that maybe the eczema was gone for good- okay so it was a naive fantasy but it's nice to feel like a normal human being once in a while.

Reading the messages, especially from all the moms on this list, brings back memories of my own childhood. The thought of your children and the many other children with severe eczema brought tears to my eyes. It's horrible to suffer with something and go through so much to try and find the cause (usually to no avail). I remember my parents trying every doctor in town. At that time, I went to various dermatologists and allergists. I'm now 29 but thought I'd share some information on my experiences. I just joined the group so I'm not sure how much of this you've already heard and I'm not sure how much can apply to infants but here goes...

Last year I went to a holistic medical center and the doctor said that I had leaky gut syndrome among other things. He said to do the following:

1. take L-Glutamine (approx. 4000mg per day) to strengthen the walls of the stomach 
2. drink grapefruit juice (about 1/2 cup per day)- I forgot why but I can find out if you are interested (just a side note: I am allergic to citric acid and can't eat too much fruit but the small amount of grapefruit juice didn't aggravate my eczema) 
3. take Borage Oil or Flax seed oil (or any essential fatty acid- the essential oils are supposed to be good for the skin) as well as other vitamins to strengthen the immune system. I mix 1 tbs. of flax seed oil with soy milk (if soy is a problem then just try to find another protein to take it with). I don't take too many vitamins at the moment even though it's what they recommend.

I was also tested for Candida Yeast and had to stay away from a lot of yeasty or fermented foods (which I still try to do because those foods seem to aggravate my skin). I stay away from tomatoes and other citrus foods too.

Itching: I have horrible scratching fits in the middle of night and used to use Benedryl cream (which my doctor said is bad to use). I have recently discovered evaporation (it seems to take away the itch the majority of the time). I put an emollient (I like Theraplex Emollient by Medics Dermatologists Inc.) and zinc oxide ointment or a cortisone cream on the area(s) then I take a white cotton dress shirt (wet it and wring it out) and wrap it around the area(s) and then lay a towel down on the bed (so it doesn't get wet) it usually helps the itch so I can go back to sleep and the area is much less irritated in the morning. I've tried to wear gloves (or socks) on my hands to prevent scratching but they're usually off by the time I wake up.

Also, I've been using medications & moisturizers for all these years that have been causing breakouts. I just found out that I can't use some moisturizers, shampoos or detergents if they contain certain irritating ingredients like lanolin and propylene glycol so that may be something to check out too. I'm thinking of getting allergy tested for common irritants.

I tried a chiropractor but didn't notice any change. If it helps anyone please let me know.

I've experimented with a lot of other doctors and treatments (ie reflexology, polarity, acupuncture, PUVA light and probably others that I'm forgetting) so if you're interested in the outcome of any of these just let me know.

I take L-Lysine (1000mg) and Zinc (30mg) 1x per day with meals. I used to take a lot of vitamins but it was too much for my system to handle so I figured I'd start with a couple that I heard are good for E and add on gradually. A friend of mine gets really bad cold sores on her lip a couple of times a year and she takes mega doses of L-Lysine. She swears by it- says it makes the cold sores heal more quickly.

I'm very interested in the Nature's Biotics Vitamin that has been discussed on the list. I might try to add that.

Tina, Despite our Pediatricians advice about not bathing/shower the child more than once a week we always did it at least once a day because there was clear relief to my son. Twice a day baths started after we talked to a doctor whose work on allergy is referenced in most allopathic books and articles on allergy. 

According to him several years ago it was believed that avoiding water contact helps the skin because essential skin oils are NOT lost. In the last few years, research showed that it is the moisture in the skin and NOT skin oil that keeps the skin healthy, therefore, he suggested that soak the child in water for 1/2 hour (twice a day) and then apply a thick layer of Vaseline or Aquaphor to lock in the moisture. We have been doing this for the last six months. In the first two-three weeks there was visible difference. He has improved even more since but we have done several other things :

1. Bath oil from Ruth Foundation in UK 
2. Flax seed oil and evening primrose oil 
3. Homeopathy 
4. For cooking only coconut oil works for him (and maybe Safflower oil) (for a long time I believed (partially convinced by Pediatric allergist) that oil is 100% fat and therefore there is no protein and should be ok but this is only theoretically true) 
5. Tried all kinds of things for his scalp but nothing worked as well as aloe vera gel (by the way we used this to cool his skin down and to relieve him from itching all over his body when he was 1 year old but now he refuses it to be applied to his body now that he is 3 1/2)

To Carol and Christopher and anyone else who use their teeth for scratching----Thanks for writing back. I was wondering if Daniel was the only one who did that. Adults actually do it too. Is there a way to keep him from doing it, especially in the car. Of course, he is still in a car seat, so he doesn't have a lot to do in there. Toys don't seem to help, food does sometimes if he hasn't already worked himself into a frenzy. At 16 mos though, food is quite messy. Sometimes blaring the stereo works... 

Christopher--About the vitamin thing. Our allergist just said to put Daniel on a children's chewable in case he isn't getting enough iron. He is up to a full 23 pounds now. He is still low on the growth chart though.

Amarjit--thanks for the advice on the aloe vera gel for Daniel's scalp. We were still under the impression not to overbathe him. Does two baths a day really help? We only give a bath once to twice a week, I know it will become more frequent with spring on the way. The kids will be out getting dirty!!!!!

Interesting stuff about the L-Lycine. I'd never thought of using it for eczema. I keep it on hand to take when I feel a fever blister coming on. If taken in large enough doses as soon as that first tingle starts, it'll usually stop a fever blister from forming, or at least keep it from getting so big. 

A number of you have been debating the bathing issue, how many times per day, hot water, cold water, etc.

Dermatologists will typically tell you that you should avoid hot water and don't bath too often because it will dry out the skin. (At least this is what every dermatologist I've ever seen has said.)

The latest Dr. I've seen said the same thing. I told him that I feel much better using hot water, and when my skin is really bad, bathing multiple times during the day helps a lot. He explained to me that the traditional advice tends to work for most people (for you scientists and mathematicians, it's the old bell shaped curve). There are however those of us who are not in the middle of the bell curve (one or more standard deviations out). Basically, do what works for you. I think this is the only consistent advice that I've heard from doctors and sufferers. This is probably a fundamental truth about life in general.

For all you E moms, From what I've heard, you are all doing the right things. My mom and dad put up with 3 of us with severe E problems - the constant scratching, the infections, the skin all over the beds, the bloody sheets, seeing dr. after dr., and worst of all seeing your child suffer. I never thought much about what they put up with before, but in retrospect, my parents were remarkable folks. The best comfort for your suffering kids is your love and concern. Keep up your search for solutions and trust that you will find a way to control the problem.

My 14 year old son has had chronic, severe eczema all his life. Reading your comment that this conditon is not life threatening, I would like to say that it can at times come close. Infections are so easy to contract with eczema. He has had many skin infections and twice had bone infections, a very sick boy at the time. The antibiotics he takes become less and less effective each time. Other times eczema can cause such unhappiness in your child you worry about his state of mind.

Allergy testing was less than helpful. He was allergic to everything. The best way seems to be to try and work it. He can tolerate milk well but has trouble with red food colours.

In the past year he has had some help with using Evening Primrose Oil but we don't really have any support on how to use it to the best effect. Is there any information on this?

His 12 year old brother as a baby was even worse, he failed to thrive for some time which seems to be caused by his allergies, but he is OK now with beautiful skin, thank goodness.

My child's derm. told me to bathe my son every day with warm water. Every day seems like a lot so I usually do it every other day. The only benefit I know of re: bathing every day is that right after a bath is the best time to apply medication/ointments. I've read that its good to bathe often for water to enter into the skin; however, I still believe the healing takes place from the inside-out. 

Hello Michael, Your question is prime. The answer varies with the degree of allergic reaction that occurs. If you are mortally allergic, you will know within one or two seconds. There will be no doubt. Many or most food allergic reactions that are the hardest to detect occur the next day or even worse, only after eating the allergen for several days. Detecting these can only be accomplished by eliminating the "suspect" for several days and then reintroducing it for several days. This is time consuming and a big nuisance, but in too many cases it is the only way to discover the allergen and then finally get relief by eliminating it from your diet. Life is matter of degrees, trial and error, adjusting, and making choices. The more we adjust and choose health the healthier we become. I keep telling this to myself.

For a couple of days now we have given Daniel (16 mos) a bath every other night, and used Head and Shoulders. His scalp looks a little better not so flaky, he is still scratching it alot though. His skin is really red and chapped looking on his face and base of his neck. Could this be the H and S, too strong? 

We also ran out of Eucerin and bought Cetaphil cream instead. After using the Cetaphil his face looks bad within an hour, the Eucerin seemed to last 3 or 4. I have started looking for Aquaphor, but have had no luck yet. Friday I have all day I can shop. We are also going shopping to perfect his diet off of his list. We have been allowing wheat again and that could be causing some of this. The only time he was ever totally clear was when he took antihistimines twice a day, hydrocortizone on his face three times a day and Desinide on his body three times a day. Of course we don't want to do that to him. Last night was pretty unbearable for the whole family----he does't get too upset, just scratches all night---I guess because he doesn't really know any different yet. I feel so bad for him... hope everyone is feeling better than we are today!

My daughter's dermatologist said to bathe her only every 3rd night. However, the allergist said to let her in the tub every night, then apply the medications. So, we have been doing this. She seems to feel much better, and her skin isn't nearly as dry.

Elizabeth, So sorry your son has had so many terrible infections as a result of his eczema. I did not intend to trivialize the effect that eczema has on its sufferers. You're correct that infections that invade the bones or blood stream can be very serious and sometimes deadly. However, my comment that things could be worse and about eczema not being life-threatening was intended to mean that I'm thankful my daughter has something that's basically treatable for the most part and she is not dying of leukemia like one of her young cousins is.

From the other postings I've read on this list regarding allergy testing/treatments, it seems that again my daughter is very fortunate and perhaps is the exception to the rule since now that we've identified specific allergens and are undertaking efforts to eliminate them, she is doing much better. The eczema still flares from time to time but it's not nearly as bad as it was before testing.

I have heard of using evening primrose oil but have not used it on my daughter, so I can't comment further on it. Perhaps someone who has used it will shed some light on its use and effects?

From what I'm reading on this list also, it seems that a treatment that may work for one person's eczema may not work so well for another's. I guess each has to find what will work for him/her and go with that. In spite of this, I feel that we should share what treatments work for us (or our children) so others will know of possible options.

I hope a viable solution to your son's eczema will be found soon.

I just recently started to have a real problem with eczema (at the age of 40+)... I had just started taking DHEA and there was a concern that maybe that was one of the things that set off the eczema. I would be interested in hearing any other feedback about DHEA.

Tina, Sorry to hear about your family's misery. Last night I realized that my son had chapped hands (he and his brother have recently developed some mild dryness and itch problems). I had some samples of Cetaphil lotion and cream so I gave him the lotion. Within a minute he complained of itchiness. I use Cetaphil cleanser with no trouble on my worst skin areas so I (stupidly) didn't read the ingredients on the lotion until his itch began. 

The ingredients included a lot of strange sounding chemicals and macadamia NUT oil. I am deadly allergic to nuts and would have never allowed the sample in the house had I known what it contained. The cream contained strange chemicals and sweet ALMOND oil. Both samples went right into the trash and we rinsed Allan's hands and applied Eucerin cream. Today his hands are soft again. Wish my skin could be cleared that easily and safely! 

The moral of this story is to ALWAYS read ingredients, even on products you have used before. Someone once told me that as a person with severe allergies, I should read ingredient labels 3 times: first, when I buy the product; second, when I put it on the shelf at home; third, when I start to use the product. Often, people don't catch a suspect ingredient until the 3rd reading.

P.S. I really like Eucerin cream; it has few ingredients; the white color tones down the redness; and it is heavy but not super greasy. It does contain a lanolin derivative so some eczema patients stay away from it.

Hello Everyone -

I found this on my NewSpot that comes in each a.m., and thought I'd post it here in case it is of interest to anyone:

>> 

Air pollution linked to skin ailments - study 

Air pollution can rob skin of an important vitamin, aggravating a variety of skin ailments common to people in urban areas, according to a study released Tuesday. The University of California at Berkeley study, which was conducted on mice, concluded ozone rapidly strips vitamin E from the uppermost layer of skin. This vitamin is a key component of healthy skin, the scientists said. The finding may help explain why urban living can aggravate skin ailments like dermatitis, which results in itchy, inflamed and scaly skin.

For the full text story, see http://www.merc.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=1693630-6ca

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One of the best things for infection is sun. It prevents and clears infection. The very best is sun and ocean water, if the skin can tolerate the salt. There is some research about sun therapy for eczema, but I cannot guide you to it. Sun between 11 am and 1 pm, starting with about 10 minutes is effective. Ice used afterwards will relieve discomfort from sweating. Of course too much sun will be a problem, but carefully timed and gradually increased amounts is safe and effective. Be sure to have vitamin D and a balance of other vitamins and minerals.

I strongly agree with Jolie, we moms got to do our best to let our little ones feel a little bit comfortable.

Reading all those writing from other moms, I couldn't hold my tears for a lot of time. We have been fighting with my son's eczema so hard since he was two months old (he is 10-months last week), the only improvement we experienced is switching his formula to Allimentum and on stricted diet. But he still has eczema on his legs, neck and face, still trying to scratch them all the time.

To prevent infection from scratching, we never leave him alone for a minute, even when he is sleeping in the evening. But the bad luck still came to us two weeks ago, he got herpes infection! his eczema made that the worst, he got herpes eczema all over his face just in a couple of days, then started spreading to his body, he got fever too, he had to stay in the Baby Hospital for one week and take medicine by mouth for another week, the doctors treated him very aggressively in case the virus spread into his blood. 

Finally it got controlled, but still we have no clue what caused the herpes infection, he always stays at home with Grandma, the only difference I can recall is bringing him to a party, then a restaurant around those days, that may be where he got the virus; Doctors say things definitely would not get this bad if he had no eczema, eczema wake his skin, give the virus a chance to get in. We decide no party, no restaurant until he is one-year old when his immune system is stronger.

His food group: white rice, yellow rice, rice, cereal, most vegetables (spinach, carrot, broccoli, squash, napa), apple, apple juice, chicken; I would like to try veal next.

Every time I go to the beach my eczema clears up and stays that way until about a week after I return home. I don't neccessarily think that it is just the sun but salt water has something to do with it too. It is also good for poison ivy. Anyone out there have any scientific research on this subject??? I just know it works for me. Maybe I'll just move to the beach and be itch free forever! HA!

Jessica, Sorry to hear about your son's recent herpes infection. You may have read my story in the archives, but in case you haven't - the exact same thing happened to me when I was about 15 months old. My mother had a cold sore on her lip at the time so we assume that's where I got the infection. That was 50 years ago and it took the doctors a long time to diagnose me; so I was in really bad shape and almost didn't make it. I still get cold sores just about everywhere, but never again a massive infection. My eczema was all-over severe as an infant and toddler, but it lessened to occasional, easy-to-manage patches until my mid 40s. So there's the chance that your son will get lots better, hopefully forever. You are doing so much for him. 

Shelley - I tried to find a Zemaphyte in Canada and the mfgr said that it was no longer going there! Phone before going, Eh! :->

When people said don't scratch, all it has ever done is made me feel guilty about it, like if I had enough will-power, I could control myself. Then, I was taking cyclosporine for a year and wasn't itchy. And you know what, I didn't scratch!!!!!! I realized that maybe it didn't have to do with will-power or habit. Maybe it just itched. I find that the best thing for me from my wife is that she just accept that I am constantly in motion touching here and scratching there. I ask her from time to time, how she can stand it. She says that she doesn't even notice. I find that having the freedom to do whatever I need to do from using my teeth, a plastic pen top, etc works the best for me.

I use it myself (I'm 32). Through trial and error I've found it best (for me) to take 4000mg (4 x 1000mg capsules) each day. It makes my skin less dry, and seems to make the itching less. I've also got a suspicion that it helps me tolerate dairy products better - I can't eat them all the time, but the occasional cheese etc doesn't flare me up as it used to.

It was mentioned on the list that high doses could cause problems with brain function, but I think I'm too old for that to apply!

Both our ped and derm said once a week for a bath. This is just too long, my son has gotten little pimple looking things on this chest and back (were acne is in teenagers) so I am going back to bath every third night, get the cream on fast and use warm water. I had called National Jewish Hospital some time ago they sugest baths up to twice a day to hydrate the skin, so I am going back to what my gut said from the start.

Jessica, Sorry to hear about the herpes virus. We had a similar problem last year when we went no place because my son always got a cold, no matter what if we left the house he was sick. But... This year he has been sick enough to see the dr only once since July, so things do seem to get better has they get older. Also, have you thought about the chicken pox vacine? We got it because the dr. said he would be a mess if he got chicken pox on top to the eczema, Just a thought I know some people don't like that vaccine. But to me it seemed the less of the evils.

I am anti detergent and lotion for the week. So I was wondering if anybody uses non detergent to wash clothes. My son is still in diapers so I am looking to clean his clothes that aren't really dirty (after all it is winter, so he can't even find mud). Also, I have just been using vaseline rather than Eucerin or Aquaphor and I think things are a little better so now I want to push onto maybe a vegie oil. Anybody use just Sesame oil or anything like that. I use evening primrose oil topically on his really bad spots but we aren't seeing any real difference.

Here's what I found on Ribomunyl, at http://www.ccr.jussieu.fr/cgi-bin/fwidal3.pl?RIBOMUNYL

Ribomunyl. L'association ribosomes-fractions membranaires. Micanismes d'action. CONCOURS MEDICAL 112 38 3430 1990 CM2120190002 RIBOMUNYL

TESTUD F;VIAL T;DESCOTES J;EVREUX JCL Sociiti Frangaise de Toxicologie. Onzihmes Journies Frangaises de Pharmacovigilance, Lyon, 27-29 Novembre 1989. Journal de Toxicologie Clinique et Expirimentale. - Toxicologie clinique et effets secondaires des midicaments immunostimulants. JOURNAL DE TOXICOLOGIE CLINIQUE ET EXPERIMENTALE 10 3 200-201 1990 JT4050390025 RIBOMUNYL;ISOPRINOSINE;BIOSTIM

Shelley - Zemaphyte is indeed available in Canada through the Emergency Drug Release Program. Per my contact at Phytopharm, information about Zemaphyte is sent out to drs in Canada when requested. Phytopharm is trying to register Zemaphyte as a prescription drug and is currently conducting clinical studies in Canada. Anyone who are interested in the pill can find a dr in Canada who would contact the Emergency Drug Release Program to request for it. Again, it's only available by prescription through the Emergency Drug Release Program. The company is still working with the FDA on Zemaphyte's clinical studies in the U.S.

A Zemaphyte pill is about 4mm in diameter. The pills are taken several times a day. Adult dosage costs about 68 pounds sterling for a week's prescription. She also claims Zemaphyte is tested to have the same efficacy as the decoction brewed using the traditional method and is not bitter at all. It's not recommended for children under 3 years of age and one can only take it continuously for no more than 12 weeks. I wonder if any eczema sufferers in the U.K. have tried Zemaphyte? Perhaps they can tell us more since Zemaphyte has been approved as a prescription drug in the U.K.

I believe info on Zemaphyte are on our archives. I'll see if I still have the files.

I've used various oils including sesame. My skin seems to tolerate any oil except baby oil. Someone recommended flax seed oil but I didn't notice any great results- orally yes but topically no. I use vitamin E oil right after I shower, while my skin is still wet (I just kind of drip dry and let the oil dry with my skin, as towels irritate me). 

Then I put on 2 products which I swear by- Theraplex emollient and Theraplex clear lotion by Medics Dermatologics, Inc. in Phoenix, AZ # 800-845-1313. You can order the products straight from the company or ask your pharmacist to order them for you. They're about $10-11 each but I think it's worth it. The clear lotion is a mineral and jojoba type oil (with petroleum fraction & something else - sorry I don't have the bottle here) which I am surprised I can tolerate because many people claim mineral oil is no good. These are great moisturizers that my derm. recommended to me years ago and they are the only moisturizers I have used for a long period of time that don't irritate my skin (quite soothing actually).

But as we all know everyone is different. One thing I find interesting about these products is that they are made with a petroleum fraction and I can't tolerate petroleum itself. I assume it's different (that fraction must be okay for my skin). 

We have already stopped using the Cetaphil. Thank you for bringing the ingredient list to our attention! I just used it because the pharmacist said it was good stuff for eczema. Daniel isn't allergic to almonds (other nuts,yes) but all the other long words probably aren't too good for him! I still need to locate Aquaphor--if I can't find it Friday I will have our pharmacy order it for me.

Daniel's skin was better during the summer. I used to take him out last summer at 9:30 or 10 am and keep him right in it for 5 to 10 minutes. Then let him play in the shade. Then we'd go out in the afternoon again and do the same thing. It looked alot nicer and that was before we learned of his food allergies. I am looking forward to some good spring time weather!

Every derm. I ever went to said not to bathe for too long or too often but I never listened. Like someone else on the list suggested, I think you have to do what works for you. If I don't bathe everyday my skin feels horrible. It gets dry, flaky, itchy... Sometimes I can skip one day but only when my skin is in good condition. When I shower I actually feel relief. Really hot water is bad but for me hydrating the skin and moisturizing immediately after is good. Another reason I feel that I need to bathe everyday is to get rid of the bacteria that I think can build up with the use of all the heavy emollients and creams I use- I'm sure this bacteria makes the skin itch more. When you're an itchy person the thought of this can make your skin crawl (it does mine).

This is probably not the best thing to do but I use an exfoliating body glove on the rough dry spots. It's the only thing that gets rid of that flaky skin for me. As long as I don't rub too long or hard & irritate my skin it can actually make it feel soft (even normal sometimes).

I think I am a bit different... I am an E baby Dad. After reading so much about other parents flighting their baby's eczema, I would like to voice some of my techniques I have used to help my now 20 months baby (BTW, he has had eczema since birth).

First of all, we find eczema on different parts of the body signifies different causes. Body and face seems to caused by food allergies (from internal) whereas arms, legs from dust ..etc (from external source). We found zinc + castor oil seems to help a lot for the arms and legs.

About baby scratching, we had a hard time on this one. Baby is baby, the only way you can help is try (very hard) to divert his/her attention from scratching during the day and wear one-piece "body suit" and use looong gloves (we use adult socks ) at night. We found wearing body suite helps a lot at night - it reduces the degree of damage from unintentional scratching and help to make sure he won't get cold (My baby will scratch everywhere - pull up his coat and scratch his stomach - during sleep.

One thing I found out is my wife and my eczema son both feel a lot warmer than me. According to my Chinese Dr, that is the cause of their eczema. The Dr 's cure is some herb which lowers the "fire" in their body. The herb works very well for my wife ( I think she is more or less cured) but we have not yet dared give it to my son (because of his age ). The herbs (from my research) are quite lethal.

I have used Vaseline for a long time now. When I was young my dr said that the skin could absorb it better. I also used and still use Alpha Keri bath oil (wonderful stuff!!!), it's a little expensive for me though so I cut it with Mineral Oil. Check out the ingredients of a lot of cremes and bath oils, the number one ingredient is Mineral Oil. I use Mineral Oil to take my make-up off at night or as a "night creme". If I'm really bad, I will take a bath with Alpha Keri bath oil and Mineral Oil or Canola Oil, then use Mineral Oil as a lotion when I get out, then Vaseline over that. I just slip right into bed after that... 

I recently tried the Evening Primrose Oil and Cod Liver Oil and I am doing wonderfully. We also just purchased an ionizer for our house so I am not sure which has done the most good but I feel better than I have in years and went jogging at lunch today!! (sweat and all!!!!)

My personal opinion on the subject of bathing is... I take baths every day. I had a dr tell me once that I was washing away all my own body oils and that was why I had dry skin (obviously he has never had eczema). My body doesn't seem to produce much oil so I give it some with the Alpha Keri (getting a soft water service helped too!!). I think an eczema patient should do what makes them feel the best and bathing with bath oil is my salvation when my skin is bad. I feel more dry the longer I go without. I have also had infections in my eczema and don't ever want that again so I wash as much as I can.

Also, I have had a dr tell me how to tell if someone has eczema. He took a tongue depressor and touched the back of my throat with it and I had no reaction. He said that people without eczema would be gagging if he did that to them. He said that people with eczema do not have much if any gag reflex. I don't know why but with all the vitamins/antihistamines that I take, I'm glad that I don't gag.

Wishing you all a day, like I had today, NO ITCHING (I got so much done!)

I have read about the great success eczema sufferers have with the beach initially. Unfortunately, it wears off after 3 weeks. I'll be interested in everyone's response and start booking reservations for the summer.

Royce, Thank you for your long message to us E. moms. I am glad to see I am not the only one to discuss leaky gut. My son was diagnosed with this at 4 months old. He is on a very restricted diet as designated by the E baby foods message. Can you provide me with a list of your good foods? What is L-Glutamine? What are DHEA levels? How bad is your eczema? My son has it head to toe if not on this restricted diet. Will he get better? Are there daily vitamins you also take? I have so many questions. Was this a birth defect, leaky gut? Have you tried homeopathy? Chinese herbs? Have you ever heard of MSM, tried aloe vera or evening primrose? Since there are so many possible causes, a diagnosis the same as my son's is very excitng. I can also communicate successful products with an adult, the baby can't tell me if I am helping him!

Sorry to disappoint you, but I think there is literally nothing to translate there. It seems to be just two references to journal articles (title and source).

We use dye-free detergent to wash our cloths, and rinse twice, use dove soap to hand wash my son's cloths and sheet, his Allergist thinks I'm crazy, but I'll continue to do that as long as I have time.

Ann, Did that herpes infection leave any scars on you? My son's face is healed up but with some scars, the Dr. says it may go away if given enough time, I hope this is true and doesn't take too long.

Richard, You mentioned in yesterday's posting that you had taken cyclosporine for a year and didn't itch during that time. I was wondering if you had been prescribed it for the eczema, as one theory is that we have an overactive immune system. 

My derm -- having tried everything else (in orthodox medicine) -- wants to put me on Immuran, which is another immunosuppressant, but I am very wary. He says it's no worse (in terms of suppressing your immune system) than the prednisone (10 mg/day) that I have been taking for 13 years. But, to me at least, the prednisone is a known commodity: it did result in osteoporosis, but as far as my immune system goes, I rarely get sick, so don't think it is too depressed. 

Whether or not you took the cyclosporine FOR the eczema, could you let us know whether you think it "did the trick" for your skin, and also whether you had other bad side effects from it. BTW, I agree with your observation that the primary reason that we scratch is because we itch, and bad. All the rest (habit, self-comfort) probably has a small role, but usually declines dramatically when the primary stimulus is gone.

When I was young, the ocean was wonderful for my skin. Getting in was tough because the salt water would burn but my mother would make me get in knowing the results would be good. So, remembering this, last summer I would go three days a week after work and go in the water but I would get worse. The water around here gets pretty contaminated from sewage (Ugh!!) but if any of you come to town, be sure and look me up!!! I'll take you to the HOT spots (Ha-Ha).

Hi everyone, I'm sure the E moms and dads can relate to this story -- I'm sorry but I have to "let it out" somehow. My 7 mos. old (Brian) woke up at 4 a.m. with bloody socks (which he had pulled off his hands). So when I turned on the lamp to look at the damages, I never expected what I saw -- the entire left side of his face and ear were red, bloody, and oozing. It almost looked like he had been burned. It looked awful and I was in tears big time! I washed his face gently and put some antibiotic cream (Neosporin) on it. He wanted to "talk and play" so it must not have been as painful as it looked. Needless to say, I didn't get much sleep last night because after I went back to bed, I was just too upset! I spoke to his doctor's office this morning, and they said to apply Neosporin 3 times today, and if it's not much better by tomorrow, bring him in. Things just can't go on this way for him. I really can't wait to get allergy tests done on him -- as a matter of fact, I think I'll call the allergist today to schedule an appt. Anyhow, hope you and your children have a good day!

Shanon, I've never tried Alpha Keri bath oil. I've always just used baby oil, but it doesn't really seem to help that much. I shower in the morning and then cover with baby oil and pat skin dry. I've never used the Vaseline petroleum jelly either -- wouldn't it be very messy to put on under my work/dress clothes? If you think it would be OK, I'll try it. Also, how did you try the Evening Primerose Oil and Cod Liver Oil -- orally or open capsule and apply to skin? I take the EPO capsules (usually 2 a day) when I remember. 

Kim asked me about the clothes washing disks. My observation is this: if you have an office job where you do not get TRULY dirty but just need to get off body odor, they are fine. They do not get dirt out of my husband's clothes (construction worker). They do not get the children's daily grime out, either.

I have to use SHOUT on the clothes if I am to have any luck removing stains--especially anything tomato-based.. Georgia clay is impossible to remove without ritual sacrifice to the deity in charge of laundry.. (a little humor there!)

Shaklee Basic-H is pretty neat on bad stains and it is non-toxic. I can't afford to use it all the time, though.

So, Kim, the disks aren't effective for the real life dirt of active families. If you work in an office, I sure would give them a try.

Detergent didn't seem to be a big problem for that ol' EJ boy because we use ALL Free and Clear all the time, anyway. I now use 1/2 the amout I once did and the disks. I SHOUT the stains of the entire gang.

Linda, I am so sorry you had such a bad night. When Daniel was that age (now 16 mos) blood was a fairly normal sight in the morning. I don't know if it was as bad as your experience of course. He scratched alot harder back then and I felt like putting socks on his hands just gave him rug burn. His skin used to ooze alot back then and when he would scratch with the little socks on he would just take the layers of skin with them. I finally just let him sleep without socks on and kept his nails cut as short as I possibly could. Now he has learned to scratch with the backs of his hands---they are really rough and dry... We still find blood in the sheets but not nearly as bad as when he was an infant.

I hope it is comforting to know that we are all out here with some of the same problems---it sure is for me. I have only been on this list for a couple of weeks and it makes me feel like I am not alone with such a challenging problem. I have never seen another child's skin that looks like Daniel's---we are always asked questions about his face in public. Anything from does he have the measles, chicken pox, what happened to him???

Was it only me sitting at the computer, sticking a pen down my throat? I have to say, I definitely DID gag. And I definitely have eczema. Those scaley red itchy areas are a bit of a giveaway that I have it, without any gag test! But I had fun trying it out.

Re: "Beach Cure". So many possible factors: salt water is healing; sun is good too (as in UVA treatments); being on vacation usaully means time away from work stress and/or dusty house with pet dander; ocean air is generally pollen free; vacation clothes less irritating than work clothes... 

Re: scars from herpes infection. My mother used to tell me that some mark on my groin area was from the herpes infection, but now it is indistinguishable from other souvenirs. After 50 years of life and skin trouble, I have many permanent marks. Anyhow, the infant herpes infection did not leave any major scars on me. Rashes usually hide things like scars so when I notice one, I'm happy because it means my skin is doing well!

Linda, You may want to ask your doctor about Neosporin. Several doctors have told me to use polysporin instead. Something in Neosporin can cause allergic reactions. I hope your little boy is better today. I myself do more damage with fabric than with short smooth fingernails. I have no idea if it would be safe on a baby, but nail polish on the ends of the nails really makes mine far less lethal. I would be afraid that a baby might chew off the polish.

We've been using evening primrose oil on Isaac (now 21 months) for almost a year. At first we gave him only about a teaspoon a day, and it had no effect. Then we found an M.D. who said to give him a lot more (like 5 tsps) per day. That seemed to help. It took about a month to show an improvement, but it really did seem to make a difference. And when we'd stop giving it to him, about two weeks later, he'd start to get worse.

Then we got word from a nutritionist that it might not be good to be giving him that much. After pushing her, she said that the essential fatty acids that she worries most about are not actually gamma-linolenic (in EPO), but the ones in fish oils--the Omega-3 essential fatty acids. We were giving Isaac a salmon gelcap that had 220 mgs of EPA and 180 mg of DHA (Omega-3s), and we stopped that.

So we still don't know whether the evening primrose oil, "high doses" (a tsp. or more a day) is a problem. Our pediatrician (who doesn't believe in this stuff, but had looked it up for another patient) says that it's not harmful.

If any of you DOES want to try evening primrose oil for a baby, you might want to look for NOW (brand) evening primrose oil in the 4 oz. bottles. It is a LOT cheaper than anything we've found in capsules, including borage oil (another source of GLA). We get it from our health food store here for about $14 for 4 ounces, which the bottle says is equivalent to 227 500mg softgels of EPA (I'm trusting them--haven't done the math). It's also alot easier than trying to get the oil out of the softgels, for babies who can't yet take pills.

I also wanted to comment on the food allergy issue... for those of you who have kids who are "allergic to everything," or for whom it seems that way. We had a lot of luck with a rotation diet. It's a pain, but the theory makes sense--you don't load the kid up with any particular food, and their bodies can tolerate the small, intermittent amounts. We did a four-day rotation for a long time--split all the foods into four different days, and them moved to a two-day. It's complicated because you have to arrange the foods by food GROUPS--ie, all "nightshades" on the same day (potatoes, peppers, etc), so it can get tough to figure out what goes on what day. There are books available to help figure out how to divide up the food groups, or I could let people know what we did, if anyone's interested. The biggest challenge is the grains--everything is related to wheat, and hence belongs on the same day. The exceptions are quinoa and amaranth (buckwheat, though unrelated, has some similar chemical properties, apparently). So we had a wheat-related day, a quinoa day, an amaranth day, and a day of no grains. The no-grain day included other nice carbos, but it was tough on quinoa and amaranth day--we did/do a lot of baking with those grains, and it's tricky... there's an allergy cookbook that has helped us--I think it's called "The Food Allergy Cookbook".

Interesting that you have been taking prednisone at low dosage for 13 years... do you think that it is doing anything for you after that length of time? I find that prednisone works for me less and less and sometimes I don't get the maximum relief until after I have been off it for a while. I would add my "2 cents" that maybe it is time to try something else... the first perhaps being taking nothing for a while, then if that doesn't get you somewhere, try the immuran. In my case, I can't use the immuran because I have a liver problem, but I wish that I could try it. I agree that habit and self control have little to do with scratching. When you itch, you scratch. You don't for the most part scratch first then itch later (although there is some of that when you leave the original area of itching).

Wow I feel like I could write a book about everything I experimented with to help my E. Unfortunately, I don't know that it would necessarily help anyone. Everyone seems to be different. One thing I wish for is a vaccine for E. - I really hope they come up with something soon. I will try to answer your questions as best as possible but understand that I am only relaying what I remember from my experiences & from the information given to me from my doctors.

The following is a list of your good foods:

• most proteins incl. meat, poultry, most fish, tofu, eggs - I was very allergic to eggs at one time but now I can eat them like mad and feel fine - 
• oils (most) 
• small portions of beans 
• almost all vegetables 
• mayonnaise is okay for me 
• sesame seeds 
• small portions of rice, pasta & potatoes. I try to eat mostly proteins with vegetables (without additives) & I don't mix proteins with starches too often because I think it's harder to digest that way.
• also helpful to me is Vitamin E oil (5 drops) & flax seed oil (1 tbs. per day in AM with about 1/2 cup of soy milk), Zinc (30 mg capsules) & L-Lysine (1000mg) all taken with protein.

Also, I go to acupuncture 1 x per month. I think it helps regulate my cycle (I used to have a very irregular menstrual cycle & bad PMS). It's weird but with me everything is connected; all stresses on my body effect the eczema. If something is off my eczema acts up. Even when I am constipated my eczema can flare (probably because the toxins are held in the body for too long (also related to leaky gut, I think).

Since you were interested in the "good" foods I figured the "bad" ones might be of interest too:

• yeast (bread products, wine, beer... ) 
• mold (some cheeses... ) 
• shellfish (I love it so I eat it & suffer the consequences once in a while) 
• most fruit -esp. citrus incl. tomato sauce & ketchup 
• fermented foods (incl. vinegar) 
• nuts 
• too much complex carbs (I eat very little sugar) 
• too much starch (incl brown rice)

I believe that the overuse of cortisone creams all my life has caused some problems. I now have dark looking skin on my neck- the skin is normal & smooth to the touch but has dark lines which looks like dirt or a weird suntan. I've tried various bleaching creams & Retina A to get rid of it but those products only irritated my skin which makes the problem worse, if anything. So BEWARE of this side effect when using cort. creams. I think this discoloration may be called atrophy (not sure).

L-Glutamine is an amino acid that I've heard referred to as brain food. The holistic doctor said that taking enough of it (he recommended 4000mg per day) would build up the walls of the stomach so the toxins wouldn't leak out.

From what I understand, leaky gut is an increase in intestinal permeability which results in toxins, antigens etc. crossing the intestinal barrier which can cause many clinical conditions, one of which is food allergies. When I went to the holistic doctors they said that I had a high level of candida yeast in my system and thought this might be causing the eczema to flare. I spoke to my mom about it and she said that I was born with thrush. I was convinced that there was a connection at the time but can't be sure.

My eczema goes from bad to worse to clear depending on a million things. Right now I am pretty good but a couple of months ago I was covered head to toe and could barely sleep, work or do anything. Even the water from the shower burned. My doctor put me on prednisone which almost entirely cleared my skin within 2 days (problem: pred. kept me up all night). I had to wean off of it for a couple of weeks though and as I did the E. started coming back with a vengeance I was back where I started until I discovered that propylene glycol was one major culprit. I threw out all the products I had that contained this chemical and decided only to use my Theraplex moisturizers and zinc oxide ointment (a lot of the cortisone creams have this chemical in them too). When I'm red or itchy I do the "evaporation" thing which seems to help.

Have I tried homeopathy? Yes. I tried on my own with the little homeopathic medicinal pellets you put under the tongue a few times a day. The ones I tried are: sulphur, sepia, graphites, Apis Mellipica & Thyrodium (the most effective for me). They seemed to help a bit but I don't use them anymore. It's hard to keep up with the various regimens.

DHEA, from what I understand, is a hormone regulator that everyone has some level of in their bodies. The pill form is available over the counter now but its effectiveness has not been proven. They say it can aid in weight loss, anti-aging process and a lot of other things. Since my level was low they thought that it may have had an effect on my hormones and adrenals.

I've tried various herbs but what I found is that I seem to be allergic or sensitive to many of them probably because I am allergic to plants and flowers.

I never heard of MSM, what is that? I've used aloe vera topically and have found its soothing & healing properties to be helpful. I keep some in the refrigerator: the coolness on my skin is nice sometimes. I've also drank the stuff but didn't see a noticeable difference. I think Evening Primrose used topically and taken orally is helpful after about 3 months. I used to take it religiously and I will probably start that again because I think it's helpful.

In the past I've found that sun helps for about 2 days, then I get a really bad outbreak. But I tend not to like the sun much anyway, as I burn so easily.

But the sea is great (after I've plucked up enough courage to go in there, with everyone looking at my legs like they're leprous). It always heals me up and calms down the E. By the time I've been in for a week, my legs look almost normal. I used to put on loads of moisturiser, but after a while I found it wasn't really necessary - I didn't dry out that much.

The other day in the supermarket I found a carton of 'Tidman's Sea Salt for Bathing'. It says on the box 'Helps improve skin conditions. An effective healing agent.' I've tried it twice, but I must say, the second time I had a very itchy night. I'll try it again though, as I'd also eaten more cheese than I should this last week. But for those like me who can't get to a beach regularly, this could be a substitute.

Hi Linda, I have used the Alpha Keri Bath Oil all my life and love it!! I buy it in 16oz. bottles and put a small squeeze bottle of it and mineral oil half and half in the shower. When I turn the water off, I rub it on my skin then pat dry. I am one of the many people that react to the lanolin in baby oil but usually only on my face, it gets red and puffy. I like the Alpha Keri (I look for the generic brands of it) because it penetrates my tough skin and makes it soft. I only use the Vaseline at night before I go to bed because if it gets on you clothes, it's hard to get out. I use lotion when I shower in the morning before work but I still use the oils, I just don't get dressed right away (aren't you glad you're not in my house in the morning).

Anyway, I think that the EPO and Cod Liver Oil with the vitamins C and E are making the biggest difference. Someone at work yesterday said that my face was not swollen like normal.

Also, I am ready a pretty good book call "Allergies... Disease in Disguise" by Carolee Bateson-Koch DC ND published by Alive Books P.O. Box 80055 Burnaby BC V5H 3X1. It has some interesting information about enzymes and their effect on allergies, also on enzyme therapy.

Hang in there Moms, I can remember my mom saying to me when I was young with my E "I would gladly take your place if I could". Well now I'm a mom and I went 18 years without any E symptoms and now I have it again but my daughter doesn't and I thank the Lord every day. My heart aches at some of the moms w/little eczema sufferers on this list. Hang in there, my mom did and it paid off for us for a long time and I know I will get well again!!!

Foods that seem safe: 

• applesauce (gerber usually) 
• pears (gerber) 
• prunes (gerber)
• squash (both as gerber jar foods and as fresh, boiled) 
• sweet potato (both as gerber jar foods and as fresh, boiled)
• carrots (both as gerber jar foods and as fresh, boiled)
• turkey (so far, I"ve only tried gerber jars) 
• lamb (ditto)
• Gerber rice 
• puffed rice 
• Minute Rice
• white rice milk (w/ puffed rice cereal) (sometimes I give her rice chex or rice krispies even though there is malt syrup)
• Fleischman's unsalted margarine ("pareve " means no milk products in it)

Things I give her occassionally that I'm not yet sure about: 

• chicken w/rice soup (loves it) 
• banana (fresh) 
• green beans (gerber) 
• fresh delicious apple (both cooked and raw) 
• fresh pear (both cooked and raw) 
• chicken 
• Neocate elemental toddler formula--orange/pineapple flavored

My 12 month old, Julia, was exactly like this (very bloody and oozy all over face) from 7 mos. old until about 11 mos. old. Rash then spread down neck and collar area on wrists and hands.

After talking with other moms on this list I took advice of severe diet changes. That was about the age that she had been eating more foods. So, I backed up to the pure basics again (Gerber applesauce, pears, rice cereal, squash, sweet potato..). And she nurses, so I changed my diet even more--no dairy, wheat, peanut butter, potatoes, or oatmeal. Very little beef or tuna (suspicious foods for us). That, in addition to going to a homeopath (she put her on a daily remedy to boost her immune system to oveercome these allergens on her own) and weekly visits to a chiropractor have made a big improvement! However, I'm going to start bathing her often and see if that helps too.

How funny! We were probably doing it at the same time! I didn't gag for some reason. Anyway, I wonder how that ties in with eczema?

I'm interested in the rotation diet! Are there books you followed or just by a health practioner's recommendation? If books, could you please pass along the titles, annotating the ones you found most interesting and helpful. Did you start with a very small amount of foods (in terms of variety)? I've been quite concerned that I've had my daughter on such a repetitive diet, albeit mild and bland foods for her to digest. 

Tina, You are right about the socks rubbing his skin so hard that it looks like rug burn. I think I'll take your suggestion and stop putting socks over Brian's hands at night. I'll just have to make sure I cut his nails as short as possible and hope for the best. I'm sorry to hear about Daniel -- people haven't asked about Brian's face or problem, however, he doesn't go out much right now since it's so cold. Once Spring has sprung, I'm sure the public will have questions and comments. It's really a shame these little children have to go through this! Hang in there and I'll do the same!

Wendy: Ain't having eczema enough to make anybody gag??? 

Wendy, I am not sure, when I pressed the dr for a reason he didn't seem to have one. He just gave me an example of a somewhat infamous movie actress that was able to perform her role on the big screen because she had eczema. If I take a pen an just touch the back of my throat (not stick it DOWN my throat) I have no reaction.

Have you had your eczema since infancy? I have, maybe that makes a difference.

I took Cyclosporine because I too was going nowhere with steroids and couldn't get better. At the time, I would have done whatever the dr said. It was a godsend. I literally felt normal for the first time since I got eczema at 13 yrs old. So why did I stop? I started getting migraines, which on the scale of things is worse than eczema and I wasn't sure that the Cyclosporine wasn't causing them.

Also, like you, I am wise enough to know that you cannot go around messing with heavy duty drugs without paying for it at some time down the road. I'm not quite ready to give up my future for a comfortable present. Also, it's an expensive habit. Each pill was $3 and I was taking 1-3 pills per day. Even with insurance, it adds up. Also, I had to take a blood test once a month to make sure that kidneys were ok. With all that said, I would rather go back to Cyclosporine and its potential side effects, than prednisone with its side-effects and no real relief... 

Linda, Don't worry, all eczema babies do that... try to use very long adult sock on his arms. The correct way we found is to put the socks on first before any pyjamas (one piece body suit in our case). Before we found out this method, my baby's ear, foot, neck are always bloody in the morning. Things have been going a lot better nowaday as I started to learn more about it from you guys/gals! I would say he is OK now - at least he is not bloody in the morning - he still has his eczema on his hand/foot. He used to have eczema everywhere - special attention to diet seems to help the eczema on his face/body.

I have been putting up with the general public asking about Daniel's skin since he was only a couple weeks old---but it really hit hard at my older son's preschool when a little girl pointed at Daniel and asked "What happened to him?" I think I handled it well--just said " He has really itchy skin and it gets red when he scratches it.. " then I tried to let her know it was ok for her to touch him... But, it gave me a weird feeling of what might be to come if we don't get things under control before he gets much older.

I also know we could have it alot worse, disease and health wise... so I am not trying to whine... 

No scientific research, but my daughter's eczema and other allergies are always lots better after a beach trip. Her dermatologist told me that lots of his patients have the same results.

Yes, we use vaseline on our daughter's skin. I buy the Vaseline Brand of Pure Vaseline. It's rather greasy, though.

Also, at one point the dermatologist had us using Crisco (has to be this brand) lard. It's greasier than Vaseline. The first time I used it, I got way too much on and she was so slippery I could hardly hold onto her!

Linda, So sorry your son had a bad night with his eczema. I remember those nights well. Here's a hug. Having our daughter tested for allergies was the best thing we ever did for her. The bad part is that we had to stop all antihistamines for one week prior, which made for a horrible 7 days, so be prepared for that.

Just a theory to add to the sun/ocean therapeutic affects we know about.

In addition to the germ killing affect of the sun and the affect the ocean water's contents must have on the skin, I theorize that the skin is purged by the profuse perspiration that occurs when we go in the sun. I think the flow of perspiration allows the pores to be purged and the skin cells to be cleansed by the moisture being forced from the inside of the body out through the skin. Perhaps this is why saunas are beneficial too.

But I should add. Finishing the sun bathing and/or sauna sessions with cool/cold showers water seems to make a big difference in the amount of benefit accomplised, infection reduced, and increased comfort level achieved. Doctors tell us that the cold shower closes the pores. I think there must be more to it than that.

I am not sure where that theory comes from but my gag reflex is so strong I cannot even hold a pen in my mouth without gagging! And I most definately have eczema as my skinless heels can testify to!

Hi everyone- Here's an update since my Bad Night story yesterday. When I got home last evening, Brian looked so much better already. His face looked worse than it actually was from dried blood which was rubbed up and down his face. Once we washed his face (gently) a couple times throughout the day, he looked MUCH better -- just several scratches on his cheek. I'm so thankful it's healing so quickly! Once again, THANK YOU (all of you) for your kind words of concern and encouragement. You made it much easier to get through the day. ... and I'm always learning something from this group -- it's really great! Thanks for all the tips.

Oh, and the thing about the gag test is just hilarious! And reading some of the responses were just too funny -- I needed a good laugh! Have a great day everyone!

Tina, It sounds like you handled the situation well with the girl at preschool. Hopefully you'll be able to get his eczema under control so he doesn't have to deal with it when HE starts preschool. I agree that there are worse things... diseases, etc (much worse things). I try to remind myself (and husband) of that every day. Eczema is no fun, but otherwise our son is a beautiful, healthy little boy and so full of joy. He is such a blessing -- we thank God for him every day. Hope things get better for you (and your son).

Debbie (and Julia), I haven't really given Brian many baby foods yet. So far he's had rice cereal, bananas, green beans, corn (I think had a reaction), sweet potatoes, carrots, butternut squash (yuk!), and turkey (just tried this week). Once we have the allergy testing done, I think/hope it will be very helpful in controlling his eczema (especially on his face). He seems much better since I quit nursing (until his episode the other night). Around 10:00 that evening he had rice cereal with bananas (and a bottle of formula, of course) -- I wonder if he's allergic to rice or bananas???

A Dr of Chinese Medicine told me that Kelp has a lot to do with it. At the beach, it is in the air, sand and water but when I was young it didn't help to go to the beach if I didn't go in the water. I take Kelp everyday, it seems to help but I tried several things at one time, now I am clear and don't know what did it. I am not willing to stop any of them right now because I am enjoying my health!!!

Our daughter 5 months old has had eczema since she was 3 months. My wife is pretty much a vegetarian, I have the family history of fair and tender skin. Our baby is 100% breastfed, born at home. She got the rash on her cheeks, and it also was on her forearms and calves. 

My wife has made a number of herbal salves and we have talked to numerous homeopathic doctors and herbalists. There are good books on herbal care for children at most natural food coops. We have almost entirely organic cotton bedding and clothing, including diapers. Though now we have switched to Tushies and Seventh generation aloe vera wipes. A neigbor told us about bag balm, it turns out to have sulpha in it and caused our daughter to break out head to toe in hives... we were very scared and finally went to a pediatrician and were immediately given the full regimen- prednisolone, oral antibiotic and baby benadryl. 

Our daughter hated the antibiotic and barely tolerated the liquid prednisone, but after five days it was all cleared up. She then rebounded and we found a dermatologist who turned us on to the Aquanil hc and Cetaphyl (though we dont like the lotion and now have doubts about the cleanser) and Vaseline... the vaseline alone seemed to do a lot of good, though my wife hates using a petroleum product. We were trying Aveeno for our daughter's flare ups, as a substitute for cortisone, and trying a vegetable based vaseline-like product for a moisture barrier. 

It was a real boost to see all the info from so many people on eczema. The Aveeno anti itch cream with calamine worked somewhat but the aveeno lotion caused her skin to get worse... we found a homeopathic cream that we are going to try. Pure Aloe Vera with the vegelatum ointment is working well on her legs. She found a vegetable vaseline substitute, and it works though it must be used more often. We are now avoiding ALL wool (including those expensive natural baby covers we got so many of) we bought some HEPA filters, and our dogs no longer come in the house. Things have stabilized, though my wife is still very interested in getting input from other homeopathic docs or people, and herbalists. 

We use a cortisone creme lotion when we have to (a couple of times a week). Our baby is 100% breastfed, and we are really (that is my wife... ) working on her diet. Simple, steamed basmati rice and vegetables carrots, asparagus and broccoli, we have recently introduced chicken. She is avoiding soy, dairy, sweets including fruits and juices, she drinks rice milk, has a rice/oat/barley cereal mix in the am. We eat pretty much all organic foods, and did for a year before conception, along with no drugs or alcohol.

This stuff must be genetic, though we do see correlations between what my wife eats and our daughter's skin condition. We were initially bathing her in warm water no soap every day, but that just aggravated things. Now we are been bathing her every other day with Cetaphil, no baths. 

We have started a course of homeopathic treatment so we'll see how that works in about two weeks. 

My wife has been doing the baby clothes in the laundry by doing a natural detergent at one quarter strength then a vinegar rinse followed by a baking soda rinse. We are using a spray on her scalp, Na-PCA non oily with aloe vera, from the local coop made by Twin Lab in NY. Other natural products that are working, Simicort a cream herb product substitute for cortisone, made by Enzymatic Therapy in Green Bay Wisconsin 54311 800-783-2286 also natural baby body lotion from Aubrey organics 1-800-aubreyh. Both of these products have some fragrance, but they are working on our daughter.

From what I've read so far, it does seem that one person's cure is another's nightmare, such as lanolin. By word of mouth we have heard of things that have worked for some people... be forwarned... some say bag balm, it contains sulpha and lanolin, some say curel, or eucerine, or cetaphyl. Names most of you are probably familiar with. 

Another thought... test your water, chlorine, bromine and possible metals can be an irritant. We are very interested in successes with various natural products. One good tip from my own experience-I had very bad hay fever from puberty till age 31 when I gave up caffein and refined sugar completely (no pepsi or iced tea either) and started eating organic and only rarely red meat. I love fish and seafood... But since that time I have had no hay fever or significant allergies, and I used to have pills and steroid inhaler-the works. 

Good wishes to all, and I believe that copious amounts of love for our afflicted ones and their caregivers really does help and really does matter. 

This sounds like a good theory, but there must be something more to it than this, because if I work up a good sweat during indoor exercise, my skin flares up afterwards. This also happens after outdoor exercise in the summer (in the sun) I haven't been on a beach vacation for several years, but when I was a kid, swimming in the ocean every day would clear up my hands every time, so I think the ocean has a lot to do with it. I was just thinking, you can get ocean salt at the pet shop to make salt water for marine fish tanks. Maybe I'll get some of that to make ocean water to soak my hands in. I'll let you know if it works.

Hi. One thing that I noticed throughout the years, that makes E/allergies even more annoying, is that my allergies to things change from time to time. At one time I was allergic to eggs; now they don't bother me at all. I used to have a dog; now I can't even enter a home that has one without having a full blown reaction. Nuts used to be okay; now if I eat them I wake up with a red face in the morning. Various moisturizers, creams, chemicals, vitamins etc. were okay but now I notice I am sensitive to many products I had used for years (one ex: I used Eucerin for a long time until one day it started to make my skin worse. The cortisone creams, I believe, everyone has to switch around because you can build up a tolerance to them.

Does anyone else notice this? It's so hard to keep track of what to and not to stay away from. You think you figured it out until the next allergy attack and then the detective work starts all over again... 

I too notice great results when I'm in the sun (esp. at the beach when I go in the ocean)- but I have to be careful not to burn. Also, I've had some luck soaking in a tub with Dead Sea Salts and some type of oil or aveno oatmeal product (I know aveno doesn't agree with everyone but the gentle bath/shower cleanser, which I use everyday in place of regular soap & the oatmeal work for me.)

By the way, does anyone know of a good, gentle sunscreen (SPF #8 or something)?

Royce, I have had good luck for years with Shade UVAGuard. It's only a 15 SPF (burn protective) so it wouldn't be good for all day on the beach. But it contains the best aging protective (according to my derm dr.) so it's good for everyday- around-town use. It's fragrance free and has a nice greasy feel. It does contain a lot of strange sounding chemicals - so beware! When I'm concerned about burning (like on the beach or skiing or watersliding), I use Coppertone Water Babies UVA/UVB Sunblock Lotion SPF 45. It is scented and full of those strange chemicals. I have never used it day after day, but it seems OK for me to use occasionally.

I am fairly new to this eczema thing. My daughter, now 16 months old, had her first bad "flare up" when she was 11 months old. What started out as dry, flaky patches concentrated on her legs and face had turned into bright red, swollen, oozy welts on 75% of her body. She was absolutely miserable. I took her to our family doctor who diagnosed her with eczema and told us to apply lubriderm lotion and benedryl for the itchiness. When that didn't help much I took her to a derm. who again diagnosed Hannah with atopic dermitis. He prescribed Desowen lotion .05%. Desowen is a low-potency, Group VI topical corticosteroid lotion. The active ingredient is desonide.

I feel hesitant to give my baby steroids (although they have made a significant improvement in her skin). When I asked the derm. about any side effects he kind of blew me off (as if I dared to question him). Any way, I wanted to get some feedback from the group. Has anyone ever heard of Desowen? Do any of the other moms and dads out there give their small children similar medicines?

Also, does time of year seem to have any effect on the disease? It seemed Hannah definately got worse towards autumn (when it first starts to get cool here, although we have had a very mild winter). Does this mean we can look forward to spring? Is this wishful thinking?

We use Desonide Cream on our 16 mo old son every now and then. Steroids scare me alot and we are trying all new things we've been reading about here. Some of the side effects I have read or been told about are thinning of the skin---actually being able to see the little veins and bleeding easier. Like I said, I don't use them but every couple of weeks and I was told never to put it on his face.

Our allergist said winter is harsher because it is so cold and dry here. Daniel did look alot more clear last summer. I would let him be in direct sun for 5 to 10 minutes then go play in the shade. His legs and arms were still scratched up because of wearing shorts and such---but face wasn't as bad..

Maybe some allergists don't have the same rules for their testing.Our allergist only had us keep Daniel off of his antihistimines for 2 days before the tests. The first time we went in his skin was so bad they drew blood and sent it off for tests to milk peanut etc... (the Biggies).

Royce, I know exactly what you mean. I almost think that I get a reaction if I use something more than once a day. I'm trying to use different lotions, creams, cortisones, in the morning and night. Like you said though, it is hard to keep track of it all. As I am writing this, I was absent mindedly scratching my leg, and now it is bleeding. Just like that. Ah the joys of eczema! Hang in there!!

My eczema seems to get worse in the spring. But I have seasonal allergies that also go crazy then too. I use DesOwen lotion often; supposedly it is one of the lowest potent steroids. It feels soothing though and helps with the itch, especially on my face. Good luck and I hope your baby is doing o.k.

Exercise used to give me terrible hives, redness, and itching. I did it anyway. Now my sweat makes me itch and burn, but probably only because my skin is broken. I try to avoid sweating if possible: swimming, running at night or on a treadmill in front of a fan, bike riding in skimpy clothing. It seems like the eczema is always worse under my jog bra.

I just ordered the zinc stuff. I hope it works. I'm in the middle of a bad outbreak, my antihistamines have mysteriously stopped working (second type that this has happened with), and I need a good night's sleep.

It seems like I will eventually become allergic to everything if I use it long enough, including everything the doctor prescribes about halfway through the tube. I haven't noticed any food allergies, but I am keeping a food diary, which I just started recently. I once read the results of a study that said that 60% of ALL conditions cleared up on their own when a daily journal was kept. I also just started L-lysine, and would be interested to hear of any side-effects anyone may have noticed. I would also like to hear about the results of UVA. I used that several times in the past very successfully for psoriasis, which was my bad skin problem growing up. It has now been replaced with the topic of this list!!

I'm the parent of a 22 year old young woman with severe food allergies and eczema. My experience has been that anything "strong" was too strong. That was my first impulse when I read your first post about using Head and Shoulders. Your last note suggests that it is causing some problems.

Eucerin has lanolin, doesn't it? Both my daughters react to lanolin. Cetaphil, however, was recommemded amd seemed ok. The ingredient in Desitin is the zinc oxide... might try a more pure form? OR the zinc formulation some others on this list have suggested... just a thought.

I found out when Bonnie was 3 months old that she was suffering from allergic eczema. Up til then I'd been told that she was just "a cranky baby" and that she had a bad "heat rash". I weaned her on Drs advice and put her on a soy formula. She seemed to undergo a transformation... clear, beautiful skin, and she became a truly joyful child.

This changed when she started solid foods. Eventually I had to think of a million ways to cook lamb, carrots, rice, and bananas. These were the only things she could tolerate. Even then, these had to be rotated.

Things that helped her included Balnetar (a tar bath that soothed her skin) and Aveeno colloidal oatmeal bath. The only soap she could use was glycerin, clear, unscented. Of course the steroid ointments helped immensely as did the antihistimines. (However, I now believe that these are as much a curse as a blessing.)

During Bonnie's teens the reactions slowed down, and she seemed to have "outgrown" most of her problems. Recently, however, she has had a relapse of major proportions. She has had so many injections of cortisteroids that Drs now tell her she has probably done considerable damage to some vital systems. The list of pollens, molds, foods, danders, etc. to which she has tested as severely allergic is mind-bending.

9 years after Bonnie was born, I had Katie and immediately recognized her problem. Although both my midwives and her pediatrician assured me that she just had "heat rash", I knew she was displaying eczema and allergic reactions. I first tested this hypothesis by taking all milk, corn, and wheat out of my own diet for two weeks. Then, I simply gorged on ice-cream, milk, and cheese. During my "fasting" phase, her skin cleared up 100%. Just hours after my milk diet began, she again displayed serious skin disruptions. I then eliminated all milk products from my diet, as well as anything that seemed to affect Katie. Of course I monitored my diet carefully and watched Katie for any reaction.

In this way I was able to keep nursing her. She stayed clear most of the time, and except for one incident of an asthma-like reaction after exposure to dust (from a herd of goats), she has had few allergic reactions.

Today, Katie does break out in hives or itchy rashes when she is exposed to animal dander, but has very few of the problems that Bonnie has had to live with for most of her life. There are foods Katie avoids because they "make her tongue tingle" but no severe reactions have surfaced. I really attribute this to noticing her skin condition on the day she was born, recognizing the similarity and ACTING ON IT, in spite of the well-meaning advice of my care-givers.

Bonnie still finds Balnetar to be comforting (despite its awful smell) though the oatmeal now causes some problems for her. Vaseline and mineral oil are almost the only thing she can put on her skin to protect it.

I just include this history to let you know some of the things I noticed with my two children, and a couple of strategies that worked for us. We have no solutions for Bonnie right now. She is trying to learn all she can about her condition, which is one reason that I joined this list.

My heart goes out to all of you who have shared here. From watching my babies suffer with the agonies of the infernal itching I have a glimpse of what sufferers undergo. From many nights trying to lull Bonnie into a state of deep relaxation, and teaching her to use positive imagery to overcome her impulse to scratch, I have a real sense of the helplessness and fear parents of children with eczema undergo. I wish I'd have had this sort of connection to others back then. I just remember feeling so alone... Bless you all... hope some of what I've shared is helpful in some little way.

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