July 1997 Eczema Mailing List Archive

Unfortunately, there's a semantic issue here.

A true food ALLERGY will, indeed, show a fairly immediate reaction. A food SENSITIVITY, however, may take as long as a day (or more) to show up.

If what you're sensitive to is a byproduct of the digestion of a given food, or is related to things like Leaky Gut syndrome, you're not going to see an immediate reaction. The food has to reach a certain point in the digestive process before it causes trouble.

I'm told by both an allergist and a dermatologist that tests for food allergy or sensitivity are not accurate for anyone, with or without eczema. Having never had any food allergy tests, I can't judge... 

On a more personal note... My eczema seems to be calming down lately. Dunno if it's significant, but right about the time it seemed to start easing off is when our water softener clogged up, and we disconnected it. I've been showering in hard water for the last few weeks. This is especially interesting, given that I never in my life had eczema until we moved into this house with the softener. Probably not related, but it's certainly one of those "things that make you go 'hmmm'... "

Interferon is a shot that I take intravenously. The way I understand it works is that it suppressed the T cells. My body produces too many T cells so this medication controls the production. Im sure there are more knowledgeable people out there who can explain more about it.

There are 3 different kinds of interferon; alpha, beta and gamma. The beta is not used for eczema but the other two are used. I tried the alpha (cheaper cost) initially but this did not work. My dr got me on the gamma (more expensive) and I have been doing much better.

When I was a baby, my mother swore she would stay away from using steriod treatments due to a fear that it would someday cause more harm than good. She resorted to soaking me in Balnetar Bath oil and using 10% Boric Acid Ointment after these baths. By the time I was three the eczema had disappeared for years to come.

Anyone with eczema has a problem with their T cells. Someone mentioned that interferon's another immunosuppressant like steroids are, so they weren't interested, just remember the interferon is working on the cause and the steroid is just treating a symptom.

Did your eczema come back?... mine also went away after the first few years and then came back with a vengeance later on. I would doubt that the bath oil and ointment were the cures, but rather relief during the time it was active.

Just wanted to update people on our experiment with stopping all emolients on Isaac's skin (he's 2, had eczema since 5 mos.). One month ago we stopped putting Aquafor on him; we'd been slathering him with it a few times a day. The first few days after we stopped he looked pretty bad--very dry, cracky skin--and he scratched maybe a little bit more than normal. Then he started to get better, and now his skin actually looks pretty good. He has no scabs anywhere on his body (except for some skinned knees), and although his legs and elbows are very dry looking, they don't seem to itch him very much.

During this month, we have put a light layer of almond oil on his skin about 8 times--when he asked for it. We probably could have gone completely cold turkey, but we decided to let him decide on this.

In the last couple of days, we have been forced to use some sunscreen on him, and that definitely is NOT helping the situation; he gets little acne-like bumps a few days later. We are still experimenting to find one that doesn't mess him up.

About the birth order question: Isaac is our first and only kid, and he has eczema. I was allergic to dairy as an infant (and grew out of it), and my husband was allergic to wheat as an infant (and grew out of it). My husband is now allergic to pollen and cats. Because both of us have a tendency to "atopia," which can be manifested as eczema, allergies, or athsma, it was pretty likely that Isaac was going to have one of those things. However, I don't really buy the genetic argument about not having kids for fear of passing on the errant gene. First, the passing is not that clear-cut. Second, the environmental factors contribute to whether the kid gets it or not. Third, even if a kid DOES get it, who's in a better position to parent that child than someone who knows a lot about it and knows what it's like? If we assume that ALL children are going to inherit genes for some problem or other, this seems more like a "so how can we give our kid the best chance possible?" question, not a question of deciding (for that reason) to not have kids at all. Of course, there are good reasons for not having kids, so maybe this just fits in a larger decision not to have them. And adoption is a great alternative, but still, you're going to get a kid who's genetically predisposed to SOMETHING... 

Kay, According to what I've been reading lately, if dust or something lingering in the AC ductwork is an allergen for EJ, that very well could account for the eczema getting worse after turning on the AC. Have you had EJ tested for allergies? My 3-y-o's eczema didn't start improving until after she had allergy testing and we knew the specific culprits to watch out for.

Your allergist said what all doctors say. Food allergies are immediate - this is in many ways true, if I eat crab I come up in very itchy red welts therefore this is a true allergy.

But food intolerances can indeed show up much later. This is something most of us have realised. You do have to be on an elimination diet, introducing 1 new food a week - the results are pretty clear if you try this. It took 4 days back on yeast for a fairly severe eczema reaction in my case, but only 12 hours for a reaction to champagne (not a hangover!!).

It is the standard medical response to say 'you would know what you were allergic to' - but why should we if it is a minor allergy, only getting cumulatively worse. Why are the medical profession so resistant to the idea of food intolerances? They give us muscle relaxants to treat 'irritable bowel', steroid creams to treat eczema, pain killers for headaches, then say 'you've just got to learn to live with it' - but they refuse to consider we may need a more holistic approach and may be affected by food.

Its incredibly hard work to work out your own allergies and its easy to give up. I am sure that not everyone with eczema has food allergies, but I think quite a lot actually do.

BTW, I have come across something in a book today saying that it is usually the oldest child who has the worst allergies. In latter days the eldest had the strongest immune system and most immunity to parasites and nasty diseases and was most likely to survive childhood, now that these are not such a problem and these firstborns with these strong immune systems fight off substances that are no threat with eczema, hayfever etc - totally overreacting to a harmless substance.

Makes sense to me as the eldest and most allergy prone.

Good Stuff: vit C minimum 2000 mg/day vit E 2000 units/day Calcium 3 tabs twice per day 100% daily requirement Flax seed oil caps 7 @ 500 units per day Grape seed extract 4 caps twice per day 1 cap vit B complex 2 caps of Chinese herbs twice per day

Not so good Stuff: Pyruvate Caffeine Slim caps (guarana) Calms Forte (for sleep) Ambien (sleeping pill when needed)

My allergist and dermatologist are both recent grads of med school and both are telling me to get retested with skintests for food allergy . I have been reluctant but am going to do it again, for the third time. Once as a kid. Once at age 29 and about 30 years ago. Both tests gave results that seem accurate for me. But my dermatolgist feels my allergies may have changed. I am not sure why. I gotta ask why next time I see him. The allergist agrees. I have had eczema since six months age. 

I have been following the Prevention Magazine (and a large assortment of their home remedy books) for many years now. I got myself to the local GNC and stocked up on all their recommended supplements including the ones you mentioned above PLUS Evening primrose oil, max EPA (fish oils) zinc, Vit. E, and massive doses of C. The evening primrose oil (both taken internally and applied to the skin) helps keep the skin from getting really dry and the maxEPA works the same way - don't use the maxEPA topically. since I have been taking them, I have not had a really bad flare - but who knows - maybe it is just in remission now. I just keep on taking the supplements because I am afraid not to and they seem to be helping the rest of my body, so it's not a complete loss. It can't hurt - except if you take overdoses of the ones that accumulate. Check an RDA guide for maximum dosages. 

>> Check an RDA guide for maximum dosages. <<

The RDA is for the healthy and non-stressed with no history of disease, does anyone know anyone like this? An old trick for taking high dosages of supplements (especially oil-based), choose one day a week that you don't take any supplements.

Thanks for your info about food allergy/sensitivity. What you write makes a lot of sense. Yet, I must say that like Anjum, I went on a very strict diet for 4-5 years eating only rice, lentils, bananas, pears, turkey, beans, water, and spelt products, and vitamin supplements. It was such a drag. I did keep records of what I ate and even included a rating of how itchy I was each day. Honestly, it didn't seem to help. Like I said earlier, I'm not on a diet anymore (well, I avoid dairy products because of the immediate reaction), and I seem to be doing better than when I was on the diet.

I really think that my eczema much more has to do with the environment in which I live. One year after my family moved into our present house, both my sister and I started getting bad e. But I don't know... even went I went away to university, I didn't seem to get better. Anyways, I hear that the area in which I live is supposed to be one of the worst areas for allergies in Ontario. So, yes, I'm moving out.

But you have got me thinking, and I will try to cut down on the junk food and to vary my foods more, so I don't accumulate mild reactions. and I'll let you know if I get any better.

I'm going to ask my derm about interferon. Just a few more questions: How long does the shot last for, and what are the side effects? Do you know if it can cause any possible long-term damage?

Also, Kelly, you wrote that interferon works on the cause whereas steroids only deal with the symptoms. What do you mean by that? Do you recommend interferon? and has it really cleared you up as well as steroid injections have?

I was having a wonderful several-month-long remission of eczema, then recently started taking grape seed (for reasons other than skin), and about a week later, my eczema has begun to flare up worse than it's been in months. I really don't believe this is an adverse reaction to grape seed at all, but I was wondering if maybe you have to take it for 8 weeks to see a positive effect, like with EFAs?

Also, how much is 8 capsules in milligrams?

Both the dermatologist and the allergest I spoke to were fairly young (at least to my eyes), but I don't know how long it's been since they graduated medical school, or where they did their training. I do know I had to push the dermatologist before he would do basic patch testing, so you may want to take what he says with the same grain of salt I use... 

I should get a better idea on the water softener sometime next week -- the plumber's coming in to put a particulates filter ahead of the softener. Once that's in place, we shouldn't need to worry about having the softener plug up again, and can get it back to doing its job. Then we'll see what happens to my skin... 

I am just curious... most eczema parents say that their children are growing slowly, most likely due to diet (I believe that with my son) and that they are at the low end of the growth scales. With all the diets that adult eczema sufferers put themselves through, are most of you light on the scales? Are most of you adults smaller than your siblings?

El is almost three and has been eating beans for a long time. I read that Kidney beans had a lot of EFA's so he eats them plain about twice a week. But the baked beans at the picnic were the sweetened up with who knows what ( I am alway suspect when somebody else is cooking) Anyway he did not sleep very well but he had eaten a lot of beans. No itching, his skin looked great but I think with was the digestion thing. Anyway, I noticed that he was kind of clamy feeling and I remember that from last summer nights. He was just in his undies, (we don't have AC) but he seemed warmer that typical. So I don't know if he was having a reaction or he was warm for being restless. The next day skin still good, but he and I were grumpy do to lack of sleep. Last night he sleep good, but I could not go to sleep.

We will try another new food in the next couple of days. If we did not have to avoid corn, life would be a lot easier. But I know he eat a better diet than typical for his age, he gets very few sweets (most have corn syrup) So I try to tell my self he won't ever have a weight problem. El has never been skinny. At his 2 year check he was at like 5% height (we are short) and about 40% weight. Is you son thin and has he had trouble gaining weight. Also, you guys don't do wheat and my El is a bread lover so I can see some difference there.

Just wanted to share this with people who would understand. I remember last July 4th holding my son so he would sleep. It was really hot 100+ and the only cool place we could find was my folks basement family room. El was covered with E and if I laid him down to sleep he would wiggle to scratch him self from one end of the bed to the other. We had just been to the Dr. for the 16th time since he was born (1 year and 8 months) with anitiboitic for yet another ear infection. All I could do was sit there and cry and wonder what I was ever going to do to make him comfortable. Well, in the last year we have been to the Dr. 4 times. After taking some foods out of his diet, joining this list, and deciding that the dr. was not as close to a god as he thinks we are 200% happier. Skin is even what I would call good and we are going to the lake over the weekend, it seems we have come along way in the last year and I want to thank everybody on this list for being there for us.

Eczema is part of a bigger disorder, by applying topicals we won't cure anything, in fact steroids worsen the condition, we need to work on what is going on inside our bodies, not the final result.

I have not tried interferon but it still in consideration, I haven't found anything that would make me eliminate is as a treatment option and no, I will never do steroid injection EVER again, you'll kill your adrenals doing that and when your adrenals function less or die your eczema will become severely worse. You guys should really quit playing with this before you become steroid dependent.

I agree that Balnetar Bath Oil and Boric Acid Ointment is no cure for eczema. In fact, I believe there is no cure available for eczema, but I do see it, in my case, as an alternative to steroid treatments.

At age 3 my eczema did go away, but it did reoccur at the age of 14. Since then it is an occational thing, coming and going with activities such as stress and changes in the season. I still continue to treat it with Boric Acid Ointment and direct applications of Balentar Bath Oil. This seems to work pretty well, clearing it up for a while.

I am the tallest in my family (although only slightly) at 6'5''. I'm skinny, but so are half of my siblings, none of whom have eczema.

We took Nathan to the pedi yesterday. Turns out he'd spent the weekend at a conference and heard a pediatric dermatologist speak and he thought about Nathan. She suggested using Triamcinolon ointment rather than the cream (we were using the cream) because it will absorb better and therefore be more effective.

She also said that bathing is fine just as long as you remember to grease up (hydrate) immediately afterwards.

We started round two with the Triam. yesterday and already are seeing a big improvement on N's feet (it was really thick there). Hopefully we can get it to clear up and then can see if we can determine triggering factors.

Anyone know if grass allergies can trigger eczema? He's just started playing outside in the yard in the last couple of weeks (he's been walking for about a month now).

Our dermo also says that much of the worst eczema he sees is in Asian people. I have no idea why this would be so. The dermo has a theory about the immune system and the intestines and eczema in Asian people and he explained it to me but I couldn't follow it well enough to repeat it. I am on an email list for adoptive parents of chinese children and eczema is a regular topic there.

I mentioned recently that my dad died a few months ago and that we were told it was likely connected to long-term interferon use. Last week we got the autopsy report and are advised that the cause of death was primarily leukemia, combined with a number of systemic infections, all as a result of a severely weakened immune system - this weakening having been caused by long-term interferon use. He took interferon shots for five years, from 1986-1990. We were told that the form of leukemia he had can be tolerated and held in remission for years and years, often with the person dying of something unrelated. With the immune system problem, however, dad was not able to handle it. So, please be informed when using interferon.

My son's pediatric gastroenterologist who knows a lot about infant eczema stated that in some cases the children with bad conditions of eczema do not grow at the proper rate. Since my son is not one of those, I did not probe any further. I know that a few subscribers here describe their children on the light side. 

Thanks for the information, I will try kidney beans next. Aren't baked beans made with tomato sause? Citris (ie. tomatoes) is definately out for my son at this point. I forgot to mention three additional items he is eating, celery, barley and watermelon. As far as weight, he was born at 10'9 a pretty hefty weight since I am 115 lb and 5'6". His weight and height are still above average, thank god. My doctor said it is not unusual for children with this condition to have problems growing, I did not probe any further since my son was not one of those. You asked me about, corn, he was prick tested and corn was a low allergen. However, he can only eat white corn. You are right about eating pretty well, a friend's 5 year old survives on hot dogs, pizza and junk cereal. My son eats more than this kid so I've stopped worrying!

My skin has been pretty good the past month or two... And all of a sudden it has started to get worse again. I really haven't changed my diet that I am aware of. The only thing I can think of is the use of air conditioning.

Now, I know that air conditioning is better for allergies and such... However, I am wondering if the fact air conditioners remove humidity from the air could be making my skin conditions worse?

When I sat down and thought about it... My skin cleared up really well after the winter cold had left and I wasn't really using heating anymore. Perhaps that heating and cooling my apartment are removing too much moisture from the air?

I'm wondering if I should get a vaporizer to give this a shot. However, it seems to me that either 1) The air conditioing would remove the moisture pretty quick or 2) I might cause mold growth if I'm not careful, and I know I can be lazy (ie not cleaning the moisturizer properly).

NOTE: I live in an apartment... Electric heat, and room air conditioners. I know the baddies of forced air heating and cooling hehe.

Any input on this would be appreciated. I'm been turning off the A/C at night and opening the windows in an attempt to balance the amount of time I'm spending in the air conditioning.

Lynn - It took months to see any effect and I cannot be sure its the GSE. However, when I upped my dose from 4 caps in the AM to 4/AM, 4/PM, my skin got even better. Coincidence? Ingredients: 40 mg GSE/cap and 830 mg of yucca, hawthorne berry, bilberry, gingkobiloba and milk thistle/cap. It is a product put out by New Visions International. 

I went to a new derm today and she said I shouldn't try any new-fangled treatments like interferon until they were thoroughly researched 4 or 5 times.

I told her I wasn't keen on using topical steroids, but she said that was the best way of treating eczema and that mild dosages wouldn't thin out my skin. I also told her that while they cleared up my skin for two days, the eczema would come back where ever I used the ointment, and even worse. She told me to taper the treatment.

Now, what do you think about that? should I or shouldn't I try steroids again? I've been going cold turkey these past three weeks, and I sometimes I think that little by little my skin is clearing up, but I'm not sure. Maybe it's just my imagination.

How do we go about curing the insides of our bodies? I spent 3 years with a naturopath who said the same thing. She treated me with hydrotherapy, acupuncture, homeopathy, diets, and all sorts of vitamins and chinese herbs, all no no avail. I gave up on her when I began to suspect her of tomfoolery; when I ran out of a certain herb, I would ask for a re-fill, and she would give me a different bottle with a different herb. Everything was in Chinese so I never knew what I was taking. I also realized that she eventually stopped taking records of what she prescribed.

I'm sorry to bother you again, but I'm very interested to hear what you mean by fixing up our insides... detoxification? Kelly, what are you doing, presently, to treat your eczema?

I have had eczema as long as I can remember. When I was younger I mainly had it around the folds of my skin. I am sure it is inherited my father has eczema still to this day and he is 55. Doesn't give me much hope that it will ever get better!

The eczema never was much of a problem until recently. I can remember some times when I was younger that it would get worse, usually over the summer because I like the outdoors and to swim. I realized that sitting in a wet bathing suit really aggravates the eczema.

At the beginning of this year I developed eczema much worse. It is still a mystery as to why. It was all over and I was constantly scratching. I changed allergists. I thought that if I took predisone for a few days it would clear up and go away. I was really only concerned with my face. I never had eczema on my hands. When one area cleared up another would get worse.

At the beginning of the summer it was all over my legs. It is still an enigma to me. I don't know what I do to make it worse or better. All of my past doctors have told me to stay out of the shower. I am young, and active and care about my appearance and therefore sporadic bathing was out of the question especially when showers are what made me feel better.

This allergist says that showers are okay if the temperature is cool. The eczema and the scratching gets much worse after dinner. At first I thought I was allergic to the foods that I was eating at dinner and that was why the eczema flared up at this time. My allergist told me that cortisone levels decrease in the evening. So who knows ???? but I do think that especially spicy foods and acidic foods like tomato sauce cause the eczema to be worse. Does anyone else notice this??

Presently the eczema is as good as it will ever be --some days better than others. I drown myself in cetaphil lotion on my legs and cetaphil mosturizing cream [it is in a tub like eucerin] on my upper body. The cream is the best one I have ever tried and feels amazing on the skin -- it is not as thick as eucerin and cold on the skin when you apply it. It is also very good for sunburn I have found. I use westcort on the very bad areas which seems to work the best for me of the cortisone creams. My doctor actually said it is the least concentrated. I asked my eyed doctor about using it on my eyes and he said he never heard about a connection with cataracts. I also use zonalon cream which is an anti-itch cream which burns a little but actually takes the itch away.

It is hard I like to exercise and run around especially sweating but I am afraid of any flareups. For now I have been walking in the evenings when it is cooler and also air conditining on as much as possible. I strongly believe that keeping cool is the best remedy. I take Zyrtec at nights which keeps me from itching and keeps me sleeping.

My daily routine with all the creams takes a long time and is annoying but it seems to work for now!

I'm wondering about the effect of steroids on the eyes, as sometimes I am tempted to use a little near my eyelids when they start to get red and irritated. I heard that steroids getting into eyes could cause glaucoma. Have not heard about the cataracts bit. Has anyone heard about this from their doctor? 

Both my father and me are firstborn children with eczema. All four of my siblings are allergic to varying degrees, but I'm by far the worst. Lucky me. 

I'm second from the tallest and the heaviest of the bunch and have the worst allergies/eczema of the family. One of my brothers (the tallest) is also the thinnest of the family, and he's got very slight allergy problems and no skin problems whatsoever. 

When I sat down and really thought about it, I asked my self whose needs were more important, mine or my son's. Putting wet pajamas on my child before he goes to bed makes me feel uncomfortable too. I *need* to feel like a good mother. But, I decided I needed to put *my* discomfort aside in order to make my son more comfortable. My son still hasn't expressed an interest in doing the "wet jammie treatment", but if he does, I will try it. 

I think my son doesn't want to do it because he is tactically defensive and can only tolerate the feel of certain clothing styles and materials against his skin. He didn't start with eczema until about four months ago, however, he has been tactically defensive since birth. My son's dermo swears by the treatment because his two daughters suffer terribly with eczema. He said they are to the point now where they will ask him to do the "wet jammie treatment."

Since I have eliminated milk from my diet, I feel much better and my skin is better too. Milk is not a component in Asian diet, so this does not surprise me. It was virtually impossible for me to eat out with friends unless we went to an Asian restaurant. I think the diet has a huge role to play. Chinese people eat a lot of rice, tofu, fish and vegetables. There is almost always a clear soup at every meal, providing lots of water. In Hong Kong, the many times I have been back, the food was bought fresh every day. It was cool and humid in the winter, and my skin felt better. Many North Americans eat a lot of junk. Going to the grocery store cracks me up but also depresses me when I see what others buy. Why would you give your kid a fruit roll-up when you could give him a piece of fruit for so much cheaper? And whole milk! Just because they're kids doesn't mean they need all that fat. Don't even get me started on what's in cereal, or the myriad of processed snack foods aimed at children.

For those of you with Asian kids, maybe try feeding them on a diet that more closely resembles what there bodies were built to handle. It certainly can't hurt them, and it is much healthier than what they'd be eating otherwise.

Date: 4 Jul 1997 From: Mary Subject: asian kids and eczema

It's interesting that you should note that Asian kids seem to have eczema the worst. I wonder if it could be one or both of these factors:

1. Perhaps the North American climate is not suitable for Asian kids prone to eczema. After all their ancestors spent years and years in hot climates, perhaps asian kids are genetically not "prepared" for cold, dry weather and drastic weather changes. I find that the parts of my body where skin has no eczema is even even less dry during summer when I'm not wearing piles of clothes.
2. Perhaps our North American diet is not ideal for eczema-prone children. Asians have a very different diet and even Chinese food here is not authentic Chinese food. The fruits, vegetables and basic meals are very very different.

I agree that having eczema on your face is extremely bothersome. I'm glad to hear that you have found a way to control it. After 9 years, I'm still groping in the dark for a way to keep it under control without too much topical steroids.

I've been using Eucerin creme a lot, but I really don't like the heaviness of it. This Cetaphil mosturizing creme that you're using, did your derm recommend it, and does it have lanolin in it? Also, what are the active ingredients?

If you don't like heavy moisturizers, let me recommend several things I've found that work beautifully. Both creamy petroleum jelly and creamy baby oil are great. The pj is heavier and stays greasier longer, but I'm able to use the baby oil and get dressed within a few minutes w/o worrying about stained clothing. Check ingredient lists to make certain neither contain anything that further exacerbates your problems. 

Yes, there IS research showing linkage to at least two genes. But as I have said many times before, this condition is multifactorial, it involves other factors including environmental, etc. in addition to the genes. This makes research difficult, so there is much more research done on diseases that only involve the genes, like cystic fibrosis (CF). They can now do gene therapy for CF, which means they insert a normal gene and that gene takes over for the mutated gene and makes the disease go away. If only eczemawas that simple... 

Yes, interferon can lead to fatality. I posted a message awhile ago mentioning that many transplant patients who take it get cancer as a result and die from that.

My mother died last year. She had chronic leukemia for a long time and finally died of congestive heart failure. She didn't take interferon because of the known problems with it. 

I spent my entire childhood on various diets and it did nothing to help my skin. I couldn't go anywhere without this 10 page list of things to avoid. At one point I was only allowed to eat apples, meat, and vitamin supplements. The whole experience was awful, and all to no avail. Food allergies seem to cause SOME people's eczema, but not all.

Salty foods, spicy foods, and other specific foods make a problem I already have worse, but they do not cause my problem in the first place. If I put all my focus on food, or looking for other specific causes, I would feel despair the way I did as a child. What helps keep me sane is simply accepting my condition, and focusing on what I can do to feel better when I feel bad. I put absolutely no energy into wondering why? For me, that leads to despair because there is no answer to that question. My condition just is the way it is. I have no control over it. It comes and goes in various forms without any pattern at all. It's like an ongoing art piece that is created involuntarily. Every day I wake up and see what my body looks like today. I'm a walking art gallery.

Now remember, I am 40 years old and have had severe problems since birth, so my philosophy must be put into that context. If you have not yet explored the possibilities of "causes" then go for it. I'm just trying to say that after you search for years without success, it becomes necessary to let go and accept the basic condition. I focus on trying to alleviate the day to day suffering. I need ALL my energy for that.

When I was a child, my mother was so focused on the causes and the why? that she had no energy left to focus on ME and alleviate my actual suffering. I guess that's partly my reason for mentioning all this. 

Unfortunately I have had cataracts in both eyes. The lens in my right eye was taken out ten years ago after an accident. Now I have to have the same done to my left eye. But my surgeon has told me that the cataracts is caused not by the accident I had BUT probably by my eczema. I mentioned that I was always wary of using steroids on my face but he said it was more likely to be the eczema rather than the steroids. This reqally gave me a jolt.

Personally I beleive my cataracts did start with the accident I had in 87. The combination of my eczema and steroids has just accelerated the problem.

My surgeon is one of the top in his field so I do take his word, but if I heard it from anyone else I would have to take it with a large pinch of salt.

Can anyone else verify that it is eczema and not the steroids that may cause or worsen the effects of cataracts or is it a fallacy?

If I had a choice I would swap eczema for cataracts anytime. Cataracts is easily treatable after some minor surgery and I have been told I will not have to worry about getting cataracts in my later years after my op.

You might also try using pure jojoba oil or almond oil. They are both powerful moisturizers and feel very light. I don't have eczema, but I have suffered from acne all my life. There are very few moisturizers I can use, but these two oils are light and powerful!

I believe Cetaphil cleanser (is that different from the cream you are talking about?) does contain lanolin. 

Heather, You mentioned bad eczema on your legs. I used to have awful splotches of it all over my legs too, but I've cleared it up, and without steroids too, so maybe this will help you. I'm even wearing shorts these days, for thie first time in about 4 years!

My mom took me to see an acupuncturist for two weeks over holidays in december. She did some needlework, and recommended I take the following vitamin supplements: B, C, E, calcium and magnesium, and a multivitamin. Also, every night, to take one tablespoon of psyllium seed, mix it into a glass of water and drink it. Psyllium is supposed to detoxify the blood. She also gave me needles to apply to myself and taught me some foot massages to do everynight. I have been following her routine since then. I should also mention I haven't seen her since January. Anyway, in April my boyfriend said my legs looked way better and all the splotches were gone. I hadn't even noticed because the eczema that bothers me most is on my face and neck, and it hadn't cleared as a result of her treatment.

At the end of May I decided to try the flax oil and borage seed oil. It's been about six weeks since I started, and am starting to notice results now. My skin on my face and neck is actually soft! It feels moisturised from within, and although some parts are still red, the skin is soft and elastic, and I no longer wake up in the morning taut, flaky, and itchy! I apply moisturizer to my face and neck once in the morning, and it lasts almost all day, where before I had to do it several times a day. I don't even put it on my legs, except once after my shower at night. I have also eliminated all dairy products from my diet, eggs, and junk food. I feel so much better and am able to get more work done each day. I have not used steroids on a regular basis for the past 2 years now, although I keep a little on hand for emergencies.

This is what has worked for me. I hope it works for you. Anyway, it involves no steroids or anything harmful, so it's probably worth a try.

BTW, heat and sweat also make my skin crazy. So does Indian food (spicy). I take walks in the evening too to avoid flares. And I have always showered everyday. It's the ten minutes I look forward to all day! All derms say not to, but I find moisturiser is best when applied when the skin is nice and moist. Also if your legs are really dry, maybe you should apply some oil while in the shower. this feels really good. And honestly, in retrospect, all derms I've been to have produced a short term recovery at best (read: completely useless). Maybe you don't need to see one. I haven't been to a derm since 4 years ago.

I've written a few times about my now 8 month old son, Isaac, who has suffered from severe eczema since 2 1/2 months old. We've had a horrible time managing his symptoms and have tried practically every cream on the market. I understand that topical products treat the symptoms but as Shelley recently said, it feels hopeless at times to look for the source of the problem. Sometimes the only way I can stay sane is to accept the eczema as part of our lives and to make my son as comfortable as possible. 

Even so, this is an extremely difficult thing to do. During the entire course of his illness we have only had one clear reprieve and that was a couple of weeks ago when, because he was so infected (he was biopsied and found to have a strep infection on his skin), he was put on Zithromax. His scalp and face eczema cleared up like magic, only to return when the 5 day course ended. Our allergergist told us to put him back on the antibiotic for 10 more days. Warily we obeyed. However, within a few days his face flared again and he looks infected. So much for overreliance on antibiotics. We have no idea for sure what caused the flareup (A/C, something I ate and transmitted to him through breastmilk?), but it is certainly depressing this 4th of July weekend to watch him suffer. We have sworn off steriods ointments but I can tell you I am very tempted to use a little Elocon or Westcort on the very bad spots. My husband disagrees and feels the steriod ointments are mildy effective at best (he still seems to itch) and that once we stop them Isaac flares up again. So I am restraining myself... 

My questions: Everyone seems to have varying stories about the effectiveness of dietary retrictions. The only thing Isaac eats is Neocate (an expensive elemental formula made entirely of amino acids and no large proteins) and breastmilk. I've been on a diet avoiding allergens which came up on his RAST test. Now I think it might be a good opportunity to wean him (I have resisted due to the emotional comfort the breast seems to give him) because then we would give him only Neocate for a couple more months until we would begin introducing solids. Any advice about this?

Secondly, I'm interested in the possibility of adding some things like EPO or Flaxseed oil to his diet. Can I put this in his formula safely? I have been taking EPO myself but I don't think he breastfeeds enough for it to have a therapeutic effect. Anybody have experience introducing vitamins and oils to babies at this stage and in our case, when the baby hasn't begun solids?

Lastly, about cortisone: have people noticed a "rebound" effect when they've stopped using steroids suddenly. Do other parents have the problem we do of constant infection (ie. during a flareup the skin not only turns red but also becomes wet and weepy). How do folks deal with this without the use of constant antibiotics and steriods? I worry that if we don't treat the infection it will spread to his blood or to his internal system. By the way, we are also using Zyrtec daily to help with scratching.

Just for the record: Isaac is a firstborn, is quite sturdy (22lbs and only eating formula and breastmilk). There is no hx of eczema or allergies in either me or my husband and only mild eczema and hayfever in my husband's family. None of Isaac's cousins (all at least 4 to 7 years older) have allergies. Interesting because Isaac's allergies and eczema are quite severe.

Not me, I'm the third child and no ones compare to mine.

Tell her steroids are probably still the most effective (not best) way to treat a symptom of eczema but not eczema itself.

How strong is the steroid? How much body coverage? If you don't NEED steroids and other treatments are effective, stick with the other treatments.

I'm still working on all the little things that are going wrong in our bodies that are related to this disease, these are the things we need to fix but being able to identify disfunctions and knowing how to correct them are 2 different things. The point I was trying to make was, you can put all the crap in the world topically on the skin and you will still have the disease tomorrow. I trying to get rid of it, not make my days easier by putting a topical on but BTW I must as my body is steroid dependent but I am working on getting my adrenals back.

Detox is a huge consideration of this disease and yes this is part of what I'm using currently in the forms of colon cleansing (which I hate with a passion but I know it's effective, so I continue) and liver flushing. I'm on week 3 and will do this for 8 weeks straight and then every other week for maintenance.

When introducing solids avoid any and all animal fats and limit animal meat. For the body to able to produce inflammation it needs Arachidonic Acid and the number one source of this is animal fats. Diet plays a role in any disease, in our case, it's not just about food allergies.

GLA is the active component in these supplements that we take them for but our bodies can produce them there selves and mother's milk is good source for GLA, so without taking any supplements, he is getting this already. Consult with a Naturopath (a truly licensed one) as to how much.

Grass definitely triggers my eczema. Mainly kentucky blue grass. This was especially high on my allergy test. Bermuda grass doesn't bother me, but doesn't grow where I live. I'm going to try to plant fescue soon. For now, since I live in a new house, I just have dirt. But when I go to a picnic or park I try not to have direct contact with the grass. Sometimes just sitting above it in a chair can get me itching or turning red. I hope you can find some alternatives for play for your son. It's tricky. When I was young I didn't have the grass allergy so I can't offer much in the way of ideas.

Our 12 1/2 mo son has had eczema since he was 6 months, mostly on his feet and ankles but occasionally spreading/spotting elsewhere. We are in round #infinity (or so it seems) for getting it to clear up so we can then try to identify the source. Because it isn't a severe (as in all over his body) problem, we think maybe we can find the source, but who knows? We've just started our quest seriously to get to the bottom of it.

About 3 weeks ago, Nathan's was so thick and looked like it could be infected. Our pedi had us use Bactroban to help fight infection. We haven't used an oral antibiotic.

We are using Triamcinolon for Nathan. We did an 8-day round of it and it got considerably better but didn't clear during the 8 days. We stopped using it after 8 days to let his skin *rest* (per instructions) but on day 10 it was already getting worse again. We took him back in to let the pedi take a look on day 12. He switched us to the Triam. ointment (we had been using creme) and he said use it till it clears and then one more day afterwards. Nathan's minor spots on his wrists, elbows and back of knees have all cleared (within 3 days) and his feet are just about better. This is day 17 (so it's day 5 of the Triam. ointment). I don't want to continue using steroids on him, but I figure since it's working, if we can get it to clear in the next 5 days, then we'll have success... but if it flares back up after it clears and we stop the steroids, then I want to find something else (i.e., find the source) to get it to clear. (Am I being overly optimistic?)

We use aquaphor and also have just started using Eucerin to help keep his skin lubricated and that seems to help with scratching. Also we put him in footed jammies at night and he doesn't seem to scratch, tho as soon as they come off in the a.m., he starts to scratch if we don't get the ointment on him fast enough. When the itching seems to not be controlled with the ointments/lotions, then we use Atarax, but we don't have to use it very often and one dose seems to take the itch out for him.

Nathan is also first-born, was breastfed till 8 1/2 months (and then only because we're pregnant again and he weaned himself), and eats a limited variety of solids. No history of eczema for me or DH, tho my mother has a skin disorder that isn't eczema but has similar symptoms and treatment.

Perhaps I already wrote concerning a pediatric gastroenterologist, he helped my son go from 90% eczema coverage to 15% with in 4 days. He was on a very strict diet and some medication but now he eats 20 foods and his eczema is limited to knees, hands and feet. We all sleep at night. 

Sorry all, but I just need to vent. I spend so much time trying to take care of my skin that I know some of my efforts work against me. Like my face - I HATE the pealing and flaking. I rub the dead skin off so hard that I bleed. Then my skin gets so dry. I'm ready to totally give up. I know that my hot showers that I turn to for relief only make things much much worse but for that instant or two I find pleasure. It's summer and that means my activities are limited. Heat and humidity are my number one enemy. 

I'm Filipina, and have had eczema all of my life. On those few occassions when I went home to visit family in the Philippines with my parents, my eczema completely disappeared. From what I was told by my derm, many other Filipinos have eczema, but the condition doesn't usually come out until they come to the US. Like Mary wrote, diet could probably effect my eczema as well. What I ate in the Philippines is much different than what I eat here, much of it was less affected by pesticides and less processed (free range chicken as opposed to eating chicken that's lived most of its life in a cage in some warehouse). I'm 22 now, and my eczema has subsided only because of the summer weather and because of steroids. Hopefully, my eczema won't be as bad as it was when I was a child. But we can only hope, right? That's my two cents. Oh, by the way, does anyone know of shampoos that are really gentle that don't aggravate eczema on the ol' scalp?

I have a 17 mo old granddaughter with eczema - it appears in the folds of her elbows, her face and back of neck. On this digest (I think) I saw a hint that has worked for her arms. We cut off the toes of white cotton socks, and after splashing a little water on the bends of arms, slathering with some lotion recommended that starts with E... ?? (sorry, can't remember, and I'm not at her house where the lotion is), then we slip the socks on her arms. She wears the socks (sockies, to her) all day, doesn't try to take them off. In fact, one night she woke up about 4 am crying because of the itching, asking for "sockie, sockie" - her mother put on the sockies, and she went back to peaceful sleep. We had read that just the little amount of pressure that the socks apply help relieve the itching, and it sure is true with little Carley. The socks are really cute as sleeves sticking out from under the ends of her shirt sleeve. Try it on the little ones, and the bigs ones. We are really pleased how this relieves the itching, keeps the area clean and out of the sun, clears up the redness and swelling, and makes the baby happy. Yeah!!! 

Probably Eucerin lotion. We've just started using that with our 12 mo old and it seems to really work. That's a great idea with the socks. He occasionally gets it in the folds of his elbows so I'll have to remember that for the next time. 

I have had cataracts since teenag-dom. Eczema since 6 months age. Am 60 now and they are developing slowly. Mostly right eye. My mom has them too. She is 87. She had one removed and a lens replaced. All doctors have given me the same information about them. Eczematic people have more cataracts than others. Steroids advance the process more quickly.

Cetaphil lotion for cleansing does not contain lanolin.

My dermatologist told me long ago,that If I didn't scratch I would not have eczema. I think there is a lot of truth to that, but it eliminates the violent allergic reactions that are effected entirely by allergens.

Hi Kelly, I use Elocom only on my face and neck, and the derm said that it probably wouldn't thin out my skin and would not get absorbed into my adrenals. I hope she is right! I broke down the other day and gave into using Elocom, and so now my skin is beautiful. If only it would last! (sigh!) I am tapering the treatment to see how long I can be off it without using it.

I really don't want to be steriod dependant, but I do break out when I'm not using topical steroids, and so far, I have found nothing that really clears it up, other than Elocom. You spoke of other effective treatments. Can you suggest any? Some people have been mentioning Grape Seed Extract, and I'm thinking of giving it a try. I have to admit that I'm weary of the Naturalist approach after my experiences with my old naturalist, but you're not about to rip off a buck from a desperate patient, and so I'm happy to try anything you might suggest. Also, could you tell me what liver flushing is?

Finally, you mentioned that animal fats allow the body to produce inflammation. Are you a vegetarian then? Or, are there certain parts of an animal that you avoid, and certain parts that are safer?

I am Chinese but I was born in the US. My eczema is quite severe now but not until 5 years ago. I also had it bad in my infancy. For what it's worth, 4 of my friends have eczema who are also Asian (1 Korean, 3 Chinese). Only one of my non-Asian friends have it. Of course, this is biased b/c I now have more Asian friends than not! I have also heard that Asian skin is meant for the typical Asian climate : hot & humid.

After using steroid creams for many years and noticing the visible thinness of my skin occurring and my ability to fight allergens (especially from any kind of perfumed product) diminishing, I decided to take another course of action. I discussed these issues with doctors and eventually managed to get myself down to 1 and 1/2 percent hydrocortisones, taking about 6g of evening primrose oil a day (about 600mg of GLA I think) and went under the sunbed every now and then to relieve the soreness. I no longer use a sunbed as it could cause other problems and I reduced the intake of evening primrose oil to a minimal amount.

I was really pleased and although I had to be careful about the products I used on my skin and watch my diet everything was fine, until recently... 

My eczema started to worsen and, being summer, so did the hayfever and asthma. I decided to do something to help. I read that sometimes if the liver isn't functioning properly it may be something to do with the liver. About a week or two ago I started on a dose of antihistamines, milk thistle, evening primrose oil (only 3g a day), aloe vera juice, 3g Chorella (building up slowly) and linseed (ie flaxseed). The only problem is that my skin appears to have worsened. I was just hoping whether someone may have had similar experiences and whether I should eliminate one or more of the products or if this could be a sign that my body ridding itself of toxins.

I'm filipina and have had eczema all my life. My eczema disappeared during my teen years, but ever since I moved to the City to attend college, it came back with a vengeance. Like Karen mentioned, I think the change in climate, vegetation and eating habits are big factors. My eczema is worse during the winter months (can't wear wool), and whenever I visit Hawaii it dramatically clears up. Diet is another culprit. Now that I'm on my own, I've found it harder to find and cook those rice and Philippine vegetable dishes. My eczema usually subsides in the summer months, but this year it's become worse. I think it's due to working all day in a dry, air conditioned office.

Does anyone have any suggestions for immediate itch relief in an office setting? I immediately feel better when I step out into the humid summer air, but I can't take these relief breaks that often. 

The ingredients for Balnetar Bath Oil are as follows: Coal Tar 2.5% in mineral oil, laureth-4, lanolin oil, PEG-4 dilaurate, fragrance and decusate sodium.

Elizabeth, my daughter who is now 7 1/2 also has eczema and has had it since she came to us from Korea at 5 months. She has been quite severe at times but is getting better as she gets older. I too did not want to use steroid creams but find that if I do dab just a little on spots when they appear - it goes away and she is much more comfortable. I also found from this list that baking soda baths really do help her. They soothe her skin and offer at least a short relief from the itching. I also double rinse all her clothes and wash her white clothes in hot water. I also learned from this list that airconditioning units can hold mold and then it comes into the house when you turn on the air. 

We did and do not restrict Sam's diet but she really doesn't eat much junk - she prefers fresh fruit to cookies and cakes. I did find that artificial colors and dyes in soda such as orange soda do cause her a problem if she drinks too much. Chocolate and nuts are not friendly to her skin either. Sam also has Asthma but that has been under control for quite a long time without the use of steroid sprays or medicines. We use cromolyn sodium daily and albuterol when she gets tight or weezy. I know what you are going through because I spent many nights holding her because she hurt so much and there was no more cream in the world I could put on her. 

Sometimes I would put her in a lukewarm bath (sometimes at 1:00 in the morning) and that would provide some relief to her. We also found that benadryl would help the itching and let her fall asleep but can't use that anymore because of her asthma. As I said her eczema and asthma is under control now but only I think because she is getting older and I limit her stress and make sure she gets enough sleep. A routine seemed to very important in the management of her eczema - if we were out late or she got overtired it seemed to flare up. I could always tell when she was a baby when she was going to get sick because her whole body would become inflamed and a day later she was sick usually with bronchitis. I hope this helps and hopefully your baby will get better as mine did.

Your pediatrician can do a blood test and then send it out for an allergy test called a RAST test or you can go to an allergist for the skin prick tests.

I have nummular eczema- little round patches on my legs and arms. I have recently quit using my steroid cream after my OBGyn said it was not good to use while trying to get pregnant. I just wondered if anyone knew how long the chemicals stayed in the body. I was using a potent cream twice a day, although I wasn't using a lot. 

I also wondered if others had heard about or tried essential oils. I am using lavender oil right now in place of steroid cream. I use it in a carrier oil. It has not made the eczema disappear, but it is not as red and itchy as it has been on the steroid cream. It is almost as if the steroid cream was irritating the skin too! Anyway- I wondered if anyone has had success with other oils. Thanks for the information. I have learned more from this list than from my derm. 

How many of you find that you scratch even if you're not itchy?

Sometimes, when I get anxious or frustrated, my first reaction is to scratch. Night time scratching is the worst. Even if I'm not itchy, my fingers still want to go nuts. Taking red clover capsules, and staying up until I'm so exhausted that I fall asleep right away seems to help.

I wonder if eczema-prone people are also generally people with strong habits. Thinking about it now, I used to have a really bad habit of biting my nails. It was about the time when I got braces and was forced to stop that I started to scratch instead. I'm thinking of trying to develop another habit (not a bad one!) to replace the habit of scratching. I guess this sounds like a crazy idea, but perhaps I can teach myself to respond to anxiety/frustration, etc. by twiddling my fingers or playing with a small ball instead of scratching.

However, there are times when I get eczema even where I haven't scratched, so I don't know if it's completely true that if we didn't scratch, we wouldn't have eczema. But, of course, scratching does aggravate eczema.

Brigit, how is playing with your little ball helping the itch, lately?

Kelly, Could you please share with us some ideas on how to "get your adrenals back"? I, too, am steroid dependent, having taken oral prednisone for 13 years straight (a major mistake). I just got off it this past spring,and my drs. say it can take up to 2 years for my adrenals to come back. In the meantime, I am having various aches and pains, allergies and infections that I believe are a consequence of my present cortisol deficiency. 

Doctors also say there is nothing to do about helping the adrenals except to wait it out. However, the alternative health lit suggests various things such as ginseng and glandular supplements. I would be grateful if you could let us know what you have discovered in your research about supporting one's adrenals, and what you do personally. 

Some people have suggested that eczema in people of Asian descent is aggravated by their living in the US/Canada. But I have read (in Andrew Weil books and elsewhere) that there is a high incidence of eczema in Japan. They apparently have developed a somewhat successful treatment there that involves bathing in and drinking water from a certain spa (in Japan), combined with some kind of mind-body intervention (visualization or hypnotherapy, I think). It sounded promising, and an extra-added great reason to visit Japan.

I find that if I lie on my back on cool cotton sheets when my back itches, the pressure makes it feel better. Also helps, sometimes, to put on a snug-fitting cotton tank top or t-shirt. For this same reason, I remind my fiance when he touches me too lightly that it tickles, and makes me want to scratch. A firm (but not abrasive!) touch feels better.

Our baby Christopher is 7 months old and has had eczema from almost the minute we brought him home from hospital. He too is in the middle of a bad flare up of dry eczema and we can relate to the stress and the feeling of being unable to help him in anyway (or so it seems!). We just feel so helpless watching him scratch and itch until he bleeds. I believe that when the eczema is just beginning to break through the skin then steroids can help - short term. I have not used them for a week, and to be honest, he doesn't seem any better or worse without them.

When it turns weeping & sore -- I managed to speak to a dermatology nurse (very old fashioned) who told me to put 1 tablespoon of salt into 1/2 pint of very warm water and apply to area with a compress and bathe for ten minutes, then apply a very good emollient cream. It seems to work by drawing all the 'nasty' out of the skin and seemed to work just as well as antibiotic cream.

With regards to diet, the dietician said that a few children will benefit from Soya milk, but if a difference is not seen in a few weeks, then this will not be of any benefit at all. I've just started Christopher on solid foods and I've noticed that foods with acid things in them, like lemon juice etc., will redden his skin on contact.

To stop a very bad itching session, we have applied calamine lotion straight from the fridge - this really helps to cool the skin down. I would like to know if it is safe to give flaxseed oil with formula milk, and if you can apply evening primrose oil direct to the skin or can 7 month old babies have it mixed in their milk? Does anybody out there know?

We are about to embark down the alternative therapy path of Homeopathy (after being given three large tubes of steroids and three large tubes of antibiotic cream by the doctor, "to keep us going for a while"). The Homeopath and I had an hour and a half consultation and she is now preparing a remedy for Christopher to take tomorrow. I feel really nervous about this but maybe it will be the thing to sort him out.

Our son is the second child and we call him Mr Sunshine because he is nearly always laughing & smiling and we love him to pieces. Just remember - there are lots of us in the same boat with the same worries and extended sleepless nights - it is nice to share it with somebody else across the world. Last word, I promise, the way I see my Christopher is grotty skin, but perfect in every other way.

I wondered if anyone has had success with other oils.

For the past month I have been using Jojoba oil on my face and just once a week a small amount of 1/2% hydrocortisone. Though not an essential oil it is non irritating (for me anyway) and is highly moisturising. I just need to find something for my body.

Yep. same here. Scratching is become an instinct I'm trying to get out of. Mmmmmmmmm. I have tried to start the habit of biting my nails to keep them short but I have failed many times.

Just to report that Jodi is now 95% clear. She is sleeping through the night and her skin is the best it has been since she broke out with eczema at about 3 weeks old. She'll be 16 months tomorrow and has 17 teeth altogether. She's drooling a lot because a molar just cut her gum and her skin around her mouth and face is slightly red deal to her drool but not eczematic anymore. I'm happy to report that she is 85% in height and 25% in weight in terms of growth.

I truly believe I have found a cure for her. Being an Asian baby, with my ancestry's diet and eating habits so different from most American diets, dairy and junk food being the major ones, Jodi broke out with eczema around the time when she was first introduced to baby formula. [Chinese eat mostly rice, leafy greens, lots of fish, fresh fruit and very few junk food, of course bad cases of eczema can still be found in China and I now know why.] I nursed her till she was about 7 months old and from than on, her eczema was totally downhill. After the Elocon side effect, I realized that treating her from the outside was useless. I started her on Chinese herbal treatment when she was about 6 months old but didn't get her to a good herbalist with the best herbal mixes available until she was 9 months old. She was so much better the month and a half when she received that intensive Chinese herbal treatment in China, though I still could not find a satisfactory explanation why the herbs helped her until now.

I remember my older one developed a form of rash when I supplemented her with baby formula the same time as I did with Jodi but the rash lasted for only about 2 weeks and she never has any problem with eczema after that. So, when Jodi had it, I thought it was just a matter of time, not knowing what I was getting myself into.

You see, Chinese herbal decoctions are very bitter. So, I disguised the decoction in her formula. Big mistake. Dairy product, not being the main group of dietary element in Chinese food, caused Jodi to react terribly to it. When I took dairy away from her, her eczema was 80% better. In the process of cutting dairy out of her diet, I stopped consuming dairy myself and found out that my sinus problem for the longest time disappeared. Who could have thought that the problem rooted from me, the mother? I always want to believe that eczema is JUST a result of bad genes, but that is just too convenient.

We all know that eczema is a combination of things. I began to ponder what is causing the rest of the 20% to flare. Playing detective for more than 14 months, I'm beginning to get good at this trade. I looked back on my notes and Jodi's condition and began to see the connection. Recently, I've ventured in to a new avenue to treat Jodi with parasites, kind of similar to colons cleanse but with more emphasis on the balance of intestinal flora than cleaning the build up on the intestines. Jodi being never exposed to any oral antibiotic or oral antihistamine convinced me that something very wrong in her intestines before she was born is causing her to flare up. All this time when she has her herbal mixes and extracts, she never has an ear infection or any constipation(she has good bowel movements at least 2-4 times a day, every day).

You see, the herbal mixes and extracts I use now are very bitter, just like the Chinese herbal decoction. It's just that Jodi doesn't need to take as much in terms of fluid oz. It began to dawn on me that part of the bitter herbal decoctions were used to kill the bad parasites, which I believe, are the real causes of her eczema. No wonder my older one has no problem with eczema - I was on Chinese herbal decoctions, which was slightly bitter, for general health before I was pregnant with her. I didn't have time to take any herbal decoction before I had Jodi. I believe Jodi got the parasites from me when I was pregnant with her, which means that I did not have a balanced flora when I was carrying her. I can still remember vividly symptoms of parasites which I thought was just a normal course of pregnancy.

Things are beginning to make more sense now. That explains why when the first round of quality herbal mixes killed off her parasites, Jodi was so much better. Unfortunately, as soon as she was back with our baby sitter who has 2 dogs, she was reinfested again. Therefore, with me feeding her dairy without the use of Chinese herbal decoctions (not yet realizing the connection between eczema and dairy immediately after our return to the States), her eczema started all over again.

I always wonder - when someone pays so much attention in the food one consumes, how can there still be so much toxins in the body? Where did the toxins come from? Now I know the answer to my question. To top it off, antibiotics and hormones in meat and pesticides in produce etc. in our diet are elements that are very difficult to get rid of with a society so vested in quick results. It would be ideal if I can grow my own produce and raise my own livestocks but... well... at least there are organic alternatives which are sometimes available and affordable. From now on, I'll make sure that raw meats are cooked thoroughly, water is boiled, hands are washed often etc. and parasites maintenance is a main part of my family business.

Well, just a long note from a mother who's been combatting this eczema business for 16 months. Noticing and knowing the different between typical American way of lives and where my ancestry came from, I certainly hope that Jodi will benefit from it and be well soon. I have a feeling that when Jodi has a balanced flora, she is not going to react to dairy as much as she does now. We'll see. Next time when I order a dish of bitter melon in a Chinese restaurant, I know that I'm actually taking a preventive medicine used in ancient China to combat parasites and I'll probably enjoy it much better than before.

Has anyone heard any good or bad things about Aveeno/oatmeal cleansing bar or the Aveeno mosturizing lotion? This bar is mainly made of Oatmeal which is supposed to being an anti itch substance.

My son applies Aveeno oatmeal lotion immediately upon finishing his shower. Of all the lotions he's tried so far, he seems to like that one the best.

I had a severe reaction to a cleansing diet I went on. I ended up out at the hospital crying for some cortsione after 5 or so weeks of not sleeping from the itch and the pain. I could not go on any longer. Although I can't be certain, I suspect that I was malnourished from the diet.

I have never tried Aloe Vera juice but it aggravates my skin if I apply it topically.

Mary, The little ball does indeed help, but only when the itch is not too severe. You know how sometimes the itch comes from within while there's nothing wrong with the skin? That's when distraction helps.

Now, here's what my book says (you may remember I got this book that's very strong on not-scratching and habit reversal): They say scratching is TWO phases, first you reach for the itch, then you scratch. So in order to reverse the habit, you do TWO substitutions: instead of reaching for the itch, you clench your fists as tight as you can, counting to 30; then (ONLY if you still feel the itch), you PINCH the itching spot hard.

The reason this does not work for me is that the eczema is on the palms of my hands, so clenching my fists is for me the same as scratching... 

I'm Chinese by race. I live in hot and humid Asia and I have had eczema since infancy (about 29 years now). The humidity makes me perspire and that makes me itch, so I don't really know if a hot and humid climate is all that good for me. Perhaps the humidity here is too high-almost 90% at times. On warm but dryer days, I found my eczema was not causing so much irritation. But warm, relatively dry days are very few and far between. 

I am into herbs and essential oils heavily. A few days ago, someone asked for a good moisturizer that didn't feel so "heavy." I recommended that person try Jojoba oil. Glad to hear you've been using it for a while and like it. As for the rest of your body, you might want to try almond oil. It is another potent light moisturizer!

Rita- is there a resource for your information on intestinal parasites? What is the product you are using on the baby, the diet and the length of time for results. 

I wrote about the liver cleansing yesterday and I think my skin's slowly beginning to clear up. I take linseed (flaxseed) in seed form and sprinkle it on salads, fruit, cooked dishes and in yoghurt. I don't know whether it has the same effect as the oil - but the taste's a lot better!!

My main point today is about the pill. I take a brand called Minulet which contains gestodene. However I've heard that there are brands that can aid different conditions (eg acne) and was wondering whether anyone had taken a particular formulation and think that it's actually helped the eczema.

Christine, I think you wrapped up a lot of feelings expressed on the list recently and offered good support/advice. I agree that we must not focus on the downs or hard times. Think positive and don't let our eczema consume us -- it's just part of our flesh. But we ARE more than flesh after all.

Mary, If you're using Elocon, you won't become dependent from its strength. But you're still in contact with the allergen.

My all-time first choice is Pau d'arco and secondly is Licorice Root.

The liver controls toxins and we have too many (normal for people with allergies) it becomes overloaded and cannot neutralize then fast enough as to not cause the body harm, so if you flush the liver, you unload it.

Not anymore a vegetarian but I don't eat red meat. The main part to avoid is the fat but just because you can't see the fat doesn't mean it's not there, take skinless chicken is still 20%+ fat and for milk, 2% has 36% fat.

>> About a week or two ago I started on a dose of [snip] The only problem is that my skin appears to have worsened. <<

Eliminate all and start over, introduce one by one, you just put several chemicals in your body at once, introduce them slowly with at least a week in between introductions to see if you do react to one of them. Even though everything that you are introducing are good minus the antihistamines, that's a lot for the body to take at once.

There's several things you can do to "get your adrenals back" if they aren't dead yet. I tend to like raw adrenal glandulars but make sure it is raw strictly. Do your adrenals hurt, this is actually a good sign? Also Pantothenic Acid [B5] is a good choice.

Find a new doc. I'm not saying this because he said there was nothing to help but because he mislead you and let you and made you steroid dependent.

Kim's words were very encouraging. I can also say that since finding out Brian's allergies, he is 10 times better than he used to be. Since we got rid of pets, changed daycare, changed formula to Alimentum, eliminated all food allergies, baking soda baths, Brian has had tremendous improvement. Yes, he still scratches sometimes, especially his eyes/face when tired, and also his hands. But when I think about how severe he was just 2 mos. ago, he has come a LONG way. The difficult thing is that my in-laws have 2 cats and 1 dog (previously our dog) and I've noticed that every time we're at their home, Brian starts rubbing his face/nose and gets VERY congested and itchy. So obviously my mother-in-law can't argue with me any longer that he IS highly allergic to cats & dogs.

I wish I could say the same for me. My skin is worse now, so I guess I'm one of those eczema people that have it worse with the summer heat, and probably due to environmental allergies. I have severe allergies to all outside grasses/pollens/trees/etc. I am not outside very much at all, mostly stay in AC, but still my eczema is flaring up and spreading. I have been getting allergy shots weekly for about 9 mos. now to help alleviate my sinus problems from these allergens, but I have to wonder if the shots are contributing to my eczema in a negative way. Any wisdom/experience would be appreciated.

I bought some Aveeno cleanser and a bottle of Aveeno anti-itch lotion, which contains calamine and other ingredients. I've been washing with the cleanser and am not sure if this has really improved things, but the anti-itch lotion has been the best product I've tried in a long time for being completely sucessful at relieving my itching, and thus scratching, which has been discussed as a big part of the problem. Several very raw looking patches on my arms have cleared up about 80% just from this effort over less than a week (and being more conscious of not scratching).

I started getting eczema when I was 17. I'd get a really big breakout of it during the spring, then it would go away. Over time, it's become more chronic, but not as widespread. Steroid creams have only worked for me for a few days, then I'd have a "rebound" breakout which was worse than the initial. So I've slowly concluded that the current "Western" medical answers to this problem aren't helpful for me. Stress is a big factor. I'll have eczema for months, then go on vacation for 2 weeks and have it go away completely, then have it return the first day I go back to work. Hmmm.

I just use infant/baby socks over my son's hands to try to prevent him from scratching his hands and face. Sometimes his hands and wrists get very itchy and he'll scratch and rub them on anything (especially carpeting). However, he pulls them off in 2 seconds if he really doesn't want them on. I also worry about deterring his motor skills, etc. if his hands are covered during the day. Hmmm... maybe I could try cutting a small slit in the sock to free his thumb. What do other moms do/have done? Did you keep the socks off for learning purposes and let them scratch as long as they didn't cause bleeding? I try to only cover them when he's *really* itchy and at bedtime.

Mary and others, I do find myself sometimes scratching even when not really itchy. My first response when I get up every morning is to scratch while on the way to the shower. Or to scratch when awoken by my son for a bottle in the middle of the night. I think it's a habit just like eating is to someone overweight. They eat, gain weight, get depressed, and eat more! In the same way, we scratch, eczema gets worse, we get depressed, and scratch more! Sounds crazy I know, but I think most of you can relate.

I liked Shelley's idea previously of a squeeze ball or something like that to keep the hands busy. I know that sometimes I just scratch to keep myself occupied. I don't think I know what it means to sit and really relax. If I'm sitting for a long period of time, I'll start to squirm and can't sit still. This nervousness (whatever you want to call it) then comes out in scratching especially if I can't get up and walk around. Hmm... maybe I need a little less caffeine (Hah!). I really do try to watch how much caffeine I intake.

Does anyone know anywhere on the internet where I can find ratings of different steroids? I have three different prescriptions from three different doctors and have always wondered how to find out which was stronger than the others so I could use the lowest one first. The three medicines I have are Diprolene, Westcort and Psorcon. I always assumed the Westcort was the lowest since the doctor who prescribed the Diprolene gave me Westcort to put on my face when I needed it instead of Diprolene, but that's just my assumption. 

I just found a helpful site at http://lib-sh.Isum.edu/fammed/intern/steroid.html

I have used the Aveeno oatmeal cleaning bar in the shower and found that it made me a little bit itchy and dry skinned, so it's not always among my favorite soaps. I've never used the lotion. However, I do find their anti-itch cream to be excellent for hand excema when it's blistery and oozing--seems to dry it up and stop the itching. 

Rebecca, I was wondering if you have ever tried Emu oil. I have read that it has helped some people with their eczema and is a potent moisturizer and carrier. I have tried Jojoba oil and it dosen't seem to "last" on my skin. Plus, I think my skin might be sensitive to it b/c some places wouldn't heal until I stopped using it. I don't know if it is b/c of the jojoba oil or not. 

Does anyone know of any good sunscreens that are non irritating. I thought of using Lubriderm or Neutrogena. Sound good?

Steve, Have you tried aqueous cream - its nice on wet skin as a body moisturiser. I've also used a Boots hypo-allergenic baby oil in the bath to very good results on dry skin.

Those are both mineral oils and you may want to avoid them. But you could try sweet almond oil - its a bit cheaper than jojoba - I find it a bit lighter - the jojoba is a bit irritating when the skin is not healed.

I am feeling very pleased as my skin is healing beautifully around my mouth and is not getting irritated again.

I'll tell you what I'm trying:

• I'm avoiding all suspected foods (but not 100 pc strictly - as in eating them as a minor ingredient) - I've done this up to now with limited success even on complete avoidance - possibly I've passed the hypersensitive stage of elimination?
• I'm taking zirtek - non-drowsy antihistimine for hay fever - I think that stops that deep itch.
• Evening primrose, multivit and mineral, vit c, extra zinc.
• Using sweet almond oil, aqueous cream, emulsifying oint, jojoba and vaseline on skin.

I have one niggling doubt - I have been using Elocon - stong? steroid on my hands for a couple of days. My doctor assured me that this does not pass through to the rest of the body - but could that be the reason for the 'cure' - if so, its not so great.

Glenn asked about Aveeno products. His query, and a reply, mentioned Aveeno Lotion. I'm not familiar with an Aveeno lotion, but Aveeno Cream (Manufactured by Rydelle, distributed in Britain by Bioglan Laboratories) is my mainstay, and I can't speak too highly of it. It is only available in 100ml tubes in Britain, though I believe a 500ml size is in fact manufactured (in Italy.) The product is a soft, easy-spreading cream, roughly the colour of porridge (and smelling ever-so-slightly, and not unpleasantly, of porridge, too!). 

It is based on colloidal oatmeal, and the packaging lists the following ingredients: Water, glycerin, distearyldimonium chloride, petrolatum, isopropyl palmitate, cetyl alcohol, dimethicone, Avena Sativa, benzyl alcohol, Allantoin, sodium chloride. Avena sativa is the oat plant, and Allantoin is a substance derived from Comfrey (Symphytum Officinale). When I started to use emollients, and joined the National Eczema Society, at the time when my atopic tendency really manifested itself in eczema, I obtained numerous samples of emollients, and tried them all, some for extended periods. 

Of all I tried (excluding steroid creams) it was immediately apparent that, for me, Aveeno was ahead by a mile. For me it seems to possess a mild but definite anti-inflammatory property in addition to its non-greasy and non-occlusive-feeling moisturising ability. I get it on prescription from my G.P., and have been using it for a couple of years now. I have tried to be a little 'scientific' and done some experimental controls, where I've treated one side of the body or one arm with Aveeno and the other side with something else (eg diprobase or aqueous cream). I've also tried leaving off Aveeno altogether and using something else, for a couple of days. Each time, the result has been the same: Nothing works nearly as effectively as Aveeno. As an added benefit, since the film it leaves is not greasy, it's pleasant to use on the face. Because of the consistency of the product, it is quick and easy to apply all over the body. I have been intending to write about this for a while, but have delayed till now as I have been trying to investigate the properties of oatmeal and have been (& still am) awaiting information by email from Bioglan Laboratories and/or Rydelle. (Both have websites, so perhaps if a few more write with inquiries, we might get some info.) I'd be very interested to know of others' experiences with this product, and to confirm if it's the same as the Aveeno Lotion Glenn refers to.

I have also used the Aveeno Oilated bath sachets and the oatmeal cleansing bar. The bath sachets are rather expensive and one can easily do a home-made version with a cloth full of fine oatmeal in the bath (and, if desired, a little oil added to the bath water too. You can help the oil to disperse by mixing it in a jug with warm water and a little hypo-allergenic shampoo, before adding to the bathwater. I use soya oil from the supermarket, which is considerably cheaper than commercial dermatological bath oil products which are basically the same thing. Don't take risks, though, if your skin is extremely bad, or if it's a young child.)

Changing the subject, today I picked up the book that Brigit recommended (Atopic Skin Disease - A Manual for Practitioners. ISBN 1 871816 32 7) and I'd like to second her opinion that it's really excellent!

My derm gave me a list of different steroids and their strengths based on a scale of I being the most potent to VII which is the weakest. Elocon ointment is a II and Elocon cream is a IV.

I have been having a problem around my mouth too. I have been tested for a bunch of food allergies and came up with nothing so I don't think that that is the problem. Recently I asked a question re use of Cutivate on the face. The reply said that it didn't have the same harmful effects but not to use it around the mouth. Does anyone know why? Or is it just the absorption factor? Also, should I just give up completely on any form of Chapstick, Blistex, etc? And last but not least, what kind of toothpaste do you guys use? 

To everyone who wanted to know about emu oil: I first saw it mentioned in some description of a moisturizer. Supposably, emu oil is a powerful moisturizer and is a good carrier of other ingredients into the skin. This could all be b.s. but I was interested anyway. I then did a search on the internet for "eczema treatment" and emu oil came up. The URL for this site is: www.hubofthe.net/emu/bene.htm There are tons of other sites selling emu oil but I think this one in particular mentions eczema. I have not tried it myself b/c I haven't found anywhere that carries it (other than the internet). Check out that site and other emu oil sites and tell the group what you think. 

My next question concernes exfoliating dead skin. My skin gets a TREMENDOUS build up of dead skin and I don't know what to do. I try rubbing it off gently but sometimes I rub too hard and screw up my skin even worse. If I don't rub hard enough, it doesn't come off. I find that if I just leave it alone, moisturizers can't penetrate well, I have to moisturize a lot more times during the day, my skin feels very tight and dry, and my skin itches more. Does anyone know how to exfoliate gently yet effectively? 

Lastly, why hasn't eczema been given much media coverage? It really pisses me off. Maybe we could write 20/20, Dateline, or some other news program and have them do a report on eczema. 

I have a son who had eczema beginning when he was 6 weeks old from head to toe. At first I thought it was baby rash but then it never went away. I started putting baby socks on his hands when he got really itchy during the days and all the time during naps and at night so that he wouldn't scratch himself raw. The socks were just a way of life and he got used to them. I tied them with a tie around the wrists (not too tight) so that he wouldn't pull them off. He is now almost 11 and still sleeps with the socks. The socks keep getting bigger as he gets older!! In fact, he won't go to sleep without them because it doesn't "feel" right. His eczema is better now although by no means is it gone. 

The socks have not impaired his motor skills. In fact, he takes piano and is doing quite well. I had eczema when I was a child and my mother tied my hands. My motor skills were not affected either. 

I have had an eczema patch on the shin of my right leg since September of last year. The patch is about 1 inch wide and 2 inches long. I do not want to use steroid ointments topically on the area.

Three weeks ago I visited a doctor who practices alternative medicine. He said that I was not getting complete digestion and when the undigested food reached the large bowel, gas and toxins were formed due to bacterial action on the undigested food. He suggested I take digestive enzymes and I should notice a difference in three weeks. I used the Solgar product labeled 'Vegetarian Digestive Aid' (I have been a vegetarian for two years).

I did notice a difference after the first week. The area changed color from bright red to a brownish red. The itching almost totally stopped and the scales of skin that tried to overgrow the affected area stopped. The area seemed to be healing from the "inside out".

Unfortunately, I have stayed on this plateau and have not noticed much further improvement. I started doing some research and found that a malfunctioning liver can cause skin problems. Two days ago I started taking Milk Thistle, standardized to 60 mg. Silymarin per capsule, two capsules three times per day. Two days is too soon to expect any dramatic results although I wish there were some. I also take Evening Primrose oil and Flaxseed oil as part of my normal, daily nutritional supplements.

In addition to the Milk Thistle, I have started taking an infusion (tea) made from Wild Yam (Dioscorea sp.), Wormwood (Artemisia absinthium) and Hops Flowers (Humulus lupulus). These are mentioned by a countryman of yours, David Hoffmann, in his book, The New Holistic Herbal.

Dunno if this will help you at all, but I throw it out as a suggestion: if you go into your local drug store, hunt around in the skin care aisle for a "Buf Puf" cosmetic scrunge thing (a white or off-white spongy-looking thing) or a loofah. Try using them gently on your skin for a week or two, see if they help you exfoliate the skin without doing damage. I use a Buf Puf to help keep the acne on my face down to a manageable level, and find it also work well as an exfoliant in eczematous areas.

Let me just hazard a guess as to why eczema doesn't get much media attention -- too many folks know too many other folks who had a little tiny itchy rash that was called "eczema", and they can't understand how that little tiny spot could be life-threatening (as it has been in the case of folks like Kelly and I think Shelley), or even so much as health-threatening (as many others who have had their eczema get infected, or worse, have had). They hear "eczema", and that little rash patch picture pops into their head, totally driving out whatever the television is trying to show them of people with more severe cases. Or else they figure that those more severe cases are a real rarity, and "that will never happen to me or anybody *I* know!"

Of course, that's just a guess... 

Thanks for your advice. I think that introducing so many different supplements at the same time gave my body a bit of an overload, so I've cut down to milk thistle, evening primrose oil and linseed in addition to my usual antioxidant.

The idea of of incomplete digestion is an interesting one. I often feel bloated and gaseous as if there's food sitting on my stomach. I'm not a vegetarian but I do not eat a lot of meat. However I do go out a lot and often eat fatty foods late at night. I've always been called skinny but recently have acquired what I feel is a bit of a pot belly and always seem to have indigestion. Is the Solgar treatment available over the counter in England do you know?

During my nine years of dealing with eczema, I tried two times to take allergy shots. My first round was perhaps 7 years ago, and my second round was 2 summers ago. I know that when you first begin taking allergy shots, your eczema is supposed to get worse, and then eventually get better. But both times, in my case, the eczema got worse and worse until I was forced to stop the shots. My latest allergist told me that allergy shots don't work well with eczema patients and that the shots do make the eczema worse.

I hope this doesn't upset you. The shots may work in your case - everyone seems to have slightly different causes and treatments for their eczema. My 2 cents worth advice is to hang in there and hope that the shots do help, but if after a few months they dont, try something else.

I asked two derms about using sodium cromoglycate. Both said that they had never heard of it being used topically. One derm said that she was not impressed with it either as an pill or as an eyedrop.

I haven't tried it yet, but I am curious about it. Have you tried using the sc without elocom?

Also, you mentioned that you are using vaseline. I used to use vaseline a lot, until I discovered that it only made my face redder and hotter. Vaseline clogs the pores and does not allow the sking to breathe. Perhaps you might want to try a mosturizer that makes your skin feel cool. Neutrogena gives that effect.

I just wanted to say that Daniel does better without socks on his hands at night. When we were putting socks on him, he would wake up with blood all over his face from what looked like rug burn from the socks. He does better if we just keep his nails short. He may also be sleeping better since he is getting older, but we sure are getting more sleep in this house than we were just a couple of weeks ago!

My daughter's derm told me that if a person uses Elocon on the same spot daily over about 6 months, it will permanently turn the skin in that area red. So he cautioned me to use it very sparingly.

Just wanted to mention the experience I had with fluoride toothpaste. I had been using it for some time and I started to break out around my mouth. My Derm said it was from the fluoride and that the cream I had been using on my face for a fungus outbreak also had fluoride in it! I immediately stopped the fluoride toothpaste and the cream. It is very difficult to find a toothpaste without fluoride but I was able to find one called "Natural White". I had to take a course of tetracycline for a month to get rid of the fluoride that the Derm said had accumulated around my mouth... he said the tetracycline was not being taken for its antibiotic properties but to carry the fluoride out of my cells. My face is finally cleared-up and if I start to break out I just use a little tea tree oil skin ointment and it seems to clear up right away.

I have also been using Aveeno Anti Itch lotion when I have a patch of eczema show up and it really does seem to work. So far this summer the only eczema I seem to have continually is under the elastic of my panties. I try to buy only underwear with the elastic covered by cotton, but I still break out a little.

I'm curious too... how many people with eczema also have hypothyroidism?

What does anyone do who injures an area that already has eczema? I needed to wear a band-aid today, and it drove me crazy. Are there bandages that aren't as bad as others? I'm really looking forward to anyone's ideas. 

I just finished using Temovate Emollient cream for 4 weeks. It's the first thing that successfully and totally cleared up my legs in two years. (No more sores, no more itch! Yes! I never thought I would see the day! ;-). Other steriods and therapies did not help. My derm told me it was a very strong steriod to be used for short periods of time, but she did not give any warnings about it. What are the probable side effects?

Also, the pharmacy messed up and gave me Temovate cream instead of the Temovate emollient cream. The emollient cream works *much* better and is less smelly than the more powdery regular Temovate. I see the derm tomorrow for hopefully the final visit for a long while. (Yes, I'm keeping my fingers crossed.) I plan to ask why the different style creams have different effects on me when they both have the same active ingredient.

A woman at my work who knew about our struggle with our son Isaac's eczema, brought me a sample of emu oil along with a testimonial and order form. She told me that a friend of hers with severe eczema used it and got immediate results as far as itch-stopping. He continued to apply it without much effect on the rash but over time he said that it also helped the rash. We have tried the sample, usually whenever desperate, on Isaac with no result whatever. It doesn't smell, seems harmless and applies like any oil. Here is an excerpt from the testimonial: "Emu oil is a member of the lipid family, like any other fatty acid that is derived from an animal. Lipids, or fatty acids are made of carbon chains. A carbon is the basic building block for all organic compounds. How these carbons are built and bonded together detemine the nature of the lipid. Unlike so many synthetic compounds made in the lab, emu oil in its purest form is a natually complex compound showing significant potential use in many types of applications. Both laboratory testing and actual use of the oil in various type of products on humans have shown emu oil to have desirable characteristics and effective results."

Apparently an Emu is a bird, closely related to the ostrich. There is a farm in Massacusetts which breeds these birds and sells the oil. Here is the place: Arrowhead Farm and Apiary, 416 Bay Road, Amherst, MA 01002 tel 413-253-9769. 1.3 oz of the oil is $15.00. They claim 100% satisfaction money back guarantee on all products. Hope this is helpful and let us know if any of you has success with emu oil. 

Pau d'arco and licorice root are supposed to be taken daily but I have found that anything taken daily ends up ineffective eventually. For me I take them (or just the Pau) right before, during and after my period as this is a hard, hard time for me but if I was looking for regular routine, I would do 5 days on, 2 off or 4 on, 2 off.

You take them orally, I tend to like everything in extracts (not tinctures), this way I have better control over the dosage, that you don't get with pills.

Pau d'arco is an antibacterial, antifungal, antiparasitic, it kills our little buggies. We with eczema have higher than normal staph counts at any given time, this includes times when you won't have any physical signs of eczema, your count will still be higher. This has always been a very overlooked part of our disease until we get an infection then they like to give you an antibiotic.

Licorice Root (not the deglycyrrhizin type) is an antiinflammatory and antiallergenic, it does this partially by supporting the adrenals so they can work more efficiently.

Thanks for the info about the emu oil. I didn't really think it would help "cure" eczema, I just wanted an alternative moisturizer. The moisturizers on the market contain tons of ingredients, many of which I have no clue (however, I am starting to learn about a lot of them). I figured emu oil sounded like a good replacement. 

Sarah, I am very interested in this point - are you saying that you think your pill helps your eczema? I have read that the pill really messes up your system and alters your metabolism and hormones so that all sorts of food intolerances etc can occur.

I would not trust my own doctor to be very interested in this point as he believes I should just learn to live with it. 

Amongst other big 'life events' my eczema got bad at around the time I went on the pill, I have been considering coming off it, but don't really want to - I'm hoping to have got enough other factors under control not to need to.

Among other things I've been very bloated and irritable since I started the particular combined pill that I'm on and I think these factors can contribute to the eczema. I tend to scratch even when I've not got an itch purely out of frustration.

I went to the clinic last night and told the doctor about all my trouble and she said that the pill itself should not affect the eczema. So I reckon it may just be a chain reaction. However she's put me on a new pill which still contains the same amount of oestrogen but coming from a different source. The pill I was taking contained gestodene and this new one has it in the form of norgestidol (I think that's more or less what it's called!!). However I will let you know the results. The problem is that pills affect people in different ways and I suppose it's to do with out genetic make-up how we react to them and whether they are beneficial to other aspects of our lives. As with all remedies it's a case of trial and error which eczema sufferers often become very disheartened about!!

I always have problems with the plastic strip bandages, and in the past only could use the fabric strips without getting a reaction... but I've found I've been able to use the new 'sports strip' style, too... 

You may have to make your own, using a square cotton bandage pad and hypoallergenic paper tape.

When one is hypothyroid, one usually is ALWAYS hypothyroid... I would suggest going to an endocrynologist and being retested. 

Of course, many years ago it was common for pediatricians to prescribe thyroid supplements for children who were even slightly overweight... a practice which is no longer followed... so many adults who remember having to take thyroid supplements as children may in fact not have had a hypothyroid condition.

BTW, if I haven't answered the first query already, I DO have Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, which results in a hypothyroid condition... it was first diagnosed when I was 29, I probably had been suffering with it for a good 6 or so years before it was diagnosed -- but I never had a problem as a kid (neither did I have eczema or any other allergy as a kid... )

My eczema started a few years after my thyroid condition was diagnosed, and there's a definite relation to my consumption of cow's milk (but not an EXCLUSIVE relation)... again, I never had any allergies, especially to cow's milk, as a kid... 

I have been off and on oral steroids for most of my life (44 years). I have now been off oral steroids for over 2 years. When I first tried to go off them I kept having flare-ups. My reduction went from 75 mg/day to 50 for 1 week, 25 for 1 week then 15 mg. for 1 week, 10 then 5 for 1 week, then finished. Almost immediately I flared up. I discovered that my adrenals weren't producing anything. It was suggested that my reduction needs to be even slower and smaller increments at the lower doses. I went back to 50 for 1 week, then 25 for a month, 20 for a month, 15 for a month 10 for a month 5 mg for a month 4 mg for 2 weeks, 3 mg for 2 weeks, 2 mg for 2 weeks, 1 mg. for 2 weeks. 

This gradual reduction allowed my adrenals time to get going. I got off the oral steroids and except for 2 separate 1 week bursts over the past 2 years I have stayed away from them. Because my adrenals are working again I can eat small amounts of things I am allergic to and get away with it. I take inhaled steroids for my asthma and use steroidel creams on a sporadic basis. For the itching I use either cold or extreme heat to stop it. I take "Reactine" (Zyrtec in the US) also for the itching and it does a good job as long as I am careful and don't overdo eating the wrong things (milk and milk products, most fish, nuts, certain fruit). It can be real tough but I wear glasses today because of cataracts growing as a result of long term steroid use. You ladies are at higher risk for osteoporosis as you get older than us guys, but steroid use multiplies that risk dramatically. 

It isn't easy to get off them; it takes time, work and itching but the other health benefits are really worth it. I suffered with different joints that used to ache off an on. I wore orthotics for a long time for my feet, I couldn't even throw a stone or ball properly because my shoulders ached so much, my knees ached as well. Since I got off the oral steroids my joints have all cleared up and I feel great.

A few years ago, I went to a naturalist who told me that I had to clean up my liver, and so every week for a year, I went for hydrotherapy, which was supposed to get rid of the toxins in my body. For the incredible amount of money my parents spent, it didn't seem to help much.

Now, what is the difference between liver flushing and cleaning? I have noticed that my eyes are a little on the beige side, instead of white. Someone mentioned that is a sign of liver problems. Do other people with eczema have beige eyeballs?

Also, you mentioned that Pau d'arco is an antibacterial, antifungal, and antiparasitic. I heard that eczema is caused by an overactive immune system. Now, if our immune systems are hyper, wouldn't they kill bacteria, fungi and parasites one their own? When my eczema was really, really nasty a few years ago, I rarely ever got sick from a virus, and I always assumed it was because I had a hyper immune system. Do you know if it is true that our immune systems are over-working?

I'm not doubing your advice to try Pau d'arco, I'm just trying to understand why we have eczema. I'm definitely going to give it a try.

Liver cleansing is a slow process, much gentler than flushing which dumps a lot of bile and toxins at once. My choice for flushing is castor oil, then I follow up with colon cleansing 6 hours later to remove all of it.

Milk Thistle can be classified as both, it is still by far the number one choice for supporting and rejuvenating the liver.

I had hypothyroid when I was 12, and was treated for a year.After the treatment stopped, and just before I turned 14, my eczema began to get really bad. Coincidence? I wonder... 

I have been using grapeseed oil for the past couple months as a moisturizer. I really like it. It is very affordable at my health food store as well. Occasionally I'll augment the grapeseed oil with almond or jojoba oil. I bathe in baking soda and try only to bathe every other day--or to shorten my baths.

I have all over body eczema which has been very debilitating emotionally and physically since my four year old was in utero--but for the last six months or so it seems to be under control. Now my eight month old son is getting really red patches on the backs of his knees and he's learned to scratch his legs on the carpet as he crawls. This is indeed a frustrating condition.

Kelly, you mentioned that your period is a hard time for you. This is an awful time for me too. I guess I'm fortunate in that I am nursing my baby still and have not started again. But pregnancy also makes my skin crazy. Have you ever tried Julius Roth foundation's creams? They are an England-based non-profit foundation. I found them on the web during my pregnancy and their therapy oil, cream and gel helped my stay sane through the remaining five months of pregnancy.

I have wondered if other eczema sufferers also have irregular periods. I was recently tested for thyroid problems, since I have so many of the symptoms, but the test was negative. Is it just eczema that causes irregularity?

Another question I have is if all other eczema sufferers have digestive troubles. It certainly seems so. And I believe what others have said about eczema being largely due to ineffective digestion--among other things.

I've found this thread interesting as my eczema has been so debilitating for 4 years. People do not know what bad eczema is like. I thought what Faith said about other people's reaction to eczema is very true. Many have little spots on their bodies that their dermatologists have called eczema. I just don't believe that what many people suffer with and what we (those with the all over body stuff) have is the same thing. I wish the derms knew more and cared to know more so that we could at least get some research help.

I also disagree with the notion that if we didn't scratch we wouldn't have eczema. This is garbage! Even when I have no active spots of eczema on my whole body, my skin is not like other people's skin. Only recently with giving up aquaphor for grapeseed oil has the redness eased up on my skin. But I'm still contstantly battling my itching, dry skin. If this is the same disease that afflicts the small spots on other people's bodies someone needs to prove it to me.

Sorry about the griping. I just wish some derm had helped me even a little. I just don't even trust them anymore--or respect them where eczema is concerned. Not one ever suggested food allergy connections when I was younger. Etc. etc. The last one I had, I kept telling him I didn't want any steroids because they just made me flare up worse. He just kept giving me more steroid prescriptions. And he had the gall to say that I would soon be writing him a thank you note because he would clear it up! I was the one suffering and working each day to overcome it. I stopped seeing him.

I do wish we could alert derms and media and others to this disease and seek help. It seems like there are so many pieces to this puzzle. If only we can work together to put them together and find relief from this. 

My parents used to brush with baking soda and salt. You might try it sometime. It's extremely affordable.

I'd be more concerned about the psychological effects. When I was a child my parents tied me up to stop me from scratching, and it was the worst thing for me mentally. I am still effected by it, at 40 years old. Perhaps if you only do it briefly it wouldn't be so bad. My parents did it every night for years. It made me scratch harder and more furiously as soon as I got out of the restraints, and created a terrible pattern of suppression of scratching followed by frenzied scratching.

Kelly, Thanks for your answers. I have some follow-up questions for you. Regarding raw adrenal glandulars, do you know a reliable source and how much to take? I was always wary of such products because of concerns with the health of the animals they are taken from (some have suggested that the donor cows could have undetected mad cow disease or somesuch). It would be nice to know if there were conscientious and careful suppliers of this stuff -- e.g. organic cow farmers. Are there any "vegetarian" glands?

No, my doctors never said that there was a possibility of my adrenals not coming back. They considered that on 10 mg. a day of prednisone, they probably did not shut down completely in the first place. However, towards the end before I gave it up for good, I was frequently overdosing on the prednisone without my doctors' knowledge (I would hoard it up during good times, because I felt my doctors would not prescribe larger doses as frequently as I thought I needed them). That might have screwed up my adrenals for good.

You ask if my adrenals actually hurt, and imply that is a good thing. What do hurting adrenals feel like? And why would that be a good sign? (Does it mean they're not dead?)

Finally, I *did* change doctors. The ones who told me that are not the ones who prescribed it in the first place. They were just stating the possible consequences (and patting me on the back for having quit).

I've seen emu oil sold at health fairs and herb fairs (I think there are emu farms in Texas; they also market emu burgers).

Faith had some good ideas for why eczema has not made the headlines. Another possible reason is that perhaps eczema is perceived as icky, like leprosy. Carpal tunnel syndrome is OK because it doesn't make you look ugly; also because it is caused by working at a computer which (1) is relevant to a lot of people, (2) is a cool thing to do, and (3) you might be able to sue your employer for.

If a certain amount of media coverage could lead to destigmatizing eczema (like a public service announcement saying, "this really isn't contagious, you know"), then that would be a good thing. But you know how the media are; they might try to sensationalize it. I don't think they ought to do a big "sympathy" story, since that's not what we're after.

I wonder if more research is not being done on eczema not because the public is not so aware of it (even if they were, would non sufferers be pushing for more research?; as Faith said, "it will never happen to them", and it is not contagious like AIDS, so why should they care?), but rather because it is so elusive and unresponsive to standard medical intervention that researchers feel frustrated and that the payoff is not large enough relative to the effort they would have to make. (sorry about that dense sentence). After all, just the term "atopic" denotes that they have no idea what the cause or the cure are. I think there would have to be researchers who truly want to think in more unconventional terms rather than barking up the same standard trees of conventional dermatological wisdom to make a quantum discovery about this disorder.

The references I have read to flaxseed other than the oil imply that it works best if ground up (e.g. in a coffee mill) and then sprinkled in cereal or other things, or even drunk in water. I think unground flaxseed is probably a good laxative, but possibly the omega fatty acids & lignans are not released as well in that form.

Is there really any difference between flaxseed oil, evening primrose, and borage oil? I compared the three and they basically contain about the same. I heard of evening primrose being apply topically, can you do that with flaxseed and borage?

Hi all, There is a new brand of pill out that is supposed to also clear up severe acne, I saw an add for it but I cannot remember the name- it did not claim to have an effect on any other skin conditions.

As to the pill and eczema, I have been on and off the pill several times and have never noticed an effect on my eczema, although I never stopped taking the pill for more than 6 months, which maybe isn't enough time to see the effects of it.

However, a homeopath I went to stressed that I should discontinue the pill because he felt that it was a major contributor to a buildup of toxins in the body, which he felt either caused or strongly contributed to the eczema.

I decided that the stress I kept putting myself through worrying that I might be pregnant while I was not on the pill was worse for me and my eczema than being on the pill, so now I am back on it.

OK, maybe I'm a softhearted liberal, but I would want to know more about the process they use to get the oil from the emus before I used it on my body.

On a more cautionary note, I would think that those of us who react badly to lanolin should also be careful with emu oil, since they are both animal byproducts rather than plant derived products.

I've never heard that Flaxseed oil contains Gamma Linolenic Acid (GLA) which is the part of the other two which is thought to help eczema sufferers, according to what I have read.

I would like to discuss how my eczema is affected, not so much by whether it is hot, cold, windy, or rainy; but how often the weather changes. In the UK we can see all four seasons in one day.

The UK had a pretty lousy June. It just rained and was cold for the time of the year. Last week it all changed and is now hot (well hot for us Brits) and humid. My eczema went berserk last week. This is down to my body not adjusting quickly enough to the change in weather. At the moment I feel uncomfortable in this heat. However if this weather stays the same for the rest of the summer then I know I will get used to the heat and my eczema will settle down. Fat chance!!

I have lived in places that have pretty settled weather, compared to Britain, and on all occasions my eczema was very very minimal. In one it didn't exist. Does anybody else agree with this? Or maybe explain in more detail why my eczema does flare up when there is a change in the weather.

As much as I love my beautiful island I do not think it is the best place for my eczema. I am seriously considering moving to a country that has definate seasons. I would love to hear from anyone who has moved for similar reasons and have found a benefit, or even disagree with anything I have said.

I know I have mentioned this before but my main allergies are dust mites, certain molds, cat and dog dander. Now all these are prevalent in the air I breath in. I GOTTA MOVE!!

When I had eczema aswell as asthma when I was a kid I was always changing my mind on which one was the worst. Of course, it was always the one that was playing up at the time. If I was having an asthma attack I would wish it would go and I would gladly swap for eczema. The reverse was true when I was in pain because of my eczema.

What I am trying to get at is that if you suffer from a certain condition, no matter how serious or trivial it may appear to a third party, you will think it is worse than another disease. This is because you live through all the discomfort, pain, anger your condition causes. You will not be fully aware of how another disease or disability affects you until you get it.

I mentioned that I have cataracts in my eyes and that I will have an operation to get rid of this soon. I see this as a minor problem but it made me think to myself that I would gladly swap my sight for my eczema. This was of course a silly thought but it did make think how serious I perceive my eczema to be if I have actually thought about that. Now a healthy person would definately say that being blind is by far a bigger disability than having full body eczema. I couldn't disagree with that but being blind does not keep you up all night. It does not make you mutilate your body and you won't have to look at yourself and see how bad you look. I could go on. Then again I wouldn't appreciate all the things we take for granted with our eyes.

NB. I have only used blindness as an example and sincerely hope this has not offended anyone.

I have been using elocon on my hands and the sc on my face, but I've stopped using the elocon now anyway. I only use the vaseline very sparingly and just when it 'seems' right and more on my lips than around them.

I've got Neutrogena, but I don't like the stickiness - I will give it another go next time I need a new cream. I have found I need to rotate my creams and only use each one a very little and then to change.

I've actually been using these eyedrops around my mouth and then putting on a little sweet almond oil and it feels very nice and hydrated for ages, but not occluded.

It does sound really silly to use eye drops, but it is helping and it is not steroids!

I use Evening primerose on my son, stick the gelcap with a pin and rub it around. I can't say that it really makes a difference except if he is scratching after I use a lotion, he does not have the itch effect after using the EPR oil. So it is an okay moisteriser for us.

Fortunately I never had any psychological effects from my mom tying my hands. She did it for years when I was in grammar school, and in fact, it wa