There is so much mishy moushy info on eczema and cures out there, so I just want to share in short how we have successfully managed my sons eczema in a natural and non-medical way by controlling the flare-ups and maintaining his skin in such a way that he stays sane, this does not mean I am against using steroids when you have open wounds though, however there are other and safer alternatives than steroids, like targeted UV phototherapy that really helps if you have moderate to severe eczema..I have written a few posts about eczema, different treatments and our journey towards healing but never really summarized what worked. We’re only 5 weeks into the rash and already have a close to free and clear son. Let me start by saying I don’t think there are any miracle cures out there. I believe science & facts speak for themselves. And this you can only manage and eventually treat with persistance, determination, will power & hard work. It’s not an easy, quick fix, that said, as opposed to western MD’s, I do think its fixable once you find the cause or successfully manage your triggers.

My son has a mild-moderate case of infant eczema according to a pediatrician out here..nonetheless I have been terrified since day one (never having had a rash my entire life), and I think that’s the reason we managed..I have been on my feet 247 to find out how to help him since this all started, be it diets, ointments, alternative therapy and the list goes on.. I don’t miss an hour of his daily routine. I can almost tell when he has been in the car for too long by looking at his face or when he’s had a stress full day (crying too long, in and out of cars, no downtime at home, too many people around, missing naps etc..) yes babies get stressed too and it truly worsens eczema.

You all know the gigs about clothing, bathing, fragrance and scent free everything so let me share the non-obvious key changes that seems to really have helped my baby’s skin.

1. ALLERGIES: For some reason I suspected dairy/cows milk or antibiotic allergy to be an allergen from the very moment his eczema showed up, I don’t know why but I remember him being super fussy as a newborn if I had dairy in my diet and I was vegan for a few months because of it. I stopped all dairy about 2 days ago and his skin has visibly improved. I also read an article some guy posted on my blog about how antibiotics introduced at an early age could be a trigger or onset of food allergies..because my son is only 8 months it’s hard to test for food allergies and they are rarely accurate before 2 years of age, so the elimination diet if you are breastfeeding could be a good idea.  Stay off typical allergens like dairy, soy, nuts(tree nuts and peanuts), eggs, wheat, shellfish for 4 weeks before any reintroduction. Keep in mind skin can take up to 2 years to completely clear from a food allergen, depending upon how long baby/child/adult has lived with it. A great website is www.allergiesexplained.com. It’s and MD talking about the controversy of food allergies and eczema showing his own results on patients and a lot of helpful pictures. The thing though is that the sooner you can help baby get rid of eczema the better. The less the skin has been exposed the faster in my mind it will take to heal and also doing investigative work is easier when they are babies. Diet is easy to control at this stage. Eat & drink 100% organic if you can. The less toxins yours and baby’s body needs to fight the better.

This is baby 2-3 weeks into rash.

2. BABY & FIRST FOODS: Slowly introduce solid foods, take one food at the time, make sure it doesn’t make rash worse before adding another type of food(at least 3-4 days on each new food), keep a journal if babies rash is really bad. That way its easy to go back and check. Write down his skin state at every newly introduced food.

3. ANTI INFLAMMATORY DIET: (Now this is where it starts to get confusing)! Generally eczema is not food allergen related, however a few foods can make it a lot worse even if you’re not allergic towards them, namely inflammatory foods. I was anal about my coffee and would go nuts without one in the morning..I liked an occasional cigarette when out with my girlfriends or having a glass of wine..well at the moment I am as free of toxins as I have ever been. Alcohol, coffee, occasional cigarettes, spicy foods like chili & shellfish(anything crab, lobster etc.) has left my house and my sugar intake severely decreased. The minute I stopped all my questinoable habits my baby’s skin improved..he he.. You don’t have to be a skin doctor to understand that alcohol and cigarettes aren’t great for you, however when not abused I believe in balancing your everyday. There is another disease about being “healthy” out there..women go nuts and are obsessed with being healthy. As much as I do what I need to for my baby right now, I normally tend to take the middle road.

4. VITAMINS/NUTRITION: As a nursing mom make sure to get your nutrients right, add a prenatal vitamin, add a childrens D3 for yourself and the D-drops for baby(either in food or on breast before nursing) & 3 x normal dose of probiotics to your diet(morning,lunch & dinner). I used to be anemic so I was still on slow FE, however I cut this out a few days ago because I know it is passed through the breast milk. If you are anemic like me a good natural substitute can be Floradix found at wholefoods, it won’t be effective if you are seriously ill but it will help someone who doesn’t eat a lot of red meats & carbs like myself. Just make sure to read ingredient lists if you are also doing elimination diets as you don’t want mixed results..its quite tedious finding and eliminating triggers/causes of eczema. I still haven’t find my sons, but have a strong sense its dairy related.

5. HEAT/CLOTHING: Thin clothing, everyone says 100% cotton, but they have to be thin & breathable yet tight fitting to lock in moisture, preferably organic..heat makes his rash 100% worse. I try to eliminate driving other than picking up his bro from school and occasional grocery shopping. His skin really truly hates the car climate and car seat fabrics..I am considering having his car seat liners made in cotton..now if that’s not dedication I don’t know what is..!

6. WELEDA: All of Weleda’s Calendula Baby products, amazing for his skin. All the chemical skin ointments for eczema are rubbish, my baby cries, inflames and itches like a nutcase after every single one of those products(Aveeno, Mustela whatever else OTC and non natural we have come to hate)..the other brands CeraVe, Cetaphil are made of the same ingredients so I won’t even go there.. We have tested the ABC’s of eczema products and every time returned to Weleda and seen his skin improve overnight and controlled during breakouts.

7. BATHING: I was confused about how often to bathe a baby with eczema, bathing every day isn’t good for any baby but I found that giving him a bath every day during flare ups actually helps his skin stay clear. My guess is because a baby with eczema gets moisturized several times a day and attract different dust/bacteria onto his skin because of the stickyness of it all (I am no doctor or hippie, but this seems to be a logical explanation), if this sticky situation is not cleared once a day it can irritate the skin over time and worsen the eczema. As long as you use a fragrance free natural bath oil like Weleda’s or homemade oatmeal(grind oatmel and knot into a sock, squeeze into bath) in the bath you should be fine(do not use Mustela or any other soap free cleanser..my baby itches, inflames and cries from it, go for natural, none of those products will cure eczema anyway). Now that my baby’s skin is close to clear I find that bathing him every day is not as beneficial anymore as it dries out his skin.

8. HAIRWASH: Wash baby hair only once a week and do it towards end of bath so he won’t sit in soap over time. Only bath him for 5-10 minutes in tepid water. The soap free cleansers that are supposed to be super for eczema prone skin are also garbage in my mind. Washing my sons diaper area during a bath, he seemed to lit on fire when I tried the Mustela cleanser on him..Instead use an organic hypoallergenic brand, Weleda and/or Honest is working for us. As an adult you shouldn’t wash your hair more than every 2-3 days anyway, all Europeans know this, it dries out your hair, takes away the shine and leaves you crispy hair..so there you have it! Don’t over wash any hair.

9. SCRATH FREE: Trim fingernails every 3 days, put socks on baby’s hands before bed or naps. He seems to itch more at night. If he is scratch free, his eczema adjusts downwards.

10. LIVE & LOVE: Don’t forget to love baby, play with baby and live life like you used to. I found myself a week into it, so super frustrated that I forgot about my sons needs besides his eczema because I was so tired and sad on his behalf. He actually does a lot better when treated as if nothing happened, a few laughs, some playtime every day, music etc..keeps him stress free and happy. He is such a cool kid by the way, I can put him anywhere with a set of car keys, kitchen utensils or on the grass in the garden and he is totally happy for 30-45 minutes..now beat that!

11. KEEP DRY/CLEAN CLOTHES: Change babies clothes three times a day. When he wakes up. At lunch time. At bedtime. Apply cream all over body each change. Use tight fitting clothing, not loose like they tell you. They still need to be thin and breathable, but keep bodies and leggings even in hot weather (baby GAP has great bodies & leggings in 100% cotton, light and breathable). They lock in moisture, night and day. We have around 85 degrees F, I dressed my baby in shorts and I experienced his legs a lot drier and redder just after a few hours.

12. ACUPUNCTURE: My son has seen an acupuncturist for about 4 weeks now. He goes once a week. I can tell his skin has gotten gradually better. I do this because I need to treat the cause. Whatever you do externally will never heal something if caused internally. We have seen Dr. Helen at 1-2-3 Acupuncture in Los Altos. She is truly amazing. An MD from China. She has helped me personally on numerous things which is why I still have my baby seen. Babies won’t sit with needles, the needles go in and out again in a few seconds. He barely notices it and for sure doesn’t mind it. Acupuncture has no known side effects and is safe to use for you or baby. Keep in mind most hospitals in China use acupuncture because of its preventative nature. Eastern medicine aims to be preventative and thereby curative.

His rash has close to cleared after 5 weeks. I can tell the remaining parts are on their way out but I am still keeping my regimen up and will even when he is 100% free and clear. If it comes back after he is 2 years old I will take him to see dermatologists and allergists. For now he is too young to get accurate testing so its not worth the money or hassle just yet.