My heart goes out to you and your child if he or she is experiencing terrible eczema. It is so unbelievably distressing as a caregiver not to be able to help your child in some way, especially when the break outs are so bad that their skin is sore, weeping and unmanageable.
The last time I wrote about it, I think we had Indigo on a specific diet, were trying to use coconut oil as a lotion and also had her on a number of supplements. We had also tried steroid creams, consulting with the naturopath and homeopath.
Not long after I wrote that post I happened to be walking by a local Chinese Medical Doctor close to where we lived and had a thought something along the lines, “We’ve tried everything else, might as well try one more thing!”.
This was the most miraculous of days- one of those split minute decisions that changes everything!
The doctor, who depending on who is on call, needs a translator because he she speaks very little English, prescribed three things: a mixture of herbs to put in the bath; some herbs to make Indigo a sweet tea to “strengthen her constitution” and a lotion that I am certain absolutely cured her of her eczema. I know some people are concerned with using Chinese herbs as they are grown in China where the quality of the soil and growing conditions are not always effectively regulated. I talked with a trusted Australian Chinese medical doctor about my concerns and made a decision- I encourage you to do the same.
Within one week her eczema had almost completely vanished and to this day she rarely has an outbreak. The exceptions being: when she’s been swimming in a chlorinated pool frequently; when her diet has been higher in refined or processed wheats and sugars (ie. at the end of a holiday) and if her immune system is weakened (ie. if she’s been sick or had an allergic reaction to something).
Within about 3 months of treatment we stopped giving her the Chinese herbs and bathing her in the bath. We always keep a jar of the prescribed lotion in case she has a light flare up but they are few and far between. She has one patch of eczema on her right thumb because she sucks it all night long and often during the day… but that’s another story altogether.
Now, the lotion, the lotion, the lotion, I hear you asking! What is it? This lotion healed the most sore, itchy and caked skin in such a miraculously short amount of time that I marched right back to the Doctor with a piece of paper with the Mandarin for “steroids?” written on it and a big concerned look on my face. They assured me it was absolutely not a pharmaceutical drug- they are not legally allowed to be selling drugs of any sort- only herbs and tinctures. On the label of her lotion it says: white dittany and indigo naturalis.
That’s right- Indigo’s eczema was healed by the plant extract indigo!
After looking up this ingredient I found two things: it’s often used to successfully treat skin conditions including psoriasis and eczema… and it’s very difficult to find! Lucky we just live around the corner from a supplier.
We still adhere to a holistic and conscientious diet as I believe the root cause of her eczema and allergies has to do with a ‘weak gut‘ and we don’t want to solely rely on any allopathic remedy regardless of whether it is natural or not. We rarely eat wheat- instead we use spelt pasta, sourdough spelt bread and spelt flour for homemade baking and this is really the only gluten we have in our diets in minimal amounts. I also try to incorporate a lot of homemade chicken and beef stocks and high quality gelatin into our diets. (For more on our transition and decision to go from vegetarianism to meat-eating you can read here.) We alternate between organic goat’s milk and cow’s for optimal digestion and nutrients. We eat a diet high in saturated fats- coconut oil, pastured butter and eggs are all major staples around here. Indigo has had a probiotic supplement off and on in the past depending on how diligent I am being but I try to allow breaks between supplementation and instead replace the probiotic with fermented foods. The same goes for Fermented Cod Liver oil (Green Pastures Brand)- I give her this as often as I can without becoming regimented about it (for those with a memory for detail- yes! she can have fish oil even though she is severely allergic to fish- apparently they are allergic to the proteins in the fish, not the oil!).
Indigo still has a tendency to have dry skin so we use homemade lotions on her- Indigo’s staple ‘lotion bar‘ is a simple combination of beeswax, coconut oil, sweet almond oil and a few drops of essential calendula oil.
I tell everyone I can about ‘Indigo Naturalis‘ as I found that it took such a short period of time to clear Indigo’s terrible eczema and since then we have had no problems- as opposed to the eczema constantly returning and flaring up. Every mother I’ve recommended it to so far has come back to me with a big smile and a total look of gratitude and relief. If you live in Sydney email me if you’d like the name of the Doctor and I’m happy to share it.
That’s quite a lot of food for thought for today. I hope it provides some value to you in your journey as a mother looking for answers!
Disclaimer- I am by no means a health professional- just a mother who has tried everything and who wants to share her story in the case that it might help others even in the slightest. Of course, always consult your trusted practitioner of choice about any health concerns.