By Lizzymouse on Wednesday, June 23, 2010 - 10:35 pm:

Please give Wheat and Dairy Free a try. On third week of this and it's like magic. My sons skin was so sore and infected that I decided to try this as a last resort. His skin has hardly anything on it now. He really loves Rice Milk and is OK with the Wheat Free alternatives. We did see a skin specialist who said there is no link with diet and Eczema!!! Sadly I listened to his advice, wish I had gone with my instinct sooner!!

By Fellow Sufferer on Tuesday, April 15, 2008 - 05:25 am:

I've had severe atopic eczema my whole life. In the 1990s I participated in a Phase II & Phase III clinical trial for Tacrolimus (now Protopic).

Without a doubt Protopic is a godsend. It doesn't thin the skin (it's not a vasoconstrictor), has few documented side effects, and has an efficacy profile comparable to the strongest topical steroids.

The one downside is that it's hard even to use the weaker (.3%) strength when you're experiencing a bad flare, because there is a very nasty stinging/burning sensation that almost immediately drives you to the shower.

When I'm flaring really badly all of a sudden, I find Clobetasol Cream (trade names: Temovate, Dermovate) to be an excellent treatment. It's classified as a "super high potency" glucocorticoid. The eczema disappears overnight. The one downside with Clobetasol is that there's a terrible rebound effect once you get off it. But this can be remedied by going right back on the Protopic.

So I would tell anyone who's suffering very very bad eczema to use Clobetasol and Protopic. You'll see a dramatic improvement within 8 hours of use. I find I don't need oral steroids during bad flares anymore: applying Clobetasol is almost like taking 30 mg/prednisone.

Hope I've helped someone. Eczema's a really crummy disease; with any luck there will soon be a cure for it.

By haykay2 on Tuesday, April 01, 2008 - 05:31 pm:

Please I need your assistance in order to get rid of my ezcema - mikky_haykay@lycos.com

By Jan on Monday, December 10, 2007 - 12:17 pm:

I went to see a Consultant Dermatologist in October 2007, she recommended Tacromilus ointment and Atarax tablets. I am pleased to say that I have been excema free since then, especially as I have atopic excema which I have suffered from for the last 56 years. The excema was very bad in my hair and became infected - this has all gone now!! I can't believe it has worked.

By Jimbob on Wednesday, September 19, 2007 - 09:00 am:

I was under the impression that protopic did not thin the skin as it is not a steroid based cream. It does have lots of other side effects and after careful consideration we decided not to use it for our son.

By cins347 on Wednesday, September 19, 2007 - 12:05 am:

Hi my son suffers from chronically rubbed excema, looks like huge mosquito bites.We have tried everything under the sun.Recently he was sent to Duke dermatology Dept, in Raleigh N.c...There they put him on protopic.Ok this is how it works, we were putting the protopic on then wrapping his legs with ace bandage, they went down alot and started to fade---bad news protopic thins the skin, so after 2 months he had to stop use, now he has little strct mark looking lines on his legs along with the excema, if you dont have to use it i'd advise u not too..

By nadia on Friday, July 20, 2007 - 12:47 pm:

hi i have cut all junk out of my daughters diet including fizzy drinks and artifically coloured food. they only eat food made from scratch. their skin has improved

By warwick on Tuesday, July 03, 2007 - 09:06 pm:

my son is 10 months old and is suffering with bad eczema hes had it since he was about 4 months it has got progressively worse he itches constantly especially in the night which is affecting his sleep and ours we have been given steroid creams which are not working has anyone found a cream that stops the itching or have any ideas where we can go from here.

By canadianmommy on Friday, June 08, 2007 - 09:19 pm:

hey everyone, I live in alberta canada and my daughter is now eight months old and has suffered from excema from about 1 month old. I strictly breast fed her for the first 3 months and introduced formula as a fill in. well she took well to the formula and she decided it was better than my boobs!! since her skin wasn't getting much better, we switched formula 2 times. once to soy which seemed to work temporarily but it got bad again and then to the hypoallergic formula and her skin remained the same. I just started her on solids a couple of weeks ago, so it wasn't any foods. well we tried so many different creams from the health food store and drug stores, the steroid creams. nothing seems to help. after the 3rd visit to the doctor she told me that it's simply genetic (runs on my side of family), and if there are allergies, hayfever and what not in the family that it can be passed on to your baby. they will outgrow it eventually, even though it may never go away completely, it will subside greatly. I think we as parents can spend to much time and money on so called miracle creams to help our lil ones, but the truth is, there is no cure as of yet. just keep them clean and make sure if they have sores, not to get infected and try to eliminate pets, carpets, dust, perfumes, etc!! that's the best we can do as mothers. so hang in there and ignore the constant comments of stranger, friends, family members!!! everyone out there has a solution, but until someone can give me a miracle cream for my daughter, I'm just going to go ahead and do my best to help soothe her rashy skin. so lot's of luck ladies. I'm with you on this one. the one thing that I can do for my daughter is glove her hands with socks so she doesn't scratch herself raw.

By MAM on Wednesday, May 23, 2007 - 08:30 pm:

tacromilus. My sons dermatologist has asked me to think about this cream. I have put alot of thought into it and decided against it. The Dermatologist said that long term they do not know what the affects would be on the skin ie skin tumours/cancer and also that she would advise that if he does use it he uses a sun cream also. It hasnt taken me long to come to the no decision even though he has had chronic eczema and allergies for 15 year. Good luck to those who give it a go though.

By Sarah on Monday, May 08, 2006 - 01:49 pm:

im 18 years of age and ive had excema since i was born ive been through everything, aqueous, epaderm, unguentum, hydrocortisone (steroids), betnovate(steriods), anti biotics, sleeping tablets, doublebase, aquadrate, chlorphenamine, allergy tests and for the past few years ive been seeing a dermatologist on a regular basis.

he has put me on tacromilus monohydrate ointment also known as protopic. it comes in different forms 0.03g and 0.1g concentrate of the active ingredient tacromilus monohydrate. it is NOT a streriod cream. it is quite effective when frst applied it causes a burning of the skin which is very hard not to scratch but has excellent results if it isnt scratched. heat makes it worse so take care to keep cool when its used and it shouldnt itch too much. however, there has been no experience with the use of this ointment on under 2 year olds and cannot be used on areas where skin is cut. it can be used on most parts of the body including the face.


side effects include inflamed or infected hair folicles (which i get and are like little spots filled with puss), herpes (cold sores), in rare occasions acne, burning sensations, skin sensitivity, redness, and rashes.

there has been some research into the very slightly increase in the likliehood of cancer although the increase is less than 1%

hope this is helpful

By lisa on Sunday, January 23, 2005 - 01:45 pm:

hi every one my 8 month old son has had excema on his face since he was born more or less. i have tried aqeous cream and one doctor gave me fucibet neither of which worked. i went to boots and saw a cream made by avent all-in-1 magic cream and it's brilliant. i'd recommend it to anyone. his face was really sore from the excema one night soi used the fucibet cream on it when he got up in the morning it was still red raw. i applied the avent cream a few times and you could the see the difference more or less straight away. i found it to be the only thing thats keeps it under control. let me know how you get on. i'm not sure whether your from england or not but there website is www.avent.com

By BIM on Friday, April 16, 2004 - 01:50 am:

MY 10MONTH OLD DAUGHTER STARTED DEVELOPING ECZEMA AT ABOUT 6 WEEKS OLD.SHE WAS ONLY BREAST FED FOR ABOUT A MONTH BECAUSE IHAD TO GO BACK TO WORK.I SUSPECTED IT WAS THE COW BASED FORMULA AND I WITHDREW THIS FROM HER DIET AND PUT HER ON NEOCATE- HYPOALLERGENIC FORMULA.THERE WAS MARKED IMPROVEMENT BUT THE ECZEMA REMAINED ON HER FACE WHICH CAN BE QUITE NASTY LOOKING.THE ECZEMA ALSO GOT WORSE ADDING JUST RICE TO HER DIET.CAN YOU BELIEVE THIS. SHE SEEMS TO BE ALLERGIC TO EVERYTHING AND ANY THING WHICH IS QUITE FRUSTRATING. DOES ANY ONE HAVE ANY IDEA OF ANOTHER HYPOALLERGENIC MILK WHICH HAS WORKED

By Hiedi from northamptonshire on Monday, February 10, 2003 - 08:57 pm:

Hello everyone, Just thought I'd leave a note aswell as a cry for help really. I have a 17mth old daughter who has mild to severe eczema at times and she is very low in weight i.e 17lbs! We have cut out all dairy products as we had her tested at a homeopath and this is what they said she was intolerant to, but she is now on goats milk and goats milk products but her eczema hasn't improved. The other thing is she's not once had any allergy tests from GP or Dietician etc

By vix on Monday, September 23, 2002 - 08:25 pm:

Its wonderful to hear that i am not completely fruit loop!!!! i have been giving my children a lact. drink for eight months when i noticed an improvement in their skin afterwards, i thought it was luck until i stopped giving it themn for a week and it got worse again i have tried this twice and the same so now its daily without fail, its not a cure all but dont knock what helps..

By Leah on Saturday, September 21, 2002 - 11:28 pm:

Hi Roberta

I have an 18 month old who has suffered with eczema from the age of 6 weeks. His skin kept getting steadily worse-with constant scratching and bleeding! Cows milk aggravated it further and soya made no difference at all. We eventually got in touch with the Cow and Gate Careline who gave me details of a hypo-allergenic milk called Pepti-Junior. It's available on order from your chemist at £10-30 for 450g tin but more importantly, is available on prescription. It looks and(I'm told) tastes very different to usual milks so not all children will take to it.

In the 10 weeks we have been using it, our child's eczema has practically disappeared but most importantly for us, he now never scratches.( Just to let you know though, his diet is also wheat free.)

If the Pepti-Junior hadn't worked for us, our next route was going to be to cut out dairy altogether and think about using vitamin drops to counteract a deficiency in his diet. Unfortunately, there would then have to be toast or fruit e.t.c. for breakfast instead of cereals.

There's never an easy way, is there? Well I wish you luck and hope the scratching eases a little!
Take Care

By Jane on Sunday, September 15, 2002 - 12:11 pm:

Hello Roberta, Our son drinks Rice Milk on cereal. You can get it from Health Food Shops, Sainsburys etc. You can get one which is enriched with calcium and one with a vanilla taste. You can use it for cooking as well. They also do little cartons with straws for lunch boxes etc. Hope this may of some use.

By Roberta on Saturday, September 14, 2002 - 11:39 pm:

Hello,

I'm writing from the Emerald Isle and have a 2 yr old daughter with Eczema. We have being told to take her off Diary Products, the priority being Milk although she drinks very little of it at present, as she won't take soya milk or goats milk what could I subsitute i.e breakfast cereals with what??? Also any word on tacromilus - what is it and does it work. I'm sure its available in Ireland too. I would give anything to see my baby not lying awake every nite scratching. Now at least I know I'm not alone there! Thanks. Roberta.

By Karen on Monday, June 24, 2002 - 08:46 pm:

Dear Jums
My daughter developed eczema at 4 months on her face at first (red flaky cheeks. I was completely breastfeeding at this time and continued until 16 months. My health visitor advised me to cut out dairy from my own diet, which I did to no effect. Her eczema did steadily get worse and spread to different parts of the body. I was also avoiding nuts from general maternity anti-allergy advice. Also when we introduced dairy foods as part of weaning there was no appreciable difference. However when I was pregnant I had a lot of morning sickness(all day) and drank a lot of milk and milkshakes as it stopped the nausea - I often wonder if that had had an effect ...?
Also when weaning started her weight gain stopped, so maybe there was some allergy that we did't pick up. I have only read that other people had the same experience on this site today! She was 8lb+ at birth and dropped below the 2nd percentile on several occasions, stabilising around the 9th. She is 4 now, and still has moderate eczema which wakes her up every night - and is still skinny!
At 6 months+ she came up in a rash wherever eggs, oranges, tomatoes particularly touched the skin, although eating them didn't seem to make the eczema worse and the hives faded away quickly after washing.
Recently she has been tested for white fish which we seemed to notice causing a flare-up the next day - no results yet. The main thing that has improved her skin is religiously avoiding all artificial food colourings - ones made from natural things like beetroot, turmeric etc are fine. Of course this wasn't an issue anyway until she began to eat sweets as she got older. We can guarantee a connection between Smarties for example, and red itchy skin the next day.

The toughest thing about having a child with eczema has been the endless trial and error, everything is different for each individual child.
Also feeling guilty. I think the parents are more traumatised than the child sometimes!

Cotton Comfort Sleepsuits with mittens on are fantastic for stopping scratching in their sleep or when generally especially itchy, and really are worth the expense. I wish I'd bought them earlier.

Just kept on going once I started. Maybe some of my experience will ring bells with others.
Hope your luck is better!

By Jums on Thursday, June 20, 2002 - 08:17 pm:

To Anonymous,
Some kids grow out of eczema within a few years while others have out-breaks for the rest of their lives. There is no cure for it, but i have heard that homeopathy works wonders. Protopic is the ointment with tacromilus, try it, i heard its really good even my doc said so. Moreover its a non-steroid so won't harm if u try it.
Lastly prevention is the best cure, so good luck.

By Anonymous on Friday, June 07, 2002 - 05:12 pm:

My sun has eczema on his face which is mild and present for two years. Will he "grow out of it"? We are reluctant to use any treatment, the dermatologist suggested tacrolimus.

Recently, out of no where, over 24 hours he developed dry skin all over his trunk. Again, any opinions.

By Clare on Monday, May 20, 2002 - 08:56 pm:

Jums,
The biggest tip I can give you is to look at as many messages on this site as you can. Others have advised me to do this and it has been the biggest help. Ask your doctor if you can get any moisturising bath products on prescription. Try to avoid products containing soap. Use very little washing powder and no fabric conditioner and give clothes an extra cycle with nothing at all. 100% cotton for clothes and bedding etc. These are basic things that you can do to cancel out some of the things that can irritate sensitive skin. Print out the food diary for when you start to wean your baby and try one food at a time. I'm a novice too when it comes to eczema but this site is a godsend So get reading! Good luck,
Clare X

By Jums on Thursday, May 16, 2002 - 09:19 pm:

My son is 4mts old, all of a sudden i noticed rash on his torso, then the doctor threw the 'Eczema Bomb'!! I used to consume milk and all other dairy products, but i don't know if i should avoid them now. Also does avoiding egg make things better? since i'm planning to breast-feed for another two months. does baby wash react with the skin?? I'm wishing that he outgrows it soon and pray for him bad!
There has to be a cure for this!!!

By Sab on Tuesday, October 16, 2001 - 03:27 pm:

Deborah ... are you sure she isn't allergic to dairy products? I only say this because Katie has been RAST tested for various things, but she was apparently fine with dairy. However, since eliminating all dairy (and tomatoes for good measure) in June her skin is the best it has ever been ... not gone completely, but my goodness I could weep when I touch her now soft skin. The thing is, I think our little ones are sometimes "intolerant" rather than allergic to substances and no test will show up an intolerance. Although there is no obvious immediate reaction, I am convinced that her eczema was aggravated by all the dairy produce she was eating ... she loved cheese, was having formula, yohhurts, milk chocolate, the works ... now she has none of this and her skin is excellent. I also remember that her eczema started when I introduced formula at around 2 months. I was very sceptical at first that diet had any part to play in her skin condition, but now I am convinced it is a major player.

Would it be worth a try just eliminating the dairy to see what happens? I initially was going to give it a go for 4 weeks, convinced that we would see no difference, but was so gobsmacked by the change that I have carried on to date.
xx

By deborah on Saturday, October 13, 2001 - 03:56 pm:

My daughter Sophie has severe eczema and has had since she was 3 mths old.I bottled fed her and she is not allergic to dairy products? can anyone explain that one.

By Clair on Wednesday, October 10, 2001 - 01:31 pm:

It seems an interesting study, but I'd want to know more about it's aims (and who funded it - old cynic that I am).

I suppose there is a logic that might suggest that breast milk is 'polluted' by the chemicals we absorb from food, through our skin etc. Ironically, maybe 'formula' is the only 'pure' product left?

I found the debate interesting because my daughter's eczema worsened gradually from 2-8 months and I finally stopped feeding her myself at 8 months (not through choice, but I was ill myself and making too little milk), and switched to soya milk, and she's improved - in that she isn't as scratchy - she still has extensive eczema, but her face cleared up.

Just a thought, but I have found it strange how you forget how bad it has been at different points, but I had a film processed which I started in Feb when she was suffering terribly, and it reminded me of how awfully, awfully poorly she was then. I realise now that there aren't many reminders of that time because we always seemed to find a reason not to take a photo then.

My cynical other half thinks there's bound to be a cure out there - that they're witholding because eczema is a huge money-maker for drug companies.

But why is it that you don't hear of famous celebrities babies having to endure such suffering - surely they would be doing to raise the profile of this distressing condition, if they had been through some of the experiences documented on this site?

By Carla on Monday, October 08, 2001 - 09:49 pm:

Not sure about this one, I have breast fed all four of my children and only my son, born in 2000 had eczema as a small baby, during my pregnancy with Matthew I was wheat and dairy free, during two of the other three I was vegan. Matthew's eczema was really bad, I didn't bath him at all until he was 9 months old and exclusively breastfed until 5 months - no dairy or wheat until 9 months and at 9 months his rash had gone. Any dry skin I massaged with olive oil. I am mystified by the breastfeeding/rash link as it goes against everything we've always heard.
I have had eczema all my life and since chickenpox in 1993 have blistering on my feet and hands too. I don't want this for any of my children so heeding advice fed them all myself it seemed to work for all the three girls.

By eczemavoice on Saturday, October 06, 2001 - 11:48 pm:

Any thoughts,views on the news item linking breastfeeding and rash? Have a look under The Voice on the left hand side and click on the daily eczema news.
Be interested in your thoughts on this
thanks
we are currently breastfeeding the newborn

By renee on Thursday, September 27, 2001 - 02:03 am:

You can buy acidophilus in a powdered form and mix it into juice or put it in applesauce. (You have to mix it into something cold and store it in the fridge because acidophilus only survives in cold temperatures.) Make sure when you buy it that the store owner kept it in the fridge.

By eczemvoice for user on Monday, September 17, 2001 - 11:22 pm:

There is a lot of research pointing to cows milk as the major cause of
infantile eczema. 30 years ago I discovered this to be the cause of my baby
daughters severe eczema.A change to goats milk radically improved the
situation, but she has always suffered to some degree since.I strongly
believe that if i had known about the allegy and used goats milk earlier ,
she would have outgrown the problem. She had her first child two years ago
and breast fed her for a year, no problems, the second developed persistent
eczema at about six weeks whilst being solely breast fed. My daughter
excluded all dairy products from her own diet and had goats milk instead, The
baby's rash cleared within days. Again research in Sweden has proved that the
allergens in cows milk can be passed via breastmilk and that nursing mothers
should exclude dairy produce, use goats milk and take a calcium supplement

We have had great success with potassium permanganate baths, recommended by a
consultant dermatologist when she was pregnant and covered in infected
eczema. Whilst visiting a child relative in hospital this week we came across
a four month old baby with dreadful eczema being successfully treated with
potassium permanganate baths on the advice of the same consultant. It can be
bought cheaply over the counter and does not have any side effects( other
than a colourful bath)

By fallstarr on Thursday, May 17, 2001 - 05:24 am:

As far as helpful bacteria go, you may be able to find acidophilus (spelling? Well, the "good bacteria") pills in a health food store. When I had ezcema several years ago, I tried them. As far as I know, they had no effect, but they may work for you. I had bad reactions to dairy productions, but the pills just contain the bacteria.

By Gareth on Thursday, May 10, 2001 - 09:57 am:

Maria,

I think the main benefit of saline was that it really helped inflamed and infected skin.

We completely stopped giving Sam baths, and didn't use any creams or ointments. His first bad eczema was a reaction to my wife taking penicillin, so from then on we controlled her diet and his according to his skin so we have a good indication of what the allergies are and his skin is completely (touch wood) under control.

The only complication we have had is molluscum contagiousum, which caused eczema in the affected areas, but thankfully that is now clearing up and taking the eczema with it.

My wife has always had eczema, so I guess we have been a bit 'lucky' in that we are already doing a lot of the recommended things. ie, no pets, wooden floors, dust mite precautions (covers on mattresses/duvets/pillows), even living by the sea for the clean air!!!

With Sam's we avoid anything with chemicals in! That includes foods, creams, soap etc. Since his first flare up we have never used soap. We just wash him in water, or saline.

I'm going on a bit now, but I could talk about this forever!

A thing we are looking at now, encouraged by someone else on this board, is pro-biotics. The theory is that by boosting the gut bacteria (for example using live yoghurts) helps the immune system and hence allergies. The only problem we've got is that Sam is dairy free so can't have actimel or anything like that.

Yesterday we found a blackcurrant drink that is probiotic (in Waitrose). I am now trying to get more information about it then confirm with the dietician before we give it to him, so I'll post on here when we know it's OK.

If you want to know any more about what we done with Sam, drop me an e-mail (g.tweedle@uk.orsigroup.com), as I don't get to check this page that regularly.

Cheers

Gareth

By Maria D on Wednesday, May 09, 2001 - 12:01 am:

Gareth
I have never heard of using saline solution on eczema skin before, what are the benefits over normal baths? Did you find washing your son was enough to get rid of any traces of cream on his body?

By Gareth on Tuesday, May 08, 2001 - 11:07 am:

When my son was a similar age, using oils and creams just made his eczema 'weepier'. In the end we used saline solution (on prescription) to wash him instead of baths and it made a big improvement.

By Maria on Monday, May 07, 2001 - 06:02 pm:

Alexxi
I read with great interest all the ideas you suggested and have printed it off as there is too much to remember. With regret I do use cortisone creams on my daughter but I will definitely use some of the ideas you suggest. She is only 5 months old, is she too young to take acidopolous and echinacea? My GP told me not to use oils, such as olive oil, all over the body because she skin cannot breathe. Has anyone any ideas on this?

By alexxi on Thursday, April 12, 2001 - 03:48 pm:

our 22 month old has suffered with excema since
6 months. what started as two flared patches on his cheeks quickly blew up into an all over itchy, inflamed rash that was completely out of control, prone to infection and painful to look at. our GP could really only suggest cortisones and oral antibiotics, which we were loathe to use due to the unknown side effects and his tender
age. my local eastern practicioners suggested that i(still breastfeeding) up my intake of essential fatty acids and use only natural, pure
emmolients (olive oil, shea butter, coconut oil)
to moisturize him. we also use organic calendula
infusions to sponge bathe him every other day.
i also have recently started using organic blue
camomile tincture mixed with shea butter, and am finding much improvement in the texture and elasticity of his skin. since he is of course
eating everything in sight (but never dairy, eggs, nuts or chocolate) i also give him two teaspoonfuls of yummy cod liver oil a day!! this
has given us wonderful results. basically, adding vitamin c, acidopolous bifida, and a ten day course of echinacea (once a month) has eliminated the infections and cut down the inflammation
considerably. he also drinks two 8 oz. servings of organic almond milk a day, which has loads of good vitamin e, a super skin builder.
sorry to prattle on and on, but i met a woman with a 2 month old with a face full of the beginnings of excema, and her GP has just sent her off with a huge batch of cortizone, and it just broke my heart because that stuff is poison!
gentle alternatives exist, and these can be used
for life. please don't think me insane, i am just obsessed with taking care of all children with this stressful disease.

By Gareth on Monday, April 09, 2001 - 08:37 am:

Thanks for that.

My wife has a theory that one of the many benefits of breast feeding is that the Lactobacillus bacteria could develop on the nipple between feeds, giving a small dose with every feed.

By mekki on Saturday, April 07, 2001 - 09:49 am:

Here is a great new study just published in The Lancet. It should interest expecting mothers, but I suspect that their findings may benefit everyone!

Summary


Background
Reversal of the progressive increase in frequency of atopic disease would be an important breakthrough for health care and wellbeing in Western societies. In the hygiene hypothesis this increase is attributed to reduced microbial exposure in early life. Probiotics are cultures of potentially beneficial bacteria of the healthy gut microflora. We assessed the effect on atopic disease of Lactobacillus GG (which is safe at an early age and effective in treatment of allergic
inflammation and food allergy).

Methods
In a double-blind, randomised placebo-controlled trial we gave Lactobacillus GG prenatally to mothers who had
at least one first-degree relative (or partner) with atopic eczema, allergic rhinitis, or asthma, and postnatally for 6 months
to their infants. Chronic recurring atopic eczema, which is the main sign of atopic disease in the first years of life, was the
primary endpoint.

Findings
Atopic eczema was diagnosed in 46 of 132 (35%) children aged 2 years. Asthma was diagnosed in six of these
children and allergic rhinitis in one. The frequency of atopic eczema in the probiotic group was half that of the placebo
group (15/64 [23%] vs 31/68 [46%]; relative risk 0·51 [95% CI 0·32-0·84]). The number needed to treat was 4·5 (95% CI 2·6-15·6).

Interpretations

Lactobacillus GG was effective in prevention of early atopic disease in children at high risk. Thus, gut microflora might be a hitherto unexplored source of natural immunomodulators and probiotics, for prevention of atopic disease.

Lancet 2001; 357: 1076-79


The full text is available here:

http://www.thelancet.com/journal/vol357/iss9262/full/llan.357.9262.original_research.15746.1

By Gareth on Tuesday, April 03, 2001 - 08:51 am:

There may be one cause, genetic maybe, but there are many different triggers. Unless you are a biochemist, finding the 'one cause' is out of our hands.

However, with an open mind and lots of hard work maybe triggers can be identified. Start with the obvious: rip out the carpets, give away the pets, cut out artificial flavourings/preservatives, wash with softened water (we got saline solution on prescription)

Then it gets more complicated. Eliminate groups of foods and monitor the skin very objectively. When looking for patterns remeber that it could be the day after food was eaten that a reaction becomes obvious.

I'm sure not all eczema will respond to this approach, but we have seen it work with a number of people in our family.

Hope this gives you a few ideas.

By eczemaisabaddream on Monday, April 02, 2001 - 10:46 pm:

There has got to be a cause for eczema that nobody can see and nobody has found yet. I bet it is an obvious cause but nobody can see it.
Everyone uses hydro-cortisone but guess what....
Your skin develops an immunity to its effectives over time and it is only a temporary solution. Also steroids do the same thing.

I am convinced that there will be a cure for eczema because it is caused by one thing....just one thing....what is it?????????? Dust, Microscopic Bugs, Yeast.....help us god!

By Heather Hayward on Tuesday, February 27, 2001 - 06:39 pm:

My son's eczema also started at around 2 weeks, and he was also breastfed [still is at 5 months old]. I too was advised re cutting out dairy, which I did for 3 months. The eczema still continued to get worse however. I was also advised by a herbalist to give up yeast and beef and chocolate - but this too made no difference. All of these things are back in my diet. The eczema continues.

Then, 12 or so hours after I ate a tomato rich meal, we noticed the eczema had worsened. I have now cut out tomatoes & all citrus foods, together with wheat - a small improvement has been noted.

Weaning started, and Ned seemed to react to the wierdest things like carrots and peas. His dermatologist has now questioned whether he reacts to salicate rich foods - these include tomatoes, peas, carrots, apples [which he has loads of] to name but a few. I am now going to try a low salicate diet for both myself and Ned and will observe with interest.

If anyone wants the full list of salicate rich food to look at, do email me. N's dermo is posting it tonight.

Heather Hayward

By katia poulouin on Monday, February 26, 2001 - 11:41 pm:

My daughter started to develop eczema at 15 days old on her face and neck .
My health visitor thought it was a heat rash.
It was getting worse and my GP prescribed a mild hydrocortisone cream. I went to see an herbalist, and he advised me to stop eating Cow's milk product.
And in other hand the pediatricien , said eating cow's milk product could not affect my daughter eczema.
I thought about both opinions, but now I re-introduced cow's milk product in my diet.
Now , my daughter has a Homeopathic treatment it seems to work first. But her eczema spread on her arms and legs and flurs up while she is teething and got a cold.

By Gareth Tweedle on Monday, February 26, 2001 - 03:10 pm:

Here's our story, in case it is of use to anyone.

My wife has severe eczema and asthma, so we knew our son would be at risk. When he was a few months old he developed eczema all over his torso, arms and legs.

The doctors did nothing except prescribe hydro-cortisone, which we weren't prepared to use as a first treatment.

My wife removed all reasonable food allergens from her diet whilst breast feeding, and we used a saline solution to wash Sam, and his skin cleared up very quickly.

As we weaned him we introduced foods one at a time, for one week each. Certain foods (mostly animal based) brought a rapid reaction in his skin, although it often took one week for him to become sensitized. As we introduced them one at a time, keeping a detailed diary, we are able to eliminate the foods he is allergic to.

Sam is now two, and a big strong vegan. Occasionally he will react to a new food, but his skin is very good to date.