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02/16 11:18am
     By wheatfreecured on Monday, June 16, 2008 - 02:36 pm: |
Maria,
I believe that you need to discuss celiac disease with your doctor... to help you understand that part of the diet... once you get the wheat side of this under control, he maybe able to digest dairy eventually after your son's digestive tract has healed...
please google: children celiac... start to research this...it is very important that you do, and it is actually a blessing that he was tested and now you know what has been wrong with him. Once he is on the diet, you will have a different boy.... not cranky, happy, sleeping thru the night... pleasant and happy.
| By maria on Monday, June 16, 2008 - 04:00 am: |
Hello, please read. I breast fed my son until he was seven months old. The first time I gave him regular formula he went into shock and was rushed to the ER. We later saw an allergist that did a RAST test. The RAST test was performed because my son has had severe eczema since birth. The results came back positive for allergies to wheat, peanuts, milk, egg yokes, egg whites, and peas. Im devistated. I don't know what he could ever eat. We are waiting for results on fruits and veggies. How reliable is the RAST test knowing he went into shock? Thanks in advanced
| By barbie girl on Wednesday, April 30, 2008 - 04:04 pm: |
I am 22 yrs girl and I had eczema on my leg . after applying steriderm it was gone . but now steriderm is not have in any of the pharmacy . what is the other cream as like as steridem. can you suggest me.
| By tinker on Wednesday, December 07, 2005 - 02:36 pm: |
I have just developed Eczema at 58! It may have been triggered by the triple shot for tetanus, polio and diptheria - the doctors are puzzled. Has anyone else had a similar experience?
| By Sarah on Monday, May 02, 2005 - 11:12 am: |
Hi all
This is the first time i've written on this website. I've found all your messages useful and a source of comfort.
I have eczema on my hands and i've developed eczema on my ankle 2 years ago...nothing seems to work and i'm not keen on using steroidal creams. I used to use them as a child and now, as an adult, i find my skin is quite thin on my hands. I'm tired of buying so many products and lotions.
Have any of you tried a chinese herbalist before?
Do any of you know of allergy testing in the Yorkshire area?
Sarah
| By lesa on Friday, October 22, 2004 - 08:50 pm: |
My daughter,12, has suffered from eczema her entire life. She was on Wescort (which worked great) for several years. We started her on Protopic a couple of years ago (it work also, just took a little longer). The doctor has now recommended Elidel, another non-steroidal cream. Has anyone had any luck with this cream?
| By mary on Thursday, September 02, 2004 - 10:07 pm: |
I started with dermatitis in February, never had problem before and aged in 50s. Have tried different things including steroid creams. Went for patch testing last week but as back is "active" could not have full test - instead three patches put on midriff. Have to wait a while for the rest. It apears from those that a major allergy is "colophony" [or pine resin]- have been allergic to plasters for some years, but on reading about in on NZ Dermnet find it is in lots of things! How do other people avoid substances that appear to be common?
Also interesting article in Saga magazine about a new ointment that someone has developed - am waiting for information in post.
| By Sara on Wednesday, August 11, 2004 - 04:08 am: |
I havent read everyones posts yet so if I repeat something someone has already said then sorry.
I have had eczema since I was in 3rd grade and now I am 20. My boyfriend came home one day and we started to have yet another conversation about my eczema problem. He told me that I should go to the allergy doctor and have him find out what Im allergic to but I told him right now I didnt have the money. Then he told me that his coworker takes a Claritin D once a day every day and never gets sick [ his coworker doesnt have eczema problems. ] I thought that might be a good idea so I tried it, except I got the off brand allergy pills from WalMart [ equate ]. I take 2 pills every night before I go to bed and it has helped my eczema from flaring up really bad and getting infected. It still has its really bad moments but not nearly as bad as it has been in the past. Maybe some of you should try it cause it really has helped me.
| By PennyS on Thursday, July 22, 2004 - 03:06 pm: |
Dear Loura
I can sympathise with your situation. My son had eczema from birth- he is now 3 yrs old and we finally seem to have it under control.
I had little help from the GP I suggest you see your health visitor who can refer you for a specialist appt at your local hospital to rule out any skin infection. The hospital have community nurses who can come out and teach you how to wet wrap your baby which really works. OUt of all the creams the best is the cheapest,messiest and greasiest - use paraffin white soft petroleum jelly 50:50. ( like thick vaseline) all over your babies body atleast 3 times a day. At night bandage the babys arms and hands - the nurse will show you how. YOu wont need expensive mitten grows as the tubifast bandage is soft and stops the baby scratching his face- I drew eyes on his hands to make it more fun. The skin given lots of grease and time to heal without scratching can look good as new again.
Try this and if it doesnt work come back to me.
I know how exhausted and desperate you feel. Good Luck.
| By loura on Saturday, July 17, 2004 - 04:13 pm: |
hie
Ihave an 8 month old son who has had ezcema since he was two months.I have tried aqueous cream,E45,hydrocotisone 1% ,oliutum and nothing seems to help.My baby's face has black patches and i have run out of ideas.Pliz help me Im in a desperate situation
loura
| By ruth on Sunday, January 25, 2004 - 09:56 am: |
i know josie it is a scary business having to put all these creams on - particularly young children as they are so vulnerable -its also hearbreaking when they don't live up to their expectations. it is at least good that you have found in amongst all this a cream that actually does help your child - and whilst you know that with eczema it is often a chronic running battle that can test you and all those around you in every facet of your life - having at least something that does work for you that you can pull out and use is very important whilst you trial other alternatives. dont worry i'm sure most of the people here are sick to death of having to go through the seemingly hundreds of different creams - i know we certainly are. but it does help to explore other options even just for your own peace of mind. take care
| By josie on Saturday, January 24, 2004 - 11:47 pm: |
Message for Ruth - Thanks for your sound advice on using protopic. It all sounded a bit scary when we were offered it at the hospital but I think we've been a bit too hasty in our decision to say "no, not yet!" We are definitely going to go back and re-think it all.
Jane - Thanks for your message. Good luck with the Cranial Osteopathy for your son. I know very little about this and I'd be really interested to know how beneficial you have found it.
We've been using a different steroid cream on our baby son this week - "Stiedex LP" (or Desoximetasone) - and amazingly it's worked. I am so surprised as we have not found one steroid cream in the past year that has worked for us. It's like we've all been given a much needed week off, and my son is so much happier, especially as he's been able to run around with no clothes on! There are still areas of eczema trying to break their way through, especially around the mouth, but so far my son hasn't felt the need to scratch. The treatment lasts for another week @ twice a day and then I have to gradually reduce the amounts, with just emolients in between. Usually when I drop down a strength my sons eczema returns, worse than before, so I'm erring on the side of caution for now.
| By ruth on Saturday, January 17, 2004 - 01:35 pm: |
josie - try to keep an open mind on treatments - some things work for some and not for others or have only limited success/effectiveness. protopic has been extremely effective for some whereas for others - like us it hasn't- but until you try it - you will never know. one thing you can be assured of with drugs such as protopic is that they lack the side effects that the steroids have. their primary function is to reduce topically the over-reactive immune process occurring within the skin - and research to date has not shown or demonstrated any systemic effects from application of the drug i.e. its effect remains localised to the skin and doesn't affect any other body systems. it doesn't cause skin thinning that long term steroid use can - so its is being described as a relatively safe drug that hopefully will take over from some of the steroids for those that respond well to it. it doesn't hurt to eliminate all the other possiblilities either particularly if you think there is some sort of link between food,dust etc and eczema. good luck with it all
| By jane on Saturday, January 17, 2004 - 09:30 am: |
We have explored lots of different routes like yourself. We were offered Protopic and have used it. Its not the miricale that lots of people talk about BUT..... It has made one hell of a difference to our sons life and ours. We have just started Cranial Osteopathy as well now. Good luck. Try it just for a little while in our experience it certainly made him happier.
| By Josie on Friday, January 16, 2004 - 11:20 pm: |
My 22 month old baby boy has severe eczema all over his body, particularly on the face and legs, which I am finding very difficult to manage. I also have a three year old son with bad eczema but with wet wraps, emolients and hydrocortisone we cope! My daughter on the other hand is 5 and has beautiful skin! Last summers heatwave was a nightmare for us - my little one reacted badly to the heat and grass pollen and despite our very best efforts to protect him by applying steroids (mostly potent), wet wraps and preventing him from scratching the eczema became continually infected, resulting in a usual dose of antibiotics. The hospital have offered us protopic but my husband and I decided to put it off for a little while and explore the alternative health route option. We have been seeing a very experienced Naturopath now for the past four months who has tested my sons hair and advised me on diet and homeopathic treatments. I had to cut out dairy, wheat, yeast and high sugar content foods. The change in my sons skin initially was staggering - within 4-6 weeks the eczema had almost cleared! Then disaster struck and he developed asthma resulting in oral steroids and yet another course of antibiotics. After this we were back to square one with his eczema and despite alterations in diet and continuation of homeopathic treatments we have made no progress. Because my sons eczema has remained severe, despite changes in his diet, the hospital consultant refuses to believe food allergies are in any way connected but has agreed to do a RAST test on him all the same (we get the results next week). For now we are back on the steroids, which is at least some comfort for my son, but in which direction we turn next is anyones guess!!
| By tobys mum on Sunday, October 05, 2003 - 11:54 pm: |
Hi
My son Toby had RAST tests at 5/6 months - he showed negative for egg. But when he was given chicken he had a bad reaction, then again when he was given egg (by mistake in a cheese sauce) at 8 months his reaction was so bad I called an ambulance. (ie severe vomiting, distress, nettle rash, coughing)
I feel that the specialist doesn't believe he can be intolerant to egg and show negative in his RAST test.
I read somewhere that the rast TEST IS BASED on raw egg and that the proteins in cooked egg are different - which may explain it. Has anyone any similar experiences?
Pinky - I can really sympathise with you - I am so terrified that Toby has a severe anaphylactic reaction - he had another allergic reaction to baby Nurofen this week - every time makes my heart stop. I'm now scared to introduce new food stuffs if I'm on my own....
| By dawnenea on Friday, September 12, 2003 - 07:08 pm: |
I find that if I stay away from all citric acid foods that my eczema stays pretty clear. I have had it all my life and i am now 32 yrs old and it seems to be under control because I watch what I eat. I use to love tangerines. I remember when I was in the 6th grade I would eat 3 a days sometimes and that was the time I was broke out the worst.
Now I eat lots of carrots (good for skin)
take amino acids (good for skin)
get omega 3 fatty acids
other good foods too of course.
I have tested out the citrus acid thing by staying away from it for a long time and then eating a tomatoe. I ate a tomatoe a couple weeks ago and was itching through the night for a few days until it was red and oozy .. i love the taste of that stuff but I have to take it in moderation.
I stay away from the prescribed creams unless its absolutely necessary. The one that worked best for me was Triaminicilone (spelling? )(steriod i think)
the cream that works best for me is Avon Hand Cream. It kind of resembles petroleum. it comes in a white tube with royal blue lid and royal blue writing. I put it on and it is soothing although it takes a few minutes for your hands not to feel greasy. it is the only cream that works for me. I use other lotions but when it s red and oozy , i use the avon hand cream
| By pinky on Saturday, September 06, 2003 - 04:38 pm: |
Hi,
I am a mom of a 3 year old severely allergic girl with eczema;she's a little better with hom eopathy but she has a lot of food restrictions some of which can be extremely dangerous for her if taken.My question is how do other moms cope up with the fear that my poor child might eat a food and be in danger?Since I've heard some scary stories about fatal food cases I have been living with fear all the time and would like to talk to somebody about this.
Thanks.
Pinky
| By Eczemadad on Wednesday, July 23, 2003 - 05:50 am: |
Allergy tests typically aren't able to identify many sensitivities at such an early age. Some believe that if there is an allergy or sensitivity at this age it is more likely genetically distributed as opposed to the body having enough time to develop a resistance.
Another ezcema "Theory" I've heard mentioned in the past was described as "leaky gut" syndrome. Basically, the small intestines aren't fully developed and/or highly irritated resulting in small food particles escaping into the blood stream. Therefore, it's possible to be allergic/sensitive to dairy when your child is on dairy based formula and allergic/sensitive to soy when on soy based formula, etc. The solution basically is to allow time for the digestive process to heal. Unfortunately, it is sometimes difficult to determine what is irritating it. There are natural digestive enzymes that are supposed to help with the healing process but I don't know about a child of this age. Obviously, discuss with physician or dietician.
| By Sarah on Sunday, July 06, 2003 - 09:45 pm: |
Is there any allergy testing reliable for infants? - I see from posts below that RAST isn't. My 9 month old son has had eczema all over his body since birth - when he was breast-fed and since being weaned as well. He's not getting any dairy (he's on soy formula) but soy is a common allergen too, I hear. I'm considering eliminating wheat next, but it would be good if there was a test so we could avoid all this 'trial and error' stuff.
Thanks, Sarah
| By Kez on Sunday, July 06, 2003 - 07:54 pm: |
I think it may be the Caffine in the coffee,tea or Coke/Cola etc. My son cant tolerate this.
| By K.Goff on Saturday, July 05, 2003 - 09:12 pm: |
I have worked at General Nutrition Center and found that a few recent studies have proven coffee to be one cause of irratation of eczema. Do you guys agree?
| By yin on Monday, June 30, 2003 - 07:33 am: |
Hi!I'm a 25 yr old gal with bad case of eczema which appears horribly on my back and face! It flares up and at times it doesn't. Does anyone knows wat kinda test can determine wat i'm allergic to?My doc has recommended a patch test?Is it accurate?N some friends of mine have recommended me to see an Immunologist instead...has anyone seen one yet?
| By MARKY on Friday, June 20, 2003 - 07:28 pm: |
I RECOMMEND CUTTING OUT DAIRY, EGGS , DUST AND ONLY VERY MINIMAL, IDEALLY ZERO, ALCOHOL......
MIGHT CUT OUT WHEAT/YEAST BUT HAVENT SYSTEMATICALLY DONE SO
I HAVE FOUNDS STRONG LONG-TERM STEEOIDS DAMAGED MY SKIN...NEVER PUT THEM ON THE FACE....
I FOUND CHINESE HERBALISM,epo for scratching, DEAD SEA SALTS, HOMEOPATHY, SOMETIMES ACUPUNCTURE, AND CERTAINLY LIONG SUNNY, BEACH HOLIDAYS IN HOT CLIMATES HELP.....O, AND GETTING SUFFICIENT SLEEP, EXERCISE AND SOMEHOW, IF POSSIBLE REDUCING STRESS, improve things......STRESS ABOUT THE CONDITION CREATES THE VICIOUS CYCLE....HINK OF YOUR BODY AS A CLEAR POOL THAT GETS EASILY POLLUTED WHEN IT EXPERIENCES THE WRONG THINGS
any advice on sorting out thickened red and steroid damaged hands welcome.....thanks....
| By ChrisC on Sunday, January 19, 2003 - 05:27 pm: |
Hi Rachel
Have you tried a herbalist yet? (I seem to rant on about the one I went to see, but it has helped).
You mentioned digestion problems, I was given a fews tips and ideas.
1. Start your day with a not so nutricious or tasty drink.
Its basically 2 tsp of organic cider vinegar
1 tsp of organic honey
In a cup half filled with warm water. And enjoy.
Apparently it starts the gut working properly.
2. Take a bunch of parsley, chop it roughly, put in a bowl and pour boiling water on top. Crush it further with the back of a spoon. Let it cool, strain and drink the tea.
3. Drink camomille tea (excuse spelling), its supposed to be very good for the gut and digestion.
4. This is something I've just thought of. You can get bottles of pure aloe vera juice, an acquired taste but I imagine it wont do any harm.
The herbalist I went to was able to tell me what foods I was allergic to (aswell as being allergic to concrete floors). You should have a look on the diet/allergies section of the website, I have explained a simple test that can help you find out what your body is weak against and there are a lot of other peoples opinions and advice.
I hope that you give the drinks a try, I found that it was much better for my stomach than the coffee that I shouldn't have been drinkin.
Cheers.
| By Rachel on Saturday, January 18, 2003 - 06:41 pm: |
I had eczema as a child but it disappeared when i reached puberty. Now at 30 it has reappeared - particulary badly on my face and also over my stomach . I know I have allergies and that these are the causes but I have cut out so many things from my diet already, I don't know what else to elliminate. These allergies also effect mt digestion and cause bloating. My doctor won't refer me to an allergy specialst - he wants me to see a gastroentorologist instead, even though i know all my problems are to do with allergies. HELP!
| By sarahm on Wednesday, November 20, 2002 - 07:34 pm: |
An allergy test only takes about 5 minutes and basically tells you what you should avoid. It wasn't untill i had mine that I realised my skin didn't like me eating fish, and since i had a tuna sandwich at least three time a week this explained alot. Just pop along to your doctor. It's well worth it. Why pay out for all these expensive creams when you could cut down your symptoms by simply changing something you eat or wash with.
Good Luck!
| By MICHELLE on Wednesday, November 20, 2002 - 03:25 pm: |
HI I HAVE HAD ECZEMA ALL MY LIFE AND FIND THAT NOTHING HELPS IT AT ALL .IT HAS GONE THROUGHT DIFFERENT STAGES FROM CHILDHOOD THROUGHT TO ADULT .AS A CHILD IT WAS VERY DRY AND WOULD CRACK AS AN ADULT IT GETS INFECTED ALOT AND I GET OPEN SORES WHICH TAKE A VERY LONG TIME TO HEAL UP TO A YEAR.I HAVE NEVER HAD ANY ALLERGY TESTING AND WOULD LIKE TO .BUT I AM NOT SURE HOW TO GO ABOUT THIS AND HOW HELPFULL THE DOCTOR WOULD BE.IF ANYONE CAN HELP I WOULD BE VERY GRAETFULL
THANK YOU
| By Melanie on Sunday, April 28, 2002 - 08:30 pm: |
Is a RAST test any use in a teenager? My 13 yr old has just had one and we're waiting for the results.
| By David on Wednesday, December 12, 2001 - 04:32 pm: |
RAST is an acronym for RadioAllergoSorbent Test.
RAST tests for Immunoglobulin E antibodies (IgE) in the blood which are specific to certain proteins, including food proteins. Immunoglobulin E is implicated in immediate allergic reactions like hives, angioedeme (swelling) and, in extrme cases, anaphylaxis.
RAST is of limited value in infants: it sometimes shows positive for things that don't in fact cause a problem, and negative for things that do. The best guide is probably a parent's observation.
There has recently been some attention focussed on the role of Immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies in delayed hypersensitivity reactions but there is as yet no large body of evidence.
| By eczemavoice on Monday, November 12, 2001 - 10:36 pm: |
Clair - I'm not sure but I think there are also IgA and IgM as well as IgE. These might be the 'subclasses'?
davinder
| By eczemavoice on Monday, November 12, 2001 - 10:33 pm: |
copied across
By Clair on Friday, November 09, 2001 - 10:01 am:
Deborah
We just had some RAST test results - it means radio allergo sorbant test (a blood test). We found allergies to milk, egg white and cats - which we're already avoiding. Our paediatrician arranged them.
Hope this is useful
Best of luck
By Kerry on Thursday, November 08, 2001 - 01:51 pm:
Can Deborah or anyone else tell me what a 'rast' test is? My son had the limited number of skin scratch tests that the hospital stocks, but he had a positive reaction only to egg -- even then the specialist said he didn't think it was a factor! In fact we've had him off egg since then but we've been using hydrocortisone each day, because he was in such a horrible state, so although the eczema is better, but not resolved, we don't know why. We've also had him off milk (though continued with cheese and yogurt as they're processed) to see if that helps. He had papules all up his arms, which was all the specialist (an allergologist) was really interested in as he says they are more of an allergic reaction (rather than intolerance -- he appears to be pretty uninterested in the actual raw eczema, and seems only concerned with anaphylaxis, vomiting, etc.), and they have improved -- again, not sure why. Last week my son an erythema reaction and hives on his wrists (for which we had to give antihistamine) when he had soya milk with pea protein (other soya seems okay) and an organic vege soup which contained red lentils and peas -- we have long suspected peas and had removed them for a long time, but recently has shown no reaction to peas or beans -- I suspect the lentils. I feel it's pointless returning to the specialist as he obviously thinks I'm neurotic... anyone else feel that way?
| By Anonymous on Sunday, November 04, 2001 - 04:12 pm: |
what does RAST stand for? please
| By Clair on Sunday, November 04, 2001 - 12:17 pm: |
Hi all,
Just had the test results for my little one, Efiah - blood taken in August, results just got lost in the hospital system for some time...
She has been confirmed RAST positive to milk, egg white and cat (poor old cat went as soon as eczema started, anyway!).
But we also have some 'borderline results in the immunoglobulin subclasses' - can anyone shed light on what this means? I'm trying to speak to the Consultant but she's hard to find at the best of times!
I'd appreciate anyone's thoughts, especially if they've had the tests too!
Thanks
| By Sab on Tuesday, December 18, 2001 - 11:42 am: |
I think David is probably right about the "get it right 50% of the time" theory. I suppose if you suggest an intolerance to the usual suspects you are bound to get it right at some point.
We currently have Katie's skin under good control with her restricted diet and I have restricted the foods that I thought were causing a problem. I kept a food diary and have continued to do so (although now less detailed)to pinpoint triggers. Eggs is the obvious one, but she has such a violent reaction to them that it would be hard not to notice that one. The less obvious are dairy, fish, tomatoes and oats. I also have my suspicions about onions and garlic, so have cut down drastically on these too.
I'm amazed that time after time doctors/consultants have told us that diet has no part to play in eczema when quite clearly from this website it has a significant part to play - not always I appreciate, but quite often. When will the medical profession sit up and take notice. It just makes me angry!
Sab x
| By Clair on Monday, December 17, 2001 - 02:52 pm: |
I've had the electromagnetic test done myself a few years ago, and 'found' I was sensitive typically to the things I ate most, most of which I don't actually react to. I do have a huge problem with cheese however, and it didn't pick that up, so I haven't been impressed with the test.
My daughter has severe eczema and I am currently reading Jennifer Worth's book on how she identified her food intolerances and eliminated them and her eczema. All this occurs at a funny time - my partner lost his job a few weeks ago and I spoke to his personnel officer in connection with something. Somehow we got to talking about eczema and she said her daughter had a problem with strawberries. Well, I've been giving my little girl strawberry juice with probiotic since we returned from holiday because I wanted to replenish her 'good' bacteria. But she has really deteriorated since then, which I put down to the central heating being on more. But more interesting, this ties in with Mrs Worth's assertion that overreliance on certain foods in the diet can create an intolerance. I wonder if that is what I've done recently, and am now trying to widen her food range again. The book has some useful advice about salicylates (which have been discussed on this board before) and also about food groups (ie if one food reacts with you, another will - little families of related foods) which is useful. I'll let you know the conclusions when I get there....
Here's to encouraging thought on these topics....
By the way, Madam Flaky - if you read this, the book might be useful to you because the author was a veggie too, and she had to drastically restrict her diet because of the eczema - must warn you though, in the end she did have to go back to eating meat.
Best wishes all
Clair
| By David on Wednesday, December 12, 2001 - 04:47 pm: |
It does not work.
An early and famous 'con artist' was the frenchman who in the 1700s said he had an infallible method for telling the sex of an unborn child. So sure was he of success that he offered a full refund in case of failure. Of course, he got to keep the money half the time!
Allergy or intolerance tends to be to foods we most commonly eat. hence, in the west, problesm with wheat and dairy are relatively common while in the east they are not, but rice is. So, if you simply advise everyone you see to avoid dairy and wheat, quite a number will actually improve. Not due to any 'test'. There is no shred of credible scientific evidence for any 'electromagnetic' test for allergy. Note that there is some statistially significant evidence for homoeopathy however.
David.
| By Rachel on Thursday, October 11, 2001 - 08:22 pm: |
My 4 year old son has eczema - last year he lived in bandages or wet-wrap bandages.
I took him to a homeopath for an allergy test - based on electromagnetic responses. Based on the advice from this test I've modified his diet, and the eczema is significantly better. It has now remained much better for several months. This test picked up a wheat allergy (amongst a few other less common foods).
As a scientist, I'm now interested in finding out more about this type of test. Can anyone offer any explanation as to how it works, does it work?