Eczema question for NZ mums

[WellieMum]

... I think there are some here?

Poor dd (nearly 6 months) has eczema. Am gradually working my way through all the potions and lotions, without any miracles so far....

Are there any locally-made things I should look for/try? I'm only really familiar with UK products. I'm especially looking for something soothing to put in the bath (I tried decreasing bath frequency but that made her worse).

I have a slight bias against "natural" (ie plant based) things (because of potential to sensitise), but am open to any suggestions really!

Hi Wellie Mum
I am a mum living on the Gold Coast in Australia. My youngest daughter Jaida had eczema for a while when she was younger but I have swapped to using only certified organic products such as the Miessence brand made in Australia but available in NZ too. Everything is totally certified organic ...some other brands use the label "natural and organic" but half the ingredients are not and mostly made up of synthetic and chemical ingredients. I found using the Miessence Organic Body Wash was terrific for her skin and her hair as it contains a lot of nourishing and healing ingredients.
The other side of her allergy is her digestive system...I had to take my daughter off cows milk and wheat as the nautropath said it was the modern processing of these foods as well as pesticides and insecticides that made them undesirable to people with sensitive digestive systems. If your daughter has been on antibiotics as well, that would have killed off all the good bacteria in her body. I have put my girls on a probiotic called Inliven that helps put the good bacteria back in their gut and help clean out the bad stuff so that the good nutrients can be absorbed into the body. If the digestive system isn't working well then it affects the rest of our body. Another thing I used was flaxseed oil which is also good for their systems. Hope that helps! If you need more information just email me [email protected] or have a look at www.onegrp.com/?suzette

Hi Wellie Mum
I am a mum living on the Gold Coast in Australia. My youngest daughter Jaida had eczema for a while when she was younger but I have swapped to using only certified organic products such as the Miessence brand made in Australia but available in NZ too. Everything is totally certified organic ...some other brands use the label "natural and organic" but half the ingredients are not and mostly made up of synthetic and chemical ingredients. I found using the Miessence Organic Body Wash was terrific for her skin and her hair as it contains a lot of nourishing and healing ingredients.
The other side of her allergy is her digestive system...I had to take my daughter off cows milk and wheat as the nautropath said it was the modern processing of these foods as well as pesticides and insecticides that made them undesirable to people with sensitive digestive systems. If your daughter has been on antibiotics as well, that would have killed off all the good bacteria in her body. I have put my girls on a probiotic called Inliven that helps put the good bacteria back in their gut and help clean out the bad stuff so that the good nutrients can be absorbed into the body. If the digestive system isn't working well then it affects the rest of our body. Another thing I used was flaxseed oil which is also good for their systems. Hope that helps! If you need more information just email me [email protected] or have a look at www.onegrp.com/?suzette

Thanks sooziem! Lots of info there which I will follow up.

It looks as if the main trigger at the moment is teething and dribbling. She's not on solids yet but we'll be starting soon, and will need to be careful about certain foods as you mention.

Have avoided antibiotics luckily but the probiotic thing is interesting. I used to love those Yakult yoghurts, but haven't seen them here. Anyway we live in the country so dd will have lots of dirt to boost her immune system!

Hi WellieMum!

i actually live in the uk but am currently using a cream made in tasmania which i have to get imported (believe it or not it works out to be cheaper than buying it here!). it is completely natural and you'll probably know it already. the brand is called 'beauty and the bees' and they have a huge range of products. the cream i use for ds1 is the honey & coconut w/marigold (unscented) body cream but they also do an even richer one with olive oil which i'll probably try next. i find that it is far better than alot of the other natural creams i have experimented with (A LOT) so it might be worth giving it a go!

HTH xx

Get doc to prescribe 1% LPC, 10% glycerin in cetomacrogol cream as a moisturiser. You have to pay $5 but it's worth it.

Put a clean spoon in each time to prevent the bacteria which love eczema skin from multiplying in the tub. Apply to wet through skin - no towelling at all - and the put clothes on.

Just oats in a sock in the bath - there is nothing else here worth putting in the bath.

Try the soaking wet cream thing - it works.

Mmmm, honey and coconut...it sounds so lovely... think I'll get some for ME!! Thanks minkmama.

Thanks also bobbybob - and don't worry, I believe you about the wet cream! Similar principle to wet wrapping I guess.

Yep, doing the spoon thing. Going to try the sock thing!

Have held off going to the gp so far, but am thinking that we've got to the end of OTC things really, so it's good to have ideas.

Having said that, of course, minutes after posting the message asking for help, dd's skin cleared up wonderfully! Not anything I was doing, I think just normal variation, so no doubt it'll be back...

Thanks again all.

Hi WellieMum, I'm not in NZ, but my DD1 has eczema. The best creams contain 'colloidal oatmeal'. Here, the doctors recommend a product called Aveeno creams and also oats for the bath. Good luck.

No point doing OTC when you could get lots of stuff on prescription. GP will try to fob you off with the free stuff though, some of them are not even aware of the great stuff that is partly funded or assume that people won't pay $5 for a huge jar of cream - which is silly because most OTC stuff is 3 times that at least.

Hi WellieMum I am a kiwi not living there atm but will ask a mate of mine whose dd suffers badly... and my sister who has eczema as well as her kids and get back to you.

oh and here's the website welliemum greatstuffformumstoo!

btw, the honey & coconut unscented doesn't actually smell of honey and coconut so if you do try one for yourself, go for a scented one instead to avoid disappointment

Update:

Well, dd had some horrendous nights of scratching (that other thread about scratching really strikes a chord for me!) so off we went to the GP with bobbybob's prescription. GP v. clued up and helpful and we have some lovely greasy stuff to put on (plus HC which I've been using all along on flares). Oats in bath are nice too. Touch wood, it's all helping but I can see we're in for the long haul.

Poor little dd - I think being itchy is awful, almost worse than being in pain in some ways. Beats me how she stays so cheery!

She's now 7 months and has been weaned for a month - only fruit and veg so far. Likes EBM "ice cream" and has no idea there is any other kind.

I hear there's a very high rate of allergy in NZ and some think it's related to living in cold, damp houses. I'm amazed at how many people live here without central heating even when reasonably well off and presumably able to afford it. A nation of stoics, clearly.... I couldn't survive without heating, myself, but I am a wuss.

We moved to a nice new house with double glazing and a tiled floor in the family room and ds's skin is like a new babies now. The old house did not help at all.

Remember to use a clean spoon for the cream or it will make things worse.

We also switched back to warm washing for our clothes and use the "allergy cycle".

My other hot (well cold actually) tip is to put her favourite soft toy in the freezer during the day (or the night - the opposite of when she needs it). It's so lovely having a freezing soft toy against scratchy skin and it also kills the dust mites!

Thanks bobbybob - great tips! Sorry, have been wanting to reply before, but away from the computer.

All tips very very welcome, and we especially like the soft toy one; Oskar the bear has been spending time in the freezer and is wondering if it was something he said? dd definitely prefers him cold though...

Just read your story on msn xtra site (followed link from an earlier thread), and suddenly understood how you came to be an expert. What an awful time you must have had. So glad Bob is better nowadays!

Oh, I might read that myself to remind me how much easier life is now. I was wondering how I manage to work 12 hours a week and feel less busy!

The humidity has come right down, which has affected ds's skin, but fortunately we haven't had to put the heating on yet. Back to 2 baths a day, although if it's me doing it it usually becomes a shower.

I have been training our GP. He now tells other people about the spoon thing, and the wet skin.