OK not recipe related but hopefully someone may be able to help - ive also posted in health and beauty and parenting but so far no replies.
My 13 year old has suffered eczema all her life, and at the moment is particulary bad. Her doc has just prescriped a urea based cream called nurtaplus to see if this helps. Has anyone tried this cream - was it any good? I also asked him if what she ate could affect her eczema, and he said that diet was not a factor in eczema. I want to believe him (he is the doc after all) but I believe what we eat must affect our skin. Have any of you found that by altering what you eat helps your eczema? And if so, what foods should she be avoiding? I have googled this but there are many varying opinions. Many thanks for your help.
bianca91,
Dec 6, 11:40pm
As strange as it sounds my brother cant eat anything red or his eczema flairs up.Sucks to be him during summer :(
fauna1,
Dec 7, 1:00am
Cow's milk is a prime cause of eczema. One of my gransons was off all 'dairy', came to stay with me and went out to tea- itching face within hours, then flaky scaly skin - had had a dairy food pottle at friends place.
sarahjp22,
Dec 7, 2:26am
Also, this time of the year pollen is really bad so maybe that is adding to the problem too. In my children dairy and sugar make their excema worse. I try to use natural remedies where I can but at this time of year I give them a anti histimaine each day for about 5-7 days to get on top of it.Hope this helps.
adshel,
Dec 7, 3:45am
I'm stunned that the doctor said that diet doesn't affect eczema. As I understand it, the two biggest food culprits with regard to eczema are dairy and wheat. Removing wheat from my son's diet got rid of his eczema completely BUT he didn't have it as bad as your daughter. My friends daughter suffers terribly from eczema and removing wheat has improved it a lot, but not cleared it completely.
tumbleweeds2011,
Dec 7, 3:52am
My partner suffered terribly as a kid, and right through to his 30's when he read a book by a nutritionist. He does not have it now at all. He doesn't eat anything with chemicals and he increased his green and orange vegetables and fruits considerably.
offroader1,
Dec 7, 4:05am
It depends on the person to weather what food not to eat, and it's not always diet. A/. DD can't eat acidic food of any form, Tomatoes being the worst, even the non-citric ones, and chlorine is really bad, beach is best. any of these will create carnage on her body. B/. I can't eat artificial red, look out but I can eat Tomatoes till the cows come home, both of us can eat dairy of any kind. C/. a friend of mine son can't eat anything wheat, or dairy. and D/. my brothers kids, can not eat dairy, everything else she can.
I've been to so many pediatrics in my time, for me and adults ones to, I spent half my life in hospital as a child due to eczema, body infections caused by it. I was used a case studies, and for experiments, thank god for most some of the ones I was given was never any good, they were horrid creams.
You really need to spend time for your child on food. No one person is the same. Contrary to belief.
k1andb2,
Dec 7, 7:55am
Thanks everyone for your contribution. After reading your suggestions my daughter has decided that she will try to eliminate all gluten, dairy & foods with chemicals (ie not natural food), hopefully this will help, then we can slowly re-introduce individual foods to see what affects her eczema.
terraalba,
Dec 7, 8:02am
Have you
k1andb2,
Dec 7, 8:14am
I have almost given up on doctors lol. I have also suffered from various health complaints, including asthma, but the docs either say nothing is wrong, or just give me drugs for my asthma. I ended up doing an elimination diet about a year ago - and after re-introducing foods found out that I am intolerent to sugar and gluten. Also that msg and sulphates gives me asthma. I believe that doctors should also look at food triggers and intolerents as factors in health problems rather than give out massive amounts of drugs or dismiss our complaints by saying that 'nothings wrong'.
canman,
Dec 7, 8:26am
Have you heard about salicylates?They are naturally occurring in some foods.They include tomatoes, apple skins, potato skins, pineapple, citrus, olive oil....They definitely cause eczema in my 6 year old.
k1andb2,
Dec 7, 8:34am
No i haven't canman.Golly, this could be a long process to find out her triggers :\
canman,
Dec 7, 8:36am
Try this site if you want more information.Thirteen isn't an easy age, esp with eczema.Best of luck.
Already found it lol.Very interesting - tomatoes and strawberries seem to be a common trigger for alot of people, will have to add salicylates to her eliminate diet also.Thanks canman ;)
infinityjrc,
Dec 7, 8:41am
Hi if this were my child i would add magnesium and fish oil to the diet, and as much simple sugar as possible.i would also add magnesium to the bath.Some coconut oil in the diet would also be good organic and can be added to oatmeal etc whilst hot so isnt noticed, i also add it to fruit smoothies.
maggiemay33,
Dec 7, 9:46pm
What was the book called tumbleweed? I am in my 30's now and have tried everything?
davidt4,
Dec 7, 9:49pm
What do you mean by "simple sugar" and why does it help?
buzzy110,
Dec 7, 11:58pm
Try reading Jenna's Story by Rachael Tomkinson. It is quite a small volume and easy to read but it has all the information in it that anyone with eczema could possibly need to get themselves onto the right track and eliminating eczema.
Rachael is a qualified nutritionist and spend years working as a personal trainer. She researched eczema when her baby daughter got it. The before photos would just tear a mother's heart in two but the after photos are amazing.
wildflower,
Dec 8, 3:21am
I had it around 13 really bad on my fingers, then seemed to grow out of it.I have a little at the moment but think it's the season, plus making sure I dry between my fingers totally or the hot weather flairs it up.
kay141,
Dec 8, 3:38am
I doubt there is one cure for eczema. Different people have different allergens even in the same family. I know mine does. What gives one eczema has no effect on another. It can be food, soap, clothing fibres, in fact you name it, it can be an allergen for someone.
buzzy110,
Dec 8, 4:26am
Yes kay that is what is so good about the book. She lists every possible allergen and why a lot of things that are used in food processing are also a cause of eczema. From there she guides a sufferer through the steps needed to do a proper elimination diet, one that excludes every known allergen, then continues on to show how a sufferer should introduce those foods back and watch what happens.
Once a person knows the food triggers then environmental causes can be eliminated. IMO, once the food triggers are eliminated, there is every possibility that the environmental causes will not be so potent.
The problem occurs only when people who haven't bothered to read the book find fault, where none exists.
The book is quite small. I read it in a day, so any sufferer can begin the regime the very next day and by the end of the process should know exactly which foods to avoid and which foods make up a healthy, nutrient filled diet even though other foods can no longer be eaten. How cool is that?
What is more, what does a sufferer have to lose?
Also the thread starter is specifically looking for diet related answers.
tarankyle,
Dec 8, 4:57am
My son gets exma very badley & we have tried many creams etc over the years from the doctor & they never worked. I went to a health shop & got a cream called " Liquorice Cream" made by Essench1. This cream does wonders!!!! it is a 50g container but you do not use much at all. The last lot I got was only $ 13.80. I have had other friends change to this also for there childrens exma. I would swear by this product.
hestia,
Dec 8, 5:40am
Every possible allergen? What does she say about sugar? What about MSG, what does she say about MSG?
lythande1,
Dec 8, 7:46am
My son has had it since he was 6 weeks old. He is now 32. Urea doesn't work, but as locoid thins your skin they don't like to prescribe it until older. I spent ages noting foods, removing foods, messing about with removing soaps, cleaning products etc etc etc. None of it made any difference. What did help to some extent was swimming in the ocean. Pity you can't do that in Winter - nor really even every day. Why the ocean? Beats me.........
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