Anyone who has ever experienced it themselves, or has had a baby/child with eczema can appreciate how traumatic this skin condition can be.
Many people discount natural medicine – mostly due to lack of knowledge or understanding propagated by main stream media.
Here’s a clinical case presentation (from a Naturopath) relating to a 4-month old boy with eczema:
Mum brought in her baby with eczema, red and scaly patches on his arms, legs, scalp and face and mentioned he would also occasionally get patches on his back as well. He has been colicky from the beginning and immediately after breastfeeding he would appear to be in pain, pass a lot of noisy wind and quite often have explosive poos. He also would have “strange green or orange stool, which appeared bubbly and would be stringy, almost like mucous”.
He was born naturally, with an uncomplicated birth.
His eczema began appearing 2.5 months ago, and a visit to their GP resulted in a prescription for a steroid cream, which his mum did not want to use. The eczema has been constant since. His mum had already reduced the frequency of his baths and was using goat soap.
Parent’s goal: To be able to heal the eczema and reduce the abdominal discomfort and normalise stools.
Prescription: two homeopathic remedies and a probiotic. As mum is breastfeeding I asked her to follow a dairy-free diet, because the signs in her baby’s stool suggested an issue with possibly both the lactose and protein in dairy.
Within 7 days the eczema patches began clearing up and by 3 weeks the signs of eczema were completely gone. His mum also reported that he no longer had abdominal pain and the excess wind and “yucky poos” had disappeared. She even sent me a photo within the week, showing off his beautiful healthy and smooth skin. She was so happy with the changes as she said now she felt confident that he wasn’t in pain and was a much more settled, happy baby.”
In chapter 17 of my book, How to Have a Healthy Baby, I discuss how skin is a reflection of internal health. I also provide a few easy suggestions to aid in relieving nappy rash, cradle cap and eczema.
In many cases, with proper pre-conception preparation and awareness throughout pregnancy, eczema and other allergic-type conditions may be prevented.
So if your baby is experiencing any discomfort, whether it be digestive, particularly smelly stools, excess mucous, or skin irritation, you might like to consult a qualified naturopath with paediatric experience and training.
