DD has develops a NASTY patch of Eczema under her arm, we suspect allergies....sigh. We plan to drive 7 hours to get her some NAET treatments but until then does anyone have advice on how to handle it? we think it may be eggs so we are eliminating them, I also fear that it might be soy.....that would just suck, being Vegetarian is hard enough but without soy...WWWWWWAAAAAAAAHHHHHH (ignore my last sentence, I was merely wallowing in self pity)

We are treating it with Vit E and calendula, any other suggestions? H what did you guys do to finally concur your daughter's eczema?

THE RESPONSES:

• From the eczema front over here... Do you do ANY dairy? DS is even sensitive to trace amounts of casein, like in margarine. His eczema is even worse in response to citrus than dairy, which we recently discovered. Do you have hard water? Any tendencies to eczema are worsened by hard water because it dries out the skin even further.

• DD's eczema is allergy related. Her 2 major culprits are dairy and soy. She is also mildly allergic to other things like eggs, tomatoes, cantaloupe, etc. She can eat the things she is mildly allergic to and it doesn't usually cause her eczema to flare up - just makes the skin on her hands and mouth red. She can't have any dairy though or her skin gets bad. Soy she can have little bits of in certain forms.

  I think it is great that you're going to get her tested. You really need to - otherwise your food eliminations are a shot in the dark. We eliminated dairy at first but didn't know DD was allergic to soy. She didn't have any improvement at all until we removed them both from our diets.

  Vit E and calendula sound good. If it is diet related though, nothing you put on it will solve the problem (although it can help a bit) until you remove the offending foods. Trust me! We tried every lotion, oil, rememdy, etc.

• DD has had eczema off and on throughout her life. I took her into the MD's office when she was about 2 1/2...he had recommended vitamin C supplements as well as Primrose oil. Here's what they say in the 'Smart Medicine for a Healthier Child' book...definitely not telling you what to do, but offering this info, in case you don't have access to this book...

  "Beta-Carotene, promotes tissue healing.Give your child a double dose of beta-carotene daily until the condition improves. Then reduce the dosage, giving your child one dose a say on an ongoing basis. Evening primrose oil can be taken internally(one or two capsules a day) or applied topically to help reduce inflammation. *Note - Evening primrose oil should not be given to a child who has a fever. Selenium helps the body use Vitamin E effectively and supports the healthy functioning of cell membranes. Give your child 1/2 dose daily for up to one month. Vitamin C in mineral ascorbate form and bioflavonoids have a mild anti-inflammatory action and are helpful for eczema. Give your child at least two doses of each daily for 1-2 months. Vitamin E is good fro the skin and aids tissue healing. It can be applied topically, taken internally, or both. Give your child one dose, 3 x a day, for one month. Zinc promotes the healing of wounds. Give your child one dose of zinc daily for one month."

  The book also noted that Rescue Remedy is "soothing and helpful for dry eczema". Homepathy is also listed, I can post those if you need them.