Eczema and Food Allergies – Our Story of Despair and Hope – Part Two

This post may contain affiliate links from which I will earn a commission. Learn more in our disclosure.

Yesterday I shared with you the trials that we went through regarding eczema and our son not sleeping in Eczema and Food Allergies–Our Story of Despair and Healing – Part One.

sleeping baby experiencing eczema

That post was filled mostly with despair–

Today comes the healing.

At the time of our appointment with Dr. Paller of Chicago Children’s Hospital, our son was basically covered with eczema from head to foot–baby eczema at its worst.  Literally, it was so bad that his cheeks were oozing and stuck to my arm when he nursed.

Desperate and bleary-eyed, I trudged to downtown Chicago with my sweet son in tow, hoping beyond hope for some relief.

For him and for me.

Want to Save This Post?

Enter your email & I'll send it straight to your inbox. Plus, you'll get healthy living updates too.

Save Recipe

During the appointment, Dr. Paller graciously told me about what eczema is and how doctors don’t really know what causes it, but that it appears to be an allergic reaction of the skin.  She told me that her preferred course of treatment was:

1.  Topical hydrocortizone using the strongest over the counter strength, twice per day, or as needed, using the lowest prescription strength only when needed.  (I don’t even want to think now of the strength of the cream that we first put on my vulnerable son’s body.)  I found the ointment preferable to the cream as it was easier to cover a small area with the ointment.  But it does help the medicine to penetrate the skin more readily so consult with your doctor as to which is better for you.

2.  Warm baths daily using a really gentle cleanser for only 3-5 minutes (any longer and she said that the skin would become susceptible to even more eczema), followed by a layer of the steroid cream and a moisturizing lotion.  She recommended Cetaphil.  These days, I would use a more clean cream (with no parabens) like a pure organic cream or this really soothing Beautycounter Body Lotion or Balm for All, which many have said works great for skin issues. Another great idea is to put some body oil under the cream for a moisturizing boost.

3.  For times when intense relief is needed, a warm damp cloth wrap, followed by more hydrocortisone cream.

I was concerned about the hydrocortisone use, especially for baby eczema, but Dr. Paller said something to the effect of “We’ve been using these creams for over 40 years.  Yes, there is a slim chance of a negative effect on your son, but not getting sleep is for sure going to damage him and this is much less risky.”

Balanced and sage advice.

As a side note, allergies were definitely a problem genetically for my son.  A little history:

I had been almost debilitated by seasonal allergies in my high school and college years.

In high school I stayed home for 6 weeks out of the year, having school assignments brought to my home so that I could complete the work and stay on course.  (The only thing that I did go in for was biology since that class was so demanding.)

Could Severe Baby Eczema Be Caused by Breastfeeding?

As Dr. Paller and I were talking, I asked her about food allergies and whether our son’s eczema could be related to food.

Her answer? About 30% of eczema seemed to be food-related.

So I asked my next question; how would I figure out if foods were the cause?  I’d suspected we were dealing with a food issue from flares I’d seen my son have after I’d eaten certain foods, but how would I know?

Dr. Paller said that there are IgE blood tests, but my son was too young to try those.

We’d have to do an elimination test where I’d remove probable allergens from my diet and see how he responded.

She said there were 6 top food allergies that should be considered (NOTE: now there are 8 top food allergens; milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, soy, and wheat).

Our Food Allergy Test

She recommended removing each potential allergen for 3 weeks to see how my son’s eczema responded and then add it back in and try the next one.

The next question that I had both changed our lives and brought us real hope.

“What if he’s allergic to more than one food?”  I asked.

She said that was possible.

What I couldn’t afford was 18 more weeks of itching and 30-minute stretches of sleep.  What if he was allergic to 2 or 3 things and just removing them individually out of his diet didn’t heal him and we ended up after 18 weeks just where we started?

So I asked her if it would be alright to remove all 6 potential allergens out of my diet for the recommended 3 weeks to see what happened.

She said that nutritionally that would be fine.

Food Allergy Test Results

So that’s what I did.

Tough work.

But my son’s skin cleared up gradually as my elimination diet progressed.

We continued with the treatments of hydrocortisone and baths.  They were tiring, but at least I was getting a little more sleep as my son felt some relief.

Basically, I eliminated all the obvious sources of the Top 6 allergens out of my diet, but noticed slight to fairly bad flares even from me just eating milk chocolate. So out everything went from my diet.  I was scouring labels and making sure I ingested nothing that my son was allergic to.

His skin became almost perfect.

The next test was to add the foods back, one at a time.

It soon became pretty obvious that we were dealing with allergies to dairy and peanut. And egg.

And at 5 months of age (the earliest age at which IgE blood tests are typically performed), my son ended up in the hospital with rotavirus (that’s another story as well) and since they were drawing blood anyway, we decided to try an IgE blood test.

The verdict?

Allergic to dairy, egg white and peanut.

After all of these elimination tests and IgE test results, the question became:

Should I restrict my own diet and continue to breastfeed my son?

Or should I just go the “easy route” and put my son on soy-based formula.

My son’s wise pediatrician warned against the formula route.  Given my son’s sensitive constitution, he cautioned that it was quite possible that he would develop an allergy to soy and then we would be forced to either make our own homemade formula or go on a “pre-digested protein formula” that, if I remember correctly was running $80 per week.

Again, wise advice.

baby with eczema with text overlay

I decided to go the “hard route”:

  • eliminating everything containing anything on the allergen list
  • reading tons of labels
  • learning all the derivatives of dairy, egg, and peanuts.  There are a LOT.

This was so hard for me. I really like eating (who doesn’t?) and I like having what I want when I want it.

But I really wanted to breastfeed my child and my mother’s sense told me that while the nutritional aspect of nursing was important, the bonding aspect of nursing was crucial as well.

Later, true to our pediatrician’s advice, our son was also diagnosed with tree nut and sesame allergies and even soy.

He’s since outgrown the soy allergy, but not the others, though he now tolerates almonds and macadamias. (Note – read my about page to see how he later had miraculous recoveries from two more food allergies.)

Later, as my son grew, we found out more about him that made us glad I nursed him as long as I did.

It turned out that he had much more going on than just the food allergies and itchy skin.

Beneath the surface lay a hidden condition, called autism / Asperger’s Syndrome.

A condition that I (along with many experts) am convinced originates in the mind and gut.

I truly think that my choice to breastfeed my son may have kept him from either worsening Asperger’s or even full-blown autism.

I will never know, this side of heaven, but I am glad that I made the sacrifice to give up my food in order to nourish my son’s body and soul.

Now, let me make this clear.  This is not meant to be a criticism of mothers who have chosen to opt for formulas instead of a restricted diet.

But it is meant to encourage those who are dealing with eczema to look at diet as a possible cause.  And also to consider how important breastfeeding is for your child.

The benefits of breastfeeding for babies are great and as a side note, there are many breastfeeding benefits for mom as well.

For more of our family’s health struggles and victories, you may want to read:

I have been so touched hearing from readers about their eczema and food allergy experiences.  Please share so we can all learn from each other.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

 

154 Comments

  1. We have also dealt with milk, egg, and peanut allergies. Bless you for doing the hard work to get to the bottom of your son’s issues. Thanks for sharing your story!

  2. What a story – thanks for sharing and I truly feel for you and your family. My story is not about my child (don’t have one yet) but about me, a 30 year old woman. I was in middle school when I found out I had eczema (I don’t know if I had issues as a baby)…I had a large patch on my arm, they tested it, gave me a strong cream, and that was it. Since it never came back, I guess my parents were not concerned. Years later, in my 20’s, I started getting patches on my hands. It was on and off, so I used the prescription creams when it flared up, the dermatologist-recommended lotions, etc. Sure, they worked for a time. But it always came back. Less than a year ago, my hands were so bad I seriously contemplated cutting them off…it was painful and became hard to even use my swollen hands. I had already began my transition to natural food and products, so I was determined to find a natural way. As soon as I read a book that tied eczema to allergies, particularly dairy, I gave it up. Of course this was a process, but I can happily say that even though I miss my cheese, I can type this without any pain and my hands look “normal” again. So, thank you for your blog that I continue to learn from and I will be well informed when I do have a child.

    1. Welcome and thanks for sharing!!!! I am so glad to hear it helped. I am convinced dairy is one of the biggest food allergy offenders.

  3. My son also had bad eczema all over his face, but it got better and went away. I went to the Dr and was prescribed a antibiotic cream and told to use the over the counter steroid cream. However, I wanted to try natural methods first so i used coconut oil and aquaphor ointment 3 times a day. It was spreading to his body too. So i also tried using an antioxidant supplement for myself since I am nursing I figure he will get a little bit of it. So far there is a drastic improvement and I didn’t even need to use the antibiotic. I really feel for your boy and I hope there is something natural that you can add to what the Dr. has given you. Thanks for sharing your experience. I know there is many others who suffer from eczema and Autism.

  4. I am always happy to read when people share stories about their own families that could help others. My son has been dealing with ezcema for most of his life. He is 3 1/2 years old & over the past year it has gotten much worse. It covers the entire back of his legs & we have treated with different strength steroid creams as well following the short warm baths. We would see slight improvements but it ALWAYS returned. For the last 6 months he has woken up multiple times a night to ask for lotion to be applied but in the last month it started affecting his penis. That was the last straw for us. After hearing doctors & allergiest tell us to eliminate foods he loves as well as keeping him out of the grass I knew we needed another alternative. I am a very rational, conservative person but was willing to try anything. We began NAET treatments 3 weeks ago & his ezcema has not only vanished, but he is finally sleeping through the night & can breathe through his nose again. I can’t explain the treatments but there is a lot of information on the web. It sounds like magic & voodoo but it worked for him as well as many of my other friends. And the best part is there is only elimination of foods from his diet for 25 hours after treatments. He can now enjoy food again as well as playing outside. Hope this helps someone.

    1. I’m looking into NAET – I am concerned about how much it costs, but wondering if it might be just what we need. I’d love to hear more thoughts. Thanks!!!

  5. I thank you for the ideas and suggestions that you have given. My daughter Bailey is 2 and a half and has had flare ups of weird spots on her bottom and cheeks for the past 8 months. Originally I had taken her to the doctor back in December of 2011 3 times before someone gave me an answer that I am still not 100% convinced with. Her doctor was out of the office so we saw a different doctor and he told me that is was Gianotti Crosti Syndrome and pretty much just said that it would go away on its own and to put her on a pro biotic and some stuff to have her sit in, in the bath and an anti itch medicine. A week later it made some progress but was still prominent and itchy. We went back to the dr and saw a girl this time and she told me the same thing and told me the same thing the first dr did. The third time we actually got to see her dr and he agreed with the other drs about the gianotti crosti syndrome but said she also had a yeast infection. I was so irritated and still after all of that her bottom has yet to clear up. I did get her cheeks to clear up by putting aquaphor on them several times a day. That was in Jan but in the past two weeks her cheeks have gotten red again and her bottom is worse than it was. I took her back to the dr today and he thinks that it is eczema. After reading your post it all makes sense. I think she has some food allergies as well. She is a very picky eater and usually only will eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Since she wont eat I usually just let her eat that. At least she is eating something right? I figured she would grow out of the pickiness. Since the dr said to stay away from juice in dec I rarely give it to her and she fights drinking water so I have been giving her milk (which makes her bowl movements even harder than they already are. She has had trouble with those too ever since I stopped breast feeding.) So she consumes a lot of milk, peanut butter and wheat (I only give her wheat bread). Thanks to you I am going to try to remove those things from her diet and see what happens. Thank you! Hopefully this works!

    1. Oh I am so glad. Aquafor can actually be irritating to eczema in my opinion b/c it seals in what is trying to come out. I used it quite a bit but found it seemed to not sit well w/ my son’s skin. Also, it is synthetic so that is something else to consider. Please let me know how things go. Take care!!

      1. Huh I did not think about that 🙁 would you just use the cetaphil lotion then? I used to work in a nursing home as a nurses aid and I remember using this a lot with the residents. Thanks again!

        1. I preferred that. These days I use only all natural things. I would probably lean toward coconut oil or a homemade lotion. I am planning to try one or two soon to see how they do as my skin is quite dry.

      2. And I would have to agree about the aquaphor irritating it. It seems to help her cheeks where it isn’t very bad but has not helped her bottom 🙁

  6. Wow, I can truly relate to your post! My daughter, who is now 11, has suffered with severe eczema, allergies, asthma, and food allergies (dairy, egg, nut, peanut, and wheat). I understand the emotional adjustment and exhausting routines involved in helping them function in our allergen-ridden world. Based on my experience, I started a blog about learning to cook and bake allergy-free.
    Thanks!

  7. I’m so glad that you are aware of the MTHFR Gene Mutation! Most have not heard of it and dealing with it is so easy that the allopathic medical community/drug manufacturers really have no interest in it.

    I don’t have any personal experience….yet…. But I have done a little research on the MTHFR Gene and am asking my dad and other members of my family to get tested because autoimmune diseases are cropping up and becoming worse in nature…..just too many in the last few years to not suspect the MTHFR Gene. My children are the least affected of all of the cousins which is why I am asking others in the family to get tested.

    1. Can you direct me to where I can find out what to do about it? I think I still have my son’s genetic info. I would love for you to share w/ me. Thanks!! I am looking at pyroluria now but not sure if my son has it or not.

      1. I googled MTHFR and read various sites. I’ve learned from others on Thyroid and Adrenal groups who first alerted me about the MTHFR Gene mutation. My research and reading has been here and there sometimes as I look for it and other times as it comes to me. Sorry that I don’t have any specific sites on the tip of my tongue!

        1. Oh….I just remembered some links someone shared with me that might be of help for you:

          https://findingtherootcause.blogspot.com/search/label/glutathione

          (Link deleted by Whole New Mom due to it not working anymore.)

          (Link deleted by Whole New Mom due to it not working anymore.)

          (Link deleted by Whole New Mom due to it not working anymore.)
          (Link deleted by Whole New Mom due to it not working anymore.)
          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZA8GUIRqIkE
          (Link deleted by Whole New Mom due to it not working anymore.)

          (Link deleted by Whole New Mom due to it not working anymore.)

          (Link deleted by Whole New Mom due to it not working anymore.)

          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZA8GUIRqIkE&feature=player_embedded

          (Link deleted by Whole New Mom due to it not working anymore.)
          (Link deleted by Whole New Mom due to it not working anymore.)

          (Link deleted by Whole New Mom due to it not working anymore.)
          (Link deleted by Whole New Mom due to it not working anymore.)
          https://mthfr.net/mthfr-a1298c-mutation-some-information-on-a1298c-mthfr-mutations/2011/11/30/

          https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/gene/MTHFR
          https://findingtherootcause.blogspot.com/2011/05/mthfr-and-autism.html MTHFR info
          https://www.cfwellness.com/health-topics/add-adhd

          https://genetics.thetech.org/ask/ask425

          (Link deleted by Whole New Mom due to it not working anymore.)
          http://www.rawlins.org/mthfr/MTHFRdeficiency.ppt

          (Link deleted by Whole New Mom due to it not working anymore.)
          ***** https://www.mindmeister.com/12721370/mthfr-treatment
          ****** https://www.mindmeister.com/12694596/mthfr-related-health-problems

          (Link deleted by Whole New Mom due to it not working anymore.)

          https://www.cfwellness.com/health-topics/add-adhd

          That should give you some things to read ; )

  8. Reading these posts makes me cry, I have been there too. Infant covered with eczema at age 5 months, allergy testing, formula changes, steroids, diet changes, NAET (8 years worth), asthma, bad days and good days. I went back to school and received my degree in Integrative Nutrition and…drum roll…no asthma, no eczema and 2 food allergies remain! My son is 16, healthy, handsome, smart, productive, a great kid all around. Twice in his life, he should have died. There is an answer, the GAPS diet is a terrific tool but it is very hard. My recommendations are somewhat modeled after GAPS but the results are quicker. I am currently writing an Ebook so I may share my knowledge, but how do I help you ladies now?

    1. Thanks, Jolie. So let’s talk – you can email me at wholenewmom at gmail.com. I’d be interested in what you learned and what your thoughts are. Please get in touch w/ me. I’ve been toying w/ getting some sort of a degree as well :-). Like I have time ……

    2. I know it’s been a few months since this was posted so not sure if anyone will see this reply but I am VERY interested in any information you would have that helped your son. My story sounds so similiar for my 9 yr old (and we have 3 other younger ones who have similar issues as well) and it’s so hard not to get discouraged over going so long without seeing total healing. I’ve been considering the GAPS diet as well but the kids are very resistant to the idea of even stricter eating habits than we already have. Which of course just produces more stress and causes the health issues to be worse! Anyway, I could talk all day about the challenges our family has but if you see this and would want to email me I would so appreciate it. (whittybrooke(at)gmail(dot)com) Thanks! ~Tyra

      1. Not sure if it shows in the order of posts but I was trying to reply to Jolie McShane. Probably should have made that clearer. 🙂

        1. If you click on the reply link after the person’s comments it will show up under their comment :). Neato, huh?

      2. I’m in the same boat. Trying to figure out how to heal and whether to take the next step diet wise or not.

        1. It’s hard decisions for sure! Not to mention the amount of money that goes into natural health stuff. And if it helps then it’s more than worth it but you want to make the best choice for the cost. Thanks so much for sharing your story and your heart. I totally understand hard days (and looooong nights of no sleep) along with the discouragement of years of not seeing improvement. We’ve done a lot of NAET and had some good results. One of the doctors we see treats several autistic children and has had amazing improvements. If you’d like to chat about anything feel free to email me! I’m sure we both have questions and info that the other would benefit from.

  9. You’ve done such a great job at sleuthing out some real culprits in your son’s health!

    I would also suggest that your son get tested for the MTHFR Gene mutation. This will tell you if your son is methylating correctly. Many with autoimmune, autism, allegies,etc., do not methylate their B Vitamins correctly, which can be underlying causes or aggravations to many autoimmune/allergy issues.

    Depending upon the combination of mutation(s), the symptoms will show differently. Many doctors do not know about MTHFR Gene mutations so I would suggest that you google it, become knowledgeable about it and seek out a doctor who will work with you on getting this test run.

    1. I’m sure my son has this. My practitioner thinks as we get the metals out it will help w this as well. Do you have experience w this you can share?

      1. Wow. I hardly know where to start. My son is approaching 9 months. I exclusively breastfeed. His eczema started around 2 months (looked like cradle cap at first); I gave up milk, eggs, and nuts at around 4 months. At 7 months I went on an elimination diet and now if I eat my 20 foods and 10 spices/ teas I can tolerate, I’m happy to say he has no eczema! He also has broken out in hives recently because of seasonal allergies. I’m navigating the world of introducing solid foods to him very slowly. He can eat pears and bananas and apples (I think). I am interested in everything I’m reading here. I’ve never tried any alternative medicine but I am frustrated by our allergist who keeps saying “Eczema is a chronic condition that could be there whether you eat the foods or not.” I know this is not the case from experience. Most of the eczema that I see in him is from food intolerances since I definitely stay away from his allergies–milk, eggs, peanuts, and walnuts. If that’s all I had to give up, it would be a peace of cake. I’m interested in all that I’m reading about “letting the gut heal” and don’t want him to develop psychological problems. Early in life when he had the eczema he made limited eye contact but it has greatly improved with the lack of eczema. I’m scared, tired (from being on the diet), feel lonely (even though my husband and mom especially support me) and overwhelmed by the wealth of information on the internet not to mention the lack of information I feel that I’m getting from doctors. I feel that I’m getting sympathy and topical answers but no real answers. By the way, my ultimate goal is to use that steroid cream as little as possible and I can probably count on one hand the times I’ve had to. I’m wondering how long I may be nursing this little one on this diet. I’m wondering if I should find a different allergist. Are there some who address the intolerances as well? I’m wondering if I should turn to alternative medicine. Your blog is a blessing–thanks for sharing your story.

        1. Wow. What a story. My pediatrician said to nurse my son as long as I could. I am glad I didn’t wean him early as I suspect it contributed towards our good relationship as well as protected him from other issues.

          I have a bunch of thoughts for you, but of course I am no dr. I am thinking about gut health and heavy metals. You can search those topics on my blog and/or email me. I have this series on candida and this one post on metals. I cannot say what would help but my experience is that those two things are crucial. I am also trying a new supplement to reduce oxidative stress and I am hopeful about that as well.

          I hope to write more about the metals soon. Bless you. My practitioner does talk about intolerances, by the way.

    2. I would echo this also. With our greatly improved knowledge of the human genome, advances in the science of genetics are developing rapidly. As of this date (2015) much more research has been done on this genetic mutation, and eczema and allergies are common for those who have it. More recently, studies are also suggesting a likely connection of some kind with autism spectrum disorders. The MTHFR problem is quite common, with estimates ranging from 30-50% of the population suffering from one of several variations of the mutation, and suffering from variations of a wide variety of disorders that are seen commonly, and with varying degrees of severity. The research being done is revealing how much disease is caused by the MTHFR mutation, much of which can be treated with methyfolate. I myself have lived a lifetime with allergies, terrible eczema, PCOS with all its complications, fibrocystic breast disease, IBS, asthma, immune deficiency leading to countless infections including 5 bouts of pneumonia, mitral valve prolapse, devastating chronic fatigue for years and ultimately breast cancer. ALL of this due to a simple shortage of methylfolate, which can be bought online. And had I not found this out and treated it, diabetes and heart disease would likely have been in my future as they were for my parents, who passed this gene on to me. I say all this to demonstrate what difficulties await those with untreated MTHFR in its more severe form. When a young child demonstrates a few of these symptoms early on, it’s wise to get him tested. It may not be MTHFR, but if it is you can save him from a lifetime of health problems. A gene test can be had either through your doctor, if he happens to be knowledgeable, or through 23andme online–they also provide detail about your ethnicity which is a nice bonus–for $199. The raw data they give you can be uploaded onto one of several online service databases for interpretation, and one or two will also make recommend a treatment plan, which generally revolves around methylfolate (vitamin B9), vitamin B12, which is another common deficiency with MTHFR, B2, B6, magnesium, zinc, omega-3, vitamin D3, and a few others depending on the variation, such as glutathione or methionine. MTHFR can also disrupt the iodine pathway, and does for me. So I also take iodine and selenium. It sounds crazy that a few vitamins and minerals will be so effective, but all of these work in synergy with each other in a delicate balancing act. For the normal person, it works well and the importance of these substances goes unnoticed. For those with MTHFR, taking these simple supplements is, for some, literally a matter of life or death. Dr. Ben Lynch is one of the foremost authorities on the subject so do a search on his name and MTHFR and a world of information that may just change everything for your family is right there waiting for you.

  10. Thanks for sharing some of your journey. It’s been encouraging.

    My fourth child (now 11 months) had severe colic and cradle cap. I did the elimination diet and found that she improved if I didn’t eat nuts, soy, gluten and dairy. It was a rough couple of months to have to reinvent my eating on top of trying to homeschool the older ones…

    She still wasn’t getting better though and would have screaming spells. We ended up taking her to a chiropractor. Turns out her skull bones were overlapping and pinching the nerve going down to her tummy heightening her sensitivity.

    She was so much better, but now we’ve discovered that her body still can’t handle me eating egg whites, mustard and peanuts in addition to the dairy. :\

    We’ve also discovered that some of her flared cradle cap in recent months is due to environmental exposure – foam toys, some plastic toys, the paint on some of our wooden blocks to name a few. With older boys who love their toys, I’m now trying to navigate this latest discoverly.

    On the bright side, I’m lowering the toxic exposure for all of us as I’ve made changes in how we eat, our cleaning products, etc… Thankful for the resources you share!

    1. Wow. Thanks for sharing. I am still struggling here as my son’s anxiety has gone through the roof. I guess for us moms with issues like this is really never ends in a way. blessings on you as you make changes. I hope I can share more in the near future!!

  11. I’ve always had a strong suspicion that eczema breakouts could be related to food allergies. My youngest daughter, who suffers from eczema, has been gluten free for awhile. But I suspect that dairy is the real culprit behind her skin condition. I am hoping that these articles inspire her to take action. Thank you for your heartfelt words.

    1. You are so welcome. There is a lot going on w/ eczema and my son has had issues w/ his skin w/ sugar and probably copper but it is gorgeous now.

  12. Happy to read part 2! Very interesting about the baths and the 3-5 minutes. My youngest son has allergies to peanut, tree nuts and dairy. He’s gluten intolerant and has a mild soy allergy. Very proud of you for going the hard route with BF and eliminating foods yourself! That is awesome! I have a special place in my heart for autism, I used to teach little ones with autism. 🙂
    Thanks for sharing your story!

    1. Thanks, Cindy. It was hard but not so hard as seeing him itch – or spending tons of money on the digested protein formula. 🙂

  13. I went through the same thing with my son – eczema, night wakings, reflux, and diaper rash. I never had him tested though. I tried breastfeeding and eliminating foods, but I don’t think I kept them out long enough to see an improvement. I ended up putting him on Neocate at 8 months and he was like a new baby. He stayed on it (and limited food) until he was 2.5 yrs old. As far as we can tell he healed of all of his sensitivities and eats anything now.

  14. What similarities we have! Not long after our move to NW Indiana when my son was 4 weeks old, he developed eczema which spread to his whole body by 2.5 months. His face was basically one red, oozy, raw scab and the doctors we took him to didn’t help much. Itching, sleepless, sad for a couple months then I realized he was loosing weight and after thinking it was a foremilk-hindmilk imbalance we ended up in the emergency room at Chicago’s Children’s Hospital. He was admitted and spent a week. After many, many tests, they decided it was an “uncommon presentation of a common milk allergy” related to the gut, complicated by a virus we caught during our move. They put him on amino acid-based formula, Neocate, and topical steroids, and within 5 days his face was completely clear and his body almost healed.

    But the day we came home, the eczema returned and no matter how many steroids we put on him, his skin isn’t back to what it was at the hospital. They tell me he (know 8 months) is too young to have environmental allergies, but during a 5 day camping trip at the beach in California, his skin was clearer without steroids than it has been since we left the hospital.

    1. Wow. How hard. I will pray for you right now. I don’t think docs know all they can about the skin. Have you maybe looked into NAET? I am looking into that now for various reasons. Or perhaps heavy metals or candida My son’s eczema got horrible when he was eating sugar. Blessings.

      1. Actually, yes, we both did NAET with a doctor in Colorado in July when we were visiting family…would you believe environmental sensitivies showed up?! But I don’t think the clearings fully “took”. Fungus showed up (no surprise considering a bad yeast diaper rash showed up just after we left the hospital too, he had been on IV antibiotics for 4 days) and we used AquaFlora homeopathic candida formula. After a month, the rash seemed to have gone away, but when he has a really dirty diaper, his little tush gets bad again (interesting, the horrible stink to his diapers left at the beach too, the GI doc at Children’s didn’t see any correlation).

        Thank you for the prayers! Bless you.

        1. Wow.. I am curious about NAET but it is a lot of money for well, they say 90% success rate. I am not sure what to think. Could there be a water difference? And you are just feeding him this formula?

      2. I’m sorry to sound so discouraging. I wish my son’s solution was as “easy” as taking everything out of my diet.

        I did GAPS for 5 months while nursing my daughter and that was very difficult–food-wise and socially, I skipped out on a lot of mom group stuff because I knew the other moms would feel bad we couldn’t eat anything of the things they had part. But I think it was part of my daughter’s healing, along with BioSET (related to NAET), homeopathics and lots and lots of prayer.

        1. Now I am confused – so your daughter had issues too but you felt BioSET helped her the most? Wow. My biggest issues are life threatening food allergies and anxiety now for my son. Mostly the anxiety but clearing some allergies would be great if it really is possible. But they are saying about $2,000 to try.

          1. We did BioSet with her because we had a practioner in own town. I think BioSET is basically one doctor’s form of NAET that she trademarked and taught to others. The biggest difference I saw is that BioSET clears everything at once and the other doc we went to did 4 at a time. My daughter went in 3 or 4 times over the course of 6 months, and each 1 hour session cost $130 I think. My son and I did NAET with another practioner (the BioSet natropath was out of town and the NAET chiropractor was highly recommended by a friend who did it with her son, and people visit from all around the world to see him). For each of us to be tested, and have 8 or 9 things cleared over the course of 3 days cost about $1500, but it would have been less expensive if we paid cash. They billed our insurance and so far we’ve received back $81 from the insurance.

            Anyway, I think ideally, we would have spaced the clearing farther apart, but because this is something we happened to find on a trip back home, we didn’t have a lot of time. I haven’t looked into NAET in Chicago/NWI, but I think it would be worth it to call around for prices.

            And back to my daughter…our timeline was 5 months of GAPS (ages 21 to 26 mon) then back on dairy (didn’t make her eczema worse as it had before GAPS), then a move from humid S Texas to the Rockies (age 27 months). The eczema seemed to be getting better (the RAST skin prick test showed she was allergic to dust mites, and it is too dry for them to survive in Colorado), and I gave her Rhus Tox homeopathic. In one week, the chronic eczema on her ankle was gone! It stuck around for 18 months no matter what we put on it, then gone in 1 week. Wow. I wondered if the homeopathic had healed the allergies, so I fed her some egg, and it popped back up for 1 day, then was gone. So the homeopathic healed the manifestation of the allergy, but not the allergy. She had other reactions, like redness around her mouth, which helped me figure out other things she was reaction to, like canola oil and several others. We’ve tried probably 10 homeopathics for our son and none have cleared the eczema, but maybe we need to see the eczema to figure out the solution.

            Now at almost 4, she seems to be fine with egg and asks me to cook them all the time, though she says the egg yolk tastes yucky, which is interesting as she was more reactive to the yolk than the white. Seems fine with canola oil too and everything else, except for peanut. She ate some noodle salad–why oh why did I think the sauce tasted like tahini??–on an airplane a month or two ago and it’s the only time I’ve ever heard a flight attendant ask “are there any doctors on board?” Two docs came up and we gave her some anti-histamine and her symptoms calmed down, but boy, don’t want to do that again!

            Sorry for the long post, I hope something was useful in there!

            1. Thank you!! Well, maybe it was. I ended up looking up BioSet in our area and there is a dr who says she does it and I haven’t been to see her but have heard about her. So I am going to call. I don’t know what I think, but i will email her site to you. Maybe you can tell me what you think. I just don’t want to see another bunch of money go down the drain, but maybe it’s worth a shot. Thanks for any thoughts you may have. I have tried so much and we are doing nutritional balancing right now, but I am not seeing the kind of progress I would like to see. Maybe it will just take more time but I don’t know. Thank you again for sharing.

          2. we began NAET for issues in my family and have seen much healing… keep searching for a practitioner that isn’t as expensive?… Ours is very reasonable- but she is not in it for the money.

        2. Hi! My 3 yr old daughter has been suffering from food allergy related eczema for the past 2 years! We have taken her to the dermatologist and an allergist which both resulted in lots of information that helped but we are still fighting this horribly. I heard about BioSet and researched it, even buying the book to learn more. I am interesting in learning what your results were with it. We have a dr close by but it is very expensive and insurance does not cover it so I would like to know if it will work before we spend the money.

  15. I clicked over from Raising Homemakers. This is an interesting read. My daughter is 7 and we have been fighting horrible eczema since she was a baby. She had her allergies tested twice and is only allergic to eggs, so it is not food related, since she’s been egg-free since the beginning and still has the eczema. I wish that we had such a wonderful outcome as you.

    1. Sorry to hear about this. Did you check for other allergies as well? Things are still tough in my family, I assure you. But at least the eczema is gone. Blessings.

    2. Just a quick note on allergies and eczema with our daughter. She hasn’t tested positive for any food allergy but her eczema still appears to be triggered by dairy. By dropping her dairy to one thing with dairy in it a day (as minor ingredient) the eczema shrinks and becomes manageable with meds. If we eliminate it then it disappears. So even if you think she is only allergic to eggs you may still want to do an elimination test with each gluten and dairy.

  16. Thank you so much for writing this! We had a vaccine damaged boy who is now three. His eczema and allergies were destroying our lives. He only had three vaccines and no more ever again, so he is not autistic but has trouble with pronouncing words without dropping the starting sound. We have just discovered that on top of an egg, peanut, dust and grass allergy that he is allergic to additives and food chemicals like amines et al.
    You have a great site! Thanks so much.
    Sara

    1. I’m interested in what you mentioned about amines. That came up in a conversation I had recently. Can you explain more if you have time please? Thank you!

  17. It’s really good to feel that I’m not alone dealing with my boy Ezcema & life threatening food allergies.
    My boy has Ezcema since 3mth old (now 4yo) his whole body was scouring red with fiery patches, PD suspected that he is milk allergy (I was not producing enough milk then), and we’ve been requested to put him on a special milk formula (hydrolised protein) called Alfare. Ever since, his Ezcema condition gets better.
    We eliminate all the potential allergies food, and it was really hard. He seems to be allergy to every food I gave during the weaning stage.
    PD suggested doing a Full IgE blood test (tested for 75 types of food) at 11 mth old, so that its easier for me to feed him only food that he is not allergic to, costing US$700 to have the test flown to Australia (I live in Singapore). Result came back, allergic to top 6 – wheat/gluten, milk, eggs, tree nuts, peanuts & Soy. As well as coconut & mungbean, and pesticide found in vegetables.
    It was a disaster to me. We’ve never had Ezcema / allergies in the family, why God chosen him? I’ve always been thinking that he choose his own diet for a cause, whatever the reason, as long as he is healthy & happy, what are allergies? It seems a very small case to me now…

    1. What beautiful words. It is hard, but these allergies, and other things, have made our family eat so much healthier. Still, I wish my son could have egg white and dairy and the other nuts, but it is OK. I think the world is getting so much more toxic. I think you would enjoy reading Gut and Psychology Syndrome. It sheds some light on the digestive issues behind some of these problems. There are other good books as well.

  18. You are doing a great job. We are in the same situation, too. My girl is 21 months old, she has had eczema since 2 months old, face, limbs and trunk, it was getting so bad and we decided to get allergy tests done, MSP only covered 5 items, but we wanted to test more because I am breastfeeding, so we paid for the tests ourselves. Ended up she’s allergic to peanut, cow’s milk, and egg white. I’ve been learning how to substitute these items in prepping meals and reading labels to avoid them in store bought food and asking waiters about ingredients when dining out. I am still breastfeeding and have been avoid all the allergic food thus far. It’s tough, but breast milk helps LO’s fight eczema and allergy, it’s the wise route to go. We’ll get another allergy test when she turns 3, fingers crossed! I do miss the taste of cheese……… The truth is my family is eating a lot more healthy because of my daughter’s allergy as we have to make most of the food and avoided lots of junk food or pre-made food. There’s always the bright side of things 😀 BTW, we stopped using steroid cream, I believe it doesn’t help or the help is temporary (she had red skin syndrome from using the steroid cream). I make our own cream with beeswax, shea butter, olive oil, vit E now and my daughter’s skin has never been better! Best of luck!

    1. The breastfeeding, in my opinion, is very important. You are doing a great job!!! I missed the taste of cheese a lot as well but I was able to make a few substitutes. Did you see my Almond Feta? I hope to have more alternatives soon. It is possible your child will be able to have goat’s milk but the proteins are very similar so be very careful. I am glad to hear your daughter’s skin is doing so much better! Wonderful. Take care!

    2. Hi Annie,

      I’m interested in finding out how you make your own cream with the ingredients listed, beeswax, Shea butter, olive oil and vitamin E. What is your recipe?

    3. I would love to hear your homemade cream also. We are just beginning to wonder if my youngest has food related eczema.
      Thanks so much.

  19. We are in the exact same situation. At 3m of age, I had an allergy test done as I am breastfeeding. It came up positive to eggs, milk, salmon & almonds. I have eliminated those items from my diet along with glutinous grains just in case. We also did the strong cortisone creams. My DS has had some severe reactions to foods as well including eggs, milk & nuts (either through trace amounts or found snacks from our 3 year old). We now carry an epi pen, a bottle of children’s benedryl everywhere we go. 2 days after the reactions to the food, he breaks out in ezcema again. Its been very stressful but I have made a commitment to his health & breastfeeding for an extended time. It’s going to be difficult for awhile but I have learned so much following this new diet. I have especially learned a lot through the GAPS & Paleo diet. Thanks for your article. Its nice (& sad) to know that I’m not alone but I am hoping the allergies pass & there are no other conditions to watch for.

  20. You are amazing! Wish I could have figured out our allergies/eczema sooner but the sleep depravation seemed to keep me from thinking clearly. You are an inspiration. Thank you!