I have to say that I am a little nervous about tackling this large and very complicated subject...eczema. but I have received so many requests for information and also stories of incredible healings that I felt as though I should share some of these stories and ideas with you. one of the first stories that I received was from a woman in New Zealand, she shared an incredible story of healing her 12 month old son's very serious eczema, her son was so covered in eczema that his skin was weeping and sometimes even bleeding, and was completely cured with flax seed oil. then I received a similar story with the same miraculous recovery by flax seed oil....both mom's put the oil twice a day into their babies bottle of milk (albeit breast, soy, rice, oat, or whatever). it's not a topical thing, because flax seed oil contains omega 3 and 6 essential fatty acids (EFA's) which the body can not produce itself. (flax seed oil is also good to take during pregnancy as it helps to keep your joints loose...ask your ob/midwife)
I have used breast milk on my son's eczema, he has a very mild form and it usually flares up when we travel. you can even let the breastmilk separate and then use the "cream" from the top to spread over it...I received this tip from a woman at a la leche league meeting, who claimed it worked for just about everything! I am also a fan of using Aveda balancing oil for sensitive skin on my son's flare-ups and it goes away pretty quick. (and their acne balancing oil is a miracle for, what I call, grounders).
eczema shows up frequently at the back of the knees and can be irritated by travel and stress, I have a theory that my son gets eczema when we travel because no matter how much I explain it, traveling is something that is "unknown" for kids (where are we going?, what are we doing?, the airplane is exciting but crazy and I just love to be at home!...right?!) and therefore scary and there is the stress... I truly don't think that there is a cure-all for eczema, it is one of those things that is very personal, and amazing enough all of the stories that I have received is about boys...I was told that boys were more susceptible..but so many kids have it... there are also the basic things to avoid, sugar, cow's milk, soy milk and chocolate are the first to go! I also try to be calm when dealing with my son and his itchy skin and I never bring it to his attention, I just tell him that it's time for a body massage and he gets all excited! then both my kids lie down in front of me and we do a Weleda calendula massage before bed. If you have eczema stories please share them with a comment below or if you want to keep it personal please email me!
