Chickweed and Eczema

[Bessysmum]

Hi,

My son is 20m and for the last 6 months has slowly been developing eczema :(

I have tried various herbal creams, 0.5% cortisone for when it is cracked and bleeding, plus various bath preparations.

Currently we are trialling only bathing every 3 days(good for Sydney water too!) in plain water. I have also tried to reduce the salicylates in his diet, and he has been dairy free from 9m due to recurrent ear infections(which have settled brilliantly). He also has a capsule of flaxseed and probiotics every day. He weaned himself from the boob at 12m.

Anyway to the point.........

I have just bought some Chickweed Compound to try on the really dry red areas and was wondering if anyone has tried it, or the Chickweed ointment with success? Oh and should it smell so bad? Like a wet ashtray????
I am going to try the Grahams Calendulis stuff next.....if teh bank can cope!

Thanks for any info

[moo]

I'm sorry, I really don't know as our firstborn grew out of his eczema at about 12 months of age. Hopefully someone with more eczema experience might have some feedback for you?

Oat baths are great-just pop some rolled oats (we use organic) in a sock and throw in the tub with him! HTH.

[aromamum]

My son has severe eczema,like you we have tried everything aswell.Chickweed ointment does smell horrible...it worked for a friend of mine but it did not work for lachlan Grahams works for my daughter,although she is not as bad as lachlan,and the shampoo they have is wonderful.At the moment lachlan is using Gaia skin soothing lotion,it smells great and it seems to be working.Good luck I hope you find something that works.

Tash.

[Ang]

I use cold pressed sesame oil (not the culinary stuff) for any skin complaints at all, and usually find it works really well.I haven't tried it on excema, never having had that, but thought i'd throw my personal cure-all in

[hellsbells]

I tried chickweed for Belle, but without much success. I often make my own ointments out of a water based cream and fresh herb where available, and we have LOADS of chickweed growing around us atm.

[Joey]

Can I suggest that as well as looking at ointments and creams you also need to look within. Eczema developing over 6 mths may tell you something you have added to his diet which may be causing it?.
My son had really terrible eczema from about 12 mths (incidentally not long after weaning) until he was 3. It was only when I was visiting a friend and she suggested it maybe the cows milk causing it that we found relief, being an eczema sufferer myself I had treid everything for him from medi honey to a crystal to cortisone to aloe vera you name it Oat baths are great. As soon as we stopped the cows milk within a week it was gone. He was drinking it through the night and before bed as well as on his cereal. Now he can have a little on his cereal and he is fine but if he has more than the very rare glass of milk it comes back.
Erin is 2 now and over the last few weeks I had been giving her small drinks of milk sometimes and she started to come out in it behind her knees and all over her chest- I know with her what to expect and hers cleared up almost immediately.


Good luck with your quest! I know how hard it can be, I have no idea about chickweed but I just wanted to tell you Finns story in case it might help little Owen.

[Bessysmum]

Thanks all for your input

The chickweed coumpound has been helpinga lot over the last couple of days. While the eczema is still there its not progressing to weeping/bleeding and is in some spots going away. Who knows how long it will last though!

I found him this morning with his jama arm up past his elbow and he'd been scratching the hell out of his elbow crease. It doesn't look good but all teh other spots are looking better.

Almond oil in the bath seems to help more than the Alpha Keri too.

I've been driving myself mad thinking about what food he eats now that he didn't 6 months ago. I might have to cut cheese out again. He doesn't have cows milk or yoghurt but a little cheese. The low salicylates don't seem to make much difference though and I cook most foods from scratch to reduce the preservatives/colours/junk in his diet(and ours).

Thanks again!