Arcangelo Capozzolo banned me from his website because the information that I gave to the eczema sufferers brought about immediate results and healing from eczema without the use of harmful medications, like the one he promotes. I know of the successful results achieved from the information I gave based upon their (eczema sufferers) testimonies. Unfortunately, it was their testimonies that prompted him to ban me from his site; due to the success they achieved without the product he promoted. What was sad to me about this is that the site was promoted as a place that laypeople could share their experience with eczema freely, in the hopes that others could be helped as a result. Not only did he ban me from visiting his website, he also quickly deleted any of the testimonials that referred to the success achieved when the information I gave the parents was applied.

Ironically, my biggest regret is that I actually referred the mother of an eczema sufferer to the website regarding Freederm based solely on the misadvertisement that promoted the cream as a mother's discovery of an alternative to the harsh steroid creams. Had I investigated more thoroughly, I would have seen that the cream was actually a steroid cream as well. Fortunately, the mother I referred investigated (as I hoped she would) the product more thoroughly and found that the cream contained hydrocortisone and decided not to use the product on her adopted daughter's skin. Even after that discovery, I was still giving the manufacturers of the Freederm the benefit of the doubt regarding their care for eczema sufferers. It was after my experience with Mr. Capozzolo on the website he sponsors that I truly realized his concern was not for the health of eczema sufferers (if that were the case, he would not have removed my postings); but rather, for his own pockets. The following is an account of the type of information that I would share with the eczema sufferers on his website.

Regarding your son, are you addressing the causative agents to his eczema flareup?

For example; such things as pet dander, dust mites, chlorine/fluoride in your household water, candida (a yeastlike parasite), and steroid/corticosteroid medications,(which promote the longterm eczema suffering by a further weakening of the immune system through suppression), are just some of the factors that contribute to eczema flareups. Simply applying medications/creams to the skin without addressing the cause of the eczema flareup prolongs and encourages eczema suffering. Had your son's physicians focused on identifying and removing the causative agents promoting your son's eczema flareups and addressed the need for a nutritional diet that focused on immune restoration, the eczema suffering could have been ended much sooner.

I speak from experience gained as a result of the success achieved from healing my nieces of severe eczema flareups (total body) in their infancy without the use of medications. I focused attention on the following three areas to achieve that success: internal, external, and foreign. Internal refers to restoration of the immune health through a diet rich in the whole foods needed to boost the immune system as a result of their vitamin and mineral content. External refers to the rehydration of the skin's moisture barrier through a good all natural/organic skin care system rich in the nutrients needed to promote skin healing. And thirdly, the foreign refers to identification and removal of the allergen/irritants promoting the toxic atmosphere that causes the eczema reaction.

INTERNAL - immune restoration. Eczema is considered an immunodisorder. The deficiencies that are represented with an eczema flareup are such things as beta carotene, zinc, selenium, quercetin, essential fatty acids (omega-3, omega-6, omega-9 & GLA/gamma linolenic acid), and vitamins C, D, & E. As a result, the focus should be on immune restoration through the proper nutrition. A daily consumption of the whole foods that contain these essential nutrients has been key to my nieces dramatic and longterm eczema freedom. This is the true medicine that the body cries out for when it relays the eczema symptom.

The human body eliminates toxins through these three routes: the urine, the bowels, and the skin. An eczema flareup on the skin is actually a toxic manifestation or release. When the skin displays eczema, it is evidence that the level of toxins in the bloodstream are extremely high (to the point of irritation). It is evidence that the body/immune system is being overwhelmed by the toxins. In essence, the manifestation is the skin's cry for help. However, the body isn't crying for further suppression of the immune system; it is crying for restoration of the immune system to strengthen it in the fight and shouting that the causative agent (toxic allergen/irritant) be identified for removal.

The medical community has simply stated to laymen that eczema sufferers have an overactive immune system, which causes their eczema condition. As a result, they promote immune suppression through steroid/corticosteroid medications. Where the medical community saw an overactive immune system as the cause, I saw the overactive immune system as a symptom of the true cause. I knew that the cause of the overactivity in the immune system was an abundance of toxins. In other words, the immune system wasn't overactive "for no reason". Something was promoting that overactivity (cause and effect).

The immune system and the digestive system in the human body deal directly with toxins. This is why you cannot discuss eczema without discussing nutrition. It has to be addressed in the eczema fight. Just as there are foods/drinks that promote good immune/digestive health, there are foods/drinks that contribute to poor immune/digestive health. Soft drinks, processed foods, and junk foods high in synthetic sugars and saturated fats further weaken the immune and digestive health, promoting an atmosphere of eczema discomfort. The relationship between the immune health and the digestive health is closely connected in the fight against eczema. Understanding that the digestive system has a major responsibility in toxic elimination, when the digestive health is poor (constipation for example), the immune system becomes overwhelmed with toxins remaining in the body (thus the eczema flareup). As a result, and in addition to the other deficiencies previously mentioned, replenishing or increasing the daily fiber intake becomes equally important in the eczema fight as well. Increasing the fiber intake will, in addition to promoting good digestive health, also address such things as candida (which promotes eczema flareups). In essence, eczema sufferers are forced to become health wise in diet and nutrition.

Early on doctors used to inform parents of eczema children that the child would eventually grow out of it. However, and more recently, doctors are now changing that tune to state that the eczema is something that the individual will have to cope with for life. Because doctors didn't address the reason that some children were "growing out" of their eczema, parents (and apparently the physicians) thought that age would take care of the condition. The reason that some children were growing out of their eczema and others weren't wasn't about luck. Those children that "grew out of eczema" did so because the immune system was restored to a healthy balance. That is achieved through healthy nutrition. If parents were told the "why" of "how" some children "grow out of eczema", then they could focus their attention on educating themselves regarding the foods that promote immune health and implement that change in their diets. This is what I did for my nieces; and as a result, this is why (although they have been diagnosed with hereditary/atopic eczema) they have been eczema free for years now without the use of harmful medications.

Nonetheless, the Internal is not the only thing that we addressed with my nieces. Because the skin is an external organ, you have to address the EXTERNAL needs (skin care/cleansing) of the skin as well. The skin has first contact with the elements; and therefore, cleansing of the skin is essential to good skin health. You want to find natural/organic skin care items that will nourish the skin while cleansing it. Synthetic skin care formulations are read by the skin as toxic or foreign allergen/irritants which promote drying effects on the skin. This is not to say that a natural/organic skin care product wouldn't cause the skin irritation (as a result of personal allergens); however and for the most part, the natural/organic skin care items feed the skin the nutrients needed to replenish, restore, and promote healing.

For my nieces, the skin care line that we use is the Burt's Bees skin care line. In their infancy, we used the Burt's Bees Baby Bee line. For your son, the Burt's Bees Carrot Nutritive lotion may be a good item. It contains such nutrients as beta carotene which promotes immune health. As a result, the skin care promotes skin healing; as opposed to the symptom suppression route that the medications (in cream form) take. If you are a resident of the U.S., you can visit your local Whole Foods Market and do a test sample of the lotion on a small area of your child's skin before making a purchase. With any skin care item, you should always test a small area of the skin for allergies before applying an item to the total body. Another good item from this line is the Burt's Bees Vitamin E Bath oil. For a daily cleanser, you may want to check out a natural/organic soap that contains colloidal oatmeal, aloe, or vitamin E. Whole Foods Market usually has an informed staff member to assist you with any questions regarding the different types of natural/organic skin care items available.

Addressing both the internal and the external are essential to healing the skin of eczema; however, unless you address the foreign allergen/irritants promoting the toxic atmosphere, you contradict the healing process. This is why the FOREIGN part of this three part scenario has to be focused upon as well. You need to identify those things that are promoting your son's eczema irritation and remove them from his environment. I don't know enough about your son's case to establish a good guess as to what I think the culprit of his eczema irritation is; however, I do know that the household water supply (whether it contains chlorine or fluoride) will need to be addressed. If the water in your house contains these toxic chemicals, they will promote the longterm eczema suffering.