Dear auntie....

My son is three years old, and has severe atopic dermatitis. (It's particularly bad on his knees, both front and back, ankles, wrists, and inside his elbows). At times we feel it's under control (though it never totally goes away), and at other times it flares almost uncontrollably.

This is one of those "uncontrollable" times. I picked him up from school at 2:00 on Thursday, as he was just waking up from his nap. Within a minute of waking, he'd scratched his wrists until they were bleeding freely.

I tend to think there's an environmental trigger that we're missing, but I am at a total loss as to what it might be.

I've read many of your previous posts with interest, and was hoping you would consider sharing some of your valuable insight. In anticipation of your questions, I've copied and pasted (and then answered) some of the questions you've posted to others. (I apologize in advance for the length of my post, but I wanted to give you as much information as I could intitally come up with. We've been seeing a whole health doctor for several years, and have tried many things you recommend.)

- What types of food do you eat on a regular basis (are vegetables a big part of your diet)?
Breakfast: Gluten-free waffles with flax seeds, blueberry and banana smoothie (sweetened with stevia), apple, yogurt, whole grain cereal.
Snack: Fruit (usually orange, apple, or banana). Sometimes a graham cracker (at school).
Lunch: Usually a protein, veggies, fruit. Examples: Turkey, green beans, cheddar cheese, and an apple. Or ham, peas, carrots, and dried cranberries.
Snack: Pretzels, Fries, Fruit
Dinner: Usually a little protein, veggies, and a starch. Ex: Chicken, rice, and broccoli.

* He's a rare kid in that he'll eat almost anything. The salad bar is his favorite restaurant, and his favorite foods are edamame and jicama. (But he'll also gobble up a 'burger and 'fries, when given the chance).

* Because he's got lots of energy, we try to limit his Sugar intake to fruit and a small, daily "treat". He loves gum balls, sherbert, and teddy grahams.

Current Daily Supplements: Quercetin, EFAs, Vitamin E, Probiotics, Zinc. (Along with Colloidal Silver and olive leaf for a sinus infection we're fighting).

- What types of beverages do you consume on a regular basis (how much water do you consume)?
Herb teas, lemonade sweetened with stevia, diluted fruit juices, and an occasional Sprite. Will also drink several glasses of water each day without being prompted.

I've noticed that you sometimes ask about chemically treated water. We live just outside the Houston city limits, and are part of a Municipal Utilities District. Our water is terrible (leaves a thick, white scale on anything it comes in contact with) so we use bottled water to drink and cook with.

What is your skin care regimen (soap/moisturizer)?
We don't use soap on his skin very often -- perhaps once a week or less. He takes a shower every other day, just using water to wash his body, and baby soap to wash his hair. When we do use soap, we use Freederm Eczema Soap. Immediately after the shower, we put Vitamin E on him.

We've tried a lot of different moisturizers, but he won't use many of them because they sometimes "burn". A partial list:
Cetaphil, Jergen's Sensitive Skin, Emu Oil, Suave Vitamin E Skin Therapy, Pure aloe gel, Vaseline Deep Moisture, Mountain Magic Oils, Aquaphor, Hydrocortisone, ShiKai Dry Skin Borage Therapy Pediatric formula, Dove Face Care - Essential Nutrients, FreeDerm products, Lubriderm, Eucerin, Dermarest Eczema Medicated Lotion, Bactine, Badger Balm, Castor Oil, Calamine lotion (doesn't burn, but doesn't help), Burt's Bees lemon cuticle cream (doesn't burn, so I keep it in my purse for emergencies)

Vitamin E is the ONLY thing we can put on his legs that won't burn him. But it doesn't alleviate the itching. So lately, we put Vitamin E on, and then rub the "itchy spot" gently with an exfoliating glove.

Do you know your allergen/irritant triggers (ex. pet dander, household cleansers/detergents, food allergen)?
No. When we first found our (current) physician, my son was not quite 1 year old. (I'd been told by three pediatric doctors that his skin problems were "just eczema" and that they might eventually go away. Because allergies and auto-immune problems run in our family, I wasn't willing to wait and find out). Anyway, the physician initially recommended I take him off of formula, give him almond milk instead, and give him no animal products except for organic butter. We did, and noticed a positive personality change. (Sunnier, happier child). We continued that "diet" until he was a little over two.

Then, we had him allergy tested. He tested positive for about 20 foods (in varying degrees). The major ones: almonds, garlic, peanuts, sunflower seeds. Lesser ones: cucumbers, rice, egg whites, sesame, soy, gluten, peas, banana, buckwheat, cane sugar, casein, cheddar cheese, corn, cottage cheese, cow's milk, egg yolk, goat's milk, kidney beans, lactalbumin, lentil, oat, oyster, rye, string bean, walnut, wheat, yogurt, zucchini. (The surprising thing was that nearly everything on the list was something I knew he'd eat. In fact, I was shocked by the almonds -- he'd been drinking almond milk for a year).

It was difficult, but at our doctor's direction, he didn't eat anything on the list above for about 4 months. We gradually added things back, and didn't see any significant difference with/without the allergens.

We then took him for NAET treatments. He was treated about 20 times for various things including: eggs, vitamin c, quercetin, wood products, grains, and various vitamins. We initially saw an improvement in his skin, but then it seemed only to make it worse. (And in the office he'd get very upset and unruly... not acting like himself at all). We have recently discontinued those treatments.

- What types of detergents, soaps, or cleanser do you use?
When he was a baby, we used All Free & Clear. I've tried many other kinds since, and nothing seems to make a difference one way or another. I now use a dye-/scent-free kind from Target.

- Do you have pets (cats, dogs) or are you around pets/animals?
Aquarium fish. We've had them since before he was born.

- Symptom suppressing drugs also suppress the immune system; thus making you vulnerable to allergen/irritants, which instigate eczema flareups. Are you still on any of those medications?
Yes. He takes 1 tsp of hydroxyzine almost every night. If he wakes up scratching on a school day, I give him zyrtek. (Maybe once or twice a month).

- Antibiotics instigate eczema flareups. Have you had this type of medication recently?
Not recently. He had pneumonia a little over two years ago, and was given Antibiotics to get rid of it. He currently has a sinus infection that our doctor is watching and treating with more natural medications -- we're desperately trying to avoid Antibiotics .

I've noticed that sometimes you ask about immunizations. He received the following, before he was 6 months old, and nothing since: Prevnar (2), DTP (3), IPV (2), HIB (3), Hepatits B (2).

- What types of food do you eat on a regular basis (are vegetables a big part of your diet)?
Breakfast: Gluten-free waffles with flax seeds, blueberry and banana smoothie (sweetened with stevia), apple, yogurt, whole grain cereal.
Snack: Fruit (usually orange, apple, or banana). Sometimes a graham cracker (at school).
Lunch: Usually a protein, veggies, fruit. Examples: Turkey, green beans, cheddar cheese, and an apple. Or ham, peas, carrots, and dried cranberries.
Snack: Pretzels, Fries, Fruit
Dinner: Usually a little protein, veggies, and a starch. Ex: Chicken, rice, and broccoli.

He's a rare kid in that he'll eat almost anything. If you ask him, he'll tell you that his favorite foods are edamame and jicama. But he'll also gobble up a 'burger and 'fries, when given the chance.

Because he's got lots of energy, we try to limit his Sugar intake to fruit and a small, daily "treat". He loves gum balls, sherbert, and teddy grahams.

Current Daily Supplements:
Quercetin, EFAs, Vitamin E, Probiotics, Zinc. (Along with Colloidal Silver and olive leaf for a sinus infection we're fighting).

- Other, perhaps random, tidbits:
* We had several bouts with thrush before he was a year old. I've since been treated for candida, and we both take probiotics.
* He receives chiropractic adjustments about once a week. When he was younger, I could tell a marked difference in his demeanor when he needed one. (He would become angry... almost defiant). He'd return to normal immediately after the adjustment.
* My husband has severe allergies (cats, mold, dust, pollen) and my mom was diagnosed with lupus at one point. She recently found out that she does NOT have lupus, but she does have something "autoimmune" going on.
* Lately, I'm noticing a trend: he wakes up EVERY night at 1:00am (give or take 30 minutes) scratching almost violently. It doesn't matter where he is -- his bed, my bed, my mom's house, my mom-in-law's house. There are no real environmental similarities, save the presence of a mattress. (i.e. different sheet fabrics, pillow fillings, floor coverings, etc.). The only way I've found to get him back to sleep is the vitamin E/exfoliating glove "procedure" mentioned above. I've started letting him sleep in my bed, so that I don't have to get up and go to his room.
* He didn't sleep through the night, ever, until he was two years old. Our doctor attributed it to his "veggie" diet, but now that he's begun waking up again, I wonder if it wasn't something else.
* I've recently ordered Clarkia for myself, and am considering giving him the children's dose. ( parasites are one of the few things we haven't addressed). What do you think?

I appreciate the time you've obviously invested in answering other people's desperate questions, and am looking forward to hearing from you!

Thanks again...
--Lisa ©†ƒ……•™¼‡_Original_Message_¾€š½ž¢«»¬ï°©

My son is three years old, and has severe atopic dermatitis. (It's particularly bad on his knees, both front and back, ankles, wrists, and inside his elbows). At times we feel it's under control (though it never totally goes away), and at other times it flares almost uncontrollably.

This is one of those "uncontrollable" times. I picked him up from school at 2:00 on Thursday, as he was just waking up from his nap. Within a minute of waking, he'd scratched his wrists until they were bleeding freely.

I tend to think there's an environmental trigger that we're missing, but I am at a total loss as to what it might be.

I've read many of your previous posts with interest, and was hoping you would consider sharing some of your valuable insight. In anticipation of your questions, I've copied and pasted (and then answered) some of the questions you've posted to others. (I apologize in advance for the length of my post, but I wanted to give you as much information as I could intitally come up with. We've been seeing a whole health doctor for several years, and have tried many things you recommend.)

- What types of food do you eat on a regular basis (are vegetables a big part of your diet)?
Breakfast: Gluten-free waffles with flax seeds, blueberry and banana smoothie (sweetened with stevia), apple, yogurt, whole grain cereal.
Snack: Fruit (usually orange, apple, or banana). Sometimes a graham cracker (at school).
Lunch: Usually a protein, veggies, fruit. Examples: Turkey, green beans, cheddar cheese, and an apple. Or ham, peas, carrots, and dried cranberries.
Snack: Pretzels, Fries, Fruit
Dinner: Usually a little protein, veggies, and a starch. Ex: Chicken, rice, and broccoli.

* He's a rare kid in that he'll eat almost anything. The salad bar is his favorite restaurant, and his favorite foods are edamame and jicama. (But he'll also gobble up a 'burger and 'fries, when given the chance).

* Because he's got lots of energy, we try to limit his Sugar intake to fruit and a small, daily "treat". He loves gum balls, sherbert, and teddy grahams.

Current Daily Supplements: Quercetin, EFAs, Vitamin E, Probiotics, Zinc. (Along with Colloidal Silver and olive leaf for a sinus infection we're fighting).

- What types of beverages do you consume on a regular basis (how much water do you consume)?
Herb teas, lemonade sweetened with stevia, diluted fruit juices, and an occasional Sprite. Will also drink several glasses of water each day without being prompted.

I've noticed that you sometimes ask about chemically treated water. We live just outside the Houston city limits, and are part of a Municipal Utilities District. Our water is terrible (leaves a thick, white scale on anything it comes in contact with) so we use bottled water to drink and cook with.

What is your skin care regimen (soap/moisturizer)?
We don't use soap on his skin very often -- perhaps once a week or less. He takes a shower every other day, just using water to wash his body, and baby soap to wash his hair. When we do use soap, we use Freederm Eczema Soap. Immediately after the shower, we put Vitamin E on him.

We've tried a lot of different moisturizers, but he won't use many of them because they sometimes "burn". A partial list:
Cetaphil, Jergen's Sensitive Skin, Emu Oil, Suave Vitamin E Skin Therapy, Pure aloe gel, Vaseline Deep Moisture, Mountain Magic Oils, Aquaphor, Hydrocortisone, ShiKai Dry Skin Borage Therapy Pediatric formula, Dove Face Care - Essential Nutrients, FreeDerm products, Lubriderm, Eucerin, Dermarest Eczema Medicated Lotion, Bactine, Badger Balm, Castor Oil, Calamine lotion (doesn't burn, but doesn't help), Burt's Bees lemon cuticle cream (doesn't burn, so I keep it in my purse for emergencies)

Vitamin E is the ONLY thing we can put on his legs that won't burn him. But it doesn't alleviate the itching. So lately, we put Vitamin E on, and then rub the "itchy spot" gently with an exfoliating glove.

Do you know your allergen/irritant triggers (ex. pet dander, household cleansers/detergents, food allergen)?
No. When we first found our (current) physician, my son was not quite 1 year old. (I'd been told by three pediatric doctors that his skin problems were "just eczema" and that they might eventually go away. Because allergies and auto-immune problems run in our family, I wasn't willing to wait and find out). Anyway, the physician initially recommended I take him off of formula, give him almond milk instead, and give him no animal products except for organic butter. We did, and noticed a positive personality change. (Sunnier, happier child). We continued that "diet" until he was a little over two.

Then, we had him allergy tested. He tested positive for about 20 foods (in varying degrees). The major ones: almonds, garlic, peanuts, sunflower seeds. Lesser ones: cucumbers, rice, egg whites, sesame, soy, gluten, peas, banana, buckwheat, cane sugar, casein, cheddar cheese, corn, cottage cheese, cow's milk, egg yolk, goat's milk, kidney beans, lactalbumin, lentil, oat, oyster, rye, string bean, walnut, wheat, yogurt, zucchini. (The surprising thing was that nearly everything on the list was something I knew he'd eat. In fact, I was shocked by the almonds -- he'd been drinking almond milk for a year).

It was difficult, but at our doctor's direction, he didn't eat anything on the list above for about 4 months. We gradually added things back, and didn't see any significant difference with/without the allergens.

We then took him for NAET treatments. He was treated about 20 times for various things including: eggs, vitamin c, quercetin, wood products, grains, and various vitamins. We initially saw an improvement in his skin, but then it seemed only to make it worse. (And in the office he'd get very upset and unruly... not acting like himself at all). We have recently discontinued those treatments.

- What types of detergents, soaps, or cleanser do you use?
When he was a baby, we used All Free & Clear. I've tried many other kinds since, and nothing seems to make a difference one way or another. I now use a dye-/scent-free kind from Target.

- Do you have pets (cats, dogs) or are you around pets/animals?
Aquarium fish. We've had them since before he was born.

- Symptom suppressing drugs also suppress the immune system; thus making you vulnerable to allergen/irritants, which instigate eczema flareups. Are you still on any of those medications?
Yes. He takes 1 tsp of hydroxyzine almost every night. If he wakes up scratching on a school day, I give him zyrtek. (Maybe once or twice a month).

- Antibiotics instigate eczema flareups. Have you had this type of medication recently?
Not recently. He had pneumonia a little over two years ago, and was given antibiotics to get rid of it. He currently has a sinus infection that our doctor is watching and treating with more natural medications -- we're desperately trying to avoid antibiotics.

I've noticed that sometimes you ask about immunizations. He received the following, before he was 6 months old, and nothing since: Prevnar (2), DTP (3), IPV (2), HIB (3), Hepatits B (2).

- What types of food do you eat on a regular basis (are vegetables a big part of your diet)?
Breakfast: Gluten-free waffles with flax seeds, blueberry and banana smoothie (sweetened with stevia), apple, yogurt, whole grain cereal.
Snack: Fruit (usually orange, apple, or banana). Sometimes a graham cracker (at school).
Lunch: Usually a protein, veggies, fruit. Examples: Turkey, green beans, cheddar cheese, and an apple. Or ham, peas, carrots, and dried cranberries.
Snack: Pretzels, Fries, Fruit
Dinner: Usually a little protein, veggies, and a starch. Ex: Chicken, rice, and broccoli.

He's a rare kid in that he'll eat almost anything. If you ask him, he'll tell you that his favorite foods are edamame and jicama. But he'll also gobble up a 'burger and 'fries, when given the chance.

Because he's got lots of energy, we try to limit his sugar intake to fruit and a small, daily "treat". He loves gum balls, sherbert, and teddy grahams.

Current Daily Supplements:
Quercetin, EFAs, Vitamin E, Probiotics, Zinc. (Along with Colloidal silver and olive leaf for a sinus infection we're fighting).

- Other, perhaps random, tidbits:
* He receives chiropractic adjustments about once a week. When he was younger, I could tell a marked difference in his demeanor when he needed one. (He would become angry... almost defiant). He'd return to normal immediately after the adjustment.
* My husband has severe allergies (cats, mold, dust, pollen) and my mom was diagnosed with lupus at one point. She recently found out that she does NOT have lupus, but she does have something "autoimmune" going on.
* Lately, I'm noticing a trend: he wakes up EVERY night at 1:00am (give or take 30 minutes) scratching almost violently. It doesn't matter where he is -- his bed, my bed, my mom's house, my mom-in-law's house. There are no real environmental similarities, save the presence of a mattress. (i.e. different sheet fabrics, pillow fillings, floor coverings, etc.). The only way I've found to get him back to sleep is the vitamin E/exfoliating glove "procedure" mentioned above. I've started letting him sleep in my bed, so that I don't have to get up and go to his room.
* He didn't sleep through the night, ever, until he was two years old. Our doctor attributed it to his "veggie" diet, but now that he's begun waking up again, I wonder if it wasn't something else.

I appreciate the time you take to answer people's desperate questions, and am looking forward to hearing from you!

Thanks again...
--Lisa Tweet