Nothing has baffled me more as a mother than observing the prevalance of eczema among children. Thankfully, eczema is not one of the many issues my children have had to deal with, but I have witnessed so many other families battle with this mysterious disorder. Growing up, my mother always had chronic eczema all over her hands, and I watched as the itching and burning affected her constantly. I also watched as prescription cream after cream failed to cure her of this disorder. Over the years, I have been very interested in nutritional support and natural ways of healing eczema. What follows are a few insights into nutritional healing for eczema.
Eczema is basically an immune response of the skin. Plain and simple. Conventional medicine says “the cause is unknown”, but that is misleading. While “causes” are very hard to scientifically prove, by definition, medicine has been able to identify various “triggers” for eczema. Environmental toxins, food allergies (themselves also an auto-immune response), and stress and just a few of the known triggers for eczema.
Let’s dig a little deeper into this. When the body begins to have an auto-immune response, it’s because it’s being attacked from the inside. What I mean by this is that the integrity of the “machine” has been compromised; and in this case that machine is our gut. Spanning a surface area larger than a tennis court, our gut is the organ most vital to our immune health. Teeming with beneficial bacteria whose job is to convert our food into usable vitamins and minerals, a healthy gut is critical for optimal nourishment.
According to Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, pediatric neuorlogist and nutritionist, and author of Gut and Psychology Syndrome,
Apart from taking a direct part in nourishing the body, beneficial bacteria in the gut act as the housekeepers for the digestive tract. They coat the entire surface of the gut protecting it from invaders and toxins by providing a natural barrier and producing a lot of anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-fungal substances. At the same time they provide the gut lining with nourishment. It is estimated that 60 – 70% of energy, the gut lining derives, is from the activity of bacteria, which live on it. So, it is no surprise that when the gut flora is abnormal the digestive tract itself cannot be healthy. Source
So, it turns out that without beneficial bacteria, our bodies are not producing optimal amounts of vitamins and minerals, and it turns out that some of those vitamins are crucial for eczema support. It’s no wonder that eczema often doesn’t exist in a vaccuum; often there are several other symptoms that accompany eczema that all have their roots in what is known as “gut dysbiosis” (which, bascially, means your gut flora are out of balance.)
I’ve been fascinated by Dr. Campbell-McBride’s work for a few years now (her GAPS diet has been miracle-working for my family) and so I’ve known an understood the crucial role of beneficial gut flora. But since I’ve been studying to be a Nutritional Therapist , I’m reading lots and lots and I came across an interesting thing I hadn’t known with regards to infant eczema:
Biotin (vitamin B-7) is deficient in infants who have eczema. According to Dr. Elson Haas monumental work, Staying Healthy with Nutrition (2nd edition), it is very difficult to get biotin from food alone. Luckily, our friendly intestional bacteria produce plenty of it. Plenty, that is, as long as we don’t have gut dysbiosis.
The Path to Infant Gut Dysbiosis
Campbell-McBride explains:
A typical modern mother was probably not breast fed when she was a baby, because she was born in 60s or 70s when breast-feeding went out of fashion. Why is it important? Because it is well known that bottle fed babies develop completely different gut flora to the breast fed babies. This compromised gut flora in a bottle fed baby later on predisposes her to many health problems. Having acquired compromised gut flora from the start, a typical modern mum had quite a few courses of antibiotics in her childhood and youth for various infections. It is a well known fact that antibiotics have a serious damaging effect on the gut flora, because they wipe out the beneficial strains of bacteria in the gut. At the age of 16 and sometimes even earlier the modern mum was put on a contraceptive pill, which she took for quite a few years before starting a family. Contraceptive pills have a devastating effect on the beneficial (good) bacteria in the gut. One of the major functions of the good bacteria in the gut flora is controlling about 500 different known to science species of pathogenic (bad) and opportunistic microbes. When the beneficial bacteria get destroyed the opportunists get a special opportunity to grow into large colonies and occupy large areas of the digestive tract. A modern diet of processed and fast foods provides perfect nourishment for these pathogens and that is a typical diet a modern mum had as a child and a young adult. As a result of all these factors a modern mum has seriously compromised gut flora by the time she is ready to have children. [Ibid]
Depressing? Oh, that’s just the beginning, because the baby hasn’t even been born yet!
Now, assuming you were breastfeed, never took antibiotics as a kid, and never took the pill, then that’s very good…and as long as you had a childbirth that is natural and without the use of antibiotics (you better be Strep-B negative), AND are able to breastfeed, your child has a fighting chance at good gut health.
The path is narrow….but there is hope!
By taking the steps NOW to reverse gut dysbiosis, you can do so much for your child (even if they don’t have any “signs” of it) in terms of immune and metal health. Basically, the GAPS diet is the diet for reversing gut dysbiosis. So if you or someone you love is suffering from eczema, this diet cuts right to the “cause” of eczema.
Read these success stories regarding the GAPS diet and Eczema.
In addition to the GAPS protocol, you might consider asking your natural health care practitioner about vitamin B-7 supplementation. I never knew this until recently, but biotin deficiency occurs when sulfa-containing antibiotics are given (as they kill B-7 producing bacteria in the gut). Well that would have been nice to have been told by the pharmacist back when I was giving my daughter prophylactic antibiotics daily for a year due to kidney reflux!
(Side note on antibiotics: They totally have their important place in medicine and they were certainly the only option for my daughter at the time. A diet which includes fermented, raw, and enzyme-rich foods and proper nutritional supplements during the course of antibiotics is crucial for the body to remain in balace.)
So, in summary, here are some final thoughts on nutritional and natural support for eczema:
1) Reverse gut dysbiosis (see my resources page for some wonderful GAPS resources)
2) Rule out any food allergies (if you are breastfeeding, this would mean you would have to do an elimination diet; the biggest culprits being gluten (wheat, oats, barley, rye) and casein (milk protein).
3) Supplement with a child-safe probiotic. Again, see my resources page for specifc brands. Not all probiotics are created equal, and on the resource page you’ll find a link to Dr. McBride’s own formulation. There are no side effects (except perhaps die-off symptoms), and these are simply the friendly bacteria that inhabit a healthy gut. Recommended for infants and children . Please use a probiotic under the provision of your natural health care practitioner!
4)Take additional biotin. Lactating females need 35 mcg per day, according to Dr. Elson Haas, and 30 mcg is sufficient for adult men and women. Consider taking an entire B-complex of good quality and proven absorbancy to provide B-vitamins while the gut heals.
5)Take plenty of EFAs (essential fatty acids) like Black Current Seed oil: The good fatty acids in BCS oil can hydrate and lubricate the skin. Can be applied topically or taken internally. A good Cod Liver Oil supplement is essential for all, as it supplies the best, most natural source of vitamins A and D, which are also crucial for immune system support, healthy skin, and lots of other stuff! The best cod liver oil is the fermented liquid kind, which is a bit expensive, but you only use a small amount each day so it actually lasts a long time. It can also be applied topically (if you don’t mind smelling like fish!!) But it should be taken my mom and can be given in a dropper to baby. (Again, see the resources page for my favorite CLO).
6)Use a good-quality, natural, topical oil for relief. I just became aware of the Homestead Company’s eczema relief oil!! It’s guarenteed or your money back, and it’s only $5.75!!! Right now, she’s running a special for Organic & Thrifty readers. She’s giving 15% off your entire purchase and free shipping on orders over $25! Check out my resources page for details on this great product and company! Coconut oil is also very effective (so my mom’s found!!!!).
The Bottom Line:
The bad news is, eczema is a prevalent disorder that causes pain and discomfort to SO many people every day, and pharmaceuticals don’t cure it. We live in a polluted world and we enter the world with nutritional deficits and gut dysbiosis. It almost seems hopeless and insurmountable.
But the good news is that there is healing! Dr. Campbell-McBride has done the hard work and has paved the way to help us understand the root causes for eczema and many other disorders. Gut dysbiosis can be reversed and fortunately, there are many, many high-quality nutritional supplements available to provide the body what it needs to heal.
If you or someone you know is suffering from eczema, please consider sharing this information with them and refer them to a local Nutritional Therapy Practitioner who can continue to guide them within the context of this information I’ve shared with you today.
This post has been a contribution to Real Food Wednesday and Works for Me Wednesday.
Great post, Carrie.
I would like to add too one reason why it is so important to immediately follow up with the GAPS diet, or an elimination diet along with enzyme rich and probiotic rich foods as soon as eczema symptoms show up.
The skin reflects what the gut looks like. Pretty scary. That is not all however. The skin and the gut are the first places where our bodies are going to communicate with us that something is wrong. If we ignore these symptoms, or patch them with a band aid (in the case of eczema with creams and such), they can diminish to such an extend that we think we are fine, or they go away altogether. Or so we think.
However, the cause for the reaction is still there and the body is still not liking whatever it is, and this results in probably the saddest part of eczema, a much more severe and for a long time possibly invisible auto-immune disease, like arthritis, fribromyalgia (sp?), MS etc. These can take years to manifest themselves and by then some damage is irreversable.
It can feel like a lot of work and quite overwhelming to ‘have’ to follow a special diet when our children have skin disorders, but I see it as part of laying down my life for them so then it becomes a little easuer.
At this point, Matthias can tolerate a certain amount of gluten, but it has been a long road. My first born was so colicky for the first 6 months that I did an elimination diet with him as well. So yeah, ugh.
Anyway, I know your road has been even longer and harder, so many kuddos to you!
Thanks!
Great Post! I’m 26 and I have had eczema since I was a baby, I haven’t had many outbreaks lately, but will occasionally have a spot of eczema. I have always thought of doing the GAPS diet but knew that I would be very grouchy at work. I am not working now and seriously thinking about doing it. Thanks, Alison
As someone who’s suffered from gut dysbiosis from a very early age due to antibiotics and the Standard American Diet I can tell you how much I appreciate this well researched post!! good thing about a sick gut: it can be healed!! Your little ones are very lucky to have someone like you to care for their growing bellies
Excellent article! My son had severe eczema when he was a toddler–he was breast fed but it did not stop the horrible rash from covering his face. We cut out all mold food sources, like cheese, vinegars and had an allergy shot, just one–he cleared up to almost completely immune to it. He is now 19 and has small rashes here and there–so I will be trying out some of the ideas in here that we have not already explored!
Thanks Again!
-Moe
My youngest has struggled with eczema since the day she weaned onto solid food. She tested positive for every allergy the doctor pricked her with, after a while I figured out she was oversensitive and reacting to the prick more than the allergen. We know dairy – but she can drink raw dairy, soy and corn for certain. Soy and corn are in almost all processed foods. The more processed food she eats the worse her eczema gets.
One huge benefit has been drinking kefir and kombucha. About four ounces of kombucha a day can prevent new breakouts completely. The morning after she forgets a daily dose she will have a few new breakout areas, even on a whole and raw-food diet restricting grains and sugars.
Hey!
I have just recently found your blog by googling GAPS diet recipes. I am seriously looking into starting my husband and I on this diet due to me having Candida and wheat and oat food allergies (that have just occurred in the last year and a half.). I am very new to this diet as well as the Nourishing Traditions diet. I am reading a lot about NT foods and have a couple friends who have just started it as well.
Do you have any recommendations about where I should start? Did you do the introduction diet? I know I probably should, but honestly, I’m intimidated by the diet and intro diet. I’ve never made my own yogurt or fermented veggies before. (Although, I’m hoping to try these very soon!) We do seek to eat very healthy, i.e. minimal processed foods, organic, fresh, etc…
Any insight or thoughts would be wonderful and so very helpful! Thank you!
Oh, and I wanted to add that I did order the BioKult, Digestive Enzymes, and Essential Oils from gaps.com. I’m a little hesitant to start them all at once and so I’m trying to start them one at a time. Is that best?
Carrie, this is something I get asked about a lot, so I love that I have a great place to send people now.
Peggy, that is so interesting that kefir and kombucha prevent new outbreaks! I wonder if it would help my brother, who has psoriasis…I’m going to send him here.
Thanks everyone!
Kelly (p.s. Carrie, I stumbled!)
Thank you for this very informative post. I had excema off and on in my twenties. When I didn’t eat wheat, and then all gluten, it went away. But this summer when I started taking coconut oil regularly, it came back on the palm of my hand. I believe this is more of a die-off reaction than anything because I am now also following GAPS. I haven’t done the intro yet because I’m still nursing, but plan to in a couple months hopefully.
Anyway, it just goes to show that the imbalances are still there, but you may not see them anymore. For me, my imbalances started affecting my mind and emotions much more after giving birth. On the GAPS diet though, I can really feel a difference. Although the excema is still there, I think it is just the toxins leaving – at least I hope so!
I love this diet and hope more people learn about it so that they too can be healthier!
Thanks so much,
Sarah
Michelle,
I’m sorry for the delayed response! I know it can be so overwhelming to start GAPS; it’s very regimented. I prefer simple, and in our case it worked well. We cut back to basically veggies (fibrous, non-starchy) and bone broth and meats and cut back on the dairy and the nuts for 2 weeks. I slowly re-introduced dairy in the form of homemade kefir, and allowed butter. I eventually re-introduced the nuts, which were soaked and dehydrated, and that was fine. My daughter is still without cheese, but drinks raw goat’s milk, and all nuts are fine.
As far as where to start….
As I learn more and more in my nutritional therapy studies, I am compelled to suggest you find a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner in your local area who can do a full, functional nutritional assessment to assess your whole digestive situation as a whole. These are VERY comprehensive and “no corner is left unturned” and often something complicated can be resolved fairly simply. For example, hypochlorideria (insufficient HCl) happens about 90% of the time in individuals and causes havoc in digestion….by supplementing with more HCl, you can rectify a host of issues (along with a proper diet, of course!)
At the very least, however, BioKult and digestive enzymes are certainly helpful no matter where one is on the spectrum of digestive dis-ease. Best wishes to you in this journey! Baden’s gapsguide.com is an excellent resource!!
@ Kelly,
Thanks so much for the comment and the stumble!
Carrie
@Sarah,
Wow, it’s great that you have seen improvement from the eczema (sp?) and great that you are doing GAPS. I commend your patience!!! I hope and pray it will resolve in time!
Best,
Carrie
I can’t find the link to the Homestead Company in order to get your discount. This is a very timely article for us as my son, since yesterday, is literally covered head to toe in a bright red allergic/eczema reaction. He was in the ER last night because it was so bad. I’m researching like crazy to figure something out and you really helped.
We currently live in TX and there aren’t any Nutritional Therapists here. Are there any resources you could point me to in order to find some help for him? Books? Websites?
Thanks again for your great website. I’ve learned a lot the last few months.
I wasn’t able to find the coupon info for The Homestead Company, but would love to try their eczema oil if you have one!
Aack! I’m so sorry. The link seems to have disappeared (it should be back up in a few days, so check back! I will do a quick post when it’s back up!
@Heather,
I do know of some other effective resources that have been helpful for treating severe eczema. There is a special water machine produced by the Enagic company that produces several different kinds of water with various pH levels (the device actually splits the water into H+ and OH- ions, then rearranges adding H+ ions or OH- ions to adjust the pH.
ANYWAY, it’s a medical device used in Japanese hospitals that is available for purchase for home use in the US through Enagic distributors. It is used regularly in Japan to treat Eczema by applying the strong acid water topically. The machine also makes drinking water (in 7-9.5 pH ranges) which is used to heal and detoxify the insides of the body. If you want more info on how to obtain one of these machines (or find a distributor near you) you can e-mail me offline and we can chat about that!
Best of luck to you all!
My friend sent me here after we talked about my son having eczema. He is 3 years old. All the “seeing a natural health care practitioner” is a nice ideal but for real world, poor families out there that don’t have great insurance/a lot of money, it is far fetched. I’m happy to get my kids into a regular doc for their checkups and when there is health issue. But research I can do!, so thank you for the links and the names. I have never tried a special diet of any sort with Sam, and his seems to be going away for the most part . . . really picks up in the winter. I’m not big on all natural diets . . . I think people get carried away with it, but definitely have priority to see my kids healthy and robust; and, despite slight eczema seems to be the case.
Thank you for an informative post and food for thought, pun intended. :0)
~Stacy
Thank you for this very helpful post. I have been researching and trying a variety of things for my 7 month daughter who has been suffering from eczema for several months. It was very helpful to read this post and get some natural ideas of what to do. (I have been searching for months for natural ideas but haven’t found anything that would be helpful for an infant.) I am going to try to start with probiotics and codliver oil and see if that helps… (I have tried going off different food while nursing but have not seen a change…) Thanks again for your info and sources.
Hi,
I thought of a dear friend who has been suffering from eczema and gut disbiosis for some time. She is also Type II diabetic. Some of this information will be great for her. Thank you:-)
I would like to add that Dr. N. Campbell-McBride first put her young autistic son through the SCD before her development of the GAPS diet. And the SCD has a long run of support for children, parents and adults with any gut disbiosis as well as autism spectrum disorders. The web site peacanbread.com also has a place for a SCD (specific carbohydrate diet) enhanced, meaning all the lacto fermented foods. SCD is more straight forward than GAPS and easier. Less restrictive as well, and with our son (who also had a severe eczema outbreak on his hands along with a severe gut disbiosis…..gluten free didn’t help) it worked immediately healing every symptom as well as rebuilding his gut/immune system. Our grown daughter’s acne and hormone imbalances are healing too since she started following the recommendations and using cod liver oil. We are happy, grateful folks around here!
Therese