This is a great video I found on YouTube to explain how gluten affects Eczema.

Gluten, is a sticky protein found in cereal grains, such as wheat, rye, and barley, that makes the goods light and fluffy, which is very desirable to those who enjoys. Unfortunately it have been linked to many symptoms related to diseases and imbalances of the body such as celiac, heart conditions, skin disorders (i.e eczema), cystic fibrosis, autism, ADD, ADHD, weight gain, cravings, anxiety, confustion, PMS, acne, diabetes, headaches, numbness, restlessness, congestion, mental fogginess, and so many more.

Of the glutenous grains, wheat contains the highest concentration of gluten. There are 30 species of wheat; however, in countries such as the USA only three are being produced for human consumption: Durum (such as in pasta), common wheat (or bread wheat), and club wheat (similar to bread wheat). Over the past 2 or so decades the hybridization of these variety of wheat has greatly increased the gluten content. The problem with this is wheat is often used as additives, fillers, or even as one of the main ingredient in many products and restaurant type meals that it is causing inflammation in the digestive tract of people who have become sensitive, or allergic to it. This inflammation causes tearing or separation of the lining in the small intestine. When this occurs larger food substances can enter the blood stream, which leads to many of the imbalances mentioned earlier. Another issue is that many of the products that normally don’t contain wheat or gluten are being manufactured in factories that are also producing wheat and gluten products so it is possible to have a cross contamination.

Since everyone is biochemically different many people are not aware they are sensitive or allergic to wheat. Children are especially difficult to diagnose because so many of their favorite foods contains wheat, such as fried foods, sandwiches, pasta, mac and cheese, pizza, gravy, cookies, cake, ice cream cones, some candy, and many packaged foods found on the shelves in the grocery stores.

What can you do? The best way to avoid wheat and gluten is to feed your family meals made from fresh vegetables, fruits, nuts/seeds, fresh beans and high quality meats. If these are not convenient for you to prepare than it is important to learn to read the labels of any meals being purchased. For store bought meals manufacturers are now putting on the label if the product contains wheat or have been processed in factories where wheat/gluten is also being processed.

1) Have you tried eliminating wheat and gluten from your diet and your child’s diet?
2) Did you notice any changes in your child’s eczema condition?
3) Have you been able to find a suitable replacement for the wheat/gluten based products? If yes, what were the replacements? How did you child respond to the replacement?

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When you sign up for my free childhood eczema newsletter at http://www.stopmychildseczema.com you get to download an ebook I put together for my son’s top 7 effective solutions I used to control his eczema outbreaks. His #1 solution was hydration. My son needed to be hydrated to stop his scrating. You can click HERE to see the blog post on it. The number 2 spot goes to eliminating foods that caused his inflammation. Sometimes the food we eat everyday or at least weekly are often the biggest factors that lead to inflammation.

My son’s top inflammatory foods were wheat (any food containing flour), which were cookies, cakes, fried chicken, soy sauce, icing, gravy, chips, bread, and crackers. Refined sugar (candy, cookie, cakes, juice, and ice cream), soy, and dairy (milk, cheese, butter, yogurt). I also noticed that he reacted negatively to foods containing dyes, additives, colors, and preservatives. I found those foods by limiting his diet to mostly fresh, local, organically grown vegetables. Organically grown seasonal fruits, grassfed beef, chicken and cornish hens raised without hormones, antiobitoics or steriods. The chicken eggs were from grassfed chicken. His eczema was under control as long as I kept him away from the inflammatory foods. When he ate the foods that caused his body to be inflammed he flared up either immediately, or within 4 days of the exposure.

My question to you is have you recognized any foods that are contributing to your child’s eczema?

If no, you can start by removing the top 7 most common food allergens: Wheat, dairy, corn, soy, sugar, eggs, peanuts. Some children also react to tree nuts (almonds, walnuts, pecans, etc.). The trick is to remove these “completely” from the diet for at least 10 to 14 days. That means you have to read lables and ask questions. Many parents are uncomfortable with this but it really does make a difference when you can identify your child’s eczema offenders. Also many people are becoming more aware of food allergens and will gladly provide the information to you.

If yes, what are the foods and how did you discover them? Have you found suitable replacements for those foods?

Sandra Hurd, MS CNC
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Summer is here once again! Now its time to think about packing for vacation, summer activities, picnics, 4th of July celebration, swimming, and the ongoing sage of protecting your chiild’s skin from being sun damaged.

Since your child has eczema his/her skin will requires some additional planning before going out into the sun. It does not matter the type of protection or pigments (i.e., black americans, some hispanics, indian, etc.) of your child’s heritage, you still have to consider their damage skin as top priority in protection.

When it comes to sun care, it is important to not allow too much sun that might damage the skin further, yet allow enough exposure so your child’s body can absorb the vitamin D. When it comes to skin care you have to take into consideration exposure to chemical toxins in sunscreens that can further damage your child’s skin.

Here is what you can do: Allow your child to be exposed to the sun unprotected for up to 30 minutes a day, depending on the time of day. Early mornings and right after the mid-afternoon sun is probably best for the unprotected sun exposure where the sun is not so hot that your child’s skin burns almost immediately. That will allow time for your child’s skin to absorb the vitamin D. You also want to make sure your child is drinking enough water before any sun exposure to avoid becoming dehydrated.

Do you need a safe suncreen product? : Check out Kabana’s petrochemical-free, Green Screen® organic sunscreen created by Erik Kreider MS MBA, a pharmaceutical scientist who became dissatisfied with companies that mislead their customers and ‘market’ natural but don’t ’sell’ natural ingredients in their mass-marketed skin care products. Kabana’s skin care line are made from ingredients that are of the highest quality, and chosen specifically to ensure good health and is environmentally sustainable.

Sun damaged skin remedies:
1) Aloe vera leaves in the refrigerator for a few hours and then apply the gel from the leaves to the affected area
2) Apple cider vinegar on a cotton ball can soothe and prevent blistering
3) Cucumbers - take some fresh cucumbers and slice it up and rub the area. It is cooling and soothing
4) Calendula bath - 20 drops of calendula oil in about 6 ounces of water to apply to affected area or use the gel.
5) Lavender essential oil is great on burns not only sun burn but any kind of burn.
6) Grated potato applied to the affected area.
7) Plain yogurt with lemon juice applied to the affected area will sooth and allow the live bacteria to heal the damaged skin.

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Do you have any sun care products or remedies you use to protect your child’s eczema skin during the summer months?

I am a member of an online forum where parents of children with eczema post questions, solutions, discoveries, support, they vent, cry, complain, recommend products and doctors and results of tests. I read this post recently and wanted to get your thoughts on it.

“I just have to vent. It really bugs me that I spend hours and hours taken care of my daughter’s skin in order for it to look half way healthy and she does nothing to help herself. She is 8 yo and very smart. I have taught her how to take care of herself, what to do when it gets itchy, how to do EFT when she is feeling itchy and stressed, but she just choses to do Nothing. It took me 3 weeks to get her hands and feet looking decent and she tore the skin apart in less than a day. I truly don’t see the point of taking care of her skin anymore. Posted by Ellie”

Have you faced this issue? What did you try that worked? what did not work?

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Liquids and food your child is consuming, everyday, has an influence on his/her eczema outbreaks. This is because each organ and system of our bodies contains fluid can be measured by its potential of hydrogen or pH. The pH ranges from 0 to 14 with 7 being neutral. Ranges above 7.0 measures alkaline and below 7.0 measures acidic. Your child’s overall body has to measure above 7.0 in order to minimize his itchy skin. Liquids and foods burns up in the body leaving a measurable pH, thus have an influence on the body’s pH. However since the body is made up of mostly liquids this is where you can have a great impact on your child’s health.

The most alkaline liquids you can give to your child include spring water, homemade broths, herbal teas, and fermented drinks (such as kombucha). What make these liquids alkaline are the minerals contents such as magnesium, calcium, and potassium. If there are no minerals present then the liquid is essentially dead and thus acidic (pH below 7.0). If you measure your child’s pH and it is measuring acidic and s/he drinks liquids measuring acidic it only contributes to your child’s acidic state, thus the eczema will continue to be a problem.

Here are two things you do can to help your child: First, measure your child’s pH by purchasing pH paper, from your local health food store or on the internet, and get a sample of his/her urine. For older children you can show him/her how to use the pH paper to capture the results. Second, measure your child’s favorite beverages, which can also be measured with the pH paper or by using a pool test kit. If both results are measured below 7.0 then consider changing your child’s favorite beverages to spring water, homemade herbal teas, and freshly extracted vegetable juices.

Bonus Tip: if your water is measuring below 7.0 (acidic) you can infuse it with minerals such as Concentrace Mineral drops or cell food or some other type of minerals drops that can be purchased at your local health foods store or over the internet.

Would you like more effective solutions that works to stop your child’s scratching? Then sign up for my free newsletter at http://www.stopmychildseczema.com