My Son's Success Story
I wanted to post a success story, what we did, and where we are at currently. It has been a journey that we are still on. I want to preface that none of this medical advice, but merely our personal experience.
My son developed SEVERE eczema around 11 months old. He always had some slight eczema in his knee and elbow creases and around his ankles, but it was always manageable. I still can't pinpoint what made it flare up all of the sudden. Right around that time, we started to transition him to cow's milk, the seasons were changing, and we had moved into an older home. He developed head-to-toe rashes and hives, itching until bleeding, mucus build up which would lead to frequent vomiting, and just overall unhappy and uncomfortable. Absolutely heart breaking to witness, I can't imagine how he felt.
I tried every cream under the sun. I bought any and every cream that was targeted to be the "only thing that takes away eczema" Spoiler alert, WASTE OF MONEY. Such predatory companies. We then began an elimination diet for 5 weeks. No eggs, dairy, or gluten. That did not help. His eczema continued to get worse. We live in the south and it was starting to get hot and we had to have him in pants and long sleeves to prevent him from itching himself raw. We switched EVERYTHING in our house to non-toxic. He was only wearing bamboo and 100% cotton and we bought an Air Doctor air purifier for his room only. Again, no improvement.
Finally, we opted in for bloodwork and allergy testing. Turns out, he is highly allergic to dogs, trees, grass, peanuts, and eggs. His food allergies were not surprising since his father has the same allergies, but the food allergies were way less of a trigger than his environmental allergies. We had moved to a densely wooded area, and yep you guessed it, we have a big dog. Who sheds a lot. No amount of vacuuming helps. Getting rid of our dog was not an option. He is my soul dog, I work for an animal rights company, and I don't believe getting rid of dogs for the rest of my son's life is plausible.
Around the time we started the elimination diet, I also started him on Acemannan. 2-3x/day. Maybe it was another targeted ad I fell for, but I was soo desperate. I didn't see any improvements within the first 5 weeks of starting it. After we got his bloodwork back (5 weeks after starting Acemannan and elimination diet), our pediatrician (who is more holistic leaning) prescribed him Mary Ruth's Quercetin (1/8 tsp daily), Cod Liver Oil (1 drop daily) and daily Dead Sea Salt baths. Within 1.5 weeks, his eczema was COMPLETELY GONE. I literally sobbed. No itching, no hives or redness, just perfect, soft skin. He was eating a normal diet (minus eggs and nuts) , running around outside in the dirt and grass, and perfectly co-exisiting with our dog and he had ZERO flare ups.
We recently went on a trip up to Wyoming, again we live in the south, and the cooler weather and altitude immediately made his skin dry and flare up. Like within 2 hours of getting off the plane. Literally my worst nightmare. Over the course of the week we were up there, his skin just kept getting worse and nothing was helping. We were continuing his same routine as we do at home. We have been home for almost 1 week now, and his skin has made a lot of improvements. I am willing to bet his eczema will be completely gone within the next 1-2 weeks.
Right now, our routine looks like this: Change clothes and lotion him with Vani Cream every morning. Acemannan, Quercetin, Cod Liver Oil in his yogurt every morning. We prioritize well-balanced, anti-inflammatory meals for him. 100% cotton sheets and non toxic laundry detergent. Lots of water every day. Change clothes before nap if he spends a lot of time outside. Normal lunch and dinner. 1 cup of Dead Sea salt in warm bath every night (we only use soap 2-3x/week and we use goats milk soap), Vani cream immediately after he gets out of bath plus anti-fungal tea tree cream in his creases if they look a little red, bamboo or cotton pajamas, humidifier while he sleeps (naps too), and goats milk with Acemannan in it before bed.
Verrry long story, but wanted to include all the details for anyone who is willing to read. I did (and still do) endless amounts of research and reading to find anyone who seems to have similar skin and triggers as my son. What I have learned the most is that eczema relief is not a one size fits all, but never stop trying new things. I know that his skin will flare up again, and that we may have to pivot and try different remedies one day. But for now, I am seeing the light at the end of a tunnel that I thought was never ending. My bank account is still recovering though lol