toddler who is severely allergic

[gabi]

i have a 2 year old who is severely allergic to food and has extreme case of eczema. we want to try raw food life style but don't know how to begin. she can currently eat brown rice, baby bok choy, apples, banana and carrot juice (all organic). she does not sleep through the nite but wakes every 1-2 hours itching and scratching until she bleeds -everyday/night. she is severely broken out on her legs & feet, arms & hands, neck, and face. we have tried all types of medicine for last 1.5 years and nothing worked. we want to go raw but what can we give her knowing all of her allergies? how do we begin?

[Nature Mom]

hi gabi,

I just wanted to say how sorry I am that your little one is suffering. I know how helpless you must feel.

I'm new to raw and working my way through some food allergies with my own son. This is a great board with wonderfully encouraging people. I'm sure someone here will have some advice for you. I believe some here have experienced eczema with their own children.

You're in a good place here. Hang in there and know that we're all here to support you.

Love,
Shawna

[Rawkinlocs]

Hi Gabi,

I know your frustration of having to watch helplessly as your baby suffers. I went through this with my youngest daughter and she was around the same age as your daughter when it (eczema) really began to go from bad to worse.

Like you, we tried some of everything...prescription creams, otc creams, natural oils and herbs, etc. Some things worked temporarily but it just came back and no wonder...it was an internal problem and it was mainly due her diet and MY diet during the time I nursed her.

But to make a long story short, once we began changing our diet is when I began to see changes in her. Everyone is different and experiences vary, but here is what helped my daughter:

1. Eliminated the "trigger foods" which for her were citrus fruits and nuts
2. Eliminated from ALL of our diets...dairy, cooked grains and processed foods and white products (sugar, flour, etc.)
3. Gave mostly raw foods (she still from time-to-time ate some non-raw things, but they were "healthy" for the most part)

One day I looked at her and the rough, weepy, red patches had completely healed up and the areas of her skin where she lost pigmentation were starting to regain color. After a while, I was able to reintroduce those "trigger foods" into her diet and now she can eat them freely. A raw diet can definitely make your baby better. I finally found the photos of my daughter that I had lost so I'll post those in a bit.

[juliebove]

My daughter and I both have food allergies and from time to time, eczema. In both cases, our eczema seems to be caused by things we come in contact with that we are allergic to. For example, prior to learning of her food allergies, she seemed to have a dry, itchy scalp. Almost dandruff like. Her hair was also thin, dry and brittle. I tried a shampoo for dry hair. It contained wheat germ oil. I tried another shampoo for dandruff. It contained soy protein. Alas she is allergic to both soy and wheat! The poor kid. The shampoos were doing nothing but making her scalp worse. I also discovered that the lip balm she'd been putting on her dry, bleeding lips contained soybean oil. And some of the makeup items she was using for dance contained one or the other.

In my case, I have an allergy to almonds. Many of my cosmetics contained sweet almond oil and the one shampoo that seemed to work for my daughter also contained it. So when I'd wash her hair with it, my hands would break out.

Now we read all labels and if we don't know what's in something, we don't buy it. One shampoo that works well for us is one made with blackseed oil. It's a combination shampoo and conditioner. I find with skin problems, the less you use on there the better! We don't use a lot of soap, often bathing with plain water. But there are some times when you simply must use soap. Like after working in the garden, playing in the sandbox, etc. For us, something made with a base of coconut oil or shea butter works well. I've been buying some that is locally made that also contains lavendar. But if you find scent to be a problem, then you might want to use a scented soap.

Laundry detergent can be a problem for some people. I usually use Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day and I use about 1/2 the amount called for. My daughter is 8 now so those frequent toddler stains and spots are a thing of the past. But if there is a spot, I simply use some of the same laundry product and a small brush and some water to scrub it with prior to putting it in the washer. You may find that you need a second rinse of plain water. We don't seem to need to do this. And you may need to avoid fabric softener if that causes a problem.

As for the medicines, I know what you mean about them not working. I was seeing a dermatologist when I lived in NY and he'd switch me from this cream/oinment/gel to that one, most all of them cortisone based and none of them helping, although most of them making the situation worse!

The main thing to do is to try to figure out what the trigger is and eliminate those things. You may need to use some sort of air filter in your home.

Clothing is another issue. My daughter seems less picky now about what she wears in terms of things bothering her. But when she was little, anyting with an overly thick seam or a visible tag drove her nuts. She also preferred soft knit clothing. She hated anything that snapped at the crotch. Mainly she wore loose fitting knit dresses, leggings and T-shirts, many of them made of organic cotton. She preferred one type of sock only. They were a thick, wide, loose fitting anklet, sports type of sock. They were rather hard to find, but luckily they were cheap. I bought them at Family Dollar when I lived in NY, but I've seen similar socks elsewhere. They're still her favorite type of sock so when I find them I really stock up.

If she is scratching at night there are a variety of things you can do, which may or may not help. First, determine if she might be allergic to her mattress. If the mattress has any sort of cover on it, this could be the cause. It's hard when they're this young because you do need a waterproof pad down. My daughter didn't do well with an inexpensive plastic pad. Too hot! What I did was to put one of those convoluted foam mattress pads down on the bed. This seems to put a layer of cushioning between her and the bed. But it is not waterproof. I then put down a large pad that is quilted cotton on the top side and waterproof on the bottom.

She didn't really have too many accidents when she was younger, so I just hoped when she did it would be contained to the spot where the pad was. Heh! I had tried other types of mattress pads but she complained and complained, always crawling into my bed because she liked my pad better. So I just bought one for her.

The bed sheets may also be a problem. My daughter prefers thick cotton flannel or a T-Shirt knit. She hates percale sheets.

You might try putting mittens on her at night when she sleeps. If you sew, you could make some like they make for infants that enclose the entire hand to prevent scratching. Or just put some lightweight mittens on her. Of course there is the possibility that she will pull them off. But if she doesn't, then at least if she scratches she won't be causing herself to bleed. Also make sure not only to trim her nails short but to use a smoother on them. Revlon makes some that are pink. They look like emery boards but are smooth. You use them on the edges of the nails to keep them perfectly smooth. No sharp edges. There are other brands out there that will do the same thing.

As for foods... Are you saying those foods you listed are the only foods she can eat? If so that's going to make it hard to get a balanced diet. How did you determine which foods she is allergic to? We had a RAST test done. One of my Drs. said this is not the most reliable test to have done but it is clear to us after eliminating those foods from our diets that indicated allergies that we are indeed allergic to these things.

[Rawkinlocs]

Okay...here is the photo collage of her progression...

[juliebove]

Rawkinlocs: Have you noticed a change in your daughter's hair since you changed the diet? As I said in my previous post, Angela's was very thin, fine and dry. Also very straight. Within weeks after changing her diet, new little hairs grew in. Actually this has happened several times. Her hair is fairly long now and we're trying to get it all one length because for dance it must be totally off her face and for ballet it must be back in a bun. Now the new hairs growing in seem to be curly or wavy. It's really strange to see this. I just wonder how long it will take for her hair to settle down. It's really hard for me to put it in a bun now with all the new growth. And it's also so thick now, no bun cover will contain it. I just bought some nets called "wave nets" that were recommended to me by another mom whose daughter has thick hair. I am hoping these will work to contain the bun. I won't use hairspray on her unless they are taking pictures or it is at recital, so I'm having to use all sorts of clips and pins to keep the little new hairs out of her face.

[Rawkinlocs]

Oh yeah most definitely! Before, her hair was thin and very fragile. When she was 2 years old, I put little braids in her hair for dreads. For the first couple of years (prior to dietary changes), the slightest tension caused her to lose whole locs...I mean, it would just be lying there on the floor.

But after the change in diet to current, her hair has grown long and it it's thicker and stronger and she hasn't had any problems with her hair coming out, except when she cut about 6 of her locs in the front off down to the scalp because she was tired of her hair being in her eyes :rolleyes: But even that's grown in relatively quickly.

That's GREAT that your daughter is getting new growth coming in!

[RowanC]

Gabi, could it be something in your house that is making her allergic too?

I am severely sensitive to many chemicals and things that have helped me are as follows:

NO SCENTED soaps, lotions, room fresheners
Laundry detergent must be scent free
NO SCENTED FABRIC SOFTENERS
NO new carpet
NO bubble baths
Nothing with mineral oil in it.
NO FEBREZE - this crap is HIGHLY toxic

When I use any of the above, I get an immediate migraine, plus many of them make me break out in itchy rashes.

Also, have you considered taking her to someone who does arm=testing? (Group, there is a name for this, but it escapes me now) Basically, you hold your arm out straight to your body while the tester puts various foods and suspect items in your other hand or on your body, then they push down your arm. Depending on how strong your arm is, they can tell what your body needs or doesn't want near or in it.

In the case of your daughter, you could hold her on your lap while the doctor tests YOU, the mother, I'm pretty sure.

I know it sounds weird, but it really works.
My girlfriend has Cerebral Palsy. She got married and had a baby and since the baby has had horrible pain in the vagina area. Pain and itching and it's just terrible. The allopaths tried everything. She finally went to a chiropractor who does this type of testing and he told her she was reacting to chemicals in her food. He had her bring in samples of everything she eats and tested her. She had to stop eating certain things, and now the problem is clearing up fast.

It's worth a try?

But I suspect it is not raw foods, rather packaged things or something in the environment.

Good luck. I'm so sorry your baby is going through this.

[juliebove]

The test you're thinking of is called muscle testing.

[Finch]

I completely feel for you. Wondering if you have started RAW and if it has helped your child's excema. I am going through the same problem with my son. He has a very bad case of excema right now. I have cut all of the main contributors out of my diet (wheat, dairy, eggs, caffiene, chocolate, citrus). I only use natural cleaners and detergents. Thought mybe going RAW may help. Please let me know if you have started to notice a difference.

[fruitcake]

My daughter has severe food allergies and had a problem with eczema from birth. Of course as all ready suggested above, diet makes a huge difference. But I thought I would tell you something else that helped us. What I was told by an allergist, a dermatologist, and someone I know who is a natural hygienist, is DO NOT use soap. It strips the acid mantel from your skin, which is what protects the skin. We don't use soap, only water and a soft rag, it gets us clean. Be sure to use water that is around body temp and not hot or overly warm water (even though bathing in hot water feels really good :D ) We use apple cidar vinegar on our hair (my understanding is vinegar is also supposed to be good for the PH balance of skin). To clean your scalp you can use a baking soda paste, rinse real good, then rinse your hair with watered down vinegar to condition. It'll leave your hair really shiny and smooth. :D I infuse olive oil with calendula, it can be rubbed on the skin like baby oil and seems to help my kids with any outbreaks and moisten the skin. Sometimes lavendar or evening prim rose oil helps-- ya might want to so a small test spot before you try these to make sure it doesnt irritate the skin. Olive oil based lotions are much better than mineral oil based lotions, try not to use any lotions with mineral oil. For our clothes I was making our detergent out of a bar of castile soap, baking soda, and borax till I tore up my food processor :rolleyes: :p Anyhow for the moment I'm using All free and clear, about half the amout called for. But really detergents not actually necessary, Most of the time your clothes will get just as clean with plain water if you can get past the feeling that you need detergent. I use vinegar, or baking soda, or lemon juice for stains and whitening. No fabric softener. Vinegar will soften you clothes, you can use EO's to scent you clothes of you want. Put a little in your vinegar rinse for haning clothes out, or put a few drops on a cotton ball and put it in the dryer. Getting rid of anything in your home that has chemicals-soap cleaners whatever, and replacing them with natural alternatives will help tremendously.
It can be scary going raw when your child has food allergies, but it will give her body a chance to heal. I've only recently began transitioning us to raw, but I have know about the raw lifestyle for most of my life and have always been vegetarian (lacto-ovo, yuck!). When my middle child was a baby she had a protein intolerance that wouldn't allow her to eat anything but certain fruits till she was 2. She's the only one of my children that doesn't have eczema. I wish I had switched us all to raw then. Oh well. Anyhow, may once your baby is on raw and her body has time to heal she will be able to eat a larger variety of food. Are you breastfeeding? If so be careful what you eat, I found out too late that allergies begin in the womb and also during breastfeeding.
Hope you find something that helps. Let us know how it goes.

PS I noticed she can eat bananas, they are almost hte perfect food. They have everything in them! ;)