We know how stressful it is for parents whose little ones have eczema but the good news is (as this week’s warrior will tell you) there is a great deal parents can do to help heal their child’s eczema.
Ling’s 4 year old daughter has had eczema since she was a baby.
“We had tried a lot of things—loads of different creams, dermatologist visits, bleach baths, wet wrapping, topical steroids, etc. but nothing helped long term. She would wake up screaming at night because she was sooo itchy and she would scratch and scratch, and her bed sheets were always covered in blood.
Every time we saw the doctor or specialists, they would just prescribe a stronger topical steroid cream. I remember asking if we should look at diet being the cause of her eczema but I was told that there was no need because there was only a small percentage of sufferers with food allergies” said Ling.
Despite what the Doctor had told her, Ling was determined to heal her daughter’s skin through diet. After doing her own research she came across The Eczema Detox book.
Ling said “I stayed up all night reading page after page of the Eczema Detox book. And then 2 days later, after buying all the recommended foods and vitamins, we started the Eczema Detox Program.” (Note there is also a Food Intolerance Diagnosis Program in The Eczema Detox book that Karen has developed for people severe eczema.)
This is a photo of Ling’s daughter’s arm on the day she started the Eczema Detox diet:
Ling said “Even before our Skin Friend AM and Skin Friend PM supplements arrived, I already noticed a difference in my daughter’s skin. This is 2 weeks after starting the diet and 1 week after the Skin Friend AM and PM supplements. What a big improvement!”
Ling said that all the time and effort spent shopping, preparing and cooking was all worth it as she started to see her daughter’s skin heal and her mood improve. “You see, I’m a busy full-time working mum of 3 young kids and I won’t lie—it was stressful during the first week having to cook every meal from scratch and sourcing ingredients here and there. And also, the biggest challenge of all—getting my 4 year old on board for the new diet. She was none too pleased when she realised she couldn’t eat her favourite ham and butter sandwiches for lunch anymore!” And I’ve just been using our usual moisturisers meanwhile as I don’t want to change skincare products during this time.”
Ling’s tips for other parents who are looking to start The Eczema Detox:
- Write down everything daily so you can keep track e.g. what was eaten, what skincare was used, bath or shower, skin observations.
- Don’t be disheartened if your child only takes a bite of the “special” meal you cooked for them. They’re struggling too.
- Be prepared for special occasions, especially birthday parties. Prep. your child and tell them what they are going to be eating (in your most excited voice ever!) instead of all the party food.
- When your child asks if they can eat something which they can’t, instead of saying “No, you can’t eat that”, say “Yes, you can eat that when your skin is healed. In the meantime, while your skin is healing, you can eat this.”
- Join Karen’s Facebook group for support and friendly advice. It really helped to get questions answered and to know that you’re not the only one going through this.
Note that author Karen Fischer now offers an exclusive support group for people with eczema who follow her Eczema Detox or Eczema Diet programs and you can find the information at eczemadiet.com
Thank you to Ling and her wonderful Eczema Warrior for sharing their success story with us.
Article by nutritionist Bonnie Taylor.
