Eczema in  young children and babies is getting more common each passing year.  Up to 10 percent of children under five will  develop eczema.  Doctors generally do not  know what causes eczema, however from a Naturopathic viewpoint there can be  many different causes and/or exacerbating factors.  These include immunisation, orthodox  medication given to the child and/or mother during pregnancy or breastfeeding,  toxicity passed from mother to child in breast milk from a whole range of  sources, food allergies, allergies to environmental toxicity including  chemicals used in the household such as laundry powder, and regularly giving a  young child pasteurised and homogenised cow’s milk that has been microwaved in  a plastic bottle – these are just some examples.  All of these factors potentially disturb  liver, digestive and immune function in a young child or baby.

In children  with eczema it is important to remove all chemicals from your home.  You may like to stock up on natural cleaning  products from your local health food store.   Avoid chemical containing soaps, shampoos and conditioners.  Bath your child in plain water and do not use  commercial bubble bath.   Apply a mixture  of colloidal silver and aloe vera (see below) to the affected area after their  bath or shower in the evening.  Often it  is important to cover the affected skin during the night, so that the child  does not scratch him or herself, which all too often further exacerbates the  condition.

In children with  constipation, ozonated magnesium oxide is safe from age 18 months in small doses  before bed in oat milk.   Colloidal minerals  containing zinc and selenium are essential to heal all skin complaints.  Where there is excess copper in a child’s  urine, there will be deficient zinc.   Zinc colloid 1 ml and selenium colloid 1ml may also be prescribed where  the zinc and selenium contained within the colloidal minerals is  insufficient. 

There is a  very powerful and true saying, “to treat the child, treat the mother.”  This means that if there is an imbalance in  the child, there will certainly be an imbalance within the mother, or primary  caregiver.  Until a child is fourteen  years of age, she/he feeds upon the vital force or energetic field of her/his  primary care giver.   Heal the mother and  you will heal the child. 

Over the  years I have observed that mother’s with children with eczema tend to be very  stressed and/or highly anxious.  They can  often have a tendency towards liver toxicity as well.  These mothers often hold a lot of anguish and  feel angry with themselves and the world that their child is suffering from  this condition.  I often treat the mother  with herbal medicines to strengthen her nervous system and detox her liver (if  not breastfeeding) as well as prescribing Australian Bush Flower Essences to  balance her emotions - all this at the same time as treating her child.  The child’s skin often heals, as his/her mother’s  emotions resolve. 

If the skin  is dis-eased then the blood is dirty, if the blood is dirty, then liver  function is most definitely impaired, as it is not cleansing the blood sufficiently.   Liver herbs, such as St Mary’s Thistle in  glycerol (plant sugar), are almost always necessary to clear the blood of  toxicity in the case of skin dis-ease.   It is important that the affected child move their bowels 1 –3 times per  day, so that elimination is achieved and toxicity does not have the chance to  build up in their tiny bodies.  Diet is  obviously very important to attend to in a child with eczema and I will often  ask the mother to stop feeding their child wheat and/or diary products for a  certain period.  An abundance of fresh  fruit and vegetables goes without saying.   The beta-carotene/provitamin A vegetables are beneficial in the  treatment of eczema.  These include  carrots, pumpkin and all leafy greens as well as all varieties of seaweed.  Mung beans and adzuki beans and cucumber are  also useful.  Goat’s milk and goat’s  cheese as well as eggs are the best diary products to consume.  Another  cause or exacerbating factor in regards to eczema may be due to a lack of  essential fatty acids.  Therefore evening  primrose oil, fish or flaxseed oil supplementation is often necessary to  correct this deficiency.

From  clinical trials it has been observed that children with skin complaints often  respond favorably to a course of children’s pro-biotics (acidophilus etc) taken  for two weeks or longer.  As well as  herbal medicine, homeopathy is also of value in the treatment of eczema. 

Natural External Remedies for the Treatment of Eczema

 - Olive leaf extract  in shea butter. 

  - 5 parts aloe vera gel (the type containing sodium benzoate  as preservative is fine) to 1 part colloidal silver.  Mix well and apply 2 – 5 times per day.

  - Evening  Primrose oil – open up the capsules or buy the oil from The Perfect  Potion.  A tiny amount of German  chamomile and/or lavender may also be added. Apply 2 – 5 times per day.

  - Lucas Paw Paw ointment available from some supermarkets in  the health food section.  Apply 2 - 5  times per day.

  - Chickweed  ointment – cooling and healing – from health food shops.   Apply 2 – 5 times per day.

  - Raw  organic honey may be applied – supermarket health food section.

  -Gently rub  with fresh paw paw.  Organic where  available.