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.