“I love your blog as it is very informative. As someone who struggled with a child that had eczema/atopic dermatitits (and what ever else the doctors called it) for years I wanted to share my experience in general and with a specific product that worked wonders for me and a few friends of mine.

I had eczema with my son. It took about 3 years of experimenting (I even tried a kinesiologist who claimed he could rid his body of allergy and toxins..) and trying different options to get it under control.

These are my observations based on my journey:

1) all the regular aveeno’s and other cream don’t help

2) I noticed that certain foods made the eczema worse that did NOT show up in allergy testing

3) certain materials (like baby sleepers) made it worse

4) other then cortisone the ONLY thing that worked for me was a cream that a friend told me about from Israel called ‘heimlich clear cream’.

Originally I did not want to try it as I was more than a bit skeptical to a claims of a natural cream that works and its a bit expensive but eventually I bought it and it works magic whenever it flares up.

Instead of using cortisones when it flares up I now use this cream.

If anyone wants to try it (or if you want to add it to your list) I noticed they are now selling it only at  heimlichclearcream.net.”

I’ve never heard of this cream, but checking out the website, it definitely looks like it’s worth trying.  Thanks Esther for taking the time to share this valuable information!

P.S. Do you have any experiences or eczema remedies you would like to share?  Let us know via our contact form or e-mail eczemaremedyblog@gmail.com.

Yes, according to a German University study published recently in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.  Three researchers, Assistant Professor Jochen Schmitt of Dresden University Hospital, Dr. Christian Apfelbacher (Heidelberg University Hospital) and Dr. Joachim Heinrich of the Institute of Epidemiology of Helmholtz Zentrum München, studied 5,991 children born between 1995-1998, and have concluded that children who suffered from eczema during the first two years of life is more likely to suffer from emotional and psychological problems.

Here is how the study was conducted according to ScienceDaily.com:

“Within the framework of the GINIplus study, scientists tracked the family history of the children, collected data on their physical health and emotional condition at age 10 years and gathered information on their daily lives. Questions were asked about the course of disease — also in early childhood — with special focus on diseases such as eczema, asthma, allergic rhinitis, stress tolerance and behavioral abnormalities.”

Later in the article, doctor Joachim Heinrich affirms:

“We suspect that it is mainly the secondary symptoms that have a long-term effect on the emotions of the affected children,” Joachim Heinrich said. The authors of the study therefore recommend documenting the occurrence of eczema as potential risk factor for later psychological problems in the children’s medical records, even if the actual primary disease abates and disappears during the course of childhood.”

Linking childhood eczema and mental/behavorial problems is an interesting connection.  Parents, have you noticed any behavioral or emotional issues with your eczematous little ones?  Tell us your thoughts below!

You can read the article in its entirety here.

**Source: Helmholtz Zentrum München – German Research Center for Environmental Health (2010, February 10). Eczema in early childhood

Childhood eczema has the same symptoms of adult eczema:  extreme dry skin, itching, rashes and weeping.  But unlike adults, children may have a hard time resisting the urge to scratch an itch, which ultimately can make their condition worse.  But there is one thing you can do to help your child sleep through the night itch-free and it involves…wet pajamas.

Via The Spokesman Review:

“…Q. Do you know about the “wet pajama” treatment for childhood eczema? Wet a pair of cotton pajamas and wring them out. Put them on the child, then layer a pair of dry fleece pajamas over the top. Leave both pairs of pajamas on overnight.

The child’s body heat creates a layer of high humidity that hydrates the skin. As a physician, I treat older patients, but this approach cleared our son’s severe eczema in three days.

A. Thanks for sharing this unusual treatment. We did discover some caveats. The pajamas must be well wrung out and not too wet. Some people put moisturizer on before slipping on the pajamas. Make sure the youngster does not have an infection, and don’t allow him or her to get chilled. We’ll be interested in learning how well this approach works for others.”

This is an unusual childhood eczema remedy indeed.  But if it’s one more thing that can help provide comfort to your little one, it may be worth a try.