When your baby develops eczema it’s worrying. What was once smooth, soft skin becomes rough, red and uncomfortable. Using topical steroids is perhaps the only option many of us think we have to treat this skin condition. But what if you don’t want to use steroid cream? This is the situation one mum found herself in. Homeopathy is a natural, safe and effective option for helping the symptoms of eczema.
Charlie had clear, baby soft skin for the first 5 months of his life. At 6 months he started solid food and mum told me “it was like a bomb went off on his skin”. His skin became rough and dry across his whole body – “it felt like sand paper”. Small red pimples started to appear on his face and moved down his whole body. The skin behind his ears was weeping a clear fluid and red blister type eruptions in the folds of his neck and behind his knees.
Charlie’s skin flared up and calmed in no particular pattern. Mum wondered if there was a connection with food, so she kept a check on what she was feeding him. Mum couldn’t identify any particular foods which triggered a flare up. Any possible trigger foods – dairy, wheat, eggs – were removed from his diet and Mum’s, as Charlie was still nursing. This helped a little but his skin was still very far from clear.
Mum was concerned. She took him to the doctors who prescribed steroid cream and emollients. Charlie’s mum wasn’t happy to use steroid cream on her baby’s skin. She looked around for another option.
Homeopathy is another solution to this problem
Charlie’s mum found homeopathy. She had never tried homeopathy before so she wasn’t too sure what to expect. She told me she wanted to use a natural approach to caring for her family.
During the Intro Call I explained how homeopathic treatment works WITH the body to help it rebalance. Homeopathic remedies are supporting the body as it heals itself. We are looking to address the reasons why the symptoms have happened and heal this imbalance deep within the body. By approaching healing in this manner lasting symptom relief happens without the need for long term or lifelong treatment.
Charlie’s skin before homeopathic treatment. His entire body was dry and rough “like sand paper”, with red blister type eruptions. Weeping blisters behind the ears and in the folds of his skin.
Why steroid cream is a short-term fix with long term consequences
Steroid cream does its job very efficiently. Apply the cream and within a day or so you will see an improvement in the condition and appearance of the skin. You may use the medication for a week or so, then stop and very often the symptoms starting to appear again. More applications of steroid cream and the symptoms ease. This cycle of steroid cream and flare up is now established and it seems the only way to ease symptoms is to continue using steroid cream. What was once intermittent use of topical steroids becomes daily and whenever there is a break in application the symptoms return very often more intense.
Steroid cream should only be used in very small amounts on areas where there is active eczema. For Charlie this would mean steroid cream applied to his entire body! He was covered head to toe in a rash, pimples and very dry skin.
Charlie’s mum could have applied steroid cream and his symptoms would have eased – for a short period of time. When the symptoms returned, more steroid cream. This was her worry. Mum did not want to get into the pattern of managing flare ups with increasing application of a medication with unpleasant side effects.
How did homeopathy help this case of eczema?
During the first appointment I asked in detail about Charlie’s skin symptoms. I also wanted to know what was happening in his life BEFORE they appeared. In this case the big trigger for his skin was the introduction of solid food. We talked in detail about his digestion and bowel movements. Understanding how he processes food is an important aspect of this case.
Not all cases of infant eczema are connected with to food and digestive health. The introduction of solid food is a big developmental stage in the life of a baby. And for some little ones this can have a huge impact on their overall health. If our digestive system is struggling in any way one of the first places we can see the impact of this is a change in bowel movements and on the skin. This was the case here. Charlie was experiencing a change in bowel movements – alternating constipation and very loose stools – and skin symptoms.
I prescribed homeopathic remedies to support Charlie’s skin symptoms and address the deeper issue of disturbance to his digestive system with introduction of solid food.
Update after first prescription
Charlie came back for a follow up appointment 8 weeks later and this is how his skin looked. The picture says it all.
Mum was thrilled, and so was I. Charlie’s skin was back to feeling smooth and soft. There were a few red pimples on his chin and torso. Behind his ears, the folds of his skin were also much improved with mild crusting and oozing which would clear and then return briefly.
His bowel movements were no longer difficult and any reaction to “trigger” foods appears to have cleared. Mum explained that by mistake Charlie had drunk some cow’s milk, which, before homeopathic treatment, would have meant an eczema flare up. But nothing happened! No flare up on his skin and no change in bowel movements. What a fabulous outcome.
I prescribed further remedies to support his body as it continued to heal.
Steroid cream is not your ONLY option.
There are other treatment options available to treat your child’s eczema. Charlie’s mum was not sure what to expect from homeopathic treatment, she just knew she didn’t want to use steroid cream.
If you are looking for an alternative to steroid cream consider homeopathy. It’s gentle, natural, safe for babies, no unpleasant side effects and offers lasting healing – no long-term treatment. GET IN TOUCH to find out how homeopathy can help your baby.
