If you recall, the past several weeks we have been conducting Gluten Free Experiment to see if taking gluten out of his diet would help our six year old, Malachi, get his chronic eczema under control. And if you also recall, I had quite a variety of emotions that went along with this experiment. It is so much fun to be an emotional basket-case. Bleh.
Here’s a quick recap of Malachi’s history:
- Malachi has a chronic case of eczema and has suffered with this since he was 2 months old.
- Malachi is now six years old and while the problem seemed to have been a little more under control (as in, he’s not covered from head to toe anymore), the past few months have been more difficult for him. (You can read this post to learn what we’ve experimented with and changed at our house as we’ve tried to let his body heal with and without drugs.)
- In March of this year, I felt convicted to try a Gluten Free Diet for him to see if perhaps he was having a hard time digesting gluten. It didn’t sound fun, but we decided to go for it. Thus began the Gluten Free Experiment.
Here are a few things we learned during the Gluten Free Experiment:
- Malachi is a trooper. We knew this already, but we were so proud of how he handled not being able to eat gluten for several weeks.
- Eating Gluten Free isn’t the end of the world. Several of you suggested that it’s best to focus on what you can eat, not on what you can’t. I wholeheartedly agree with this statement. There are SO MANY foods you can eat that are naturally gluten free.
- For years I’d been wanting to expand the variety of grains we consume, but had either been too lazy or too intimidated to go for it. This experiment forced me out of my whole wheat comfort zone. I am now having a lovely time playing with brown rice flour, millet and buckwheat, and hope to continue learning more. In addition, I think we all know that I am now addicted to coconut flour, which isn’t a grain at all, but a wonderful, healthy flour with great potential in baking.
- It really doesn’t have to be expensive to eat gluten free. We simply changed some of the foods we were eating to conduct this experiment, and I did not notice an increase in our grocery budget. Now, if I were going to buy gluten free bread (for $6.50/loaf) and gluten free baking mixes (for $3.50/box), then it would be expensive. But by cooking and baking from scratch, our gluten free grocery budget did not increase.
But the main thing we learned during our Gluten Free Experiment is that: Eating Gluten Free did not help Malachi even a little bit.
Am I relieved? No, but yes, but no not really. Some answers would really be nice.
In the meantime, we took him back to our trusted chiropractor who has been helping us since Malachi began this trial as a baby. He’s helping to cleanse and strengthen Malachi’s liver, which seems to be showing signs of weakness again (this is something that seems to be the root cause of his eczema). As always, there is no quick fix, but we’re thankful to have a loving doctor closeby that cares for our children.
HOPE
Also in the meantime, we learned of a Bio-Chemist in Wisconsin who has helped treat people with this, and other kinds of illnesses. While we’ve known for many years that eczema truly isn’t a skin issue, but the result of something going wrong inside the body, particularly with digestion…we’ve not really known where exactly to turn. This is one reason we tried the Gluten Free Experiment, to see if that would help his digestion.
We’ve been in touch with the Bio-Chemist and soon we will be going through her program, which is designed, by the grace of God, to heal Malachi’s digestive system so that all parts of his body can work properly and so that toxins can be eliminated the way they are supposed to be eliminated, instead of through his skin.
After six years, and a particularly trying few months, I can’t tell you how good it feels to have hope. This program won’t be easy, it won’t be cheap, but we don’t care. (Well, we do care, but you know what I mean.) We just want Malachi’s body to heal.
And so, with that, I’ll say thank you to all of you who have emailed and left comments of encouragement. I’ll try to keep you posted as we go along with this and as I learn more. I’ll also ask you to continue to pray for healing for Malachi, and to praise God with us that we have hope and that He always provides the help that we need!
Randi says
Bless that cute little guy! I’ll be praying!
Lisa @Granola Catholic says
So glad this is working out for you. I suffer from psoractic arthritis. I have been eating gluten free since February. I have noticed a change in my symptoms and they do come back if I have gluten foods. I found like you that it was not awfully expensive. I do not buy gluten free breads or gluten free baking mixes. I think this has helped. I hope that the new Doctor’s protocol works for you and if it does you will be able to share with us. I am always wanting to learn more.
Melody Nunn says
Sorry to hear this did not work for you all. My husband has been suffering with a skin condition the last few years (breaking out in hives all over), and we also have no answers. He has tried gluten free, the paleo diet, and other diets with no help. He is on Claritin D right now, and for some reason it has made the most difference of anything, but he still suffers sometimes. Taking Probiotics has helped some too. And avoiding black pepper as much as posssible…since it seems there is an allergy or something there that makes it worse. All that to say, please keep us posted! We would love to hear what your doctor recommends! Praying you will get answers and you son will find healing. Melody
Lenetta says
Oh my goodness, he was just a BABY when I started reading here – look at him now… Thank you for sharing with us, Laura – you are such a blessing!
tarena says
So glad you have HOPE!!! I’ll pray for you all!
Have you ever heard of GAPS?? It is a lifestyle of eating to help heal your gut. We are seriously considering it over here to help our family…it just takes commitment, so we are praying over doing it!
Blessings!
Laura says
Yes, I have heard of GAPS. It seems that the program we’re going to be doing with him will be similar in the way it is designed to heal the gut. I’ll keep you posted!
Jessica O. says
Hi! The program will be different in the sense that you will not have to avoid/cut out all the foods that gaps requires but just focus on the foods his body is needing to heal – his labs will show that where w gaps it is more guess work.
Danielle B says
Awwww. I was truly praying this helped Malachi! A friend of mine’s son, was recently (as in the last 2 weeks)diagnosed w/hereditary eczema related asthma. I was watching to see if this helped your lil guy, so I could pass along the information. Matter of fact when she first told me, (actually i could see the eczema on her son, but didn’t know that’s what it was) I mentioned about eliminating foods out of her son’s diet.
Continuing to pray for you all!
Randi says
GMO’s cause eczema and asthma. Maybe elimination of those would help. It completely cured my children – even of their food allergies, too.
Kelly says
You may want to try a food intolerance test. We have done that with three members of our family and it helped tremendously with our son who has eczema or psoriasis (they aren’t sure which) right under his eyes. It was TERRible. Now it is very manageable. We got it through our natropathic medical doctor. It is called an ALCAT test. Google it. There is no way to pinpoint and eliminate everything causing these things without the test. My son’s major ones were apples, rice, corn, spinach, pears and pinto beans. Things we eat every day.
Jen says
I actually just got mine back and openned the envelope this morning. Surprisingly I am very intolerant of eggs and all things dairy. I was relieved to see that everything else was good. It was a nice long list of foods. It was nice to have some kind of direction. I got mine from my chiropractor.
Laura says
The program we’re taking him through is intended to heal his gut so that he shouldn’t have ANY intolerance to foods. I’m very encouraged that there is something like this available!
Lacy says
Bless him! I just read your list of what you’ve tried, I found the sunshine to be very interesting. I’m curious if being at the beach in the saltwater has helped? It seems like the salty air and water at the beach is good for healing sores. Also, do you add anything to his baths? I’ve heard baking soda or oatmeal or epson salts can help relieve itchy skin. I’m sure those things wont “heal” him, but they might relieve some symptoms. Have you tried those types of things and did they work? Does he have any gastro symptoms, or only the exzema?
I will surely pray for him!
Laura says
Well, we don’t live anywhere near a beach, so I’m not sure about that! I have tried the oatmeal batch before but forgot about it, so thank you for mentioning it, I may try it!
No, thankfully he does not have any gastro sypmtoms.
Lacy says
We have a family friend whose granddaughter has terrible allergies. When she was little, she would get terrible rashes. They live in Colorado, but would make a point to get to the beach every summer because the saltwater helped her skin so much. A future beach trip would be a super fun experiment :) Maybe epson salts work similar to the ocean.
Praise the Lord for no gastro symptoms. I have Crohn’s Disease (I was diagnoised about 4 months ago) gastro diseases are no fun at all!
Christy says
I’m sorry to hear your little guy has had so much trouble. Our little one has been suffering with skin issues since he was born (a little over a year ago). It turns out he is very sensitive to the Night Shade family (tomato, potato, chili peppers, etc.), lactose, and the almond family (almonds, apricots, etc). It was very difficult to figure out since he was initially nursed and we eat these foods every day. Don’t give up. Remember that God knows what is wrong, and he will reveal it in His time. God bless!
Susie E says
There is a correlation between excema and asthma. All three of my kids had excema issues starting around 18 months, and three had asthma flares start a few years later. This may or may not be a precursor to asthma in your case, but LEARN THE SYMPTOMS OF ASTHMA NOW, just to be safe. My oldest had cough variant asthma, and even though I had taken her to the pediatrician numerous times for her persistant cough and excema, they didn’t diagnose her or warn me what to look for. I didn’t know she had asthma until after a terrifying ER visit where they took a pulse ox, then reached over the counter, took her out of my arms and ran. My child was in respiratory distress and I didn’t know it. No child (or parent) should ever have to endure that. It took 3 years and multiple hospital stays before her asthma became well managed. With the help of some great respiratory therapists, I educated myself, changed to a wonderful pediatrician (that had a child with cough variant asthma), and got through those rough days. I carried my own stethoscope and got pretty good at identifying her early warning signs and triggers. Even well armed and prepared, I found that asthma had us make several “WRING”s (Wild Ride In Night Gasping) to the ER…sometimes it still happens even when you do everything right….
I know I sound like an alarmist, but given what we went through, I’d rather you be prepared than surprised. Just because he has excema doesn’t mean he will have asthma.
The best home remedy we found for excema is the “soak and seal”. Let him play in the tub until his fingers and toes are all pruney, then slather on the lotion of your choice. I always liked Vaseline intensive care.
Laura says
Sounds like you went through some very scary time! Thank you for taking the time to share this.
Nancy @ Real Food Allergy Free says
My daughter has been just as bad since 6 weeks old. We have been off egg, dairy, nuts, and wheat for a couple of years and this helped. Some time ago we started giving Bella, a good multi vitamin, probiotics, and high doses of evening primrose oil. It gave us a HUGE jump towards healthy skin. This month we added in extra calcium and she is almost healed! It is amazing. I know it is frusterating because we know there has to be a cause that we could help if we could only figure out what it is.
God bless,
Nancy
Jenelle says
Thank you for sharing hope. Chronic eczema is such a struggle – 9000 hypothesis of causes and no definitive answers. Any insights you find would be helpful for my 7-year-old. We recently have found some relief by doing vinegar soaks (recommended from a new dermatologist) 1/2 c vinegar to 1 gallon water, soak clothing in it (we use pjs and a towel to wrap around his neck) and have him wear it for 1/2 hr to soak his skin. We saw good results with it. However, symptoms returned after discontinuing.
Randi says
GMO’s cause eczema and asthma. Maybe elimination of those would help. It completely cured my children – even of their food allergies, too.
Rebecca says
I say this hesitantly, but have you considered GAPS diet? I have been on it for about 3 months and am using it to address food sensitivities. It is limited at first, but some people have found it has really helped them even more than just Gluten Free. It is a grain free diet. I totally understand your struggle to want to do the right thing for your son and the work it will take and the restrictions it will cause, but I think you will find the right thing and you will do it. You already know how to prepare good healthy foods in many traditional ways and that often is the big hurdle for people coming from a standard american diet going to diets such as GAPS.
Just a thought.
Laura says
Yes, thank you for sharing about GAPS, I have heard of it. I actually think that what we’ll be doing with this new doctor is similar to GAPS, only more specific to Malachi’s needs. It’s all new to me so I’m really not sure. Regardless, this program is designed to heal his gut so that he’ll be ready to eat all foods again without trouble.
Thank you for sharing about this!
Dionne says
I have eight children and many with food allergies. Almost all of them have had problems with eczema. I find that the warm weather is better for them especially the sunshine. At one point I had one of my sons off all the common allergens and he still had bad eczema. Out of desperation we went to an allergist for help. He told me that his problem could be food combining. Which means he could be fine with a food but when eating with something else he could react. The problem is that it would be very hard finding what food combination make him react.
Randi says
GMO’s cause eczema and food allergies (and more). Maybe elimination of those would help. It completely cured my children – even of their food allergies, too.
Ashley says
Thank you for sharing this! I’m so sorry for this not being a solution for your son, but I really appreciate you sharing about it. I know this may sound dumb, but I too have attempted going gluten-free to resolve health issues of my own. After absolutely no change, I gave it up….but felt a little discouraged. Many people act like gluten-free is the miracle cure-all for anything that ails you, and I just wondered why didn’t it work for me. It’s really encouraging to hear that it really isn’t the solution for everyone. Thank you!
josette says
I am sorry this wasn’t the answer to Malachi’s eczema. I will pray you find the right answers. I have read through the relplies and I too remember reading that going off of dairy, taking primrose and probiotics does help.
I know butteroil/codliver oil is more expensive but I have also heard good things about this and it falls right into the whole Nourishing traditions/Weston price thing.
I do know that codliver oil helps meany digestion problems especially people with Crohn’s diesease.
Well, sorry to talk your ear off. That’s my two cents.
Co says
I just finished reading the comments here and want to say thank you to all who have shared ideas. I have been trying to figure out what is causing a terrible, itchy rash that I get on my hands. After reading that you were doing this gluten-free experiment I decided to give it a try as well, it actually seems to be helping a little so far. Never heard of trying evening primrose oil, I will be looking into that.
Julia says
I don’t know what the dosage would be for kiddos, but dandelion powder is fantasic for the liver. My midwives had me taking it during pregnancy and I continue to take it because I’ve had my gallbladder removed and my liver needs all the help it can get. :o) Also, pineapple and papaya enzymes and live probiotics for digestion help.
Andrea says
Aw! You’re such a good mama! My mother suggested today that maybe good enzymes would help? I sure hope you find a good solution!
Mary says
I hope you figure out what works for your son. I have heard that it can take a couple months on a gluten free diet to really notice changes. One other thing to consider is GAPS. It is meant to truly heal the gut…therefore healing the rest of the body. I just started GAPS. Something to look into.
Penniless Parenting says
I’m sorry to hear that your gluten free diet didn’t work, but did you consider that maybe it’s other foods that are causing the problem?
We’re doing an elimination now for my son’s eczema- no gluten, dairy, eggs, nightshades, soy, or coconut… and for the past few days we’ve been gluten and dairy free and it’s already gotten a lot better. I just posted about it on my blog.
Laura says
Yes, we had been planning to eliminate other foods (particularly dairy) to experiment to see if that would help after the Gluten Free Experiment. However, since we found this new doctor, we’ve decided to just follow what she suggests. Her goal would be to heal his gut so that he doesn’t have ANY food allergies at all. Once his body is working properly, he should be able to handle eating normally and be relieved of his eczema.
Penniless Parenting says
Ah, I hear. That is what the GAPS diet does as well- it heals the gut from the inside, out, so that you can eat other foods again. Have you considered the GAPS diet? My son’s eczema isn’t so bad, so I’m not willing to go to that extreme yet, especially since GAPS is much more expensive than the diet we typically follow, and even much more expensive than the elimination diet we’ll be following now.
What type of doctor is this? What is the method she does?
Laura says
We have considered the GAPS diet, but decided to go this route instead so that the Bio Chemist could guide us through specifically what Malachi needs.
I’ll share more about the methods she uses once I understand it more. We’re in the very beginning stages of this and still learning!
Rebekah says
My chidren have environmental allergies and this causes their eczema to flare up.
Kim says
Good luck with the bio-chemist! I hope that helps and can’t wait to hear more about it. I’ve considered GAPS to heal my little ones gut (right now we are just avoiding troublesome foods), but I know it will be hard and I’m just not ready to go there… Have you tried Kombucha for Malachi’s liver? The grape flavored Wonderdrink from Azure Standard is delicious!
Jeannie says
Bummer it didn’t work. I have found Cetaphil to be helpful in making my 5 mo old more comfortable – and it seems to make his eczema go away. . .you’ve probably already tried it, but just in case I wanted to pass on what seems to be working for us.
Shannon says
Thinking of you guys Laura. I remember feeling the EXACT SAME WAY after my son was born with severe reflux. I tried an elimination diet of dairy, onions, and other essentials. I remember feeling a mix of sadness and weirdly happiness when the elimination diet didn’t work. I’ve said a prayer for you all.
amy stout says
My son had a problem with eczemas. He still sometimes gets rashes on his chest. We found he is alergic to metals. Nickle is the main one. Snaps, buttons, zippers.. All give him a rash. We have watched what he wears and now he just has break outs some time.
vicki says
Laura, Is there any way you’d share with me come contact info or the name of this BioChemist…I’m in WI too and my 2 year old’s eczema has been greatly improved with increased fiber intake and adding a probiotic but I’d love to get input from a scientist. I’m in southcentral Wisconsin but am willing to travel…thank you so much.
vboos at hotmail dot com
thanks so much
Laura says
Sent you an email! :)
vicki says
i’m so sorry but can you resend it from your sent items folder possibly…i’m so sorry…i should’ve looked here first but i started browsing all the follow-up messages i got after posting this request and decided to come read them here instead and somehow missed the one you sent specifically(and then emptied my junk mail folder) i’m so sorry but i would really really appreciate it! thank you!
Laura says
Just sent it again!
Virginia Moore says
I’m sorry your experiment did not work, but I’m curious about what you might know about psoriasis and foods. Any help will be appreciated…I hate using steroids.
Laura says
I’m sorry that I really don’t know much about psoriasis. I would imagine that it’s much the same as eczema in that there is an issue with digestion causing the trouble. Hopefully what I learn as we try this new program will help you too, once I learn enough to share about it!
KarieLee says
We have friends that have struggled with eczema with their baby boy since he was a couple months old. They tried all the restrictive diets, for even the mom (as he was nursing). Very frustrating they eventually went to doctors, dermatologists, tried creams, etc.
They have finally discovered in the last couple of months that mold / mildew in their house has been the root of it ! They’ve been using an air purification system and he is almost entirely free of all but the last tiny spot on his arm. The book “The pH miracle” by Robert O.Young, Ph.D. and Shelly Redford Young is EXCELLENT ! I can’t recommend it highly enough. Transition to alkaline diet, cleanse, healing the gut, probiotics, supplements – the program and recipes. He has done live blood analysis showing that “acidification and overgrowth of negative microforms in the body are root causes of every symptom, illness, and disease (which are really only symptoms themselves).”
I hope this helps you, and others !
Blessings to you !
Jenifer Parker says
Did you ever check out “Probiotics” with a naturopath?
Laura says
Yes, we’ve gone the probiotic route, but never with a naturopath. This new doctor we’re working with will know which ones to have us give him, which I’m relieved about!
Gretchen Tripp says
I know tons of people are giving their opinions and you probably have a lot to think about and try…but if you get a chance you might check out Robyn O’Brien’s book “The Unheatlhy Truth”. It’s all about food allergies and might be helpful. It’s also a fascinating read! Good luck!
joanie elbourn says
I have to eat gluten free and lactose free, and I have been a vegetarian for over 30 yrs. Still, I eat cheaply and with great variety…It is just heavily entrenched in the American diet , this wheat /gluten fixation.
Alyssa says
I don’t have much experience with this as our youngest son’s excema seemed to clear up on it’s own (he had it really bad under his arms and behind his knees)…but we live in a really sunny place, and he’s outside a lot, so I think that’s helped some…and really think lotion…Anyway, I did have a friend who cut out pretty much every food she could until her husband got desperate and made her go get tested for allergies…turned out, in her case, it wasn’t food related at all…it was dustmites…just something else to consider (the allergy testing, that is)…Hope you all find out the cause and are able to get him better soon!! Keep us posted!!
Alyssa says
sorry…really THICK lotion! :)
jenny says
Let me offer one more piece of info for your arsenal. How far are you from Lincoln, NE? We see a wonderful chiropractor/nutritionist there and he has helped me and my family with several different issues. He’s a strong believer in finding the cause of the symptom, not covering it up with a drug. He knows a lot about gut issues, too. If you are interested, let me know and I’ll send you the info.
Laura says
We’re only about an hour from Lincoln. Thanks for letting me know about this. We’ve been happy with our chiro here in town who also works to get to the root of the problem, although the one you describe seems to know more about gut healing than ours. We may be in touch more about this if need be.
Nicole says
I didn’t know if this will help you in any way, but I have “eczema” if I eat sugar. It starts in my face and arms but will spread even to my legs and stomach, if I am not careful. So, I have watch all sugar intake as well as limit my carbs. This has been the only thing that helps to clear up the “rashes”. Thought I’d throw that out to you as a possible trail in your diet changes. :) Hope you can find some relief for the little guy.
Serene in Singapore says
I am sorry that it didn’t work out. I know the frustration coz we have been on an elimination diet for my 10yr old dd since November last year and she is still breaking out and itching and in greta discomfort. I really feel for her as I am sure you feel for your boy.
Let us know how things go with this biochemist.
Amy says
I have a miserable, red itchy rash on my arms each winter (eczema? psoriasis?) and have had full relief this winter – it’s completely gone – by taking 2, 1000 mg. softgels of black current oil each day. Hope this can help your little guy.
Mira says
Hey Laura!
I love following your blog.
Do you know where I could get some info on how eczema is because of issues inside the body, not the skin.
Thank you!
Blessings,
Mira
Laura says
Funny that you asked, I don’t know that I ever read that anywhere…I’ve just had several natural doctors tell us this and explain it to us. But, I did a little research and found this article to be interesting: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/eczema-and-liver-functioning.html
Kim H. says
Your situation sounds similar to the one I have been dealing with my 11yo…eczema, foot intolerances, tried gluten-free. I also recently found GAPS…as well as reading more about Traditional Foods in general…and hope to start implementing some things for more gut healing. Will look forward to reading about your new experiences as well!
HeatherD. says
My husband and son suffer from Eczema; our nutritionist recommended Kombucha (it is a lacto-fermented tea like drink that boosts immune response, can heal digestive tract). She really believes God healed her daughter from it drinking this a lot daily for a week. Sooo, this is our experiment this week. My husband says it’s not too bad and even the kids got past the cider-vinegar smell and drank some. We’ll see….
Jenny C. says
Sorry to hear the GF diet didn’t help your son. :(
My husband has been GF for about 2 mo. now in an effort to get his eczema, psoriasis, and arthritis under control. It has helped the eczema on his hand and the arthritis in his knee, but not the huge, red, painful round blotches on his legs. Not one bit. He’s staying with GF, though since it has helped his hands. I’ll be watching your blog and praying you get some answers from the new doctor that you can pass along to the rest of us!
We’ve also managed to do GF with a minimal impact on our budget by doing homemade stuff and eating naturall GF foods.
Anne Lawrie says
I know that you’re getting all sorts of suggestions, but here’s another one, you might want to check out The Body Ecology Diet. It talks about the importance of the digestive system. Good luck in your search for the answers.
Heather T. says
It makes a mom ache inside when one of their babies is hurt even a little, I have no problem with cuts and blood, I grew up country and hunting but when it comes to even a tiny cut on my boys my stomache flips, everytime saying this, I will say a prayer for Malachi and your family, and welcome to Wisconsin, where is the Dr? Madison? Have safe travels and my heart is with you, there has to be an answer!
Karen says
A chiropractor to help strengthen the liver? I know nothing about chripractors. My husband has recently started taking SAM-e for mood stabilization and literature mentions it may also be helpful for liver health.
Laura says
Yes, our chiropractor is about much more than spinal adjustments. He works for overall health of the body.
Elisa says
Have you ever had Vit. D levels tested? My son has eczema and asthma and I also have skin issues. We were both recently tested and found to have extremely low levels of Vit. D. We had been taking fermented cod liver oil, but now are supplementing with a higher dosage of Vit. D. Along with chiropractor visits, the extra Vit. D seems to be helping.
Laura says
I’m guessing that will be a part of this program we’re going through. The sunshine and it’s Vitamin D always help Malachi.
Rebecca says
I am curious what your dr recommends. Does his diet have a name?
Laura says
The program is a method of lab analysis based on “Reams Biological Theory of Ionization” (RBTI) which tests urine and saliva samples to help determine where a person’s lifestyle and diet need to be altered. That’s all I know at this point, and several of those words (like ionization” mean nothing to me…yet. :) I’ll be sure to share more once I learn more!
Whitney says
Laura,
Have you considered that it might something as simple as replacing the shower head in Malachi’s bath with a filtration system? This might be something you’ve already considered, but I felt like I should mention it just in case :-).
I’ve suffered from bad skin for years and have been doing a lot of research on the idea that chlorine and other toxins in the water are very harmful to our skin. I’ve been reading quite a bit written by people who have suffered from eczema for years – many seem to have seen drastic results by replacing their shower heads. The most recommended brand seems to be Aquasana.
Either way, my prayers are with you for healing for Malachi!
Laura says
Interesting, that is not something we’ve tried, and have yet to reach a conclusion as to whether he needs more baths or fewer. This may be something we could look into, thanks!
Lois @ Tenderherb says
Wow!!! I so know what you are going through… we have had some diet changes here, but due to Lyme Disease. And with Lyme you have yeast… so out went the sugars and gluten and milk… The boys seems to handle spelt ok, but we don’t make a lot of gluten containing foods. I on the other hand can’t seem to handle any grains/gluten. So I have been trying to follow GAPS.
I seen some others left comments mentioning GAPS. My cousin has a little girls with eczema so bad she would scratch herself to bleeding at night. She put her on the GAPS Into diet and within days was seeing results!! I sure hope the same thing happens for you. It’s not easy watching your child suffer!!
Blessings to you and the changes ahead. It may not be easy, but take it one day at a time!!
Yvonne says
Check out this site http://www.betterbods.co.nz of a mum who cured her daughter from eczema. Hope you find it helpfull.
Karen says
Laura,
My prayers go out to your little guy and I hope that you find the answer. When I read about the biochemist in Wisconsin, I felt a tug at my heart. We live 45 minutes from Milwaukee and a little over an hour from Madison. If the doctor is near there, we’d love to open our home to you. There is plenty of room and we have 4 boys running around too!
Karen
Laura says
You are SO sweet! It seems that most (or all) of this program can be done via mail, which I realize sounds weird, but I’ll explain it more once I know more. But, your offer makes me want to make the trip anyway. :)
Stephanie says
Thank you for sharing about your experience with Malachi. My hubby has eczema and his dermatologist just prescribed antibiotics to take as he says the eczema is just a symptom of the body attacking itself through the skin. He also has steroids to put on top of the rashes. However, he doesn’t seem to be getting better. Only worse. I know the pitfalls of taking antibiotics and we’ve had him tested for allergies. I have looked into both the GAPS and going Gluten-Free. We’ve cut out a lot of what we used to eat (mainly processed foods) and are trying to eat only whole, “clean” foods. Even just doing this has been a hard switch for us, so we haven’t cut out grains altogether because it scares me in trying to feed my family on food without grains. Being raised on processed foods has made it hard enough to just try to cook for my family from scratch on a daily basis, but it’s getting better. I am eager to hear more about your new approach with Malachi and see if it helps. I’d love to help my hubby heal his skin (and his gut, if this is really what’s causing his issues). What kind of doctor is doing this new approach with Malachi? I’d love for my hubby to switch from his dermatologist for this problem.
Amanda says
Oh Laura, I am so sad that the gluten free experiment didn’t work. I just got back from a new natural doctor (also in Wisconsin!) and are having to try my daughter on a gluten free diet (not even any gluten free grains as she tested sensitive to those too!) to help her kidneys and sinuses recover. And we need to temporarily move out of our home to resolve a mold issue and help our bodies heal. I am so scared and frustrated, but I know that we will make it through this with God’s grace.
Ann says
I highly recommend getting tested for food sensitivities. The test is called IgG and we paid $159 plus what our insurance paid for the test. My son very suddenly came down with a rare type of psoriasis called Childhood Circumscribed Pitirysis Rubra. They gave me no home-there is literally no treatment for it. After two years I took my son of gluten and got great results but still not a cure. So we did the food sensitivities test but guess what? He had very low reactivity to gluten. What was really tearing up his intestines was soy and peanuts. We removed the soy and peanuts and he has gotten even better. The funny thing is the gluten causes the terrible reactions in him. Food sensitivities are very complicated. Very weird. We are very glad we went ahead and shelled out the money for the IgG test. It was very helpful. His skin gets better every day, and some days I can’t even tell he has a skin condition. They say it takes well over a year for the gut to heal, but maybe at that time he can have a little wheat.
Tammy says
As a child I had eczema severly. My mom tried as much as she knew to try, changing laundry detergents, soaps, etc. This didn’t help. Finally a dr. said water is what caused my eczema to flare up. Yeah, really! I was given medicine that would help with itching and flare ups. I have no idea what it was but had the consistency of baby oil. I was told I would outgrow it. As I got a little older, closer to a teenager, the eczema was so embarrassing. It was only on my forearms so I wore long sleeves…a lot. A friend of my mom suggested aloe. PURE aloe, straight from the plant. I tried it, having nothing to lose. IT WORKED. Better than any medicine I’d ever used. It was cool and felt so good to my skin. It took a while to work and it may not work for everyone. But it may be worth a try, just for a little relief. For someone who’s suffered with it, a little relief means a lot! I did out grow it. Around the age of 15. I do notice occassionally that I’ll have a tiny spot on my hand(s). Nothing major though. And I’m way beyond the teenage years. So I’ve been mostly eczema free for many many years now. I hope Malachi gets some relief! (oh we just sliced open one piece of aloe and I would rub it directly on my arms)
Gina Faber says
HI laura,
Thanks for sharing your story with Malachi. There are so many reasons for our chronic conditions that are so poorly understood by conventional medicine that it can be frustrating, not to mention expensive, to seek treatment that works.
I have had so much success with chronic conditions by receiving Acupunture treatment. As I suspect, the Chinese have ideas of what causes Eczema, and a protocol for treating it. The following link is entitled: “Treating Childhood Eczema With Acupuncture and Chinese Herbs”.
http://acupuncturetoday.org/mpacms/at/article.php?id=30039
I hope that you find it thought-provoking and consider taking Malachi for a consult with a well-recommended (preferably Asian-trained) Chinese medicine practitioner. I’d recommend mine, but he is based in Virginia!
Gina Faber
Round Hill, VA
Kimberlee says
I am both sorry and relieved that your experiment did not work. I hope things get better soon! The sun will help, I hope! Yay for the sun!
I would have to argue one point with you. Eating gluten free is expensive. Even if you make your bread from scratch it is super expensive compared to wheat bread made from scratch because the flours are so expensive. In fact, I discovered that making it from scratch can be more expensive than buying it premade if you can find the premade on sale. Its all in the flours. Coconut, rice, bean, nut and other gluten free flours are super expensive in comparison to wheat flour. Plus, you have to add something extra to make it stick together. It is worth to have healthy kids, but when I see regular flour prices, it sometimes makes me wince.
Laura says
Making bread is one thing I didn’t jump into, and I’m guessing that if I had to keep him GF, overall he would eat very little bread and just eat more of the other foods. Aside from GF flour though, have you found it to be that much more expensive? My guess is with the way you cook, you keep your grocery bill pretty reasonable!! You are, you know, a GF Rock Star!! :)
And yes, yay for the sun!!
Kimberlee says
The flours plus xanthan gum are a killer in comparison to wheat flour. There are always times when we want to eat grilled cheese sandwiches, french toast, BLTs, or just have a piece of toast with PB and honey for breakfast. If you do the diet long term, you eventually start “missing” some things and work to find a gluten free alternative. Some things are impossible to replace…like bavarian cream filled, chocolate covered long johns, and you have to get over it…which is better for you anyway. Eating gluten free has made me look at what we eat and evaluate its “healthiness”. I think because we were forced to go gluten free that we eat better quality, more wholesome foods.
Noodles and (gluten free)oats are the other two things that are just insanely more expensive. I have tried making my own noodles, but it ends up costing me more than I would pay to purchase them, so I have quit.
judy rich says
Find out what blood type he is, and then put him on the blood type diet that corresponds with his blood type. (Health stores often have books on this, or you could look online)
Also taking him off dairy products often solves lots of problems!!!
Andrea says
I was thinking of you the other day when I found this link: http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/2010/07/heal-your-autoimmune-disease-now/
Also, my family just started the GAPS diet. I am so glad we did, but it is going to be an adjustment!
I hope what you are doing with the bio-chemist is working for Malachi. I hope you’ll share an update sometime! :)
Christy says
My husband is suffering with severe eczema and my 16 yo son is starting to have more problems. We’re looking into GAPS…but it seems so complicated.
I’m sorry GF didn’t cure your son. Hopefully the new treatment works for him.
Please update when you can!