[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]Infantile eczema or atopic dermatitis:
We get a lot of kids who have just been diagnosed with eczema or who have been taking allopathic medicines for infantile eczema, coming to us asking if we can help them.
How common is infantile eczema?
Globally, around 20% of infants suffer from infantile eczema.
What is infantile eczema?
It is called as infantile eczema because it is known to develop at a very young age. Eczema has been observed in a child as young as a new born or a toddler. There is no minimum age, it can start at any age.
Symptoms of Infantile eczema:
Typically, in children eczema breaks out as a rash, most of the time these rashes appear in the folds of elbow joints, neck, on the face, near ears, eyes, abdomen, behind the knees. It can be anywhere. Most of the children have it in the folds of the joints, it is sometimes also called as fold dermatitis.
Once the rash comes, the child becomes restless, it looks bad. Typically all of us have this impression of a baby’s skin that is supposed to be very beautiful, glowing, soft, and smooth to touch. But unfortunately, children suffering from infantile eczema tend to have unhealthy skin. So, naturally, parents get worried and take the child to a dermatologist.
Allopathic approach:
The doctor does not diagnose it as infantile eczema in the first visit. He will give you some creams to apply and if it does not help, you go back to the doctor and then he says it looks like a little serious problem, we will put him on steroids. You put the child on steroids, the child responds and it goes away leaving a pale patch. Once you stop the ointment within 2 weeks, the rash comes back, you go to the doctor again, he tells you to use the same thing and this goes on for months together or sometimes years together. It goes from bad to worse.
What you need to understand is infantile eczema is a condition that is happening from the inside. It is not a localized problem, if it was localized, it will come only in one place. It will not keep moving from one place to the other and it will not appear in different places. The fact that it is coming in different places is because there is something wrong that is happening within the body which is causing this problem.
Finally, your doctor will say, get an allergy test and you find out that your child is allergic to nuts, cockroaches, pigeons, this, and that. Well, you go ahead and try avoiding all those things and the child’s itching might come down a little bit but the problem still remains in spite of stopping half a dozen or a dozen things for that matter. At the same time you continue to use the steroid creams for the child, keep him off a lot of food, time passes from months to years, the child will become 5, 6, 7 years old and this still continues to happen.
In my practice, I have seen that most of the infantile cases respond between the age of six to 8 but there are some kids who respond at the age of 12. There is a 21-year-old kid I am treating, this is very rare. Most of them respond around 6 to 8yrs.
Homeopathic approach:
The first thing that I tell the parents when they come to us is, look usually children have lovely skin, but unfortunately, your kid has got unhealthy skin and you guys need to accept the fact that it is going to be there for a while.
In Homeopathy, we believe that infantile eczema comes to children when there is a family history of asthma, most of the kids invariably have a family history of asthma, either the grandparents, parents, or somebody has asthma. When you try to suppress the skin problem with an ointment, it might come down but asthma might become more. I would rather the child has a skin problem and get better than develop complications in the lungs.
So I stop them from using the steroids as early as possible, not a sudden stop, I start them on homeopathic medicines, as the child begins to get better, I taper off the steroids. The child should use only virgin coconut oil or any non-medicated moisturizing cream to soothe the skin.
Once you start on Homeopathy, we reduce the usage of steroids, there will come a stage once in 6 months or a year where there is a flare-up, if the flare-up is bad, go ahead and use the steroids for three or four days but not for a long period. If you look at the child and you feel bad do not use the steroids. I hope it is clear.
Homeopathy helps the child get out of infantile eczema much faster than it would normally go away, if it normally goes away at the age of 6 and 7 we can get rid of it at the age of three and four. The intensity, frequency, itching, and discomfort can be brought down with the medications.
People who are already on allopathic medication:
We make them stop their allopathic medications and steroid ointments and ask them to take Homeopathy for three months. In some cases where the eczema is chronic and they have been using steroids for a long time, we start homeopathic medicines along with allopathy, and over a period of time, we taper off their allopathic medicines and they are only on homeopathic medicines.
What happens if you do not treat infantile eczema?
If left untreated, the itching and the rashes keep increasing. The skin starts becoming thick, scaly, and dry. If the rashes are left untreated for a long time, eczema becomes more vulnerable to secondary infections.
Diet restrictions:
I personally do not recommend diet at all. I have a lot of kids who come to us from the US do diet tests and do diet restrictions.
In World, we do not ask them to go on a diet, primarily because I believe that while growing up your body can get adjusted to anything. If the child continues to eat, the body gets used to it. But if you put the child on a particular diet, once eczema goes away and when you start him on that particular thing, he might react again. Instead, if the child continues to eat what they want, he might have a little bit more eczema. So what? Anyway, they are itching, might as well make them eat everything. That is my concept and it has worked, so unless there is something in particular that is causing terrible itching, then avoid it but most of the time give them everything, let them enjoy their food, and have a good childhood.
Do’s and Don’ts:
I always tell the parents that the first thing you need to do is that you have to accept the fact that it is going to be there for a while. No matter which doctor you go to in the world, they can only give you steroids or externals or they can put the child on a diet and stuff like that and control it but there is nothing that can be done. So you need to understand that this is something that is going to be there for a while. It becomes easier for you, if you accept it, you are not going to jump from one doctor to the other, trying one medicine after the other, unnecessarily medicating the child. The good thing I can tell you is that all the children with infantile eczema, eventually will get out of it without even a scar on their body. Yes, it is true. They will get out of it so beautifully that there will be no signs of anything that had happened to them in their childhood.
What would I do if I were in your place?
I would for sure not start on allopathic medicines or steroid ointments. I know that I am not risking anything by giving Homeopathy around 3 to 6 months to try and manage arthritis.
Do not start on any allopathic medications until you have given Homeopathy a try for at least about three to six months time. Over some time your child’s skin will become absolutely normal, just continue homeopathy for a while and be prepared for a long haul but it is worth it. If these medicines can help you avoid steroids and get rid of your eczema for the rest of your life, isn’t it worth giving it a try?
Take care. Stay safe.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][tm_contact_form_7 id=”2534″][tm_heading tag=”div” custom_google_font=”” font_style=”italic” align=”center” text=”Your email address will not be published.” css=”.vc_custom_1540454250212{margin-top: 20px !important;}”][tm_spacer size=”lg:60″][tm_box_icon style=”3″ icon_type=”fontawesome5″ icon_fontawesome5=”far fa-map-marker-alt” custom_border_color=”#d4d2d2″ border_style=”dashed” heading=”Location” text=”Bahria Town, Lahore, Pakistan” button=”|||” lg_spacing=”margin_bottom:30;border_bottom:1;padding_bottom:30″][tm_box_icon style=”3″ icon_type=”fontawesome5″ icon_fontawesome5=”far fa-phone-plus” custom_border_color=”#d4d2d2″ border_style=”dashed” heading=”For Appointment” text=”Via Phone Call & Whatsapp
(+92)300-2000210″ button=”|||” lg_spacing=”margin_bottom:30;border_bottom:1;padding_bottom:30″][tm_box_icon style=”3″ icon_type=”fontawesome5″ icon_fontawesome5=”far fa-envelope-open-text” custom_border_color=”#d4d2d2″ border_style=”dashed” heading=”Email us” text=”[email protected]
[email protected]” button=”|||”][tm_social_networks style=”solid-rounded-icon-02″ items=”%5B%7B%22title%22%3A%22Twitter%22%2C%22link%22%3A%22%23%22%2C%22icon_type%22%3A%22fontawesome5%22%2C%22icon_fontawesome5%22%3A%22fab%20fa-twitter%22%7D%2C%7B%22title%22%3A%22Facebook%22%2C%22link%22%3A%22%23%22%2C%22icon_type%22%3A%22fontawesome5%22%2C%22icon_fontawesome5%22%3A%22fab%20fa-facebook-f%22%7D%2C%7B%22title%22%3A%22Pinterest%22%2C%22link%22%3A%22%23%22%2C%22icon_type%22%3A%22fontawesome5%22%2C%22icon_fontawesome5%22%3A%22fab%20fa-pinterest-p%22%7D%2C%7B%22title%22%3A%22Instagram%22%2C%22link%22%3A%22%23%22%2C%22icon_type%22%3A%22fontawesome5%22%2C%22icon_fontawesome5%22%3A%22fab%20fa-instagram%22%7D%5D”][tm_spacer size=”lg:60″][/vc_column][/vc_row]
