2008-08-21

Eczema



DS was suffering from eczema. Although his symptoms were just mild (compared with other poor babies's), they were enough to cause him frequent night-waking. We thought that he might be allergic to the dust mites or flea of the bed /bed frame or the recent high humidity. So we have tried to lower the humidity level (which also deactivates the dust mites) in the bedroom and spread some galangal powder around the bed to deter the flea. We have also bathed him at first with dead sea salt and later a moisturizing cleanser, and apply a moisturing lotion to his skin. Now his problem has largely been improved! I think the antibodies in breastmilk may have also prevented him from being too serious.

Doctors are used to prescribe steroids to treat eczema so readily. Don't they know that relying on it without treating the cause leads to serious complications?

Although the ointment given to us by the doctors is only very mild cortison (< 1%), we still use it very very carefully - only for breaking the itching and scratching cycle when it really itches. Most of the time we used cortison-free alternatives, like ointment made of Chinese Herbral medicine. The picture shows dead sea mud.