At the time my daughter was born we lived and worked in an agricultural area, our front door faced open fields that were continually being sprayed with pesticides and fertilisers. Our shop door was constantly sprayed with the dust from the same sources as tractors moved about the countryside.

About fourteen years ago we moved to Hertford, close to a river and where there is no agriculture. About this time our daughter’s eczema finally cleared.

People have commented that living near the coast has been beneficial to their skin complaint and one person told me that their son’s skin problems disappeared when he was serving in the navy but on shore leave erupted again.

I have a natural aversion to shopping but supermarket fluorescent lighting also caused her eczema to flare up as soon as we entered the shop. There is plenty of evidence of people having an allergic reaction to electric light and for the more esoteric enquirer there have been problems with living under or close to power cables as well. Interesting research has been done into endorphins which can natural produce natural pain relief.

Clothing

Just like food, clothing can also cause skin irritation. I know it is expensive but stick to cotton; cotton sheets, cotton underwear, cotton nightwear. It is a natural fabric and stay away from biological washing powders. My wife swore by Filletti available in most good supermarkets. And for footwear, always leather.

All the above will over time, effect a reduction in suffering. Keeping a diary and maintaining a watch on diet are good habits. Keep bedrooms clear of fluffy toys as they harbour dust mites, wooden floors rather than carpet. Initially her bedroom looked more like a prison cell but it is the only way to eradicate disruptive elements. There are vacuum cleaners especially for allergy sufferers.

Slowly you bring favourite things back into the child’s environment and watch to see the reaction.

Medication

So how do you alleviate the suffering of childhood eczema, cure the constant scratching and discomfort. Anyone who has been through this will know that here are so many creams and emollients that are prescribed. Some work initially, some make the problem worse. In most cases the G.P.s experiment until they or you, find one that seems to work.

About 1993 (this was well before the Internet) I read about trials being carried out in Switzerland on Oil of Evening Primrose. This was a major breakthrough in our campaign. There was no reaction, it soothed and reduced the swelling and the itching. We used it in the bath water and as a scrub.

But the next breakthrough was courtesy of a salesman whose name I can’t remember who called at our house as he believed that my enquiry was to work as a consultant. What I had done was to enquire about the use of Aloe Vera.

It is now found everywhere in soaps, toilet rolls and washing powder. Very good stuff but at the levels it is used in these commercial products no more than an advertising hook.

As a raw cactus it has no peer as a cure for cuts, bruises and burns. Only purchase Aloe Vera in quantities where it states that it is 99% pure. They allow 1% as a preservative. In its liquid form it can be drunk, used as a balm or to wash.

That salesman took one look at our daughter, said he had no more business with us and left us with a case full of Aloe Vera products. A very generous and honest man.

It did work. But a word of warning to anyone considering taking a course of Aloe Vera juice; it is very likely that you will get much worse before you will get better.

As my sales friend explained: all the emollients used for dry skin and other skin complaints that the GPs prescribe force the body’s toxins back inside. The benefit of a course of Aloe Vera is that it forces the toxins out of the body, thus cleansing it.

I cannot say for certain what happened; neither my wife nor I can claim that we know better than the medical profession but I do know this. After keeping a diary and carefully noting reactions to each and every food or childhood action, a month or so after arriving in Hertford my daughter actually got worse and then suddenly one day, like a champagne corks pops, she was clear and has remained so ever since.

Childhood Eczema

Environment

Clothing

Medication