Does Your Baby Get Eczema?

In lieu of a mass campaign for a healthy, non-toxic, chemical-free lifestyle, my daughter developed itchy patches on her arms and wrists at age 3 months. The physician said that, because it was January, my baby's skin was affected by the difference in the humidity level inside versus the humidity level outside. His exact words were, 'put as much cream on as you want, it's not going to do anything. . .'

After 2 1/2 years of these 'itchy spots' getting progressively worse (it now being June and they are larger, stay for longer, and are much more irritating) I'm calling it eczema. As her itching has increased, so has my concern. What is causing this? Most cases respond to dietary changes such as avoiding wheat or pasteurized milk products--none of which she consumes. It was amid one of my researching spells that I was introduced to the book Clean Up Your Green Up.

Clean Up Your Green Up is written by a mother who found herself in a toxin-free home with a 2 month old infant suffering from eczema (sound familiar? You're not alone!!). She came upon a site called SolveEczema.org. This site is run by yet another mother in the same situation. This mother realized that detergents were causing her child's discomfort. Makes sense, right? That's why they have baby laundry detergents. Come to find out that it's not just laundry detergent. . .it's all detergents! . . .dish detergent, dishwasher powder, all cleaning detergents, bar 'soap,' shampoo, etc. And not just on baby--on mom, on dad, on pets. It has to do with the chemical composition of detergents.

This post formerly stated that "a detergent contains ingredients, like sodium laureth sulfate, which when examined under a microscope look like little needles. Soap examined in the same way looks like little round globules." This is in fact erroneous. A.J. Lumsdaine, the creator of SolveEczema.org, pointed out this error and kindly commented that, "The underlying reason that detergents cause the eczema, to my understanding, has to do with how detergents affect the permeability of the skin membrane. This essentially comes from the comparatively greater hydrophilic properties of detergents, not their shape."

I have since read an excerpt from Bioengineering of the Skin: Skin Surface Imaging and Analysis by Klaus-Peter that states the following:

"Detergents may affect the skin in various ways, and the targets [that] detergents attack are various kinds of skin cellular components. Detergents dissolve membranes of keratinocytes and lysosomes at higher doses, while they affect primarily the horny layer [of the skin] and produce drying and scaling at low doses. The former mechanism causes acute irritant dermatitis, while the latter causes chronic irritant dermatitis, or non-erythematous irritation."

"When detergents are applied repeatedly at low doses, the adsorbed [adsorb - accumulate on the surface] detergents remain on the surface of the skin even after repeated rinsing, and cause skin roughness."

"Although both detergency of surfactants [i.e. sodium lauryl sulfate] and skin irritancy are complex phenomenon, they are thought to be closely related, for example, penetration of detergents through a dirty substance and permeation. . . of them on the skin, emulsifying/dispersing effects to the removal of the soils and to the removal of lipids and hygroscopic materials from stratum corneum."[In other words, detergent will treat your skin the same way it'll treat a dirty shirt.]

It seems that the properties that make detergents so wonderful to clean our laundry wreak havoc on our skin. In essence, detergents strip away oils (again, great for clothes!) from the skin that naturally protect, at the same time negatively impacting components of the skin's structure. These factors increase skin permeability, making it ultrasensitive to minor irritants. Combined with the already sensitive immune system of a child, this is a perfect recipe for inflamed skin.

It's mentioned that women of the '60's were under extreme pressure to keep their houses spotless--much more so than women of today. Yet, with all their scrubbing and cleansing and sanitizing, why was the occurrence of eczema minimal? It wasn't until the late 1960's that detergents were introduced into household cleaning products. Unlike today, soap was still readily available to purchase for laundering baby clothes (surprise! Dreft is a detergent.) and detergents weren't yet added to personal care products.

If you're looking to find relief for your child's eczema, this might be an avenue to explore. To de-commercialize your cleaning supplies will be means enough to call yourself a GREEN PARENT! And bonus--it'll save tons of money.

I'm 3/4ths of the way through the transition. I've settled on a laundry soap recipe that works (even for my husband's stinky pits! Don't tell him I said that!) and am perfecting a dishwasher powder recipe. I haven't done the math, but it seems like I can get 4 times as much product for the same price as a box of the commercial product. And I find comfort in knowing exactly what's in my soaps.

Green Up Your Clean Up is a great guide to cleaning with non-toxic products. It's full of recipes, ideas, and green product suggestions. It's user friendly layout is helpful to use while working.

To give you an idea of what the recipes are like, here is my version of Laundry Soap, adapted from Green Up Your Clean Up:

LAUNDRY SOAP

• 1/8 cup liquid castile soap
• 2 tablespoons Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda
• 1/4 cup vinegar

Turn on warm water cycle and add soap and washing soda. Let warm water run for a few minutes to help dissolve soap and soda. Change water temperature applicable to load. During the rinse cycle, add 1/4 cup of vinegar (which aids in rinsing residue as well as softening clothing). Hang clothes outside for a scent that commercial detergents can only dream to capture!

Make Your Own--Natural, Non-toxic, Herbal Lip Balm

Did you know that cherry Chapstick contains ingredients linked to cancer? Check it out on Skin Deep's website.

Know what's protecting your lips by making your own lip balm. Kids will love it too! Be a GREEN PARENT and reuse old lipstick, lip balm, lip gloss containers while making this natural lip balm with the kids.

Got girls? Alkanet root imparts a pink to red coloring to the balm also offering protective, emollient properties. The longer it's simmered, the richer the red will be. Find it in a local herb shop or online (Mountain Rose Herbs). Perfect for little ladies!

Adapted from Rosemary Gladstar's recipe:

INGREDIENTS

makes approx. 4 oz

• 3/4 tsp alkanet root (optional)
• any emollient herb (calendula blossom, chamomile blossom, plantain leaf, etc)
• 1/2 cup almond or grapeseed oil
• 1/8 cup beeswax
• 1 1/2 teaspoons honey
• essential oil to taste, start with a few drops (vanilla, mints, orange are pleasant)
• Containers - clean and recycle used lipstick, gloss, and/or chapstick tubes/tins or purchase new (The Ponte Vedra Soap Company). Will need roughly 16 - 1/4 oz containers.
• a small funnel (not absolutely necessary, but very helpful for filling tubes)

If using alkanet, simmer the root in the oil over low heat in a double boiler (make one by using a stainless steel bowl over a saucepan filled with 1" - 2" of water. The bowl should be above the water, not in it.) for about 15-20 minutes or until the oil has become a reddish black color. The deeper the color the redder your lip balm. Strain through a double layer of cheese cloth or fine mesh strainer. If using other emollient herbs, simmer in oil in the double boiler over low heat for 20-30 minutes.

Add beeswax, honey and essential oil then taste test. Test for consistency by putting a dime size drop of the mixture on a plate and putting it in the freezer for 3 minutes. If the sample is too hard, add more oil; if it's too soft, add more beeswax.

Pour into containers. If the lip balm starts to cool and harden, clinging to the pot, just reheat. Let cool completely before capping containers.

Wheat-free Strawberry Cake

This cake is surprisingly light for being whole-grain.

INGREDIENTS

makes one 10-inch cake

• 6 tablespoons coconut oil, softened
• 1 cup oat flour
• 1/2 cup barley flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons aluminum-free baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon celtic sea salt
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons muscovado sugar or maple sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 pound strawberries, hulled

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Oil a 10-inch pie plate. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl.

In a large bowl, cream together coconut oil and sugar with an electric beater, medium-high, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to medium-low; mix in egg, milk, and vanilla.

Reduce speed to low, gradually mix in flour mixture. Transfer batter to prepared pie plate. Arrange strawberries on top of batter, cut sides down and as close together as possible. Sprinkle remaining two tablespoons sugar over the berries.

Bake cake 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Bake until cake is golden brown and firm to the touch, 50 minutes - 1 hour. Let cool in pie plate on wire rack. Cut into wedges and serve with homemade whipped cream and fresh strawberries.

Cake can be stored at room temperature, loosely covered, up to 2 days.

Make Your Own--Rich Body Lotion

This is my favorite lotion--and I've tried most pharmacy brands--for soothing my daughter's 'rough spots.' She gets bouts of eczema that, like her, has a mind of it's own. I also feel comfortable slathering it on, as I can pronounce all the ingredients! Plus it's very healing. I use it on myself and my skin is soft without regular use. No special storage needed; works well in a pump. Usually one can find supplies, like beeswax, in a local natural foods store or herb shop. If not, I like purchasing from Mountain Rose Herbs and The Ponte Vedra Soap Shoppe.

RICH BODY LOTION

• 1 cup aloe vera gel
• 1-2 tablespoons rose water
• 1 teaspoon pure vitamin E oil
• 1 teaspoon lanolin
• 1/3 cup coconut oil
• 1/2 cup beeswax
• 3/4 cup almond oil
• Up to 1 1/2 teaspoons of essential oil of your choice

In a blender, mix aloe vera gel, rose water, and vitamin E oil. In a double boiler (or stainless steel bowl placed on top of a pot of boiling water), place lanolin, coconut oil, and beeswax. Stir until melted and mixed. Stir in almond oil. Start your blender running at low to medium speed and pour oils in, in a thin stream. As the 'oils' blend with the 'waters,' the mixture will turn white. When the mixture has a mayonnaise-like consistency, stop the motor, add essential oils, and pulse to blend. Transfer to jar or pump-top bottle while warm.

Roast Turkey Roulades

So good, so gourmet, and so easy! Here's what I do:

serves 4

INGREDIENTS

• 1/3 cup walnuts, toasted
• 1/4 cup loosely picked fresh thyme leaves
• 2 tablespoons loosely packed fresh lemon-thyme leaves
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons celtic sea salt
• 1 boneless, skinless turkey breast (1 1/2 pounds)
• kitchen twine

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Pulse walnuts in a food processor until finely ground. Add thyme, lemon thyme, honey, oil, and salt; process until combined into a paste. Set aside 2 tablespoons of this mixture.

Horizontally halve the turkey and spread half of the herb mixture on each piece. Starting at a short end, roll up the turkey and tie with kitchen twine. Spread reserved herb paste over the top of each roulade; transfer to a shallow cast iron pan.

Roast for about 35 minutes. Let cool 5 to 10 minutes before slicing into 1/4" pieces.

Wheat-free Strawberry Bread

This bread is a wonderful addition to breakfast spread with butter or cream cheese. It has a nice texture and isn't too 'crumbly,' an unfortunate side effect of most wheat-free breads. Use up those early summer strawberries!

makes 1 large loaf

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pint strawberries, rinsed, hulled, quartered, and mashed with a fork
• 1 cup oat flour
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup sugar, Rapadura or light brown Muscovado
• 5 Tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon butter and/or coconut oil, softened
• 2 large eggs

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8" x 4" loaf pan. In a small saucepan, bring strawberries to a boil over medium heat. Cook, stirring, 1 minute. Set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt; set aside. With an electric mixer, cream butter, sugar and eggs in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add flour mixture alternately with 1/3 cup water, beginning and ending with flour. Fold in reserved strawberries.

3. Scrape batter into prepared pan, smoothing top. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. About 1 hour (tent with foil after 45 minutes if the top is getting too dark). Cool in pan 10 minutes. Run knife around edges; invert onto rack. Reinvert; cool completely.

Food Allergies? This is the (Cook) Book for you!

A few years ago I watched the author of this book, Cybele Pascal, on the Martha Stewart Show. It was a mildly awkward interview (has anyone else noticed that Martha gives the worst interviews??)--but my ears perked up when I heard ingredients like 'oat flour,' 'maple sugar' and the like. I ended up buying her Whole Foods Allergy Cookbook, which turned out to be phenomenal! The recipes are great--even for non-food-allergic guests--and can easily be shifted around depending on allergy (i.e. my kid isn't allergic to eggs, her kid is, so the recipes call for egg substitute. She gives 'reverse substitutions,' if you will.). I've made the Turkey Ancho Chili--a favorite, and easy!!--for two consecutive birthday parties. It gets rave reviews and requests to make it for the coming year. Pascal gives recipes for cakes, cookies, soups--and quite a few 'comfort' foods that food-allergic people tend to (are forced to?) stay away from (like shepherd's pie! like biscuits!). Considering the number of great recipes (regardless of their semi-hypoallergenic ingredients) this book is a bargain!

Wheat-free Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Christmas 2007 was Barbara’s first true baking experience. At her great-grandmother's house, she made two kinds of cookies—one was a maple sugar cookie that she decorated with dried fruits and shredded coconut. The other cookie, the one she’s pointing to in the photo, turned out to be surprisingly more delicious than the original recipe. Here’s the recipe we used:

BARBARA’S OATMEAL RAISIN COOKIES (WHEAT-FREE)

makes approx. 4 dozen

• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup maple sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup oat flour
• ½ cup barley flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp salt
• 3 cups oats (quick oats will hold together better, old fashioned oats give more texture)
• 1 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Add dry mixture to wet mixture. Mix well. Stir in oats and raisins; mix well. Drop by rounded spoonful onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake about 11 minutes, until golden brown. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheet; remove to wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!

These might just be the best oatmeal raisin cookies you’ve ever had!

Giving Thanks, Sans Religion

To be healthy we must nourish our mind, body and soul. Part of being human is being ceremonial, and throughout our existence ceremony has revolved around 'higher powers' whether Gods, Goddesses, or Nature itself. I have a need--it's not innate or instinctual, but very close to--to express my gratitude for those things that nourish my wellbeing.

These table blessings are non-religious and gathered with a child in mind. I intend to print them on index cards and bind them together with the intention of reading one with my daughter at each meal.

Non-Religious Table Blessings

With what we are about to receive, may we be ever mindful of the needs of others.

Sing praise to the Mother Earth, Sing praise to the Father Sun, Sing praise to the plants in the garden, Where Mother and Father are one.

Thanks for our health, thanks for our hearth, And the bounty that grows from the ground. With our loved ones near, we bless the year, That's brought us safely 'round.

Thank you for the world so sweet, Thank you for the food we eat, Thank you for the birds that sing, Thank you God for everything.

Thank you God for food and care. Teach us how to love and share.

God is great! God is good! Let us thank Him for our food.

We thank Thee Lord, for happy hearts, For rain and sunny weather. We thank Thee, Lord, for this our food, And that we are together.

O Thou, Sustainer of our body, heart, and soul. Bless all we receive In thankfulness.

Thank thee for the night, And for the morning light. For rest and food and loving care, And all that makes the day so fair. Help us do the things we should To be to others kind and good, In all we do, in all we say, To grow more loving every day.

God, we thank you for this food, For rest and home and all things good; For wind and rain and sun above, But most of all for those we love.

Thank you God for all that grows, Thank you for the sky's rainbows, Thank you for the stars that shine, Thank you for these friends of mine, Thank you for the moon and sun, Thank you God for all you've done!

Thanks to the Earth, Thanks to the Sky, Thanks to the plants and animals That helped create this food divine.

We who sit to eat Know that more than our bodies will be fed. With this food Fill us with beauty, Fill us with joy, Fill us with peace.

We give thanks to all who've come before us, To those who dug the wells from which we drink, To those who built the house in which we live, To those who grew the food which we eat. May our lives be a blessing to those yet to come.

How beautiful this food. How beautiful these friends. We give thanks.

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