Food Intolerance and Eczema

Eczema can be one of the symptoms of food intolerances such as Oscar’s. Oscar has often had occurrences of dry, scaly skin since he was a baby, but never really eczema – until now. Oscar started having small little flare ups of red, itchy skin about 8 weeks ago. We would treat them with QV flare up oil and QV kids balm and they would settle down for a little while then flare up again. Just before we went on holidays last week, it flared up really bad. It settled down for a bit, then flared up again and broke out on his face and this time it was really painful.

Eczema

The flare ups started about 3 weeks after the lunch menu at Oscar’s day care centre changed. None of the meals at the centre are 100% suitable for Oscar, so the challenge is to identify the meals that are likely to have the smallest amounts of high and very high salicylates and glutamates and the fewest preservatives, colours and additive. His intolerances are not highly sensitive and we have learnt by trial and error that he can tolerate some artificial additives in food. Is always a bit hit and miss selecting some day care meals for him, but up until now we have not had any problems.

Eczema wasn’t one of the reactions Oscar had during our elimination diet food trials, but like his other recent symptoms, it may be a new one. He is off the day care meals until his skin clears up (which is happening with the help of cortisone creams) and we will monitor to see if any flare ups occur while he is off these chemicals over the next 2 to 3 weeks. If there are no flare ups we will add the meals back in one by one and monitor for reactions. again.. I feel guilty for experimenting on him like this (especially when it results in pain like this did), but there really is no other way to identify these food intolerances, and in the long run knowing which foods to avoid will keep him healthy.