I want to preface this blog post by saying through natural methods we have kept her skin about 95% clear! We are still working on keeping some redness away, and at times will supplement with some over the counter cream if she is really itchy, but our “maintenance” protocol is what keeps the bacteria and fungus at bay and is what has been he absolute game changer for us. Also since we are on the topic- I don’t want to demonize any one thing. Although our outlook on steroids has completely changed, I still think there is a time and place for everything— and knowledge and understanding is key!! okay…I digress.

The “before” pictures of our sweet girl is when we had no idea what was going on with her neck. I had not heard of staph and I didn’t realize that a fungal infection could create an opportunity for staph and for eczema. Her rash started out small on her neck, something Ive seen before in my other daughter. Thinking it would go away as easily as hers did, I put some Earthley lotion on it and a little over the counter fungal cream. It did not like that!!

It might sound dramatic to say that this rash ruled out lives for a little bit, but it really did. She would claw at her neck day and night. I couldn’t put her down to sleep or she would wake herself up scratching herself raw. I wore her most of the day because she was so uncomfortable. We were doing what our pediatrician recommended and could not get anywhere with it, which was an over the counter lotramin and applying different lotions I thought would help.

We ended up taking her to a dermatologist. Whew, those appointments are tough, especially as a mom going through TSW with a child. They tend to be very close minded and brush off what I have to say about the topic of eczema. But, at that time we were so miserable, and had tried all that I knew of at the time, so we agreed to try a steroid on it mixed with a fungal cream. It was the duo of those two that finally started to clear her rash. Great- right? Well- not so fast!

As it seems to go with steroids, in about two weeks it was starting to come back. We knew we didn’t want to continue to use the steroids as our only source of relief for her so now what? Well that’s when I started to learn about bacteria and fungus on the skin.

Overgrowth of fungal bacteria can be addressed both internally and externally. If symptoms are presenting externally such as (thrush, cradle cap, really bad diaper rashes, red rashes that appear in the creases of the skin and sometimes have “satellite” bumps which look like little red bumps breaking off from the bigger red rash) then there is usually an overgrowth inside as well which disrupts the overall microbiome.

We have taken the approach of using natural anti-fungals (SO many herbs are helpful for this) on the skin and internally. as well as working on minerals both externally and internally. I have read about mineral imbalances being a contributor to fungal overgrowth. Here are some tips if you or your little one is dealing with similar issues:

1. Make sure you are pooping every single day. When stool sits in our intestines, it is a breeding ground for bacteria and fungal overgrowth which can exacerbate the issue. Elimination really helps keep this in check and rids the body of unwanted bacteria. Some things that have helped our daughter to get her to go regularly are castor oil massaged around her belly, eating pears, meat stock, and lots of water throughout the day.

2. There are many herbs and foods that are anti-fungal and anti-bacterial so my goal is to have those incorporated into our diets but there was a time when they needed to be supplemented. My favorite anti-fungals are Chinese skullcap and oregano oil. I gave the Chinese skullcap directly to Fauna for a time. When it comes to anti-fungals its good to switch them around every few months or so in order that the fungus doesn’t get used to it. I have also supplemented oregano oil to pass through my breast-milk. Both of these have helped but what I believe has made the most difference is giving her a variety of different foods and spices including oregano and garlic into her diet.

3. Minerals are so important for our body to function. I have heard theories about mineral imbalances and deficiencies affecting candida overgrowth in our body and while I cant say for certain that is what is going on with our children, I will say that dead sea salt baths and homeopathy cell salts have been a HUGE help for our daughter. It has become routine and we do it without even thinking. She takes a dead sea salt bath every night or every other night and it calms down any inflammation and itching she may have. Our bodies absorb the amazing minerals through the skin. It is so so good for eczema and so nourishing for the skin. For the cell salts, I just add 2-3 pellets into her water in the morning and she sips on it during the day.

4. Keeping the bacteria and fungus at bay on the skin is so important. There have been so many times after clearing her that she will flare and begin to itch and break open her skin and I will see the start of a staph overgrowth and by keeping up with our topical routine we have avoided a bad rash every single time. Some inexpensive topicals that are so good for fungal or bacterial overgrowth are

   • Rosemary Hydrosol ( a personal all time FAVORITE of mine) a little goes a long way. We spray in the creases where candida loves to hide out and if she ever has a rash in her diaper area. This stuff is seriously the best.

   • Neem Oil: This stuff smells really strong but it works! It’s very anti-fungal and a little goes a long way. I mix a few drops into zinc cream and use it when the rash seems to be getting a little worse. It has kept it in check and helped get rid of staph overgrowth.

   • Zinc cream: when it comes to staph and candida you don’t want a lot of moisture because it loves that, which is why we often find it the creases of our body or in the diaper area. I like to top the rosemary hydrosol with zinc because it doesn’t feed the bacteria, but it locks in the anti-fungal properties of the hydrosol without drying out the skin too much. Zinc is also just a great anti-itch remedy. There are currently sold out of the only zinc cream with ingredients that worked for us so I am working on a recipe now.

5. Join the Erasing Eczema Facebook group. Seriously. It’s amazing and you can search any remedy you are thinking of and most likely find other moms who are doing it. It gave me a lot of confidence in trying things since it can be so hard to find information on any supplements online.