Your Stories - Dairy Free Diet

Cutting dairy out of my diet has helped my eczema - Zoe, Leamington Spa, UK

In 2001 I was desperate for a solution to my eczema.  After 10 years of it being fairly quiet, it was back around my eyes, my left in particular, and they had been sore, swollen and watering for 3 months. I hid behind sunglasses all the time, I was miserable and in pain. My doctor kept just telling me to put steroids and diprobase on it, which stung like acid, I'd tried homeopathy and Chinese Medicine to no avail. One night out of sheer desperation my best friend and I spent the night online researching alternatives, and I decided to cut out all dairy.  The improvement was almost instant.  In the 9 years since, I think I have only had two bad flare ups on my eyes, both dampened down with steroid tablets.  I still have some on my hands, but I control it by keeping dairy free and using Aveeno hand cream all the time, with steroid cream if it gets a bit much.  I avoid absolutely all dairy in all forms, and if I have any by accident the effect is almost instant.  (February 2010) Contact Zoe

Going on a gluten/dairy free diet has helped clear my eczema - Debra, UK

I am 48 years old and have had eczema for 46 years!  I have tried all kinds of steroid creams, immune suppressing drugs, herbal remedies, light therapy etc and nothing has worked (at least for any length of time.) Last July I started myself on a gluten/dairy free diet. By October there was some slight improvement and I was considering not carrying on. However, I did and by Christmas my skin was 50% better! Many areas of my body were completely clear - for the first time ever. Since then there has been further improvement and this year I have brought so  many tee shirts and shorts that I've lost count. Although I still have some stubborn patches which haven't disappeared and my skin is still itchy and sensitive - my life is wonderful! GIVE IT A GO. Email me if you would like. ps. I am taking calcium supplement every day as it is a dairy free diet and I do have powdered milk in my coffee. (July 2009) Contact Debra

Dairy Free has helped Kye's Eczema - Heidi and Kye, Leigh, UK

Hi there, I emailed in a couple of years ago when my son was suffering severely with eczema, he is now 5 years old and has suffered since he was 6 mths, we've had the usual itching, bleeding, sleepless night (for all of us) you know the rest. Well what we have found that works for us is, 100% dairy free diet, now I tried this before but (and I feel guilty about this) I just left out milk, cheese, yogs etc. I didn't check more thoroughly ie. reading ingredients on packets to check for whey powder, lactose or egg or anything dairy related. Since doing this and being on a healthy Soya diet he is doing really well, he only wears 100% cotton and all his bedding cotton, as he is only 5 all the strict regime lays with me and you have to be very organised and disciplined to stick to the routine to gain results, I bath him twice a day in Oilatum, wash him with Cetraben emollient, get him out and pat him dry, cover him in Epaderm, then half hour later apply either Eumovate if calm but present or Fucidin if flared up. This bath routine is first thing in the morn before school and before bed at night. At school they apply more Epaderm at around lunchtime and if he's flared up they'll cream him twice for me.

As I say a strict diet, and only cotton to touch the skin, and we are in control, he has flare ups if he comes in to contact with and allergens, the other day he and his sister were sweeping up leaves in the garden and then ended up having a leaf fight and that night the back of legs were very angry indeed, red and raised, but by using the Fucidin for a few days and keeping away from allergens when he is flared up brings it down within 2-3 days.

So after 4 and half years we've finally managed to get on top of our eczema.

Please hang in there if you are falling apart watching you're child suffer, things do get better and you learn to understand your specific type of eczema and what your triggers are, all the best and hope things get better like they did for my family Heidi. (October 2007) Contact Heidi

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