Blog: Medical

Natural Remedies for Baby Eczema: Which Ones Work? A Review of the Evidence

We know from experience that watching your child suffer the constant itch and irritation of baby eczema is frustrating. It doesn't help when you feel there is little you can do to make the itch go away and while the the doctors have a cupboard full of conventional remedies, they don't always work as quickly, or well as we parents would like. A combination of natural remedies and the prescriptions from our doctor really helped us to control our kids' scratching, especially during the all to frequent flare-ups. To make sure we were really helping our son we did some research into which traditional and other natural remedies for baby eczema actually make a difference. Read More

Alternative Eczema Remedies # 1: Coconut Oil

Coconut oil has been used for thousands of years and for many different ailments: from mouthwash to moisturiser! Recent research into its effectiveness has resulted in it becoming increasingly popular as an alternative remedy for treating eczema. One of the great attractions of coconut oil is its natural origin – but can it really be that good? The ScratchSleeves team delve into how coconut oil treats eczema, how to use it and the many other advantages. Read More

Using hydrocortisone creams for childhood eczema: Are topical corticosteroids safe?

Looking at the conversations on parenting forums, it’s clear that many parents have concerns over using prescribed hydrocortisone cream and other topical corticosteroids (TCS) in managing their child’s eczema. In fact there is much anxiety around the use of TCS, that doctors have a term for it: ‘steroid phobia’. As result of this phobia, lots of children are under-treated resulting in longer flare ups and increased complications such as infections. So, to address this very real fear and combat under-treatment we have teamed up with Dr Sam Hunt, consultant dermatologist at the Royal Hampshire County Hospital, to look at the research into the safety of these creams and how best to use them. Read More

Alternative remedies #3: Is Manuka honey good for eczema?

In this article we look more closely at Manuka honey and ask whether it’s worth a try as you seek ways to alleviate your child’s eczema and look at the practicalities of using such a sticky substance on children. Read More

Can Probiotics Help Eczema in Babies and Children? Alternative remedies #4

In summary, there isn't strong evidence supporting the use of probiotics in the treatment of eczema. However, the level of variation in the results of the various studies does seem to indicate that some strains of probiotics may be helpful for groups of eczema sufferers, particularly children. Read More