LifeCare Chiropractic

The Best Chiropractic Care in Mesa, Arizona

Eczema

Food allergy/intolerance: associations with other manifestations of atopy – (11-29-01)

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Food allergy/intolerance: associations with other manifestations of atopy

This is another wonderful article packed full of interesting concepts. First is finding out just how common food allergy is in the general population. This article also gives some common food allergens found which includes certain nuts, milk and fruits. Another common theme arises here as well–systemic manifestation of food allergy resulting in reactions in the GI tract, skin and oral cavity. Skin reactions were found in 28.7% of the allergic patients. This brings to mind one of my patients with eczema whose PCP told her that food does not have any relation to her symptoms. According to this study that’s just plain not true. Any patient with dermatological problems should be put on an elimination diet to see if food allergies has any contribution to symptoms. What does the patient have to lose?? Maybe the skin lesions…. Synergy : Allergy 56 (12), 1172-1179

Read entire article here

Probiotics Hit Home Run for Your Infant’s Eczema

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I hate to bore you with another probiotics are good for you blog post, but I’m going to anyway. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Destruction of the normal bacteria flora in an infant or toddler’s body is one of the worst things that can be done to his or her long term health.

Although research has shown that probiotics seemingly help with almost everything (obesity, anxiety, diarrhea, constipation, ulcers, ear infections, etc..), I think the most important feature is how well they balance out a delicate, developing immune system.  The first two years are critical.  Lose this windown and your little one may be fighting immune imbalances for the rest of his or her life.

This particular study highlights the benefits yet again.  Researchers looked at how well a specific probiotic (Lactobacillus rhamnosus HN001; Bifidobacterium animalis subsp lactis HN019, at 6 and 9 billion CFU / day respectively) could benefit eczema and allergic sensitization at age 6 when given within the first 2 years of life.  Here’s the details:

  • Maternal supplementation from 35 weeks until 6 months post-partum if breastfeeding, and then infant supplementation from birth (or at cessation of nursing) until 2 years.
  • The HN019 didn’t have an impact, while HN001 made a pretty large difference as seen below.
  • 44% lower rates of eczema.
  • 31% lower rates of skin-prick-testing reactions.

Keep in mind that this is a single intervention with probiotics and takes no other lifestyle changes or supplements into account (pets in household, vitamin D, trans fat intake, omega 3 fatty acid intake, etc..).  This is a powerful statement.

And one that still is not getting across to pediatricians.

One final comment.  This particular study looked at how effective a single probiotic was at lowering the rates of eczema.  But this does not mean that we should drop everything and try to find the one or two “miracle” probiotics.  Rather, research is headed towards patterns of probiotic species present that represent disease or health.  In other words, there may be 4 or 5 principle bacteria that are more likely to be found in someone who is obese.  Lean people, on the other hand, may have a different blend of 4-5 bacteria.  While this story and the research has a long way to go, suffice it to say that, from what we know right now, a good quality broad spectrum probiotic supplement (around 20 billion / day) coupled with a good quality diet will be your best approach.

 

Hygiene levels associated with wheezing, eczema in preschool infants – (08-22-02)

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Hygiene levels associated with wheezing, eczema in preschool infants

If you follow the concept of Th1/Th2 balance of the immune system (search prior Updates on the website for additional information on this topic) then a certain level of exposure to antigens (primarily bacterial) are required for healthy development of the Th1 system. This article supports this hypothesis. There is also ample additional evidence to suggest that a normal bacterial flora is also essential for this process, and that antibiotic use will disrupt this. I realize the above article comes to a different conclusion, but with research you always need to step back and look at the totality of the evidence–this is usually where the more real truth lies.

ADC — Abstracts: Sherriff et al. 87 (1): 26

Read entire article here

No Association between Antibiotics in 1st Year of Life – (08-22-02)

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No Association between Antibiotics in 1st Year of Life and Asthma, Allergic Rhinitis, or Eczema at Age 5 Years

I have included this report just to show how fair and unbiased I am in my research. Okay, so I’m actually just including it to better set up the next article…

AJRCCM — Abstracts: Celedón et al. 166 (1): 72

Read entire article here

Pregnant and Have Allergies? You’re Going to Need This

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Pregnancy is rough enough as it is. Worsening allergies in pregnancy just makes it worse. Can you  do something to spare your unborn child the same fate?

Turns out that the answer may be yes, and the fix may be pretty simple.  But first, let’s go over some other factors during pregnancy that we already know contribute to problems in the as-yet unborn child.  The fist that pops to mind is the seemingly innoculous Tylenol.  Yes, I know that your OB told you to stay away from ibuprofen during pregnancy because of the potential side effects.  As an alternative, many are still recommending Tylenol / acetaminophen as a safe alternative.  It’s not.  In an older blog post, we discussed the links between paracematol (Tylenol) use during pregnancy and allergies and asthma in the child.

This actually makes sense because it is well accepted that Tylenol use is linked to development of allergies in an adult.

Other pregnancy factors that play a role in the child’s health include:

  1. Artificial sweeteners and sugar sweetened beverages have been linked to preterm birth. (Tweet this)
  2. Antidepressant use in 3rd trimester increases risk of infantile convulsions by 490%. (Tweet this)
  3. Eating polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) (from grilling meat) in pregnancy is linked to ADHD and anxiety.
  4. Heavy exposure to a commonly used pesticide has been linked to brain damage in the infant.

There are others, but you get the idea.  The choices you make during pregnancy play a huge role in the future health of your child.  Some of the above may be a little more challenging, so I’ll give you an easy and inexpensive tool.

Vitamin D.

Yup.  How’s that for simple?  We already know that low vitamin D levels are linked to the development of obesity in children and wheeze in children.

This particular study looks at vitamin D levels in cord blood and what effect they had on development of eczema in the infant’s first year.  In particular:

  • Mom’s vitamin D levels were related to supplement use and sunlight (based on the season during testing) and NOT dietary intake (don’t rely on your milk to help you here)
  • When vitamin D cord blood was below 75 nmol/L (30 ng/ml) the risk of developing eczema was 266% higher. (Tweet this)

The bottom line is that vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy seems like a pretty good idea along with the use of probiotics to maintain a healthy bacterial flora in the mom.  Stick with nursing instead of formula and add in some probiotics occasionally during the first few months and the risk of eczema should be almost zilch.

Given the increasing evidence, should ob/gyn’s be recommending vitamin D to all their pregnant patients?

WAYS TO HANDLE FOOD ALLERGIES AND ECZEMA – (10-20-04)

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Food allergy and atopic dermatitis in infancy: an epidemiologic study

The connection between the gut and the skin is not well accepted, despite quite a bit of research actually supporting this link.

This study further supports the relationship with food allergy (which would be mediated via the GI tract) and eczema. My personal opinion is that, if you can address it very early, food allergies and eczema can be easily handled. As that baby gets older, the pathways of inflammation and allergy get “burned in” and resolution becomes more difficult. In addition to identifying food allergies, research also suggests the use of probiotics to add an additional protective barrier between our environment and the interior of our body.

Food allergy and atopic dermatitis in infancy: an epidemiologic study – Pediatric Allergy Immunology, Vol 15, Issue 5, pp. 421-427 –

Read entire article here

Natural Remedies for Eczema in Infants, Toddlers and Children

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Our immune system starts out delicate. The first 2 years are critical. Luckily, natural remedies for eczema in infants, toddlers and children are safe and effective.

The phrase to understand here is “immune tolerance.” The immune system is supposed to attack things it is supposed to (like bacteria and viruses) and not attack things it is not supposed to (like our skin, thyroid or gut). This is called tolerance. And it develops very early. Like, “in the womb” early.

A few things are well known to increase the risk of asthma and eczema very early in life.

  1. Paracetamol (Tylenol) use in pregnancy increases risk of asthma in children
  2. While nursing is best, if formula is used, hydrolyzed formulas like Nutramagen or Alimentum may lower the risk of eczema and asthma
  3. Vitamin D intake during pregnancy may lower the risk of wheezing up to 3 years of age
  4. C-section babies are at increased risk of allergies and asthma

Hold on…C-sections can increase the risk of immune system problems? “How does that happen?” you may ask.

One of the most powerful factors helping newborns, infants and toddlers develop a healthy immune system and good immune tolerance is the presence of a healthy bacterial flora. I would have to venture to say that, based on the evidence, this may be THE most important factor for a healthy immune system. And not just in our younger years, but for the rest of our lives.

Back to the C-section dilemma.

In the womb, a developing baby’s gut is sterile. Nothing is growing in it, although it is a warm and very hospitable environment for bacteria to grow. So, as the baby passes through the vaginal canal, that baby’s first exposure should be Lactobacillus from healthy bacterial flora in the vaginal vault. Now, if mom’s had antibiotics this might not occur.

So think of the C-section baby. Rather than Lactobacillus, the first bacteria to hit that nice warm growing environment is kind of up for grabs. And sure enough, we see differences in the bacterial flora of the gut in infants born vaginally vs C-section. But can the C-section baby be spared the increased risk?

That leads us to this particular study. Researchers found that giving a Lactobacillus supplementation for the first 2 years of a high risk newborn’s life had some pretty amazing effects.

  1. Risk of having eczema at 4 years was cut 43%
  2. Rhinoconjunctivitis (think runny nose and watery eyes) at 4 years was a whopping 62% lower
  3. There were also smaller reductions in the risk of atopic dermatitis (26%)
  4. Risk of wheeze was down 21%
  5. Allergic sensitization down 28%

Interestingly, the probiotic Bifidobacterium animalis did not affect the risk of any of these.

These are some pretty massive impacts from such a simple and safe natural remedy for eczema in our infants, toddlers and children. And keep in mind that these effects are likely lifelong–those first 2 years are so critical that they can set up a lifetime of protection or problems.

Looking at the flip side, it becomes clear that antibiotics can be a major contributor to the development of these same problems by killing off the good bacteria.

Given that some 90% of kids are given antibiotics by the time they are 2, did your child’s pediatrician explain some of the problems that might occur with destruction of the normal flora? Better yet, did they recommend probiotics after antibiotics? Feel free to share!

PROBIOTICS CAN LOWER INFLAMMATION FOUND IN GI TRACT – (02-21-05)

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Probiotic effects on faecal inflammatory markers and on faecal IgA in food allergic atopic eczema/dermatitis syndrome infants

I know I’ve always gotten wonderful results in children/infants with eczema using probiotics.  The results are usually not so great in adults.  I feel that as these harmful patterns persist, they are much harder to reverse with simple methods like probiotics.

This study supports what I see in practice–that something as simple as probiotics can lower the inflammation found in the GI tract.

Read entire article here