• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Traditional Cooking School by GNOWFGLINS

Dish up the simple joy of healthy, down-home foods your family will LOVE… tonight.

Join 12,000+ families served since 2010!

  • Join Now
  • About
    • About Wardee & TCS
    • Our Team
    • FAQs & Help
    • Contact
  • Recipes
  • Blog
    • Recipes
    • Archives
  • Podcast
    • #AskWardee
    • Know Your Food with Wardee (retired)
  • Shop
    • Bible-Based Cooking Program
    • Print Textbooks
    • eBooks & eCourses
    • Recommended Tools & Supplies
    • More Books We Love
    • Complete Idiot’s Guide To Fermenting Foods
      • Errata
  • Login
You are here: Home » Health & Nutrition » How To Heal Eczema Naturally #AskWardee 038

Make a healthy dinner in 30 minutes or less... while spending $0 extra! Click here for the FREE Eat God's Way “30-Minute Skillet Dishes” formula!

How To Heal Eczema Naturally #AskWardee 038

We only recommend products and services we wholeheartedly endorse. This post may contain special links through which we earn a small commission if you make a purchase (though your price is the same).

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Linda K. asks, 'How can we heal my grandson's terrible eczema?' Watch, listen, or read to find out our family's story and how to heal eczema naturally. | AskWardee.tv

“How to heal eczema naturally?” asks Linda K. on today’s #AskWardee. I’m sharing my thoughts below!

I broadcast #AskWardee live each Wednesday at 10am Pacific (1pm Eastern) on Periscope and Facebook Live. Both the podcast and video replay of this week’s show are below. Enjoy!

Subscribe to #AskWardee on iTunes, Stitcher, YouTube, or the Podcasts app.

The Question: “How can we heal my grandson’s terrible eczema?”

Linda K. writes:

I have a question for you which I hope you can answer. My grandson is 2-1/2 years old and covered from head to toe in eczema — terrible eczema that is open and bleeding. He recently was tested for allergies as I thought perhaps dairy and grains were causing much of his problem. It was a great surprise to us that … he has no allergies. None of the dairy or grain scratches reacted on him. Here in Canada, we cannot just make an appointment with any doctor we wish. We have a family doctor and that is who we go to. Could you make any recommendations that might help my grandson? FYI: my son had eczema from birth as well, so there is a family connection also.

I would appreciate any information you could give me so I can pass it on to my son and his wife. I keep my grandson 1 day a week and would be able to follow any information you provide.

My Answer: How To Heal Eczema Naturally

First of all, I am not a doctor or healthcare professional. What I’m sharing here is my own family’s experience and things I have read or seen. I can’t guarantee that eczema will be healed or that what worked for us will work for others.

Our Story

Our son was born with terrible eczema. From head to toe. Doctors told us he had no allergies, food or otherwise, and that we just have to live with it and hope he would grow out of it.

He was so uncomfortable, all the time. Itchy, red, rashy skin.

Fast forward 2-1/2 years. We had cleaned up our external environment (which helped a little), but the eczema was still there. Our son showed no signs of outgrowing it.

In desperation, we decided to find out for ourselves whether or not he had food allergies. We thought, even if he hasn’t tested positive for an allergy, maybe he is sensitive enough and the tests just don’t pick it up.

(Later we learned the difference between food allergy and food intolerance. Both can cause eczema among other symptoms. The allergies show up on the usual tests, whereas less mainstream testing can reveal intolerances.)

Anyway, we cut out the major allergens of dairy and eggs first. Within 4 to 5 weeks, his eczema disappeared. Completely!

And this after being told he had no allergies. Finally, he had soft, baby skin! That was the most amazing thing for this Mama. I had nursed, cuddled, and loved this little boy for 2-1/2 years without actually feeling his true skin. I cried the first time I felt it smooth and clear, and I did for years afterward, too.

Linda K. asks, 'How can we heal my grandson's terrible eczema?' Watch, listen, or read to find out our family's story and how to heal eczema naturally. | AskWardee.tv

The battle wasn’t over though…

We avoided the foods that triggered his eczema for a few years. Then we learned about traditional cooking and how the preparation of foods was important (like soaking, sprouting, fermenting to pre-digest grains so they are not as problematic). We did a test called Antibody Assessment Panel, which revealed the food intolerances we had found on our own.

We also learned about gut health. Proper gut balance is key to a body digesting and handling foods as nutrition instead of poisons. I’ll tell you more about this in a bit.

For now, the end to our story is that through traditional cooking, with a focus on gut healing, our son’s gut healed to the point where he could eat dairy and eggs without a recurrence of eczema. Praise the Lord!

That’s why I’ve come to the conclusion that there are 2 steps to heal eczema naturally…

Step #1 — Find & Remove The Triggers

Even if your doctor’s testing revealed no allergies, this does not necessarily mean that your grandson isn’t sensitive to some foods. To find out if there are foods that cause eczema in your grandson, you have 2 choices:

1. Do an elimination diet that removes the most common allergens for 6 to 8 weeks — wheat, corn, soy, dairy, eggs, peanuts, etc. If his skin clears up, you will reintroduce the potentially allergenic foods one at a time, spaced several days to weeks apart, so you can identify the culprits. You may find out it’s more than 1 food.

2. Conduct a different allergy test called the IgG antibody test (you can do it at home or through a doctor). This test tells you how many antibodies are in your blood relative to the 96 foods commonly found in western diets.

No matter how you go about identifying the foods that cause the eczema, your grandson shouldn’t eat them until his gut has healed.

Furthermore, look at his environment and see if any other things could be triggering the eczema, such as cleaners, perfumes, pesticides, etc.

By the way, this step also includes easing of symptoms with herbal salves and such. I made a homemade salve for our son with herbs, olive oil, and beeswax, and we rubbed it on him liberally. This really helped cut down on the burning and itching.

Step #2 — Heal The Gut

Avoidance of triggers will clear up the skin, but what if true healing is possible? It might be (but no guarantees).

We know that the body sees food allergens as foreign invaders and turns on the immune system to fight them. As a result, the body is overtaken by “battle” symptoms of all kinds — from digestive, to respiratory, to skin, to mental.

Why does this happen? Why does the body attack itself?

Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, the creator of the GAPS Diet and the book Gut and Psychology Syndrome, gives the best answer I’ve ever heard. It all comes down to… the health of the gut!

Normal gut flora maintains gut wall integrity through protecting it, feeding it and insuring normal cell turnover. When the beneficial bacteria in the gut are greatly reduced, the gut wall degenerates. At the same time, various opportunists, when not controlled by damaged good bacteria, get access to the gut wall and damage its integrity, making it porous and “leaky”.

For example, microbiologists have observed how common opportunistic gut bacteria from families Spirochaetaceae and Spirillaceae, due to their spiral shape, have an ability to push apart intestinal cells, breaking down the integrity of the intestinal wall and allowing through substances which normally should not get through. Candida albicans has this ability as well. Its cells attach themselves to the gut lining, and literally “roots” through it making it “leaky”. Many worms and parasites have that ability as well.

Partially digested foods get through the damaged “leaky” gut wall into the blood stream, where the immune system recognises them as foreign and reacts to them.

This is how food allergies or intolerances develop. So, there is nothing wrong with the food. What is happening is that foods do not get a chance to be digested properly before they are absorbed through the damaged gut wall. So, in order to eliminate food allergies, it is not the foods we need to concentrate on, but the gut wall. In my clinical experience, when the gut wall is healed many food intolerances disappear. — Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, Food Allergy article

In other words, opportunistic organisms (bacteria, fungus, yeasts, and more), when not controlled by good gut flora, make actual holes in the gut wall. Undigested food escapes the gut through these holes into the blood stream. Consequently, this triggers an immune system response — as it should. They’re not supposed to be there!

What should we learn from this?

First of all, it’s very important for our immediate health to avoid the foods that are triggering these uncomfortable to severe reactions.

But second — and what is missing from most food allergy plans — we should place equal emphasis on healing the gut through nutritious and healing foods.

For More Information + Links Mentioned:

  • IgG Antibody Test
  • GAPS Diet Book
  • Food Allergy article by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride
  • GAPS articles at TCS
  • Gut-Healing GAPS Diet Made Simple
  • Which Diet Is Right For You? Traditional Food or Gut Healing
  • Free Traditional Cooking Video Series
  • Free Recipe Guide: Homemade Dairy-Free Milks & Dairy Subs
  • Traditional Cooking School’s Allergy-Free eCourse
  • Getting Started With Traditional Cooking
  • Our Bible-Based Cooking Program (most in-depth resource)

What Is The #AskWardee Show?

The #AskWardee Show is the live weekly show devoted to answering your niggling questions about Traditional Cooking: whether it’s your sourdough starter, your sauerkraut, preserving foods, broth, superfoods or anything else to do with Traditional Cooking or your GNOWFGLINS lifestyle.

I share tips and resources, plus answer your questions about Traditional Cooking!

The Details

When: Wednesdays at 10am Pacific / 1pm Eastern

Where: @TradCookSchool on Periscope or Traditional Cooking School on Facebook

What If You Can’t Make It?

Don’t worry. You can catch the replays or listen to the podcast!

  • Come back here to AskWardee.TV; all replays will be up within hours of airing live; the print notes are always posted at the same time I go live.
  • Follow @TradCookSchool on Periscope or Traditional Cooking School on Facebook to view the replay.
  • Subscribe to the #AskWardee podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, YouTube, or the Podcasts app. While you’re there, be sure to leave a rating and review!

Want To Get YOUR Question Answered?

Here’s how to submit your question. If we answer it on #AskWardee, you’ll get a gift!

Or, you can…

  • Tweet your question to @TradCookSchool on Twitter; use hashtag #AskWardee
  • Send an email to wardee at AskWardee dot tv — add #AskWardee to your email so I know it’s for the show

Please do NOT add future questions for #AskWardee to the comments of this post because they might get missed!

Have you or a family member dealt with eczema? Do you know how to heal eczema naturally?

We only recommend products and services we wholeheartedly endorse. This post may contain special links through which we earn a small commission if you make a purchase (though your price is the same).

Posted in: #AskWardee GAPS Tips Health & Nutrition Healthy Living Q & A Videos

About Wardee Harmon

Wardee lives in the Boise area of Idaho with her dear family. She's the lead teacher and founder of the Eat God's Way online cooking program as well as the author of Fermenting, Sourdough A to Z, and other traditional cooking books. Eat God's Way helps families get healthier and happier using cooking methods and ingredients from Bible Times like sourdough, culturing, and ancient grains.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Wendy says

    July 24, 2016 at 4:04 pm

    I’ve been following similar protocol and still am struggling with food allergies. I’m gluten intolerant and have allergies to milk, soy, apples, tomatoes, pork, corn and I also have candida problems. I’ve eliminated the allergens as much as possible. I’m wondering, how long I should avoid the foods while my gut is healing? Thanks for all of your great advice.

    Reply
    • Millie says

      August 2, 2016 at 7:43 am

      Hi Wendy,

      Some people follow a gut-healing diet for many years; it depends on the severity. We can’t give particular advice but would encourage you to work with a natural doctor if there are issues that aren’t resolving through avoidance alone.

      Millie
      Traditional Cooking School

      Reply
  2. Jerick says

    August 2, 2016 at 9:37 pm

    Yeah we did that elimination diet to find out the cause. It’s a really good first step. Awesome article!

    Reply
  3. Abbey says

    December 10, 2016 at 2:32 pm

    I am interested in the testing. We have not yet done an elimination diet but are in the phase of mentally preparing for it :)!. Are there other testimonials for this test sight? It says I can’t order the test myself and I can’t seem to see the cost.

    Thank you!

    Reply
    • Millie says

      December 13, 2016 at 3:04 pm

      Hi Abbey,

      We don’t know of any testimonials. However, pretty much everyone that we know who has done the test has done it through US BioTek. 🙂

      Millie
      Traditional Cooking School

      Reply
  4. Caroline says

    December 27, 2016 at 11:31 am

    Great thanks hear you make the point that egg sensitivity can be to just yolk or white. In our daughter’s case it was yolk – she’s fine with white. Interestingly, after hearing that duck eggs have a different effect, we tried her with them, and she doesn’t react to them at all.

    On the subject of testing negative to allergy tests, my daughter asked to be retested as she was hoping she’d grown out off allergy to lactose and gluten. The hospital tested her and she did not react. However, the dietician said that this only tests for fast reacting allergies, not slow reacting, which can take up to 2 days to manifest. I was given a ‘ladder’ diet to slowly introduce her to gluten (and after that was finished, to dairy), to see whether the eczema and other symptoms flared up. They did, unfortunately, which demonstrated exactly what the dietitian at the hospital was talking about.

    Reply
  5. Elisabeth says

    April 6, 2018 at 3:12 pm

    My son suffered from severe eczema for almost 3 years . We did an elimination diet with fruits. He healed up quickly. We have been able to add everything back into the diet without any problems. Now we want to focus on a traditional diet and the creation diet of how our Creator would want us to eat. I love your site and can’t wait to learn to more.

    Reply
  6. Anna says

    June 4, 2018 at 2:44 am

    Hi Wardee, would you kindly share your recipe for the homemade anti-itch cream that you made for your son when he was dealing with eczema?
    My boy started having eczem since infancy. He is now 29 months old and has yet been able to sleep through the night. Many nights I am up with him to try to stop him from scratching skin out 🙁
    God bless!
    Anna

    Reply
    • Peggy says

      June 4, 2018 at 2:14 pm

      Hi, Anna,
      Here is Wardee’s recipe: I infused calendula in olive oil as we describe here:
      https://traditionalcookingschool.com/health-and-nutrition/how-to-make-and-use-an-herbal-infusion/

      And scroll further down to the salve section. I added beeswax as described to make it a salve like described.

      It is really easy!
      ~Peggy, TCS Customer Success Team

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Hi and Welcome!

I’m Wardee Harmon and I help Christian families who know they should eat healthy but are tired of complicated, time-consuming, weird-tasting, and unsustainable “healthy” diets…

…who want to look and feel better, save time and money, and have more energy for enjoying family life and serving Him fully!… like I was. Click here for more…

Recently on the Blog

  • Fizzy Apple Cider Switchel (VAD)
  • VitaClay Review & Buyer’s Guide
  • How to Make Healthy Cookies #AskWardee 006
  • Bean and Barley Soup (Instant Pot, Stove Top)
  • Soaked Spelt Banana Bread (VAD)
  • Ancient Grains 101
  • How to Heal Digestive Issues Naturally (Leaky Gut, SIBO, IBS, Celiac & more)
  • How To Meal Plan In 4 Easy Steps (KYF103)
  • Debunking 4 Sourdough Myths (& How To Overcome Them)
  • How To Use A Pressure Cooker 101

Recently Commented

  • Anonymous on Middle Eastern Kefir Cheese Balls {with free video!}
  • Genelle Johnson on Sourdough Einkorn Rosemary Focaccia
  • SUE mom divorced on 5 Ways to Take Care of Yourself During Your Period
  • YTmp3 on How To Make Healthy Mild-Tasting Mayonnaise #AskWardee 128
  • Debbie on 45 Real Food Copycat Recipes (Olive Garden, Chipotle & more!)
  • YTmp3 on Homemade Sauerkraut In A Stoneware Crock
  • AJ on Homemade Dog Food In The Instant Pot

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Before Footer

g-NOWF-glinz

…are what we eat! God’s Natural, Organic, Whole Foods, Grown Locally, In Season.

We love working with other Christian families who love good food and want to eat according to God’s design…

Not only because we believe it’s the healthiest way, but because we want to give Him glory for creating good food as the best medicine!

Learn more about GNOWFGLINS here…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOcH27DM1dI

Eat God’s Way Cooking Program

Our Eat God’s Way cooking program is for Christian families who know they should eat healthy but are tired of complicated, time-consuming, weird-tasting, and unsustainable “healthy” diets…

…who want to look and feel better, save time and money, and have more energy for enjoying family life and serving Him fully!

Join 12,000+ families served since 2010! Learn more here…

Copyright © 2025 Traditional Cooking School by GNOWFGLINS • About • Help • Privacy • Partners