Eczema and Antibiotics
“Use of antibiotics in early life may increase the risk of developing eczema by up to 40 per cent, according to a new study led by King’s College London researchers, published today in the British Journal of Dermatology.”
Does this ring true with anyone? It does with me. My beautiful little girl was quite poorly from the age of 10 months (yes, that’s when she started nursery) until she was about 3. Her first winter was one long string of ear infections, chest infection, sick bugs …. It seemed never ending. I was permanently on my hands and knees scrubbing sick off the carpet. She must have had so many anti-biotics. And her eczema started at roughly the same time. I put it down to all the hideous flavours and colours they put into the medicine, but now I know more, it’s actually more about the anti-biotics disrupting her gut – killing off not just the “bad bacteria” but all the good ones she needed too.
Personally I think some (not all) GPs are a bit too happy to hand out antibiotics, some bugs just clear up on their own. Eczema is getting more and more common in wealthier countries, no co-incidence that that’s where anti-biotic use is also on the increase.
Here’s the science bit: “.. the explanation is that broad-spectrum antibiotics alter the gut microflora and that this in turn affects the maturing immune system in a way that promotes allergic disease development.”
In other words, you need to keep your gut really healthy in order to keep your immune system and your skin healthy. If you have enough good bacteria in your tum then eczema should be much less troublesome.
If you’d like advice about increasing your good bacteria, I know an excellent naturopath Nikki Hill (www.bellawellbeing.co.uk) she does consultations face to face or via Skype, so you don’t need to be local to us here in Cheshire.
Well as it turns out, all that eczema my gorgeous little girl had is why I invented my now famous organic scratchy balm. Now she is six and we are totally in control of that naughty itchy skin. So it’s not all bad news I don’t suppose.
If you want more advice about eczema, please visit my eczema page: https://www.lj-natural.com/#/eczema/4564174539
