SmartKlean: A New Natural, Safe Laundry Detergent Alternative (Review & Giveaway)

Posted by Jennifer in Allergies, Eczema, Giveaways, Natural Living and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

When Tristan’s skin was at its worst, laundry detergent, even the green/eco-friendly detergents, further irritated his skin – probably due to their ingredients (SLS/SLES to name a few) and the chemical residue buildup. I tried making my own laundry soap, but I just couldn’t find the right recipe. After a few fails at making my own, we moved to soap nuts and used them for at least one year before hearing about SmartKlean on a green living blog. While soap nuts were great, and about as natural as you can get, I didn’t find their odor all that pleasant. My laundry never came out smelling clean, so I had to add a few drops of tea tree oil to the wash, which helped. With soap nuts, since you’re dealing with a “soap” straight out of the tree, there are some extra steps you have to take before using the nuts and then you can only use them for about 5 wash cycles before replacing them, which I had a hard time keeping track of personally.

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So, while I love soap nuts because they really helped us in our hour of need, I was always looking for an easier, but also safe/natural alternative.

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I contacted SmartKlean with some initial questions and asked if I could review their product for the blog only…..but then I then fell so deeply in love with it, that I have decided to offer it as our first laundry product at The Eczema Company (see it here.)

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smartklean laundry ball

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This is why I love SmartKlean:

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1) It’s EASY to use.

I keep the SmartKlean ball in my washing machine and never remove it. I add clothes to the wash, then remove the clothes when they’re clean, always keeping the ball in the wash. Sure, the company says to take the ball out every now and then to let it sit in the sun for an hour to regenerate the mineral pellets, but I haven’t done this and it still works great!

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2) It’s GENTLE and great for those with eczema, other skin disorders, and sensitive skin.

  • 100% hypoallergenic
  • No detergent or soap residue (Did you know: 2% of a garment’s weight comes from laundry detergent residue. Ick!)
  • Removes harsh chlorine from your washing water.
  • Doesn’t contain SLS (sodium lauryl sulphate) or SLES (sodium laureth sulfate/sodium lauryl ether sulphate), both chemicals and studies have proved how harsh they are on our skin.
  • No added fragrance or brightening agents, also harsh on skin.

3) It makes my laundry smell FRESH.

SmartKlean makes my laundry smell clean, but not that artificial fragrance kind of clean, but more like pure, fresh spring water. It’s lovely.

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4) It’s ECOLOGICAL.

  • 1 SmartKlean Ball is equivalent to 20-40 containers of laundry products. You’re not buying/using case after case of bottled or boxed detergents – which may be tossed in the garbage or recycled (Did you know: Only about 30% of plastic bottles are eligible for recycling). Adding to our garbage is bad, but even recycling takes energy. I’m much happier just consuming less.
  • Both the ceramics and magnets contained inside of the laundry ball are natural and 100% biodegradable. The exterior shell case is made up of recyclable thermoplastic elastomer, which is a number 7 plastic, so you can recycle it at most community recycling centers.  Inside the ball, you have mineral based, non-toxic ceramic beads and magnets. SmartKlean’s active ingredients are 100% free of harsh chemicals including surfactants, toxins, ABS, LAS, SLS, SLES, formaldehyde, ammonia, chlorine, glycol solvents, phthalates, artificial colorants, petroleum distillates, pesticides, fragrances, phosphates, parabens and allergens.
  • Cold or warm water wash only – the ball works most effectively in these temperatures, so you’ll save money and energy by skipping the hot water wash.

5) It SAVES money.

  • If you can believe this, one ball lasts through 365 washes! Given the retail price of $44.99, this may be the lowest cost option (around $.13 per load), next to just washing your clothes with water and baking soda.
  • Your clothing will last longer since using detergents leaves residue buildup, which is hard on clothes.
  • Skip the fabric softener – you won’t need. My clothing came out nice and soft.
  • No need to wash in hot water – listing this one again since it’s both an ecological and economical advantage.

Negatives: The only negatives I found are pretty common complaints with any natural, non-toxic laundry product. And they are…

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1) WHITES lost luster.

Over time the whites will become less so and will need a bit of a freshen-up. This is very common for natural laundry products and wasn’t a surprise for me. I did find my whites stayed whiter longer with SmartKlean than with soap nuts, so that was a bonus. To freshen up my whites,  I like to use sodium percarbonate, also known as powdered hydrogen perioxide, but SmartKlean has a few natural ideas of their own on their blog.

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2) STAINS need assistance.

There are no miracle, chemical based stain removers inside the ball, so I find I do need to use a stain remover of my own. I like the one they sent me to try, SmartKlean Stain Remover, as it contains great non-toxic ingredients with lovely essential oils, and it works! (I don’t sell the stain remover yet, but hope to soon!)

smartklean laundry stain remover

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3) HARD WATER alert.

We don’t have hard water, but I have read that the ball may be less effective in hard water and a booster like baking soda may be necessary to use along with the ball.

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So, just how does the SmartKlean ball work? I found this overview from their website:

“The laundry ball is filled with four types of mineral-derived ceramic beads and two magnets, each performing different cleaning functions. When these components come in contact with water, they form ‘oxygenated’ water with an increased pH level and an ability to eliminate germs and bacteria. The result is fresh, safe and clean laundry! “

If you’re interested in the science behind the SmartKlean ball, take a look a look here.

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*****GIVEAWAY******

SmartKlean is giving away one (1) SmartKlean ball and one (1) SmartKlean stain stick. One winner will be selected. Contest is open to US and Canadian residents (except Quebec).

**Enter the giveaway HERE.**

Good luck everyone!

Confession: I Overlooked a Suspected Allergen In an Ingredient List

Posted by Jennifer in Allergies and tagged with , , , , , , , , ,

I feel really lucky at this moment because I made a mistake, a HUGE mistake. Thankfully, Tristan is ok.

A little background:

We think Tristan has an allergy to almonds. He used to drink almond milk daily and was incredibly itchy. After stopping the milk, the itching stopped. So, now, as far I as I know, he hasn’t had almonds for about a year. No, I take that back, he tried a bite of yogurt made from almonds the other day (completely dairy free) and he got a little pink around his mouth, so he didn’t have any more. I avoid almonds now because I just don’t know if he could have developed a more severe reaction to them, like he did with dairy not long ago. Blood and skin testing was always negative, like most everything else – even for his anaphylaxis to dairy.

Back to the present:

He’s been eating these crazy healthy gluten-free snacks for several months now, from ShaSha Co. They’re organic, raw, vegan, with no added sugar, and contain prebiotics. Just a really great product. He eats a few here and there for “dessert,” but doesn’t eat them religiously.

shasha_snacks

Yesterday I got a new bag out and checked the ingredient label like I usually do for a new package of a favorite food item. Just wanting to make sure the company didn’t add anything new and unwanted in the item.

And what did I read in the ingredient list? Almonds! What??!!! I snatched the bag away from Tristan and quickly explained that mama made a mistake and these snacks may actually contain almonds. He was totally fine. Didn’t make a sound of protest. I guess his only anaphylactic episode is still to recent and at the top of his mind.

Surely, this company has just recently added almonds to their snacks. I would have clearly seen almonds in the ingredient list before. I am SO careful!

I take a bite just to see if they taste the same to me. Hmmm…they taste exactly the same. Adding almonds probably would have given them a slightly different taste. And they sure do look the same.

At that point a big, hard, rock started to form in the pit of my stomach. I emailed the company and asked them if they’d recently added almonds. They quickly replied and said, no, always contained almonds.

Oh man. Wow. I missed it……what if Tristan had a reaction?!

MAJOR Mom Guilt!

But…he didn’t have a reaction. He’s been eating a little bit of almonds for months now apparently and without reacting. But, I don’t feel safe testing almonds on him at home anymore, so we’ll wait and talk to his new allergist about it. No more Sha Sha snacks for now. Hopefully we can do an in office food challenge and see how it goes. I’d love to be able to give Tristan almonds from time to time. Unlike most his other allergens, almonds are actually healthy and I hate that he’s missing out on them.

So, lesson learned. We make mistakes – as hard as we try not to – it happens. I am certainly humbled by this experience and am thankful everything turned out ok.

Now it’s your turn, confession time. What colossal mistakes have you made in regards to your child’s health? Please don’t tell me I’m the only one that put their child at a HUGE risk…..

It’s time to get it off your chest. Trust me, it feels good to confess :)

Allergen-Free Labeling & Manufacturing: Are You Asking the Right Questions? (Guest Post)

Posted by Jennifer in Allergies, Guest Posts and tagged with , , , , , , ,

Today’s guest post comes from Tammie Sarra, a new friend and owner of Allergic Solution baking mixes. Check out my review of her great allergen-free products here. I consider Tammie my natural healing mentor now as it seems she has experience with so many of my health concerns and always has helpful suggestions and facts from current research that helps guide me. I was really impressed with her company’s manufacturing standards, so I asked her to write about the issues with labeling food products as allergy-free or free from and how we as consumers can make sure we get past the marketing catch phrases to determine if a food is really safe for our families.

Tammie would like to offer Itchy Little World’s Readers a special discount at Allergic Solution. Use the promo code ITCHY at the web store. Offer not applicable to gift baskets or bulk orders. 

- Jennifer

allergy safe manufacturing

Allergen-Free Labeling & Manufacturing: Are You Asking the Right Questions?

by Tammie Sarra (see bio below)

I have a shrimp allergy and have had a few scary moments when I have been ‘shrimped’ without realizing it.  One night at my local pub I decided to order some crab cakes.  I have had crab many times and no reaction.  So I am eating my crab cakes and I start to feel really unwell.  I decide to go home and half way there I started having trouble breathing. The only time this happens is if I have ingested shrimp.  I called my girlfriend who was still at the pub and ask her to ask the server what the ingredient list was on the crab cakes.  She asked if I was ok and I say no, I think there was something other than crab in those crab cakes.  Trying not to panic I drove home, got my epi-pen and stabbed myself in the thigh.  My breathing got better but I was completely freaked out.  My girlfriend showed up and told me besides crab the manufacturer of the crab cakes listed ‘mixed seafood’!  I was so angry!  This was my life they were messing with!  I called the manufacturer and told them my concerns, their response “if you are allergic to seafood why are you eating crab cakes?”.  I explained that I was not allergic to all seafood just shrimp.  Well they kept blaming me and It left me feeling so helpless.

Safety in food manufacturing is I feel one of the most important aspects of the food industry.  Consumers deserve to know where each raw ingredient comes from and transparency with manufacturers and raw ingredient suppliers shouldn’t be a suggestion, a policy or a something that is none of our business.

When it comes to food allergies it is even more important.  Just because a manufacturer says they have a gluten-free, nut-free, dairy-free whatever-free facility; doesn’t mean the raw ingredients have been checked for these allergens.  Anyone claiming allergen-free should also be testing random batches of their finished product to make sure these allergens indeed are not in their product.

Anyone who has food allergies; especially if they are severe and have anaphylactic reactions; should be mindful and ask questions.

Manufactures should have an Allergen Control program that covers farm to finished product.  This means if a company claims they are gluten-free, they should be testing for gluten in their finished product.  They should also be researching where their raw ingredients come from.  For example if a manufacturer is using bean flours, does the farmers where they get the beans from ONLY grow beans?  What if these farmers grew beans, wheat and soy?  Most farmers don’t have a separate set of machinery for each crop; no they harvest their wheat, soy and beans with the same machinery.

What about the mill that mills the flour?  Are they a dedicated wheat free facility?  If not then there is cross-contamination and this goes for all allergens.  What about the facility that processes the raw ingredients or stores them?  These are just a few of the places where cross-contamination can occur.

The facility can be free of certain allergens but unless the manufacturer is looking everywhere along the supply chain and testing the end product then how can a consumer be 100% confident that there has been no cross-contamination?

So why isn’t every manufacturer claiming free of allergens doing this?  For the most part it is the cost involved.  Testing is expensive and time consuming, but when lives are at stake is it not worth it?

As consumers we need to get more informed and not just reach for the least expensive products.  Call the manufacturer and ask questions, don’t expect that just because something makes sense then it is being done.  We need to do our due diligence and it is our responsibility to keep ourselves and our loved ones safe.  Especially when every day we are ingesting food, do you really want to risk it?

Tammie Sarra

Bio: Through Tammie Sarra’s challenges with her own health, her children’s health and working with families affected with Autism, she has seen over and over again how nutrition is key to helping overcome many health problems. Having studied nutrition in Canada and England, working in the nutrition industry for over 17 years and teaching nutrition, she is aware that consuming an allergen-free, gluten-free diet significantly reduces inflammation. As a working single mother, Tammie often found it frustrating and exhausting having to bake everything from scratch in order to adhere to the anti-inflammatory diet that healed her. Tammie created a company that utilizes her 20+ years of experience in the nutrition, health and wellness industry as well as the experience she gained managing her personal health concerns. This is how Allergic Solution, Premium Allegen Free Food Products, was born.

Summer Camp Series: Asthma

Posted by Jennifer in Asthma and tagged with , , , ,

This is the last of the Summer Camp Series, this time we’ll talk asthma camps. There are by far more camps for children and teens with asthma and I’m not sure why that is. Perhaps because there have been more cases of children with asthma in the past than those diagnosed with food allergies or eczema. These numbers are changing, so I hope to see more food allergy and eczema camps pop up in future years.

asthma camp for kids

Since there are simply too many camps to list, here are a few organizations that provide their own lists of camps for kids with asthma:

Are you sending your asthmatic child to camp this summer? Has your child attended camp before? Was it an awesome experience for them?

Summer Camp Series: Eczema

Posted by Jennifer in Eczema and tagged with , , , , ,

The thought of sending a child with eczema to camp can feel a bit overwhelming. Who’s going to watch them so they don’t scratch? Who’s going to either apply cream to them or remind the child to do it themselves? Who’s going to make sure they avoid their triggers? Who’s going to ensure no one bullies them about their skin? And so on.

Thankfully there are camps just for kids with eczema and other chronic skin conditions! Can you imagine, a camp where there are other kids with skin just like theirs? They won’t feel alone and they’ll just want to have fun.

Here are a few camps I’ve found for children with chronic skin conditions, like eczema. Maybe one is near you! Some of these camps even have sponsorship programs that will pay all or some of the camper’s expenses.

Camp Discovery for Eczema

Camp Discovery

Locations vary by year. Here is a list of 2013 camps:

Crosslake, Minnesota
Ages 10-14
June 23-28*

&

Ages 14-16
July 7-12*

Carnation, Washington
Ages 8-16
June 24-28*

Burton, Texas
Ages 9-15
August 11-16*

Millville, Pennsylvania
Ages 8-13
August 10-17

Hebron, Connecticut
Ages 8-16
August 11-17*

Camp Wonder for eczema

Camp Wonder

Livermore, California

Camp Korey for eczema

Camp Korey‘s Camp Reflection

Carnation, Washington

Stay tuned for the next post in this Summer Camp Series: Asthma Camps!

Announcing a Breakthrough in Eczema Treatment: Chicago Integrative Eczema Center

Posted by Jennifer in Eczema, Natural Living and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Honestly, I am quite beside myself over the launch of this new clinic, the Chicago Integrative Eczema Center. I met the co-founder, the amazing Dr. Peter Lio, at the National Eczema Association Patient Conference last summer, and he mentioned this clinic was in the works. So, I waited patiently for the launch and now that the clinic is open for business, I just want to shout about it from the rooftops!

Just what makes this clinic so special?

It combines the best of western medicine and natural therapies to treat eczema. Can it possibly get any better than that?! I am a firm believer in holistic medicine, but I also understand that western medicine can be essential at times. So, this clinic’s approach is spot on in my opinion. Not to mention the involvement of Dr. Lio, who is a highly qualified and respected dermatologist and happens to be incredibly kind and forward thinking. I have not had the fortune of meeting his partner, Dr. Ryan Lombardo, but if he’s collaborating with Dr. Lio, he must be just as wonderful.

Without further ado, please welcome Dr. Peter Lio for a Q&A about the new Chicago Integrative Eczema Center!

Chicago Integrative Eczema Center

Q: Dr. Lio, please give us a brief background on yourself and why you chose to go into Dermatology, particularly why you chose to specialize in atopic dermatitis.

A: I have been interested in becoming a doctor since I was little, but once I got to medical school, I realized that it wasn’t so simple–there were lots of fascinating specialties to consider! Initially, I thought I was going to be a neurologist.  My research during college was all about learning and memory and I found the study of the brain to be extremely compelling.  However, during the second year of medical school we were exposed to a one-week lecture series on dermatology.  About 15 minutes into the first lecture (given by the great teacher and mentor Dr. Charles Taylor), I was hooked!  Interesting words (where else do you get to use terms like “ostraceous” and “serpiginous”?!), fascinating diseases, and lots of unanswered questions!  While in other areas of medicine there were pathways, cycles and genes that seemed to explain almost everything, dermatology was wide open… there was a lot of mystery!  That drew me to it and still does.  Atopic Dermatitis is perhaps the ultimate dermatologic disease: on one hand, we know so much about it and can do some things to help, but we still don’t fully get it and–try as we might–we can’t seem to get to the root of it to cure it.  YET, hopefully…  I found lots of patients and families struggling with eczema, and I decided to dive in to learn everything I could and try to help out as much as possible.  It’s been an incredible adventure so far: difficult, but deeply satisfying.

Q: How do you feel about alternative and integrative medicine as it relates to eczema? (Do you have any good recent research on treatments you can quote here?)

A: Part of what was frustrating for me was coming to terms with our fairly limited armamentarium of treatments for eczema.  After I finished my Dermatology residency, I decided to study acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine to see if I could gain a new perspective and open the door for new treatments.  I spent a year with Kiiko Matsumoto and David Euler in Boston and completed the wonderful course called Structural Acupuncture for Physicians.  It opened my eyes to many things, most importantly the reality of “energy medicine”, which is what acupuncture is on the most fundamental level.  To that end, a few colleagues and I published a paper last year that was able to show some benefit for the itch of eczema–arguably the root of the disease–by using acupressure.  The study can be viewed here.  This led to looking into other forms of alternative medicine, and I am particularly interested in botanicals that can heal.  Lately, I’ve been very excited about the anti-inflammatory effect and skin-barrier-rebuilding powers of topical sunflower seed oil.  I’ve been recommending this combined with coconut oil, which is known to have some anti-bacterial properties which is also very useful in atopic dermatitis.  I’ve written a few updates on some of these alternative treatments, you can view them here – part one and part two.

Q: From what I understand, you are a pioneer in the world of eczema, founding the first integrative medical clinic specifically for eczema sufferers. What was the inspiration behind this amazing idea? Was it a difficult task to achieve?

A: At the end of the day, my goal is to help patients.  My thinking is that I want to take the best of every tradition to get people better.  In my time of intense focus on acupuncture, I found that the acupuncture approach did some things better than the “pure” Western approach; but for other things, not so much.  There was a part of me that was disappointed when a patient returned to my very talented teacher and was only a little bit better.  I had secretly hoped that this was “the cure”, and that I’d find a powerful technique to zap the eczema and make it go away for everyone… It didn’t quite work out that way.  But, I did see some things that were important and were being overlooked by many Western physicians.  That was almost a decade ago, but the idea was planted then for me: to use some form of integrative care to help eczema patients and families.  The Chicago Integrative Eczema Center is the realization of that dream.  It’s been a lot of work getting things organized.  I was lucky when I met Ryan Lombardo, who is a DAOM (Doctor of Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine) and also very interested in skin disease.  We shared a number of patients and began to meet to discuss treatment approaches. Before long, we realized that we should probably pool our resources and collaborate… and the Chicago Integrative Eczema Center was born. 

Q: What do you hope to achieve with your clinic? What is the general approach?

A: The Chicago Integrative Eczema Center has 4 main goals: First, to be a trusted source of information and education about eczema that is inclusive of alternative and complementary medicine.  Second, to be a place for holistic care of eczema, offering a range of treatments from a Traditional Chinese Medicine approach to the standard Western approach, and everything in-between.  Third, to be a place for patient support and connections.  We are closely allied with the National Eczema Association and their official Chicago Eczema Support Group, run by Erika Czopkiewicz and Nathan Jetter, two amazingly dedicated individuals. Fourth, to be a place to push the boundaries forward and learn more about eczema through research studies like the acupressure study mentioned above.  To meet these goals, in addition to collaborating on patients that we see in our individual clinics, we will have combined sessions where Ryan and I will see patients simultaneously and have guest speakers with questions and answers, and I will be the medical adviser of the Chicago Eczema Support Group as well.

Q: What services will you offer?

A: We will be seeing patients and, through Ryan, offering acupuncture, acupressure, herbs, nutritional supplements and other botanical topical treatments.  We also work with nutritionists, allergists, a hypnotherapist, and several other practitioners closely for when our patients need other types of expertise.  Part of what we are building is a network of providers who can work together and meet the need for holistic and integrative care, which is very exciting to me.  

 Stay in touch with the Center:

Website: http://www.chicagoeczema.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChiEczema 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChicagoEczema

About the co-founders of the Chicago Integrative Eczema Center:

Dr. Peter LioPeter Lio is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Dermatology & Pediatrics at Northwestern University, Feinberg  School of Medicine. Dr. Lio received his medical degree from Harvard Medical School, completed his internship at Boston Children’s Hospital and his dermatology training at Harvard. He has had formal training in acupuncture under Kiiko Matsumoto and David Euler, and has held a long interest in alternative medicines. He currently serves on the Scientific Advisory Board for the National Eczema Association. His clinical office is located at Dermatology & Aesthetics of Wicker Park.

Dr. Ryan LombardoRyan Lombardo received his Doctorate of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine from the Midwest College of Oriental Medicine in Chicago, IL. The Doctor of Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine (DAOM) is the highest formal educational credential available in the field of acupuncture and Oriental medicine in the United States. Dr. Lombardo is one of 6 doctors practicing as a DAOM recognized by the State of Illinois and has been practicing acupuncture and Oriental Medicine in the Chicagoland area as a Licensed Acupuncturist (L.Ac.) and Master of Science in Oriental Medicine (MSOM) since 2003. Dr. Lombardo is a faculty member of Midwest College’s doctoral program, leading the Nutraceutical Science and Chinese Medicine Energetics curriculum.  His clinical practice is located at AcuHealth of Wicker Park.

Summer Camp Series: Food Allergies

Posted by Jennifer in Allergies and tagged with , , , , ,

My child has life threatening food allergies. We’ve had our close call and hope that it NEVER, EVER happens again. But, I don’t want my son living under a rock, fearful of having fun and being, well, a kid. So, he’s off to a summer day camp this year. I’ve spoken with the program directors about my son’s allergies and drilled them on their allergy awareness and emergency protocols and I came away feeling confident that my son will be safe. Of course he’ll be wearing his epinephrine and asthma pump in a cute little hip bag/carrier, he’ll also be sporting a medical ID bracelet, and I’ll be reminding his counselors about his allergies everyday, but he’ll be having the time of his life at camp.

camp for kids with food allergies

Food Allergy Focused Camps

When my son is old enough, I would love for him to attend one of these cool camps just for kids with food allergies. Check out the post about Camp Blue Spruce, a sleep away camp for kid’s with food allergies, to get a feel for the concept.

These resources have lists of food allergy camps – maybe there is one near you:

Regular Camps

If you can’t find a food allergy camp in your area, no need to worry. Your children can still have fun and be safe at a local camp, but you’ll need to be diligent in ensuring the camp is savvy and attentive when it comes to food allergies and especially to your child’s specific needs. Here are two great posts on this very topic:

Best Allergy Sites: Summer Camp and Food Allergies

Kids with Food Allergies: Make Summer Camp Safe for Your Food-Allergic Child

Have you sent your food allergic child to summer camp? What was your experience? What was your child’s experience?

Stay tuned for the next part of the Summer Camp Series: Eczema!

Eczema Book Review & Giveaway- Malcolm Finney Medical Detective: The Case of the Itch and the Rash

Posted by Jennifer in Eczema, Giveaways, Reviews and tagged with , , , ,

“The Case of the Itch and the Rash” is a new eczema children’s book, part of the Malcolm Finney Medical Detective Series, for children ages 6-11. It was written by Registered Nurse, Erika Kimble and is available for sale at Amazon.com…

…but, we’re giving away one copy of the book to one reader. To enter the contest, please simply add a comment to this post and tell us about your child’s eczema. Contest ends April 30, 2013.

malcolm finney medical detective the case of the itch and the rash

About the book

“The Case of the Itch and the Rash” takes some of the medical jargon typically used when discussing eczema and explains it in an easy to understand format along with illustrations. The story is about Malcolm Finney (a forth grade medical detective) and his mission to identify what caused his friend, Carlita, to develop a rash and itchy skin. In the end the two sleuths are able to determine that Carlita has eczema and with the help of Carlita’s doctor, they find the right moisturizer and skincare program to clear up Carlita’s skin before her ballet recital.

malcolm finney eczema book

reading eczema children's book

Although the book is targeted for slightly older children, my 4.5 year old was really interested in the book when it arrived. He “read” it cover to cover alone and then asked me to read it to him. He listened intently through all 50 pages. I thought the medical explanations would be too much for him, but he was interested and asked questions. I guess he’s heard the word eczema in our house for so long and had never really seen a medical diagram of the condition or heard the condition explained in terms he could understand, so he was enthralled.

Don’t forget to add a comment to enter the giveaway for a copy of this book! Contest ends April 30, 2013!

Camp Blue Spruce, a Summer Camp for Children with Food Allergies (Guest Post)

Posted by Jennifer in Allergies, Guest Posts and tagged with , , , , ,

I had been researching summer camps for children with eczema, food allergies, and asthma, to share on this blog when Louise contacted me about Camp Blue Spruce, a sleepover came for kids with food allergies. I’m more than thrilled to let her share a little bit about this amazing camp and how she came to be involved. She’ll also share some of the excitement from campers who will attend this year…remember, these kids probably never in their wildest imaginations dreamed they’d be able to attend a sleep away summer camp, the risks are just too great for these kids. At this camp food allergies will be the last thing on their minds – everything will be safe for them…how cool is that?

-Jennifer

Camp Blue Spruce for Kids with Food Allergies

Camp Blue Spruce, a Summer Camp for Children with Food Allergies

by, Louise Tippens (see bio below)

Recently, I heard from a mom who had just registered her son for Camp Blue Spruce, an sleep-away camp for children with food allergies. She shared the exchange they had when she told him he was going to sleep away camp.

Son: I can go 5 whole days?
Mom: Yes – play and sleep and live there 5 days.
Son: How will I eat? Can you give me a lunch box for 5 days?
Mom: No. All the camp will be safe for you, you can eat ANYTHING you see. The cafeteria, the lunch ladies, the cooks – they all know and they will all make it safe for you.
Son: And the other kids?
Mom: The other kids are all like you, and they wear a MedicAlert bracelet like you.
The son kissed the mom with a beaming smile, saying “thank you, this is great!” and he went on about how fantastic it will be to have new friends “just like him”.

This boy and kids just like him are the reason we have Camp Blue Spruce, a worry-free camp for kids with food allergies. Camp Blue Spruce is like any other sleepover summer camp EXCEPT the food is prepared without any of the top food allergens.  Located in Banks, Oregon, just 30 miles from Portland, the food allergy camp is five days and nights, August 18 – 23, 2013 and is loaded with fun for boys and girls ages 9 to 14.  Activities include:

  • Swimming
  • Hiking
  • Arts and Crafts
  • Field Games
  • Campfires
  • And More . . .

The camp is free of the foods that cause more than 90% of allergic reactions, including: dairy, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, wheat, soy, gluten and sesame.

My son, Riley, is 13 years old. From the time he was born, he had horrible eczema, asthma and food allergies. Adjusting to life with these health issues was tough, but we developed our routines, and it all became just a part of life.  Fortunately, as he has grown, he has become much less itchy, and his asthma is rare. However, he is still severely allergic to 6 of the top 8 foods that cause allergies.

I have always wanted my son to be able to live a normal, independent life. I have spent a lot of time working with schools, day camps, and other places to successfully change the culture and practices so that Riley and other people living with allergies could be safe there. We have figured out how to vacation and keep him safe. But, there are some experiences that Riley knows won’t work out, since they seem too dangerous – summer camp was one of those things that didn’t seem possible.

Camp Blue Spruce is born from my strong belief that kids with food allergies need to experience the independence and camaraderie kids find at camp. They also need a place away from home where they can be completely safe and care-free about the food.

Our team is committed to making camp fun and safe. The team includes parents of children with food allergies, several allergy doctors from around the state, a former camp director, an outdoor educator, an elementary school counselor, and a communications professional. We are working with WA FEAST, a support group in Washington State for children with food allergies, and the Oregon Food Allergy Network. The staff at Gales Creek Camp, where our camp is being held, is an invaluable and gracious resource.

I received a letter today from another camper. She gave me 7 reasons why she wants to go to Camp Blue Spruce. I will share a couple with you:

  1. “I am excited to get to eat whatever I want without having to ask questions.”
  2. “I am excited because I have never met anyone else with celiac disease.”
  3. “I am excited because we are going to get to go swimming and play capture the flag and do crafts!”

Register your child now for this great week where allergic kids and kids with celiac disease can be normal campers!

Learn more about our camp located in Banks, Oregon:

Louise with her son.

Louise with her son.

Bio:  Louise Tippens is the founder and board President of Camp Blue Spruce. She is a consultant for non-profit organizations and the mother of a 13 year old with life-threatening food allergies.  Louise and her husband are committed to making life with food allergies as “normal” as possible! They live in Portland, Oregon.

What is Reiki & Can It Help Eczema (Guest Post)

Posted by Jennifer in Eczema, Guest Posts, Natural Living and tagged with , , , , ,

Athena previously wrote a great guest post for It’s an Itchy Little World about the countless therapies she tried to help heal her child’s eczema. You can read her inspiring story and how she didn’t give up, here. She briefly mentions using Reiki as part of her child’s healing process. I knew absolutely nothing about Reiki, but was intrigued as I strive to learn as much as possible about all the natural treatment options out there for eczema. I asked Athena to share how Reiki helped her child and I hope you find it as interesting as I did.

Athena performing Reiki for son's eczema

Bio:  My name is Athena Goodman and I’m 33 years old.  I’ve been a cardiac nurse for 10 years and I’m a Reiki practitioner.  I love to read, cook, and do yoga and meditation.  Now that I’m a new mother, my new hobbies are cooking full-time, and chasing after my son.

What is Reiki?
Before I get into Reiki and how it assisted with my son’s eczema, I will share my experience with Reiki years before I got pregnant.  The first time I heard about Reiki was when I was in high school when my mother told me she was taking classes.  The question that popped into my head was what is Reiki and what does it mean?  Reiki is one of many modalities of spiritual healing.  It originated in Japan in the 1920s and was founded by Mikao Usui Sensei, who discovered Reiki through fasting and mediating on Mt. Kurama in Kyoto, Japan. By going through this spiritual transformation, he was able to receive the knowledge of Reiki at the age of fifty-seven.

There are slight variations of how Reiki is translated but when I took Reiki classes many years later I got this translation from my teacher, Jennifer Kimbley.  The first part of the word rei means sacred and ki means energy of the universe.  Reiki involves tapping into the energy of the universe while using the hands as a conduit to provide a deeper level of spiritual healing, to balance the body mentally, physically and emotionally.  Now when I was in my teens, I had no interest in Reiki, I thought it sounded a little fluffy, but it gave my mother satisfaction when she was healing others.  She always offered to treat me with Reiki, but I had no patience to sit still for more than half an hour, let alone relax or try to meditate.

In the winter of 2005 I experienced whiplash from a car accident.  My family doctor thought I would probably heal in about a month since I was young, but it ended up taking almost a full year before my back pain disappeared.   Right after the car accident, I didn’t work for a month as I am a cardiac nurse and physically helping people out of bed would be risky.  Weeks after the car accident I was still having back pain, so from time to time my mother practiced Reiki on my back, but she had too much on her plate to do it consistently, plus sitting up in a chair was too uncomfortable for my back.

About seven months after my car accident, I worked with a personal trainer at the gym in hopes of further strengthening my back.  She was very open minded in regards to healing and she brought up the topic of Reiki and how she knew someone that could help me.  At that point I thought I didn’t have anything to lose and I had already tried massage and physiotherapy, which didn’t provide enough relief.  Both therapies helped significantly reduce my back pain, but it wasn’t completely eliminated.  So, I went in for Reiki treatment with the practitioner my trainer recommended. To this day I can still remember my first Reiki session with someone other than my mother.  I was lying on a massage table and the only thing the Reiki practitioner asked of me was to relax and to breath deeply.  The best way I can describe my experience was that coming out of it I felt like I had slept for at least four hours, when in reality the session was only an hour and a half long.  She told me that was a common experience for her other clients.  At the beginning, before I fell asleep, at times I could feel heat radiating from the practitioner’s hands even though she did not touch me.  And at other times I felt like I was weightless and floating on air.  I could sense there was something going on during these sessions because after each one I would feel a wave of nausea and lightheadedness that lasted for a few minutes, which my practitioner explained was a reaction to all the energy my body had just received.  My husband, who is very skeptical of anything considered alternative, was open to a Reiki session with Camille after hearing about my experiences. After his first session, he admitted there was something going on he couldn’t quite explain.  From then on he never turned down a session with our practitioner and years later when I learned Reiki, he would never turn down a session with me.

My personal trainer eventually started taking Reiki classes and invited me to take them with her.  Now when I perform Reiki and I place my hands over someone’s body, I can feel temperature changes which guide me to where the body needs healing.  My teacher had told me she actually feels a physical tap in the palm of her hand when she scans someone’s body.  So, the sensation is different for all practitioners. Only once have I taken on someone else’s symptoms, when I felt a physical knot in my throat and a major headache while performing Reiki on someone. In my personal experience, I had only felt this physical knot in my throat when I felt like I was not being heard or validated, which the person I was treating confirmed they had experienced at the end of the session.

Reiki for Eczema
I started performing Reiki on my son when he was about six months old and his eczema was at its worst, head to toe.  Some days when I felt physically and mentally drained at the end of the day, my mother would perform Reiki on my son before he went to bed for the night.  I admit that I didn’t perform Reiki on my son consistently to see dramatic life changing results, but what I did notice was that after performing Reiki on him for ten to fifteen minutes,  he was noticeably less restless than before.  Most nights he would fuss a lot due to the itchiness and discomfort, so the Reiki treatments seemed to relieve his symptoms.  I’m not saying he stopped fussing altogether, as he was still waking up multiple times a night, but right after my mother or I finished the Reiki treatment on him, he would settle down a little easier. I always felt the same sensations performing Reiki on my son, the palms of my hands would start to tingle and I felt temperature changes when I scanned his body.

I don’t know if Reiki alone could have healed my son’s eczema because his case was so severe.  I started other treatments on him around the same time I started Reiki, such as the GAPS diet, dietary supplements and avoiding all the foods he was allergic to, and saw dramatic improvement over a few months time.  All I can say is that Reiki personally worked in healing my back and I have seen it work wonders for others too, so I know it can only benefit my son as well.  By implementing Reiki as part of my son’s healing process, I’m trying to boost his body’s innate ability to heal itself.

Have you tried Reiki? Has it helped you or your child?