Categories
Eczema Devotional

Mom-E-votional : Parents, Start ‘Caring for Me’

Eczema Parents Health
For the 1st time in 20 years, my dentist said my teeth is dirty!

I’m with all of you in this. My first visit to the dentist after caring for my daughter as a full-time stay-at-home mom, my dentist for the first time in my life said ‘You have dirty teeth. Period.’ I’m thinking, WHAT? Caring for my daughter with eczema had obviously limited my brushing teeth time, along with toilet time and sleep time. Cuddle, hug, laugh, TV and exercise time are out of the window. It is 3 years later when her skin is finally good enough that I started my ‘Caring for Me’ routine – making sure I eat well and within my daily calorie limit, exercising, sleeping and of course, regular dental visit.

18 months have passed since my Caring for Me routine and I have never been fitter in my life. I have muscle tone, good stamina, only my flexibility needs work (anyone offering help on this?). Just as they always say during an emergency in the airplane, take care of yourself first, then your child. I like to think that in life, to be sustainable and happily so, we as parents do have to care for ourselves. Scheduling downtime, making an effort to live healthily can help us to be happier higher energy level and in a way, a better parent. I also think of caring for my health as a way to worship God with my body, to have the strength to do His work.

Bible verse:

Luke 10:27 : And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”

Dear God, I pray that you help us, parents of eczema children or those with family members to take care of with chronic conditions to find time to care for ourselves. I do not want to be tired, stressed or sluggish, but to be a bright cheerful person to encourage and support those around me.

Care for Yourself so that You can Care for Others

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Eczema Facts

Contact Dermatitis – does your Eczema Child have it?

The things that can be irritant! Eczema child and contact dermatitis
The things that can be irritant!

So far we have not gone ‘technical’ in this blog to differentiate between atopic dermatitis and contact dermatitis, simply because when we talk about eczema, we are referring to atopic dermatitis. So what’s the difference between the two? And more importantly, are our eczema children also suffering from contact dermatitis? Is the treatment the same? And are they more likely to have contact dermatitis when older?

Phew, this already sounds like a stressful topic (everything is stressful the minute I think about anything from primary school/ grade school onwards!) These topics will be broken into two manageable reading posts, with a focus to share about the research on relationship between atopic and contact dermatitis (at least what I can find from past 3 years!)

What is Contact Dermatitis?

To complicate matters, there are two types of contact dermatitis – allergic and irritant. Allergic contact dermatitis involves the immune system by which a hypersensitive reaction (rash) results from a previous contact with the allergen. Irritant contact dermatitis, on the other hand, does not involve the immune system being sensitized to the irritant. It is a delayed hypersensitive reaction due to prolonged exposure to the irritant.

How is it different from Atopic Dermatitis?

Irritant contact dermatitis is different from atopic dermatitis in that usually more than a minuscule amount of the irritant is required to generate the hypersensitive reaction, whereas in atopic dermatitis, a very small amount can cause a severe flare-up. The mechanism of which the rashes appear differ – contact dermatitis is known as type IV delayed hypersensitivity reaction which does not involve the (IgE) immune system whereas atopic dermatitis is type 1 IgE-mediated reaction.

Which one is my Child suffering from?

This can be difficult to figure out because the symptoms of eczema and contact dermatitis are similar, such as red rashes, blisters, thickening of skin (lichenification), scaly skin and itch.

Atopic dermatitis (eczema) is more common in children, however when the child does not respond to treatment, it may be worthwhile exploring if he/she is having rashes from the chemicals the skin comes into contact with. The relationship and prevalence of the two is still not super clear, as it may be due to the much higher amount of lotions and medication used on the eczema child’s skin. This study suggest that there is increasing prevalence of contact dermatitis in children, whereas previously thought to be uncommon. Patients with atopic dermatitis are more likely to be sensitive to quaternium-15, imidazolidinyl urea, DMDM hydantoin, and 2-bromo-2-nitropropane-1,3-diol in this study.

Check back next week on Wednesday to learn of the treatment and prevention of contact dermatitis in children.

Categories
Eczema Life Cartoon

Life of Eczema Girl – Gender Difference

Eczema cartoon on gender difference
The number 1 gender difference! and note that scratching!

This is the 35th of my 2nd cartoon series, ‘LIFE OF AN ECZEMA GIRL’. For more cartoon in this series, check out here. For more potty cartoons, see here. For gender difference, do you know man and woman scratch differently? See here.

Categories
Eczema Devotional

Mom-e-votional : Better Skin, Better Everything

Baby Skin Eczema
Don’t let wishing for something turn to covetousness!

I drew this cartoon because I realized that I was looking at all the children’s (and everyone!) skin – Marcie has eczema and I wonder how some babies and children have such smooth and perfect skin! It then occurred to me that very often when someone tells us about their achievement, say ‘I managed to lose 14kg in a year’ (which I did!) or ‘I just bought a new property’ or ‘I’m now promoted to be director of my department’, our first response is ‘Congrats, I’m so fat, or so poor, or going nowhere in my life!’. Does such response instinctively come from comparing ourselves with others and wishing that the good things happen to us?

I’m reminded always that the most subtle sin in the Ten Commandments in the bible is COVETOUS. It is subtle, yes. You have something? I wish I have too. Parents with eczema children may also have to make more sacrifice – fewer holidays because your leave is used on eczema flare-ups or not able to find an alternate caregiver, or less money as the expenses of caring eczema is taking up the budget. I pray that as we journey in life, we will have gratitude and not focus on what we do not have. Resentment and frustration builds when we focus and blame life (or our convenient spouse) for why we don’t get ‘things’ in life.

Bible verse:

Luke 12:15 : And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”

Dear God, guard our heart against covetousness. Warn me when I have envy or jealousy. Alert me when I start to resent or blame someone for what I do not have. Teach me gratitude for what I have.

Be Careful NOT TO Covet

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Youtube EczemaBlues Channel

Healthcare and Patient Experience – #MedX hangout (video)

Gathering of Patients, Doctors, Educators and Tech in Stanford MedX Google Hangout - Privilege to be part of the panel
Gathering of Patients, Doctors, Educators and Tech in Stanford MedX Google Hangout – Privilege to be part of the panel (click on image to view video!)

It is truly humbling and a privilege to be part of healthcare initiatives, and in this Google Hangout with Stanford Medicine X, we discussed topics on:

Current challenges in healthcare facing the Asia region

Patient experience in Asia

Self-tracking of health by patients in Asia and whether it is helpful and how it can be used to facilitate discussion with physician

Movement towards participatory medicine, meaning the patients’ inputs, experience on what works or observations are considered by doctors

Interesting conversation as the panel of guests comes from different backgrounds, from patient caregiver (me, @MarcieMom), doctor who is active in supporting rare disease (@wmclaxton), experts in education (@Jmarooth) and devices to track health (@crayonlions). While the Google hangout was ongoing, a vibrant twitter conversation with #MedX was being moderated by @HugoOC with @DrStevenTucker joining in, and of course, thank you to @Afternoonnapper @StanfordMedX for organizing this and pouring energy into what they believe will improve healthcare.

MedX Singapore Panel

Inspired by the efforts of many in healthcare, I’ve created a playlist ‘Healthcare in Asia’ on at Youtube and will be adding more videos I find that would be relevant for us in this part of the world! Leave a comment if you’ve a recommendation for the playlist!

Categories
News & Research

Eczema Research News – Moisturizing, Fancy or not?

A good moisturizer is one the eczema child uses!
A good moisturizer is one the child uses!

Today’s topic is on Moisturizer, does Eczema need the fancy stuff? Any parent with eczema child would have come across moisturizing, after all it is standard treatment of eczema. Moisturizing is a topic that has generated MANY comments among parents, two of the more popular posts are

Help! What Moisturizer to Use on your Eczema Baby (52 comments)

How much Moisturizing is enough? (17 comments)

Many dermatologists have also shared their moisturizing tips on this blog (see the ‘moisturizer’ tag) and some of these are

Sensitive Skincare Product series with Dr Verallo-Rowel and the CEO of VMV Hypoallergenics, Laura – much time had been devoted for this series, and this post is worth printing out and bringing out with her when you shop for moisturizer – Ingredients to Avoid

Reinforcing Amount of Moisturizer to Use with Dr Jeff Benabio

Topical Treatment, part of Combined Approach series with Dr Bridgett

Today, I want to look at the latest eczema related studies published on moisturizer, with the hope of finding out the type of moisturizer. When doing so, I found this article from National Eczema Association, new insights for moisturizers for skin diseases which have explained

  1. Functions of moisturizer – Occlusive (preventing water loss) and as humectant (helping to attract moisture)
  2. Ceramide-based moisturizer studied to help eczema, but over the counter moisturizer also helps
  3. Natural oil not studied to help, and if using, those with the highest linoleic acid /oleic acid ratios are better, such as safflower oil, sunflower seed oil, and sea buckthorn seed oil (vs olive oil).

So what’s the research on moisturizer?

  1. Improves eczema as reduce inflammation and water loss (here)
  2. Protects against irritants (here)
  3. Update for a study in October 2014 that has many dermatologists excited because it is the first randomized controlled trial evidence that daily full-body emollient therapy from birth can prevent atopic dermatitis. Emollient enhancement of the skin barrier from birth offers effective atopic dermatitis prevention.
  4. Another study in October 2014 that concluded daily application of moisturizer during the first 32 weeks of life reduces the risk of atopic dermatitis/ eczema in infants. Allergic sensitization during this time period is associated with the presence of eczematous skin but not with moisturizer use.

(no specific brand mentioned in studies)

What moisturizer to buy? I think one that you can afford, your child does not object and does not contain the top irritants. What moisturizer are you using? And which ones have you found useful and which ones would NEVER recommend? Do share in the comments, thank you!

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Last updated on 17 November, 2024 11:42 am
Categories
Eczema Life Cartoon

Life of Eczema Girl – Male-Female Relationship

Eczema cartoon - Relationships from Toddler's view
I wonder how our kid think of male female relationship!

This is the 34th of my 2nd cartoon series, ‘LIFE OF AN ECZEMA GIRL’. For more cartoon in this series, check out here.

Categories
Eczema Devotional

Mom-E-votional : Letting Go of Eczema Preschoolers

Eczema Devotional Letting Go
Eczema Devotional Letting Go

Marcie is in Kindergarten 1 this year. She has been in preschool for 3 years now, and I do not regret letting go to enroll her in full-day school. She has learnt much in her preschool which provided a disciplined, enriching and fun learning environment, one which I doubt I’d have the resources to provide on my own.

For many parents, especially those with children with allergies and eczema, finding a preschool that you can trust may be difficult, more so if your child has severe anaphylactic reaction to certain allergen (most common is peanuts). Many parents have shared in last year’s managing eczema series on how they manage communication with preschool, such as drawing up a list to take note of, or packing their own food.

Letting go is hard. Having only one child, I do sometimes wonder when she will no longer want to hold my hand, shower or sleep with me! (yes, we are still doing that co-sleeping thingy).

God always watches over us and our children! Moreover, not caring for our child 24/7 can offer some resting and stress relief (even stress at work is not the same stress as looking out for scratching!). I think some time away from my child help me to be more patient with her (and the eczema!).

I pray that all parents with eczema children will be able to find alternative caregiver, even for a few hours per week to enjoy some eczema down-time.

Bible verse:

1 Peter 5:7 : casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

Dear God, I thank You that You have provided such a good preschool that cares for Marcie’s growth, learning and skin. I pray that all parents of eczema children, including infants, are able to find alternative caregiver so that they can rest and recharge to care for their child.

Letting Go of our children can benefit us and them!

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Last updated on 20 November, 2024 8:40 pm
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News & Research

Eczema Research News – More Sun and Vitamin D?

Does the Sun help? And is more sun good for eczema child? or bad?
Does the Sun help? And is more sun good for eczema child? or bad?

Today’s topic is on Vitamin D, should we need more Sunshine? Sunshine has been covered in this blog, but mostly to understand whether we need sunscreen (answer is yes!) and what types of sunscreen and how to apply. Tips on sun protection from renowned dermatologists have been shared, such as

Protecting Skin – by Dr Ava Shamban

Common Skin Rash in Children – Sunburn – by Dr Robin Shaffran

AAD Skincare Video for Eczema – by Dr Joshua Zeichner

AAD Skinccare Video – Sunscreen – by Dr Sonia Badreshia-Bansal 

Children Skin Conditions – by Dr Lynn Chiam

There is much talk about whether sun is good for our children with eczema, and there are some companies that recommend Vitamin D products (be it skincare or oral supplement). What we know about the sun and our skin is

  1. A child’s skin is thinner and thus more susceptible to harmful effects of ultraviolet light, such as sunburn and skin cancer.
  2. UV light is required for the skin to synthesize Vitamin D; vitamin D that comes from sunlight has been shown to increase the production of skin proteins (cathelicidin) and antimicrobial peptide (AMP) which protects against skin infection.
  3. For eczema patients, sun exposure is drying for skin and can aggravate eczema, esp. flare-up.

No wonder there is so much controversy on sunshine and vitamin D; in line with this Eczema Research News series, below are the studies from 2013 onward of the efficacy of Vitamin D:

Vitamin D deficiency is associated with atopic dermatitis (eczema) in children, more severe eczema (here, here)

Increased sun exposure during summer holidays associated with reduced eczema, but not related to Vitamin D level (here)

Children living in hot and humid climate have more eczema flare-ups (here), but contradicted with this study

Vitamin D has some protective function for food allergy in infants (here)

What age Vitamin D supplement is given, and in what form (soluble or tablet) may alleviate or worsen allergic diseases – as to which is best is still unknown (here), no conclusive evidence (here)

Updating with study in Nov 2014 – where 186 children were regularly followed up at clinics for a four-year follow-up period. Low cord blood Vit D levels were associated with higher risk of food sensitization throughout childhood. Cord blood Vit D levels were inversely associated with the risk of milk sensitization at age 2, at which age a higher prevalence of milk sensitization was significantly associated with the risk of allergic rhinitis and asthma development at age 4.

Have anyone tried any Vitamin D related treatment? Do share in the comments, thank you!

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Last updated on 23 November, 2024 12:26 pm
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Support Group

Eczema Support Group Friday Lunch with Senior Pharmacist

Nothing beats learning from a senior pharmacist about the products that you are using for your child with eczema, Join Us on Friday Lunch 28 March!
Nothing beats learning from a senior pharmacist about the products that you are using for your child with eczema, Join Us on Friday Lunch 28 March!

What’s a better use of Friday lunch than to learn the products that you are using (and spending $$$) on your child with eczema. On 28th March 2014, we are privileged to have Senior Pharmacist Winnie Li share on General Tips in managing Eczema in children with Over the Counter products.

More on Winnie Li: She is the Senior Pharmacist experienced with Eczema and Itch Management. She was an invited speaker for a regional Congress organized by Pharmaceutical Society of Singapore on the topic “Off-label Uses of Oral Drugs in NSC for Pruritus and OTC Itch Relief Remedies ”. She was also the speaker for annual NSC Pharmacist Seminar on the topic “Products of Itch Relief in Atopic Dermatitis”

So Mark Your Calendar and Lunch’s on us!

28 March 2014 (Friday) – Venue, National Skin Centre, Level 4, Room 401, 12.15 pm to 1pm

1. 12.15pm – 12.20pm Quick introduction

2. 12.20pm – 1pm Winnie will be sharing information on eczema, OTC products and helps answer questions you have!

There will be balloons for sculpturing, puzzles and coloring to occupy your children. Same note: Information shared is not medical advice, please still see a doc. No selling anything or pretending to be a parent of eczema child. Information on my blog is not pre-approved by NSC.

YOU MUST RSVP – Our medical social worker who is helping with the Eczema Support Group will be in-charge of confirming your attendance, which isn’t confirmed till she says so! If you’re coming, please email me ([email protected]) your name, mobile and email, number of adults & kids coming, so that I can get her to contact you.

One last thing, the session will START and END on-time, so please don’t come late and expect it to drag, it won’t! Look forward to seeing everyone, including those who normally can’t make it to our sharing session on Saturday morning! Mei

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Eczema Life Cartoon

Life of Eczema Girl – Looks Matters?

Eczema Girl cartoon of Appearance and Looks!
Do you think kids should and would be concerned with appearance?

This is the 33rd of my 2nd cartoon series, ‘LIFE OF AN ECZEMA GIRL’. For more cartoon in this series, check out here.

Categories
Eczema Devotional

Mom-E-votional: Community Spirit

Eczema community helps
Being part of a community that supports one another help in caring for eczema

I recall that one article that caught my attention 3 years ago when I first started this blog was one of a mom’s call for help when nothing had worked for her child with severe eczema. After the publishing of the article on national (Singapore) paper, many came forward offering to buy what had worked for their child for this mom or sponsoring cash to defray the consultation and treatment cost of eczema. It is heart-warming to know that public (strangers) are so willing to help, and more so for parents who have been through caring for eczema children. I moderate on talkeczema forum daily, to provide support for those with eczema questions or struggles. And this devotional, is also an attempt to support you, the eczema online community.

In my own struggle, one community that had provided support is my bible study group. For those foreign to the concept of weekly bible study/fellowship, it is a response to the call in bible, one of which in Hebrews 10:24-26 ‘And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.’ None of the families in my bible study group had severe eczema, but all having gone through parenting, understand the demands on a first-time mom and provided prayer and practical support. One family brought their baby sling, another a cot and another a baby spring cot to see how my baby with eczema could sleep better. I do pray that we all have a source of support, from family, friends, fellowship group, online community, and God’s always with us.

Bible Verse:

1 Thessalonians 5:11 : Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

Dear God, thank You for being with us. I pray that we can be a source of support and encouragement, that stems from genuine care and love for families with eczema children. I pray that You direct all moms and dads to find a community that they can draw support and share their experiences. You know who needs support most at this stage of caring for their child, draw them close to You.

Contribute to a Community that Cares

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News & Research

Eczema Research News – Reduce Staph Bacteria?

Reducing Staph Bacteria helps Eczema Child
Reducing Staph Bacteria helps Eczema Child (picture from summerinfant.com)

This is part of a quarterly round-up of some of the recent eczema-related studies, so that we can be aware of possible treatments and their efficacy (and I can also keep myself updated with the latest eczema research!)

Today’s topic is on Staph Bacteria, should we Reduce it? Staph, short for Staphylococcus aureus, is a bacteria that is frequently found on the skin of eczema patients. I have wrote about staph bacteria from as early as 2011, covering topics from:

What Causes Your Child’s Eczema – Staph (series from review article “Features of childhood atopic dermatitis” by Hugo Van Bever and Genevieve Illanora)

Staph Bacteria series with Dr Clay Cockerell

MRSA (Methicillin-Resistant Staph Aureus) decolonisation

At the same time, I have been encouraging parents to bring their children for swimming or to clean the child’s eczema skin with chlorhexidine, with the intention of reducing the staph bacteria which promote skin inflammation via the provocation of mast skin cells. My purpose today is to update on the literature behind staph bacteria, in the hope of knowing if we ought to be more vigilant at reducing the staph bacteria on our child’s skin.

What is Staph Bacteria?

Staph is short for staphylococcus aureus, a very resilient bacteria found on the skin that can survive in dry condition and on dry skin with little oxygen.  It tends to involve areas that are warm and moist especially such as skin near mucous membranes such as the nose, mouth, genitals and anal area. It is found in about 25-30% of healthy adults who are known as carriers and generally does not cause an infection in those with otherwise healthy skin. However, in almost 90% of eczema patients, staph bacteria colonizes their skin.

What harm does Staph cause?

According to a research paper, the staph bacteria “causes immune-system cells in the skin to react in a way that produces eczema-like rashes. The release of the molecule, called delta toxin, by staph bacteria caused immune-related mast cells in the skin to release tiny granules that cause inflammation”. 

How to reduce Staph bacteria on our child’s skin?

Swimming, bleach bath, chlorhexidine

What’s the studies on treatment involving the active reduction of staph bacteria?

We are interested in this, obviously, it is important to know if the measures that we are taking in the care of our child’s eczema skin is effective. Based on the studies I looked up on PubMed from 2013 onward:

Bleach bath is effective in eczema treatment, via reduction of staph bacteria (here)

Confirmation that children with eczema have staph bacteria colonization on their skin (here), likewise for adults (here, in particular it was hypothesized that staph bacteria colonization may have facilitated the penetration of allergens into the skin, triggering rash)

Update for August 2015 study which contrary to previous studies, showed that a four-week, twice-weekly regime of bleach baths is no more effective than water in a double-blinded, placebo-controlled cross-over trial.

Staph bacteria associated with higher severity of eczema (here)

A number of studies mentioned the concern over MRSA, and that prescription such as fusidic acid may lead to the bacteria being resistant to treatment (here).

Have you tried any of the staph bacteria reduction tips for your child? Is it effective? Do share in the comments, thank you!

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Last updated on 25 November, 2024 1:33 pm
Categories
Eczema Life Cartoon

Life of Eczema Girl – Pretty?

Eczema cartoon on toddler preschooler looks
I confess that I do sometimes say ‘pretty’, maybe I shouldn’t!

This is the 32nd of my 2nd cartoon series, ‘LIFE OF AN ECZEMA GIRL’. For more cartoon in this series, check out here.

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Eczema Devotional

Mom-E-votional : Joy in Trial

Eczema devotional on joy in life trials
Days which we feel we have too much trial, can we have joy?

It is the end of February, and for some of us, two months may already seem like a long year – factor in many sleepless nights (of tending to itchy or bleeding eczema) and many waking hours of constant stress and attention needed to care for a severe eczema baby. I always say that although eczema has turned out to be a blessing for my family, it is a trying condition that I won’t wish on anybody’s child. Medically, we are still some way from primary prevention (ie to prevent eczema in the newborn) and from treating the cause. Good thing is for most cases of eczema, current treatment methods do control eczema well. There are, however, still some children with persistent, severe eczema and I can’t imagine how deflated these parents feel when despite trying everything, nothing works – it is certainly trying!

Is it possible to have joy in a family with severe eczema baby? We can draw inspiration from apostle Paul who in prison undergoing trials (after trials), he wrote in Philippians 4 -6 ‘Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.’ I do pray that all eczema families can find joy and strength, and even if you do not believe in (Christian) God, praying as a family may give you hope and strength to tackle eczema with a positive attitude.

Bible verse:

Romans 12:12: Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.

Dear God, I pray that you help our children’s eczema. If the eczema persist in being severe, I pray that as a family we can find the joy and strength to go through this trying time.

God Journeys with You

Categories
Other treatments

Eczema Research News – Does Homeopathy work?

Does Homeopathy Work for Eczema?
Does Homeopathy Work for Eczema?

This is part of a quarterly round-up of some of the recent eczema-related studies, so that we can be aware of possible treatments and their efficacy (and I can also keep myself updated with the latest eczema research!)

Today’s topic is on Homeopathy, does it Work? Firstly, I have to say I haven’t tried homeopathy on my child with eczema and secondly, there’s no blame or guilt meant to be placed on any parent for trying an alternative treatment. I’ve had quite a few moms who told me that they have tried or are trying homeopathy for their child, some remarked it seemed to work, or seemed to work for a while, or did not work. Similar to last week’s topic on antihistamine, let’s have a grasp on some basic information first before we look into the studies.

What is Homeopathy?

Homeopathy involves understanding a person’s health and history, including physical, emotional and psychological areas. A tailored treatment is recommended for each patient, and the substances provided in tablet form are usually highly diluted with the aim to trigger the body to heal itself naturally.

How does it Work for Eczema?

There are various ways to apply homeopathy, for instance choosing different substances to treat different appearance of eczema (ie. Blisters versus rashes). These can be applied topically in the form of creams or ointments, for instance that of calendula, sulphur, urtica urens and rhus toxicodendron. Recommendations on nutrition and lifestyle are also provided.

Are there any side effect of homeopathy?

There appears to be no known side effect, although the eczema may worsen if the conventional treatment is withdrawn in place of the homeopathic treatment.

What’s the studies on homeopathy’s impact on eczema?

Based on this study in January 2013, there is no significant difference between using homeopathic treatment versus conventional treatment, thus implying that the higher cost of homeopathy is unjustified. Similar conclusions in other studies at PubMed, here, here, here, here.

Have you tried homeopathy for your child? Is it effective? Do share in the comments, thank you!

Categories
Eczema Tips

Speaker for Baby care Festival 2014 on Skincare

My talk 'Caring for Baby's Skin' at Singapore Expo, Babycare Festival
My talk ‘Caring for Baby’s Skin’ at Singapore Expo, Babycare Festival

Last Saturday I was invited by Bayer Healthcare to speak at the BabyCare Festival 2014, a national baby expo held in Singapore. As Bayer was introducing their nappy barrier ointment Bepanthen to parents, they invited me to share about baby skincare. I delivered a 30-minute info-packed presentation on ‘Caring for Baby’s Skin’ that covered common baby rash, shower, moisturizing, sun protection and washing/use of detergents. These topics will be shared with all of you via video next month on my blog and EczemaBlues youtube channel.

It turned out that I enjoyed the speaking engagement thoroughly and was thinking before my talk that the time spent would be worth it if I can help just one parent to care for their child’s skin (20% of children have eczema, so it may be a 1 in 5 chance that I helped!). I would love to do this more often, and discovered that after so much time learning and writing on this topic, I could speak without looking at the slides (which I didn’t really get to as the speakers were obscuring my view), good that I know the topic inside out.

For those of you who would like to invite me to speak, just drop a comment here or fill in the Contact Me form.

Categories
Support Group

Eczema Support Group for Children – Wet Wrap

Wet Wrap session with Singapore Eczema Support Group
Wet Wrap session with Singapore Eczema Support Group

Last Saturday 22nd Feb, the Eczema Support Group for Parents with Eczema Children held a sharing session on wet wrap and everyone had a lovely time!

After Mölnlycke Health Care Singapore shared about eczema, Tubifast bandage and garments, there was a vibrant discussion on sizes for various body parts of a child. A few pointers on wet wrap shared in this session and previous one are:

1. Ointment, lotion or cream can be used with the wet wrap.

2. Blue and green sizes are applicable for sizes of grade school children, in fact, they ran out during the demonstration as these sizes are so useful for wrapping various parts of a child.

3. The wrap can be hand washed, and built for durability.

For more on wet wrap, see the interview with Mölnlycke Health Care. Thank you to their product manager, NSC’s nurses and medical social worker for being ‘cheerleaders’ for this session. And of course, I appreciate everyone’s participation, we had many light moments as our members got to know each other and ‘joked’ about our stressful condition!

Categories
Eczema Life Cartoon

Life of Eczema Girl – Appearance

Cartoon of Eczema Girl - on Friendship and Boys
Girls’ talk on Boys

This is the 31st of my 2nd cartoon series, ‘LIFE OF AN ECZEMA GIRL’. For more cartoon in this series, check out here. For those with eczema that is apparent, read this devotional for encouragement.

Categories
Eczema Devotional

Mom-E-votional : Right Learning

Eczema information
As parents of eczema kids, we keep learning, but we have to learn the right stuff

Some of us may not know this – the week from 17-21 February 2014 is UNESCO (which stands for United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) Mobile Learning Week. This brings to my mind how much learning we as parents of eczema children do daily on the internet. Likely, you’ve come to this blog because you were googling for information on childhood eczema! It worries me though, as not all write-ups on the internet is accurate – some are bias, and skewed to ‘push’ us towards buying a certain product or service. Sometimes it is not easy to differentiate between right and wrong information as the authors may themselves be mistaken about the accuracy of their information. It is tough because the causes of eczema and its onset are not fully known.

In the same way, what religion and what God we believe in also has much ‘misinformation’ (as a Christian, I believe with evidence and faith that Jesus is God, and in the trinity of God, Jesus and Holy Spirit). I recall a letter that the apostle wrote to Timothy in 2 Timothy 16, where it is stated “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,”. God does not expect us to believe in him blindly, but invite us to read and find out the truth. I have made the journey 10 years ago, and believed. I do pray that for Christian parents, we do not forget to guide our children in faith while caring for their skin. For those of you who do not believe in Jesus, I invite you to take that journey.

Bible verse:

Titus 2:1: But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine.

Dear God, I pray that you bring us all closer to You – both Christian and not Christian families reading this. I also pray for Your wisdom to guide the information on childhood eczema on the web, so that for those of us writing it – we can be accurate and contribute to right learning of eczema.

learn Right, test the Information

For more on eczema causes and how to discern what works and not.