Press:PurePotions

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irish independent~~IRISH INDEPENDENT

Natalie Balmond knew she was on to something the first time her toddler daughter slept through the night. Little Lula, who was diagnosed with eczema at 18 months, used to wake crying and scratching several times every night.

"We were all exhausted at being woken up. But it was more distressing for Lula, who was covered in a violent red rash that bled through her nightie and never gave her any peace," says Natalie.

When Lula was about three-and-a-half, and when conventional steroid creams failed, her mum took matters into her own hands and devised a homeopathic concoction.

"At one stage Lula begged me to shave all the hair off her head because it was so itchy and uncomfortable and so we could apply cream. As a mum to see your daughter in so much obvious discomfort was very difficult."

As Lula's eczema got steadily worse Natalie tried everything from dietary changes to alternative therapies.

But her daughter's eczema was chronic and within months Lula had to be wrapped from head to foot in bandages every night to protect her sore and bleeding skin.

Natalie, from Brighton, says: "Our doctor suggested creams and treatments but nothing worked effectively. The steroid creams helped a bit but I didn't want her to stay on them long term as they can be damaging to the skin and have other side-effects."

When doctors said Lula should be admitted to hospital for intensive steroid treatment Natalie looked around for an alternative and as a last resort she turned to herbs.

"I noticed many of the prescription creams had petrochemicals and preservatives in the base. So when a friend gave me a book on medicinal herbs I thought if I put the herbs for skin conditions into my own base it might work."

Natalie made a blend of hemp oil laced with herbs, including chickweed to reduce redness, camomile to calm the skin and nettles to reduce heat.

"Although it took a lot of experimenting, even from that first batch I was amazed at how well it worked."

Eczema affects about one in five people in Ireland at some point in their lives. It is caused by an allergic reaction on the skin to something either on or in the body. This produces a rash that is red and itchy and is prone to drying out, which can then cause the skin to crack and bleed.

In some cases infection sets in and so antibiotics are prescribed as well as steroid creams. The Irish Eczema Society says: "The first line of treatment is to get a good daily skin-care regime, which involves bathing correctly and applying moisturiser or steroid cream depending on severity. The effectiveness of creams is hard to answer; as the condition worsens you have to go up in strength."

However, more and more people are reluctant to use steroids or find they don't work and others feel that conventional medicine only treats the symptoms not the cause. Judith Hinchcliff, a complementary therapist from Donegal, uses a method called phytobiophysics to treat eczema. This is described as a vibrational treatment that uses flowers at its base which energise the body to mend itself. She says: "Conventional medicine tends to treat symptoms head on without looking at underlying causes of the condition.

"In my experience eczema is caused by toxins in the body. When the body is trying to get rid of the toxin it reacts on the skin. Rather then suppressing the symptoms, phytobiophysics treats the body as a whole and each individual as unique."

Others have sought help from ancient Chinese medicine with good results. Practitioner Anne-Marie McClorey states: "Traditional Chinese medicine addresses the underlying cause of the eczema, not just the external visible symptoms.

"The practitioner will investigate all aspects of a person's health. For example, when a person's eczema reacts to certain foods it may mean they have some digestive imbalance. If the person has asthma there may be a lung imbalance. Even symptoms such as lower back pain, menstrual problems, headaches and lack of sleep are all investigated. So the outer visible problem is treated by determining the internal energetic problem.

"As no two people have identical health, there is no one formula or cream for all types of eczema. When the precise diagnosis is made there is a range of treatment options such as acupuncture, herbal medicine, dietary changes, and even lifestyle changes.

"There are many herbs to choose from and they are used safely by adults and children alongside western medical treatment," says McClorey.

Margaret Mekitarlan from Co Meath was covered from "her neck to her ankles" in a burning raw rash that drove her to tears. When she visited her GP he wanted to admit her to hospital because her eczema was so bad but she knew that they could only treat her with strong steroids and she didn't want that.

"I found the steroid creams helped a bit at first but then I had to apply it more frequently. By August of last year I was desperate. I'd heard good things about Chinese medicine and although sceptical I was prepared to try anything."

Margaret's condition was looked at as a whole, she says, including her diet and the stress she was under. She had been in the process of buying a house, which exacerbated her condition and, according to her practitioner, her liver wasn't functioning properly and so her system needed to detox.

"Through a combination of herbs and acupuncture, I now don't have a spot of eczema on me. I'm very glad I tried this. I've learnt better how to handle stress as this can trigger an outbreak and although I've got the stress of getting married coming up I believe I can now manage my eczema."

The UK's eczema website urges caution in using alternative therapies. The website says, "There has only been limited scientific evaluation of complementary treatments and so it is important to let your doctor know if you are starting another course of treatment, since interactions can occur between certain medications. Conventional treatments should not be stopped suddenly, without consulting your doctor."

It goes on to say, "Ensure that the practitioner is properly qualified and registered with the appropriate regulatory body. Remember that a treatment which is described as natural or herbal is not guaranteed to be safe and what works for one person will often not work for another."

The VHI says that although diet, particularly dairy produce, is often blamed for flare-ups of eczema, especially in young children, it believes that food is rarely the cause of eczema in children or in adults. Its advice is to see your GP and to use a three-pronged approach of education, steroids and emollients.

However, Natalie is adamant that her search for an alternative to prescribed medicine was crucial.

"I'm very glad I never gave up and with the help of some special friends found a solution to Lula's eczema. The creams I cooked up from my kitchen table are now used all over the world by people prone to eczema."

Initially Natalie made one or two pots a week of the blended herbs, oils and beeswax for Lula and a few friends. But as interest grew, so did the demand and she has now set up Pure Potions whose creams have recently become available in Ireland (www.purepotions.co.uk).

Natalie says: "It's great that something so positive has come from such a painful experienced. But it's important to remember to find the underlying cause of eczema."

Judging by the difference in Lula, who is now nine, she must be pretty pleased with Mum's potions too.

Sarah Spendiff

irish independent~~1619~1626~~

the sun~~THE SUN HEALTH

Little Lula Balmond had such severe eczema that doctors wanted to admit her to hospital. But her mum cooked up a cure at home – using stinging nettles and other plants.

Now Natalie, 40, has turned her kitchen creation into a business – and Lula is free from the itching and pain that used to dominate her life.

Natalie says: “Lula was 18 months old when she began getting eczema. At first I didn’t take it that seriously. I thought it’s one of those things kids get.”

It is estimated that one in five children and one in 12 adults has some form of the complaint, which can range from minor dryness to fierce inflammation.

Some types are triggered by irritants such as chemicals, while atopic eczema is caused by allergens and appears to run in families.

Lula’s big sister Ellie, now 14, never had any problems and five-year-old Ida has also escaped. But Lula’s eczema got steadily worse.

Natalie, from Brighton, says: “Her skin was raw and inflamed, and she scratched herself until she bled. Our doctor suggested creams and treatments but nothing worked.”

Steroids were the only thing that helped, but using them long-term can damage the skin.

At one point Lula begged her mum to shave off all her hair. She’d got the idea from her father, Spamalot actor Jake Nightingale, who had shaved his head for a part.

Natalie tried everything from cutting milk and wheat out of Lula’s diet to various alternative therapies.

When doctors said Lula should be admitted to Great Ormond Street for intensive steroid treatment, Natalie turned to herbs as a last resort.

She says: “I’d noticed a lot of the creams she was prescribed had petrochemicals and preservatives in the base.

“A friend gave me a book on medicinal herbs, and I felt that if I put the herbs for skin conditions into my own base it might work.”

Natalie made a blend of hemp oil laced with herbs including chickweed to reduce redness, camomile to calm the skin and nettles to reduce heat.

She says: It took a lot of experimenting but even from that first batch, I was astonished at how well it worked.”

Doctors were initially sceptical, saying Lula, now 11, had probably grown out of the condition.

But after positive feedback from other parents, Natalie set up her own business making her pure potions, creams and lotions – and some doctors now even prescribe them.

She says: “ The improvement in Lula’s skin was so dramatic, I don’t believe it was a fluke.”

For more information, see purepotions.co.uk.

The National Eczema Society helpline is staffed 8am-8pm Mon-Fri (0870 241 3604, eczema.org).

Jane Symons

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