Tag Archives: eczema

Grow Healthy Babies: The Evidence-Based Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy

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grow healthy babies, pregnancy book, pregnancy, Being pregnant can feel like a minefield. Knowing what to eat and what to avoid can feel overwhelming. With allergies on the rise it adds more pressure. So I was excited to see the Grow Healthy Babies book. It is an evidence-based guide to reducing your child’s risk of asthma, eczema and allergies.

I was hoping it would not be a hippy-dippy book preaching to others what to eat and do, and I am happy to report it is not. It is a fantastic, well-researched book which backs up everything it says in droves. This book shows that you can make a huge difference to the health of your child, and it all starts in pregnancy. Pregnant women have more power than they realise.

While some of the research is not helpful to everyone- eating organic food is not within everyone’s range- I found the advice in this book invaluable. I would recommend it to anyone who is having a baby, or even thinking about getting pregnant. It is a truly great book and a triumph for the authors.

 

When lifelong asthma, eczema, and allergy sufferers Michelle Henning, a certified Nutrition & Health Coach, and her husband Dr. Victor Henning decided to become parents, they were well aware that half of all babies born today will develop allergies and up to a third will become asthmatic or suffer from eczema. Using their combined backgrounds in nutrition and science, they began investigating a mountain of medical literature on how to prevent chronic illness so that their baby would grow up healthy.

In their honest and enlightening new book Grow Healthy Babies, the Hennings share their research by distilling the latest medical evidence into a practical, easy to read guide that provides expecting parents with clear and simple steps to lower a baby’s risk of developing a chronic condition by up to 90%. With the goal of empowering parents-to-be or those planning to get pregnant with information about simple choices that improve their health and their child’s health, they cover a multitude of topics including:

  • You can make a difference: By making different choices during/after pregnancy, you have the power to shape your baby’s health for life
  • How your baby’s immune system develops, and how you can strengthen it to prevent chronic illness
  • How friendly bacteria, your microbiome, shape both your and your baby’s health, and how to protect and improve your microbiome
  • Which food choices and supplements during and after pregnancy make a real difference to your baby’s health, according to scientific studies
  • Why environmental factors and certain household products can trigger chronic disease, and how to choose healthier alternatives
  • How birth choices and breastfeeding can influence your baby’s long-term health

 

Grow Healthy Babies: The Evidence-Based Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy and Reducing Your Child’s Risk of Asthma, Eczema, and Allergies is available for pre-order at bookstores nationwide and online retailers such as Amazon.

Skinfix Hand Repair Cream & Hydrating Lotion | Stocking Filler Idea

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skinfixreviewWe are all for good skincare at Frost and Skinfix have the stamp of approval from Kate Middleton.

Experts in specialised skincare, Skinfix are great for anyone with eczema, dermatitis or dry skin conditions. Their hand cream is perfect for winter, and so is the hydrating lotion. Their hydrating lotion for normal skin increases the fatty acids in skin by 196%. Giving glowing, plump and healthy skin. It is lightweight so it does’t suffocate the skin. Good stuff indeed.

Skinfix Hand Repair Cream is a game-changing natural hand cream that is steroid, fragrance, soy, paraben and phthalates free. Soothing botanicals, rich natural butters and emollient protectives oils make up this ultra-rich formula that offers lasting protection on hands, even though hand washing.

The last time Kate Middleton was in Canada she was personally gifted Skinfix’s award-winning Hand Repair cream by the Canadian Ambassador and took it home with her.

Available nationwide from Boots and boots.com at £15.99, it’s the perfect stocking filler.

Skinfix Hand Repair Cream 2 Ounces by Skinfix

New Beauty Launch: What Skin Needs Skincare Range Review

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New Beauty Launch: What Skin Needs Skincare Range ReviewAll the way from Australia is a new skincare range: What Skin Needs.

What Skin Needs is a range of natural products that provide effective solutions to certain skin problems. This range is good for those with sensitive and problem skin. The active ingredient they use in the range is Plantolin, a patent-protected active plant extract. It is scientifically proven to sooth, protect and renew. The products work for the following problems: psoriasis,, eczema, dermatitis and dry or cracked skin. The key ingredient, Plantolin, is derived from the Australian indigenous plant, centipede cunninghamii. I have always had sensitive skin so I was happy to review and hoping for good results

We got sent the following to review: Cracked Skin Cream, Skin Balm and Soothing Skin Gel.

Cracked Skin Cream

Does the job and works well. Heals cracked skin. 

An intensive skin care solution designed to address difficult problem skin including:
Rough and damaged skin
Feet and Heels
Knees and elbows
Skin Cell renewal

Contains the patented active ingredient Phyoxolin® to soothe, rehydrate and repair rough, dry and damaged skin. It is safe and gentle on sensitive skin.

Supported by a blend of natural extracts and essential oils including:
Aloe Vera: May alleviate dry skin, and inhibit inflammation, May also temporarily improve the appearance of the skin and stimulate the regeneration of skin cells.
Calendula: May help to reduce inflammation, alleviate the inflammation and pain associated with insect bites and assist with relieving itching.
Olive oil: May reduce skin inflammation and accelerate the healing of calluses, reduce bruising and help to prevent wrinkles.
Pomegranate: May help to prevent liver spots, and may thicken the epidermis, may help to diminish wrinkles and stimulate the production of collagen.
Silica: Premature wrinkles including stretch marks after pregnancy may occur as a result of silica deficiency. Supplementation of silica may cause a reduction in the appearance of wrinkles and help maintain the elasticity, firmness and strength of the skin.
Green Tea: Possesses potent antioxidant properties stronger that vitamin E. May assist in alleviating rosacea, and reduce the damage to the skin caused by exposure to the ultra-violet radiation component of sunlight.
Myrrh: An antiseptic and has antimicrobial activity.
Vitamin E: May alleviate dry skin and inhibit scarring and early onset of wrinkles. Helps regulate skin cell proliferation and repair and protect the skin from oxidative damage.
Lavender Oil: An effective skin cleanser that is reported to inhibit some types of detrimental fungi. It may also alleviate the pain associated with sunburn.
Geranium Oil: Is used for many skin disorders as a tonic and antiseptic.
Lemon Oil: May kill some types of detrimental fungi. Helps improve circulation.

Skin Balm

Smells good, is light and melts into the skin. Leaves a visible difference. Was very impressed. 

A potent formulation designed to tackle a range of skin problems including dry and damaged skin, rashes and skin irritations. Incredible for:
Reducing irritation
Dry and damaged skin
Reviving stressed skin
Skin Cell renewal
Contains the patented active ingredient Phyoxolin® to soothe, rehydrate and repair rough, dry and damaged skin. It is safe and gentle on sensitive skin.

Supported by a blend of natural extracts and essential oils including:
Aloe Vera:May alleviate dry skin, and inhibit inflammation, May also temporarily improve the appearance of the skin and stimulate the regeneration of skin cells.
Olive oil: May reduce skin inflammation and accelerate the healing of calluses, reduce bruising and help to prevent wrinkles.
Myrrh: An antiseptic and has antimicrobial activity..
Lavender Oil: An effective skin cleanser that is reported to inhibit some types of detrimental fungi. It may also alleviate the pain associated with sunburn.
Tea Tree Oil: Contains over 48 different compounds including the principal active ingredient, Terpineol. Commonly used to reduce skin inflammation.
Geranium Oil: Is used for many skin disorders as a tonic and antiseptic.

Soothing Skin Gel

Smells great, absorbs well and soothes skin. 

Relieves the effects of sun damage, windburn and skin irritation caused by exposure. Soothes, desensitises and protects chapped skin.
Sun Damage
Windburn
Itchy Skin
Skin Cell renewal
Contains the patented active ingredient Phyoxolin® to soothe, rehydrate and repair rough, dry and damaged skin. It is safe and gentle on sensitive skin.

Supported by a blend of natural extracts and essential oils including:
Aloe Vera:May alleviate dry skin, and inhibit inflammation, May also temporarily improve the appearance of the skin and stimulate the regeneration of skin cells.
Myrrh: An antiseptic and has antimicrobial activity.
Lavender Oil: An effective skin cleanser that is reported to inhibit some types of detrimental fungi. It may also alleviate the pain associated with sunburn.
Tea Tree Oil: Contains over 48 different compounds including the principal active ingredient, Terpineol. Commonly used to reduce skin inflammation.
Geranium Oil: Is used for many skin disorders as a tonic and antiseptic.

 

 

Wendy's baby diary – Six months! – Guilt, isolation and men

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Six months old

Dillon was six months old on Monday the 3rd October 2011. A lot has happened in this first six months including his christening , baby swimming classes, health centre visits and weigh ins, the
dog eating the midwifes shoes, the whole experience of giving birth, going to University, starting my website http://www.femalearts.com, being off work, weaning the baby, his milestones including Dillon getting his first baby teeth, sitting up, rolling around on the floor, playing with his feet, smiling and laughing and interacting with objects and people.

I’d like to thank Catherine Balavage at Frost Magazine for offering me this blank canvas to write about Dillon. I wanted to document these moments so that in the future I can look back (hopefully Dillon will also read it) and have a record of this wonderful, life changing time.

It’s been a brilliant six months but it’s also been tiring, stressful and a lot of hard work. I’ve said in my diary about how the baby is progressing, the goods, toys and clothes we have bought for him, what activities he is enjoying and how he’s developing but I don’t think I’ve said so much about my feelings. The following topics have been on my mind recently…

Men with babies

Recently there has been a couple of TV Doctors with babies – Doc Martin has a baby, James Cordon was left holding the baby in Doctor Who – portraying what it feels like for the dad to be the primary carer –the Doctor Who story was about panic and fluster with the conclusion that dads
are actually protective loving individuals and the mums are competent women who make lists and mother both their partner and baby.

Nothing is that clear cut and I’m not sure there is a big gender difference in the way we are parents, it may just boil down to the amount of physical time spent with the baby = the more you know them = the more competent you become at dealing with them.

The only thing that aggravates me with stories on TV about dads coping alone with babies is that there aren’t an equivalent number of stories about mums coping alone with babies. Because it isn’t all confident list making and natural mothering instincts, it’s often panic, confusion, stress,
isolation and guilt.

Isolation

It’s lonely being a stay at home mum. Even though it is through choice I miss chatting to colleagues, I miss talking to my husband, I miss my family, and I miss my friends. Having another adult in the house during the day (e.g. when relatives have come to stay and at the weekend when the baby’s dad is at home) makes so much difference to my life. All the bags of stuff needed
to carry around for the baby, all the preparation that’s needed before I can leave the house, all the attention and love and care that Dillon needs – is so much easier when it’s shared.

Recently I have realised I need to make more of an effort to see my friends – especially friends who are available in the daytime. Getting out daily with the dog and the baby for walks and taking baby to classes or shopping is something but it’s not the same as being with people who know and care about me, who I can have a proper conversation with.

I can see why going back to work begins to look appealing because you can start to be yourself again and have adult interaction without constantly thinking about the baby’s needs and their safety. But employment means childcare. Which brings me onto my next subject – guilt.

Guilt

As a parent there is one thing you can be certain of – a steady almost constant feeling of guilt. I think it stems from conflict between personal needs/wants and that of your child.  My current guilty feelings are – guilt for using formula, guilt for starting weaning before six months, guilt for not weaning successfully, guilt for not establishing a pattern (of eating/sleeping), guilt for trying to establish a pattern, guilt for not living up to other people’s parenting expectations, guilt for not
returning to work yet, guilt for arranging childcare, guilt for doing my master’s degree, guilt for not being sure, guilt over baby’s eczema not clearing up, guilt for letting the dog spend time with baby, guilt for separating dog from baby, guilt for daily dressing of baby in babygro’s in attempt to stop skin contact with whatever is causing the eczema, guilt for not taking enough photos of baby, guilt for not posting all the thank you cards yet, guilt for not buying enough things for baby, guilt for spending so much money, guilt for wanting my boobs back, guilt that he cries a lot, guilt whenever I let him cry before going to him, guilt that I’m spending time writing this!

There’s too much guilt, worry, anxiety and the only consolation is the thought that other people may be feeling the same way.

Self-Medication

One of the best ways to cope is summed up with a quote from my friend BenJohn’s facebook update.

“Youngsters, you probably think booze is for enjoying and having fun. Let me assure you it is a medicine for those with children to let them relax in the gaps when they’re asleep.”

© Wendy Thomson 2011

Wendy Thomson is the editor of www.femalearts.com an online publication which promotes women in the arts and in business.