Protract?

[Cat13]

Yep, another mum here with a bub with eczema! DS has had it on & off mildly on his cheeks & in his creases from about 8 weeks but at 5 1/2 months it's now becoming more severe & persistant. Covers both cheeks and starting to get patches on his forhead, ears & other parts of his body besides creases. Also, it didn't used to seem to bother him but now he is often waking at night clawing at his face :( .

Anyway, we want to try and get on top of it before it gets any worse & DH was doing some research on the net today and came across a product called Protract. It's basically a probiotic (like yakult) specifically sold for the treatment of ezcema and is meant to help by improving the health of the gut & therefore the immune system.

Has anyone heard of/tried this?? Already use sensitive washing powder, soap-free bath products & cotton clothing and having trouble identifying specific triggers so looking for anything extra that might possibly help.

[nessaw1978]

My daughter also gets eczma from time to time

A couple of weeks ago her skin became very dry and it started to break out in eczma. I didn't have anything in the house except for the sudo creme i had used for a few days and some Nutrimetics nutri-moist moisurising cream i had got on special ages ago.

I really didn't think it would help however was at my wits end so tried it. Cleared up almost over night.

My DD now asks for "nice" every night. I rub a little in and it has worked wonders. Also regained that lost moisture to the skin.

[Will]

Hi...

Just thinking, if you were to give bub something to clear out her stomach or make her healthier or whatever, you would have to assume that the eczema is coming from something he digests more then an outside trigger. I know it would boost the immune system and therefore help in the long run i suppose but if it is triggered by something else that he comes in contact with it might not help?? I am pretty much just thinking out loud. My DS only had it for a short time, he had a fungal infection in a few patches under his neck that got pretty bad and am just trying to think of what info i was given. Maybe try going to your GP and get a referal to a dietician or dermatologist or something?

Sorry i am not much help...

[bootiful]

my daughter also has excema on the backs of her knees and the creases in her elbows.

she scratches it and makes it worse and i am going to go to the doctors to get a prescription cream as it is really dry. i have been using medihoney on it for months but it comes and goes.

i really wish she didnt have it as i have no idea who she got it from and its the only problems she has.

[Cat13]

Thanks for your thoughts. Eczema is such an annoying thing - so many possible triggers & so many possible treatments that may or may not work and what triggers/helps one persons ezcema could be completely different from the next person.

May be a coincidence but it has cleared up dramatically after we have started using cetaphil to clean the affected areas several times a day followed by an application of moisturiser. Have also lightened his clothes & bedding, staying cool & moisturised seems to help. Might still give the protract stuff a go if it continues to flare up - can't hurt anyways.

Neither DH or I had ezcema so was a surprise to us when DS started showing symptoms but both our mums have dermatitis, my mum has a variety of other allergies and I developed asthma in my late teens so I guess all the risk factors are there. :fingerscrossed: we can stay on top of it because I've seen some pics of what really bad eczema can look like and do not want my little man to have to experience that.

[pookiesossige]

Yep, another mum here with a bub with eczema! DS has had it on & off mildly on his cheeks & in his creases from about 8 weeks but at 5 1/2 months it's now becoming more severe & persistant. Covers both cheeks and starting to get patches on his forhead, ears & other parts of his body besides creases. Also, it didn't used to seem to bother him but now he is often waking at night clawing at his face :( .

Anyway, we want to try and get on top of it before it gets any worse & DH was doing some research on the net today and came across a product called Protract. It's basically a probiotic (like yakult) specifically sold for the treatment of ezcema and is meant to help by improving the health of the gut & therefore the immune system.

Has anyone heard of/tried this?? Already use sensitive washing powder, soap-free bath products & cotton clothing and having trouble identifying specific triggers so looking for anything extra that might possibly help.

No, sorry, we haven't used or heard of Protract. But tell us how you go with it!

We find that Ronan's eczema is also relieved with cotton clothing, particually at night (no poly or fleece etc) and not too much wheat and yeast products in his diet. I use an over-the-counter mild cortisone cream on the trouble spots when it flares up.

Just wanted to comment on the using soap-free bath products. Have a look at the chemicals listed on the back.. is Sodium Lauryl Sulfate listed? or Sodium Lauryl Ether Sulfate (SLS or SLES). These ingredients clean by corrosion (it's a degreaser, also a known carcinogen) and are in a lot of soap-free and so-called 'natural' products. There is still so much rubbish in soap free stuff, so many irritants, and I had no idea until recently.

Anyway, just thought I'd let you know in case it helps! We now use nothing but a washer and good old warm water and we have two clean kids still! :D

[Cat13]

Just wanted to comment on the using soap-free bath products. Have a look at the chemicals listed on the back.. is Sodium Lauryl Sulfate listed? or Sodium Lauryl Ether Sulfate (SLS or SLES). These ingredients clean by corrosion (it's a degreaser, also a known carcinogen) and are in a lot of soap-free and so-called 'natural' products. There is still so much rubbish in soap free stuff, so many irritants, and I had no idea until recently.



Thanks for the tip!

[Cat13]

Just letting you know we received a free bottle of protract in the mail. Free because we couldn't find it in stock anywhere so we called the supplier & apparently all had to be taken off the shelves due to a legal dispute. Nothing wrong with the product, just a business dispute. Anyway they gave us a free sample so we can try before we buy so will start using it tonight. We just break open a capsule and add it to his food twice a day. We have a one months supply so will let you all know if we see any change at the end of the course. :fingerscrossed:

[youngones]

I would be really interested in how you go with this too. DD has severe eczema, literally head to toe, inbetween fingers and toes, on her ears, everywhere. We know she is anaphylactic to peanuts from a SPT, but no other known allergies. She reacted to something about a month ago, but we don't have a clue what, as both her and my diet didn't change at that time.

We've tried a number of so called eczema creams, but absolutely none of them work, except the hydrocortisone (and Elidel, but we only use that for flare ups on her face). We do all the right things as far as only cotton clothing, wash in omo sensitive and rinse with vinegar, loads of QV intensive 2-3 times daily and her food is all organically grown and prepared by me, new foods only introduced early in the day and for a few days before giving at night, etc, etc...

Her head and hands are our biggest clue to reactions, as we use OTC hydrocortisone on the rest of her body nearly every day, so a reaction usually just manifests in her hands and face. She also has Zyrtec oral liquid twice a day.

Our next allergist apt is just after her first birthday, so I'm hoping and praying for a miracle before then.

[Cat13]

Well, we've been trying DS 7.5months on ProTract for about a month now and his eczema definitely seems to have improved. He is now 3 days in to an eczema free period on his face :smiliedance: although still some in his creases. Still is having flare ups but seem to be less severe and not constantly one flare on top of the other. At one stage just before starting Protract, his whole face was covered and each day a different patch would flare up, even on his eyelids.

So is it due to ProTract? Who knows but definitely going to keep using it in case it is. The recommended treatment period is 8 weeks in any case so only half way there. He's also on antiobiotics after having an op 3 weeks ago so figure at the very least the Protract will help counteract the detrimental effect of the antibiotics on his tummy.

Other reasons for the improvement may be:

- Jalna Biodynamic yogurt which I started him on at around the same time as the Protract
- the weather starting to warm up and be less dry
- the universe acting in magic & mystical ways.

But if anyone would like to find out more for themselves PM me for the website!

It also includes a link to the results of the clinical trials. Like I said in an earlier post, we had to contact the company directly to buy the product as they are unable to distribute to retailers due to a dispute they are having with the TGA over packaging. I am only speculating but I think it could be because their product for eczema is the exact same as their product for Intestinal Health just in different packaging which could be considered misleading. Works out around $30 for a months supply (they gave us a month's supply free to try first though) which to us seems a small price to pay if it helps.

Will keep you all posted as to whether the improvements continue and would be interested to hear feedback from anyone else who decides to give it a go.