Eczema can be a serious skin condition that affects children.
It can affect your child’s sleep, and even their overall quality of life if they are constantly scratching at their itchy and red skin.
The majority of parents believe that a holistic treatment approach is better for controlling eczema than applying creams only when the condition flares up.
Children with eczema often suffer from severe symptoms. Parents are constantly looking for ways to relieve their child’s symptoms.
You may be wondering if probiotics are safe for children with eczema.
This article will explain what probiotics do, why they’re sometimes recommended as a treatment for children with eczema and whether or not probiotics can alleviate eczema in children.
What is probiotics?
Both good and bad bacteria are present in the human body. Probiotics is the latter.
Probiotics are generally accepted to have health benefits. They can boost your immune system, and balance your gut bacteria. This helps keep your digestive system in good shape.
Research is being conducted to determine the effectiveness of certain treatments for health conditions such as eczema.
Research is being conducted to discover alternative methods of administering probiotics for the treatment of eczema.
Medical research on probiotics and eczema
You may wonder if probiotics really can help children with eczema.
The answer to this question is currently unclear. Over the years, several medical studies were conducted to determine whether probiotics could help prevent children from developing an eczema condition or alleviate its symptoms. However, results have been mixed.
A faulty immune system is the cause of eczema or atopic skin dermatitis. Probiotics can balance the bacteria within the digestive system and boost your immune system.
It is believed that taking probiotics can help to reduce inflammation and boost the immune response.
In most studies, probiotics taken orally for treating eczema had either no effect on the condition or only slightly improved it. However, this was not clinically significant.
In 2010, a study found that the “currently available” probiotics make little to no difference when it comes to reducing symptoms of eczema.
It also concluded that probiotics could reduce slightly the severity of eczema as scored by both patients and healthcare professionals, but it was not clear if this change would be meaningful to patients.
In 2016, a further study found that probiotics were not effective in treating eczema. However, “the daily instillation of these probiotics at a young age may help prevent the onset of eczema.”
In 2020, The National Institutes of Health conducted an experiment to treat children with eczema by using probiotics.
The study used live Roseomonas bacterium from healthy volunteers, which was then grown in the laboratory and applied to affected skin areas over a period of four months. Improvements were reported in children as young at three years old that lasted up to eight month after the probiotic treatment ended.
The study found that “most of the children in the study experienced significant improvements in their overall health and skin” and “17 out of 20 children experienced an improvement greater than 50% in eczema after probiotic treatment.”
This study gives hope that an effective probiotic treatment will be available in the near future.
Currently, oral probiotics, whose effectiveness is in question, are the only widely available.
You can buy probiotics over the counter at chemists and supermarkets.
How to take probiotics
Add probiotics to your child’s food as an oral supplement, a probiotic drink or probiotic-rich foods.
Most supermarkets stock probiotic drinks like Yakult or actimel, which are well-known brands.
You can also find probiotics in certain foods. If you want to avoid supplements, try to include these foods first.
- Yoghurt
- Apple cider vinegar
- Dark chocolate
- Miso
- Tempeh
- Soft cheeses
- Sourdough bread
Children and probiotics
It is important that you consult your doctor before adding probiotics to your child’s food to treat eczema.
Probiotics are popular natural remedies for children. They are generally safe but it is possible your child may experience side effects, especially if they suffer from any other health condition. Probiotics can be prescribed by your doctor if they think it is a good treatment.
A doctor can help you choose the best probiotic for your child and advise on dosage, safety, and the most effective kind to use.
