Probably not gluten related
 

But...you guys seem to know so much, I'm hoping you can possibly help me figure this out.

What could cause a rash that starts on the inside thigh and spreads up under the pany-line?

My youngest has been dealing with a rash (diaper rash without diapers? Yeast like infection? Vulvitis? I don't know what to call it. The dr says when its really bad its vulvitis. But, has no cure. GRRR! He also said it looks nothing like a yeast rash.) Its been going on for about 3 weeks. I can not for the life of me figure out what is triggering it to worsen or improve, but yeast treatments and various ointments are NOT cutting it.

Then tonight, my oldest came in and said her bottom was bothering her. And showed me her legs, which have a nice pinprick rash on the inside thighs. She's prone to this kind of rash...I usually think of it as some sort of allergy...but realize that it always happens worst this time of year. At least, the past couple of years.

All I can think is yeast or mold (its been a little rainy, not overly so, but...enough) I'm doing acidophilus, and using an antifungal cream (now on both kids) with pain killer in it...the dr says to just give them tylenol (he's obviously a *he*) Can anyone think of anything else I can do or am missing? I know its not gluten related...but if anyone can come up with really great ideas, I figured it would be you guys. (At least...you won;t give me the "Well, why don't you take them to the dr?" spiel. LOL)

When dd had a staph infection on her face, I made up a cool (meaning not hot :D ) tea with oregano and garlic and used a bandaid to hold a cotton ball that was soaked in the tea, on it.

I never understood why this worked better than the steroid cream the doc. gave us (every time I stopped using the cream it would come back).

Then, just this year I started looking at oregano and it was very well explained by what I found:

http://ca.groups.yahoo.com/group/can...Study/Oregano/
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/sh...hlight=oregano

Also, I have not researched this yet but I have some homemade coconut/B vitamin/CoQ10 skin moisturizer I made... Both children were starting to get that 'eczema look' on a spot on their faces... so I thought that I would put this 'moisturizer' on it before it developed into staph... and see what happened... both children's faces were clear when I looked at them yesterday. It took about a week to clear.

I do remember reading something about coconut oil being an anti-fungal or something. I'm not sure though if I'm getting confused with something else... but it may give you a lead somewhere.

Could it be an undiagnosed yeast overgrowth in the GI tract that has spread to other parts of the body. Women will have recurring vaginal yeast infections because of a systemic yeast problem that originates and goes untreated in the GI tract.

Sometimes a man can have atheletes foot problems that won't go away also. Not so unlike a nail fungual problem. If that symptoms is not going away then you may need to look internally.

Any type of fungal yeast skin problem that is recurring should be viewed as a symptom of a systemic issue that may be originating in the GI tract.

The probiotics may be too little, too late. But you do have the right idea. You can expect that only some good bacteria to change this problem now. It may have gotten to the point that you need something more than just probiotics. Caprylic acid kills only the yeast. There are many, many products OTC that can help with GI yeast problems. The specific carb diet can help too. Usually when it gets to a certain point the probiotics don't really work, and may be a food source for the yeast. (I met someone who said that probiotics made his GI yeast problem worse. I have read that probiotics can make it worse too.) You do have to use something that will kill off the yeast, and the probiotics alone may not be enough.

I have had GI yeast problems myself and used a number of different things together like Aqua Flora, a homeopathic liquid, Candex, enxymes that digest the yeast outer cell membrane, and caprylic acid with psyllium. Some think that one product may be effective for one strain of yeast, so trying more than one product may ensure you will kill off potentially more than just one strain at a time.

I am not sure about cocunut oil and how to use it.

Have you consulted a dermatologist? I think sometimes MD's just don't have the answers and a specialist might.

This may sound crazy but my daughter had a slight rash like this before. I did some research at school and it seems the cleaning lady was wiping the toliet lids down with pure bleach and not rinsing it, :eek: just letting it dry. I had to ask her lots of questions before I got my answer. I could not believe she did not rinse it off! You might want to ask at school.

Beth

Beth... that is an interesting possibility I would have never considered.

Have you tried using Desitin on it? Just to see if it helped at all?

Do they do any activities that could be causing any extra sweating or friction of clothing in those areas? Horse back riding might be the obvious, but anything like that? Any new laundry products or soaps? Any saunas or hottubs where they might pick something up?

Cara

harsh soaps...
 

or incomplete rinsing during bathing can cause this.

Also I'd suggest double rinsing all clothing including underwear. Activity, leads to sweating which can dissolve harsh laundry soap residues onto the skin. These can be very basic and burn sensitive skin.

Soap burns the skin, and can give a confusing rash/event.

I'd only use Dove unscented, and rinse really well, for personal cleaning.
Even baby shampoo, might do. People tend to "overclean" and then that
can irritate!

Thanks everyone, I really appreciate the replies! I was feeling like I'd hit a wall, and couldn't think of anything else to do. Now I'm starting to feel proactive again!

Yes...tried desitin on youngest, she cried that it hurt worse :( Pain wise, the analgesic in the antifungal cream I found seems to help the most, longest...but...well, I've been using it for well over a week.

No new activities, really. Youngest takes gym, but has for awhile. They were sharing a bath on and off until last night. (I was thinking it wasn't contagious, but, maybe it is.)

I hadn't thought about cleaning supplies! That wouldn't be an issue for youngest (4 yrs, no school yet) but I'll ask oldest if she remembers to line the lids at school (I try to have her use a liner in public restrooms, though don't make a big deal about it) That could explain it for her!

I *had changed the flushable wipes (was using Kandoo, switched to pampers in a prettier package) but stopped when this started for youngest...so about 3 weeks ago? She should be over that by now, if it were the cause. No other soap changes. I'm using the only corn free laundry detergent I can afford that I know of...please tell me its not that!!!

I have not gone to a dermatologist...In the area its in I just hadn't even thought of it! I'll have to see if I can get a referral.

I just don't know on the yeast. The dr says its not, but...I can't think of anything else. I'm just at a loss :( I figured the probiotics were the "no harm done" solution. I'll see if I can look around WF though for more options. Do you know if homeopathic remedies are safe in the under 10 group? And especially under 5? (dds are 4 and 8 respectively)

And thanks for the oregano tip...thats something I definately feel safe trying. I'll see if I have any to brew into tea, or at least pick some up ASAP :) Youngest seems to be in a coming and going phase, and oldest is dealing well...but I feel so bad for them, and then to have both with a similar issue in the same area...well, makes me think its got to be something more treatable than "wait it out". *sigh*

Yes, coconut oil is like a moisturizing antiseptic. I thought I had read that somewhere... :)

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/q...=pubmed_docsum
This was just plain interesting: