It clearly irritates her and I have to stop her scratching. I have tried numerous skin creams, including calendula, graphites and E45, but nothing works. Eventually, by May, her skin is soft and normal again.

Neither my GP nor homoeopath has been able to help. The only thing I can think of is that it has something to do with the light level over the winter. I have thought of giving her a vitamin D supplement as winter approaches, but not without guidance as I know it can be highly toxic in overdose.- GH, Staines

A We consulted our panel member Harald Gaier, an allergy specialist who sees many cases of the kind you describe. Most commonly, these hard bumps occur on the back of the arms, but sometimes they even appear on the cheeks.

Dr Gaier believes it is most likely an allergic reaction to something she is eating or even an airborne allergy like mould, which is more prevalent in the winter. Even food allergies can be seasonal, and low levels of vitamin A or D precipitate them. Given Alice’s special background, it’s likely she was not breastfed and was fed the wrong foods before you adopted her. This makes it likely that she developed sensitivities to certain foods, which may have been given to her too early – before her digestive system could cope. The two most likely culprits are dairy products or soy (since she was probably given either cow’s milk or soy formula), or a grain such as wheat.

As with James (see above), Alice would benefit from a clinical ecologist with experience in allergies. If the problem is a food, simple avoidance should solve the problem. If her allergy is airborne, you may wish to consider a course of homoeopathic desensitisation drops. (For a list of practitioners, call The British Institute for Allergy & Environmental Therapy, tel: 01974 241 376.)

If Alice is prone to vitamin D shortage, you may consider boosting her D levels with cod liver oil (or beta-carotene supplements if you are vegetarian). She might also benefit from children’s vitamins. Our sister publication PROOF! tested a variety of brands, and concluded that the best value for money were BioCare ‘s products. This Birmingham-based company does a series of vitamins in drops, which can be mixed with juice and made palatable for the very young.

A Skin problems are notoriously difficult to treat – whether by conventional or alternative medicine. Prescribed drugs will generally not work .

One alternative may be Chinese herbal medicine. This hit the headlines over a decade ago when Dr David Atherton, of Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, tested Chinese herbs on 37 children with severe eczema. Most were cured after a few weeks of treatment (Lancet, 1990; 336: 1254). In a similar trial of 31 adults with dermatitis, 20 significantly improved with the herbs, although some found them ‘unpalatable’ (Lancet, 1992; 340: 13-7). The herbal mix is now marketed as Zemaphyte.

An ointment using 10 per cent tea tree oil, marketed as Bogaskin, was tested by researchers at the University of Zurich on dogs suffering from a variety of intractable skin conditions. Bogaskin proved effective in over 80 per cent of the animals. In addition, there were few adverse reactions (Schweiz Arch Tierheilkd, 2002; 144: 223-31).

Another possible treatment is NADH (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide), the active ingredient in vitamin B3. This has recently proved to be a powerful antioxidant. Dermatologists in Poland recently tested an ointment containing 1 per cent NADH mixed with ordinary Vaseline, and found it ‘very effective’ in the treatment of certain kinds of dermatitis (Clin Exp Dermatol, 2003; 28: 61-3).

It sounds like your gut is also out of sorts and more reactive to foods at the moment. Take essential fatty acids like fish oils or their derivative EPA to calm inflammation and these allergic tendencies. Also, suspect Candida overgrowth from all the antibiotics you took (see WDDTY’s The Candida and ME Handbook), and find a good acidophilus preparation. Avoid all sugar and refined carbohydrates, and the offending foods.

If all else fails, under-the-tongue immunotherapy (where homoeopathic potencies of allergens are given) cures skin problems in three-quarters of cases (Allergol Immunopathol [Madr], 2000; 28: 54-62).

While waiting for this appointment, I did some investigating. I took my son to see a herbalist, a homoeopathic doctor and a naturopathic doctor. I also bought the book Better Health Through Natural Healing by Ross Trattler.

I felt the naturopathic treatment was safest as it only involved my giving up cow’s milk. My son was fully breastfed at the time, and the naturopath believed that he was most likely sensitive to the cow’s milk protein molecules that he was ingesting through my milk.

She advised me to give up cow’s milk for six weeks. After a week of this diet, Edward’s skin seemed worse, but the following week, there was a noticeable improvement. When our appointment with the specialist finally arrived, he examined Edward and said he would need steroid creams and possibly medication to clear it up. I told him about our regime and how Edward’s skin had improved, but was brushed aside.

Thankfully, I stuck to our programme. An improvement was noticeable daily and, by the end of six weeks, Edward’s skin was as smooth as any baby’s. After a few more weeks, I carefully re-introduced cow’s milk into my diet and watched for a reaction – nothing. He was weaned onto goat’s milk at one year, and now follows the same diet as the rest of the family, including cow’s milk. Thirteen years on, Edward is radiantly healthy, his skin is perfect and he can eat anything.

I hope this story will help others who are in a similar situation. – Gloria Prema, Auchenblae, Aberdeenshire

Sulfur represents about 0.25 percent of our total body weight, similar to potassium. The body contains approximately 140 grams of sulfur-mainly in the proteins, although it is distributed in small amounts in all cells and tissues. Sulfur has a characteristic odor that can be smelled when hair or sheep’s wool is burned. Keratin, present in the skin, hair, and nails, is particularly high in the amino acid cystine, which is found in sulfur. The sulfur-sulfur bond in keratin gives it greater strength.

Sulfur is present in four amino acids: methionine, an essential amino acid; the nonessential cystine and cysteine, which can be made from methionine; and taurine, which is not part of body tissues but does help produce bile acid for digestion. Sulfur is also present in two B vitamins, thiamine and biotin; interestingly, thiamine is important to skin and biotin to hair. Sulfur is also available as various sulfates or sulfides. But overall, sulfur is most important as part of protein.

Sulfur has been used commonly since the early 1800s. Grandma’s “spring tonic” consisted mainly of sulfur and molasses. This also acted as a laxative. Sulfur has been known as the “beauty mineral” because it helps the complexion and skin stay clear and youthful. The hydrogen sulfide gas in onions is what causes tearing. This gas can also be made by intestinal bacteria and is absorbed by the body or released as gas with a characteristic odor.

Sulfur is absorbed from the small intestine primarily as the four sulfur-containing amino acids or from sulfates in water or fruits and vegetables. It is thought that elemental sulfur is not used by the human organism. Sulfur is stored in all body cells, especially the skin, hair, and nails. Excess amounts are eliminated through the urine or in the feces.

Sources: As part of four amino acids, sulfur is readily available in protein foods-meats, fish, poultry, eggs, milk, and legumes are all good sources. Egg yolks are one of the better sources of sulfur. Other foods that contain this somewhat smelly mineral are onions, garlic, cabbage, brussels sprouts, and turnips. Nuts have some, as do kale, lettuce, kelp and other seaweed, and raspberries. Complete vegetarians (those who eat no eggs or milk) and people on low-protein diets may not get sufficient amounts of sulfur; the resulting sulfur deficiency is difficult to differentiate clinically from protein deficiency, which is of much greater concern.

Functions: As part of four amino acids, sulfur performs a number of functions in enzyme reactions and protein synthesis. It is necessary for formation of collagen, the protein found in connective tissue in our bodies. Sulfur is also present in keratin, which is necessary for the maintenance of the skin, hair, and nails, helping to give strength, shape, and hardness to these protein tissues. Sulfur is also present in the fur and feathers of other animals. The cystine in hair gives off the sulfur smell when it is burned. Sulfur, as cystine and methionine, is part of other important body chemicals: insulin, which helps regulate carbohydrate metabolism, and heparin, an anticoagulant. Taurine is found in bile acids, used in digestion. The sulfur-containing amino acids help form other substances as well, such as biotin, coenzyme A, lipoic acid, and glutathione. The mucopoly-saccharides may contain chondroitin sulfate, which is important to joint tissues.

Sulfur is important to cellular respiration, as it is needed in the oxidation-reduction reactions that help the cells utilize oxygen, which aids brain function and all cell activity. These reactions are dependent on cysteine, which also helps the liver produce bile secretions and eliminate other toxins. L-cysteine is thought to generally help body detoxification mechanisms through the tripeptide compound, glutathione.

Uses: In its elemental form, sulfur was used for many disorders during the nineteenth century. In the twentieth century, the focus is more on the sulfur-containing amino acids, used internally; or as elemental sulfur-containing ointments used for skin disorders such as eczema, dermatitis, and psoriasis. Psoriasis has been treated with oral sulfur along with zinc. Other problems of the skin or hair have been treated with additional sulfur-containing compounds.

Joint problems may be helped by chondroitin sulfate, which is found in high amounts in the joint tissues. For centuries, arthritis sufferers have been helped by bathing in waters that contain high amounts of sulfur. Oral sulfur as sulfates in doses of 500-1,000 mg. may also reduce symptoms in some patients. Magnesium sulfate, which is not absorbed, has been used as a laxative. Taurine, another sulfur-containing amino acid, has been used in epilepsy treatment, usually along with zinc. A physiologic form of sulfur called methylsulfonyl methane (MSM) has recently become available and may be helpful in patients with allergies (see Chapter 7, Accessory Nutrients).

If we need additional sulfur, we can get it by eating an egg or two a day or eating extra garlic or onions, as well as other sulfur foods. There is no real cause for concern about the cholesterol in eggs if the diet is generally low in fat and blood cholesterol level is not elevated.

Deficiency and toxicity: There is minimal reason for concern about either toxicity or deficiency of sulfur in the body. No clearly defined symptoms exist with either state. Sulfur deficiency is more common when foods are grown in sulfur-depleted soil, with low-protein diets, or with a lack of intestinal bacteria, though none of these seems to cause any problems in regard to sulfur functions and metabolism.

Requirements: There is no specific RDA for sulfur other than the amino acids of which they are part are needed to meet protein requirements. Our needs are usually easily met through diet. About 850 mg. are thought to be needed for basic turnover of sulfur in the body. There is not much information available on sulfur content of foods, nor are there supplements specifically for sulfur. I have found that it is not really a nutritional concern.