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In this deeply personal episode of the Thyroid Pharmacist Healing Conversations podcast, I interview Dr. Sheila Kilbane, the integrative pediatrician who helped my own son overcome severe eczema when we had run out of answers. After years of struggling with eczema and reading all the books, Dr. Kilbane’s approach worked fast… and got him 100% eczema free! Her expertise was life-changing for our family, and I know it can be for yours, too.
Dr. Kilbane blends conventional medicine with functional and nutritional approaches to address eczema and other chronic childhood conditions like asthma, allergies, reflux, and recurring infections. We talk through why the standard “elimination diet only” approach often fails, and how supporting both the gut and skin can lead to faster, more sustainable healing. We also dive into the histamine connection, the Aron Protocol, and practical tips that bring relief fast (even when your little one is waking up itchy all night long).
Whether you’re a parent navigating eczema for your child or someone struggling with chronic skin issues yourself, this episode will give you a solid action plan.
What you’ll learn in this episode:
- How Dr. Kilbane helped my son become 100% eczema-free. After my son developed eczema around age one, I consulted with numerous experts to no avail, until I started working with Dr. Kilbane. Within weeks, my son’s eczema improved by 80% and after completing recommended testing and treatment, the eczema vanished within days.
- Why eczema needs a “both/and” approach. Eczema healing often requires both external skin support and internal gut healing to be truly effective. Dr. Kilbane explains how combining gentle topical treatments (including a compounded antimicrobial cream with diluted steroids) with targeted nutrition and gut support can reduce symptoms and prevent flare-ups. Relying solely on diet or creams can lead to frustration, while this integrative strategy supports faster, more lasting healing.
- Histamine overload may be at the root of your child’s symptoms. Beyond itchy skin, excess histamine can cause sleep issues, irritability, poor appetite, and even mood swings, especially in children with eczema. Environmental allergies, gut dysbiosis, and Staph bacteria on the skin can all increase histamine levels, compounding inflammation. Addressing histamine with short-term antihistamines, quercetin, or vitamin C can offer fast relief while deeper root causes are addressed.
- Why elimination diets alone aren’t the answer. While food sensitivities can play a role in eczema, Dr. Kilbane warns that extreme elimination diets, especially for picky eaters, often backfire, leading to nutrient deficiencies and stress without solving the real issue. In many cases, kids actually tolerate more foods once the skin barrier and gut are healed. Rather than removing more and more foods, her protocol focuses on restoring gut integrity and calming inflammation.
- How the Aron Protocol can stop flare-ups in their tracks. This compounded topical combines a small amount of prescription steroid, antibiotic, and moisturizer (like Vanicream) to reduce Staph bacteria and inflammation on the skin. Applied in a step-down schedule over several weeks, it calms eczema flares without the rebound many parents fear. Used alongside gut healing, it allows for longer-term remission and more resilient skin.
- Gentle supplements and lifestyle changes can make a big difference. Dr. Kilbane shares how simple tools, like filtered bath water, dye-free detergents, probiotics, enzymes, and nutrient-rich fats, can reduce inflammation and restore the skin barrier. Even changing how and when kids bathe can make a difference. Her protocols emphasize layering small changes rather than overwhelming families with a massive overhaul.
- Food allergies may fade when the skin heals. Emerging research shows that a damaged skin barrier can actually trigger food sensitivities, especially when children scratch food particles into open eczema patches. Once the skin is healed and histamine levels drop, kids often become more tolerant to foods that previously caused issues. In some cases, even anaphylactic food allergies can be re-evaluated safely under medical supervision.
Freebies
- Get Dr. Kilbane’s Eczema Jumpstart Guide and learn how to relieve your child’s eczema using a simple plan.
Guest Resources / Connect with Dr. Sheila Kilbane
- Learn more at Dr. Kilbane’s website
- Healthy Kids, Happy Moms: Seven Steps to Heal and Prevent Common Childhood Illnesses – Sheila Kilbane, MD, shares the methodology she’s developed over almost twenty years of practicing medicine in a 7-step process that can begin to heal your child’s chronic illness from the inside out.
- Check out Dr. Kilbane’s Healthy Kids, Happy Moms Online Course — use code IZABELLAWENTZ for 10% off the course!
- Visit Dr. Kilbane’s Supplement Store
- Discover the Mentorship Program for Practitioners
- Follow Dr. Kilbane on Instagram
- Check out her Mold Exposure Resource Guide for information about addressing mold issues around your home.
Supplements We Discussed
- Diphenhydramine (Benadryl or generic Geneza) – An antihistamine used short-term to calm severe itching and help children sleep.
- Cetirizine (Zyrtec) – A daytime antihistamine for managing histamine levels.
- Ketotifen (compounded prescription) – A dual antihistamine/mast-cell stabilizing medication that can lower gut histamine levels and eczema flares.
- Quercetin – Quercetin is an antioxidant with anti-inflammatory and mast cell–stabilizing properties that can be used to support allergies, immune health, and overall resilience.
- Stinging Nettle – An herb used to reduce histamine and allergic responses. (This is available via Fullscript – if you don’t have a Fullscript account, you can sign up with my credentials here.)
- DAO Enzyme – Helps with histamine overload symptoms linked to mood and digestive issues. (This is available via Fullscript – if you don’t have a Fullscript account, you can sign up with my credentials here.)
- Vitamin C – An antioxidant that acts as a natural antihistamine and supports skin health.
- Proteolytic/Systemic Enzymes – Support modulation of the inflammatory response, the natural clearance of inflammatory proteins, and healthy lymphatic drainage; help protect against oxidative stress; help with biofilm disruption and detox.
- Digestive Enzymes – Improve nutrient absorption and support healthy digestion. Consider Rootcology Pancreatic Enzymes Plus and Rootcology Veggie Enzymes.
- Single-Strain Probiotics – Used initially to gently rebalance gut flora. Consider Rootcology S. Boulardii.
- Omega-3 Fats – Support for cardiovascular, joint, cognitive, and skin health; essential for healthy cell walls and reducing inflammation.
- Zinc Carnosine – used to treat H. pylori. (This is available via Fullscript – if you don’t have a Fullscript account, you can sign up with my credentials here.) Please also read my article on Zinc for Hashimoto’s.
Other Tools and Resources
- GI-MAP Functional Stool Test – Used to identify gut infections, dysbiosis, and inflammation.
- Brite Hypochlorous Acid Spray (by Briotech) – Used to reduce skin bacteria safely and naturally.
- Manuka Honey Cream – Moisturizes and supports healing without triggering new sensitivities.
- Vanicream – A gentle moisturizer base used in both conventional and integrative protocols.
- Dr. Aron’s Protocol – A topical therapy developed by Dr. Aron (antibiotic/steroid/moisturizer blend).
- Filtered Water for Bathing – May help reduce eczema triggers like chlorine or hard water.
- Detergent-free Laundry Soap – Reduces skin barrier breakdown. I started washing all of my family’s clothes using Cal Ben laundry soap. I love Cal Ben laundry soap because it’s economical, has pure ingredients for sensitive skin, and has really helped my son’s skin issues. (Bonus: my hubby says it has done wonders for his white socks.)
- Epsom Salt Baths – Support gentle detoxification in children.
Books and Articles About Eczema, Gut Health, and Kids
- The Best Probiotics for Hashimoto’s
- The Ultimate Guide To Using Enzymes with Hashimoto’s
- Common Hashimoto’s Patterns Seen in the GI-MAP Test
- 5 Toxic Skincare Ingredients You Should Avoid If You Have a Thyroid Condition
- Mold: A Potential Trigger of Hashimoto’s
- Histamine and Hashimoto’s
- Visit the solveeczema.org website to learn more about detergent-induced eczema
- Check out my Instagram post about my son’s eczema recovery!
Get the Full Episode Transcript
Let’s Connect!
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Got questions? Drop them in the comments! 🙂
About Our Host
Dr. Izabella Wentz
Dr. Izabella Wentz is a compassionate, innovative, solution-focused integrative pharmacist dedicated to finding the root causes of chronic health conditions. Her passion stems from her own diagnosis of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis in 2009, following a decade of debilitating symptoms.
Dr. Izabella Wentz has written several best-selling books, including the New York Times bestseller Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis: Lifestyle Interventions for Finding and Treating the Root Cause, the protocol-based #1 New York Times bestseller Hashimoto’s Protocol: A 90-Day Plan for Reversing Thyroid Symptoms and Getting Your Life Back, the Wall Street Journal bestseller Hashimoto’s Food Pharmacology: Nutrition Protocols and Healing Recipes to Take Charge of Your Thyroid Health, and her latest book, Adrenal Transformation Protocol.
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About Our Guest
Dr. Sheila Kilbane is a board-certified pediatrician specializing in integrative medicine, with a mission to transform pediatric healthcare by addressing the root causes of chronic childhood illnesses. She combines conventional medical practices with evidence-based nutritional and lifestyle interventions to help children achieve optimal health.
After earning her medical degree from The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Dr. Kilbane completed her residency at Carolinas Medical Center. She furthered her expertise by completing a fellowship in Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona under the mentorship of Dr. Andrew Weil.
In her Charlotte, North Carolina practice, Infinite Health, Dr. Kilbane developed the “Healthy Kids, Happy Moms” program – a seven-step approach designed to heal and prevent common childhood conditions such as eczema, asthma, allergies, reflux, and recurrent infections. This program emphasizes the significant role of nutrition and lifestyle in children’s health.
Dr. Kilbane is also the author of the book Healthy Kids, Happy Moms: 7 Steps to Heal and Prevent Common Childhood Illnesses, which serves as a comprehensive guide for parents seeking to understand and address the underlying causes of their children’s health issues.
Beyond her clinical work, Dr. Kilbane is an active educator and speaker, sharing her insights at medical conferences, online summits, and through various media platforms. She is a member of the True Health Initiative Council and serves on the medical advisory boards of organizations such as Food Babe, Wellness Mama, and Kitchen Stewardship.
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