Naturopathic care for pediatric eczema in Toronto & across Ontario
If your child has eczema, you already know the cycle: a flare appears, you reach for the steroid cream, things calm down, and a few weeks later it's back. Maybe you've tried elimination diets, switched detergents, swapped moisturizers, and read every label in the pharmacy. You're not doing anything wrong pediatric eczema is rarely a single-factor problem. My job is to look at the full picture and help you find what's actually driving your child's flares so we can settle the skin from the inside out.
Common symptoms and signs
Children with eczema often experience some combination of:
Dry, scaly, or thickened patches of skin
Intense itching, especially at night
Redness and inflammation that comes and goes in flares
Cracks, weeping, or crusting in severe flares
Skin infections (often staph) from scratching
Disturbed sleep for the whole family
Behavioural changes irritability, restlessness, difficulty concentrating
Co-occurring food sensitivities, hay fever, or asthma
If you've been told your child's flares are "just eczema" but you can see how much it's affecting their sleep, mood, and confidence, that's worth taking seriously.
What is pediatric eczema?
Pediatric eczema, also called atopic dermatitis, is a chronic inflammatory skin condition that affects roughly one in five children in Canada. It usually shows up in infancy or early childhood and tends to follow a relapsing-remitting pattern better, worse, better again often alongside other "atopic" conditions like food allergies, environmental allergies, and asthma. The conventional diagnosis is clinical, made on the pattern of dry, itchy, inflamed patches in characteristic locations (cheeks, scalp, and extensors in babies; behind the knees, inside the elbows, hands, and neck in older kids).
Eczema is more than a skin issue. The skin is doing what it's doing for a reason and the reason almost always involves the gut, the immune system, and the skin barrier itself working together (or, in this case, not).
What might be driving it (root causes)
Pediatric eczema is rarely caused by one thing. The most common contributors I see in practice are:
Skin barrier dysfunction. Many children with eczema have a genetic variation in the filaggrin gene, which affects how well the skin holds onto moisture and keeps irritants out. The result is a leaky, easily inflamed barrier. We can't change the gene, but we can support how the barrier behaves.
Immune dysregulation. Eczema is a Th2-skewed inflammatory condition, meaning the immune system is biased toward allergic-style responses. This shows up as elevated IgE, sensitivity to common foods or environmental triggers, and a heightened histamine response.
The gut–skin axis. The microbes in your child's gut talk to their immune system constantly. Imbalances in the gut microbiome, low diversity in early life (often after antibiotics or formula feeding), and intestinal permeability ("leaky gut") all show up disproportionately in kids with chronic eczema. Research over the last decade has been remarkably consistent on this.
Food sensitivities and IgE allergies. True food allergies (egg, dairy, wheat, soy, nuts) drive flares in some children. Non-IgE food sensitivities which don't show up on standard allergy tests drive flares in many more. Identifying which is which matters; we don't want to over-restrict a growing child's diet.
Nutrient deficiencies. Low vitamin D, zinc, omega-3 fatty acids, and certain B vitamins all correlate with eczema severity. Many of these are easy to assess and address.
Stress, sleep, and environment. Cortisol and the nervous system shape skin inflammation. Hard cycles of itch–scratch–poor-sleep–more-itch are common, and addressing the sleep piece often unlocks meaningful change. Environmental triggers chlorinated pool water, harsh soaps, dust mites, pet dander matter too, but they're rarely the whole story.
How Dr. Arrigo approaches pediatric eczema
The first visit is about understanding your child as a whole person, not just their skin. We'll go through pregnancy and birth history, infant feeding, antibiotic exposure, family atopic history, current diet, sleep, and what flares look like — including patterns you may not have noticed. I'll also review any prior testing, including allergy panels your paediatrician or allergist may have run.
From there, depending on your child's age and presentation, I may recommend functional lab testing such as:
Comprehensive blood work
Food sensitivity testing (IgG and/or IgE panels) when warranted by symptoms
GI/stool testing (e.g., GI-MAP) to assess gut microbiome balance, inflammation markers, and gut barrier function
Comprehensive micronutrient panel when nutritional gaps are suspected
We'll only run tests that will actually change the plan. I'll always tell you the cost and the rationale before ordering anything.
Then I build a personalized protocol. Most parents start to see calmer skin and better sleep within four to eight weeks. Deeper, longer-standing eczema especially in older kids with multiple atopic conditions typically takes three to six months of consistent work to settle.
What treatment might include
Every child's plan is individualized, but treatment usually draws from these categories:
Clinical nutrition. Anti-inflammatory whole-food eating, omega-3-rich foods, and when warranted a structured therapeutic elimination and reintroduction to identify true triggers without over-restricting. For breastfeeding infants, we often work with the mother's diet as well.
Targeted supplementation.
Botanical medicine. Gentle, age-appropriate herbal support for skin inflammation, the gut, and sleep where appropriate. Topicals may be included as well. Internal botanicals are used cautiously in children and only when clinically indicated.
Lifestyle and skin care. Practical guidance on bathing temperature and duration, moisturizer selection, fabrics, environmental triggers, and sleep hygiene. The boring foundations matter and they often matter most.
I do not prescribe pharmaceuticals or topical steroids. If your child is currently using prescription topicals or systemic medications, I work alongside your paediatrician or paediatric dermatologist never against them. Naturopathic care complements conventional dermatology. Some parents wish to have their child off the steroids, we work together to determine what is best suited for the child.
When to consider working with a naturopath for pediatric eczema
Naturopathic care is often a good fit when:
Steroid creams help during flares but the eczema keeps coming back
You want to understand why it's flaring, not just calm the next flare
Your child has multiple atopic conditions (eczema + allergies + asthma)
Antibiotics, formula, or early life events shaped their gut, and you'd like to address that
Sleep is disrupted, mood is affected, or scratching is causing skin infections
You want a structured, evidence-informed approach to food triggers without unnecessarily restricting your child's diet
Frequently asked questions
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Yes naturopathic care can address the contributors to eczema (gut microbiome, nutrient status, food triggers, immune balance) that topical treatments don't reach. Topicals still have a role for active flares, and we don't avoid them dogmatically. The goal is fewer flares, less reliance on steroids over time, and a calmer baseline.
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No. I'm conservative with paediatric supplementation. Most plans include 2–4 well-chosen, evidence-based supplements at age-appropriate doses, not a long list. If a supplement isn't doing meaningful work, it shouldn't be in the plan.
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Sometimes — when the history strongly suggests it and the result will change the plan. I'm careful with food sensitivity testing in young children because it's easy to over-restrict a growing child's diet based on tests with imperfect specificity. We always pair testing with a structured reintroduction.
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No. Please don't stop any prescription medication on your own. If your child is currently using topical steroids, calcineurin inhibitors, or systemic medications, we work alongside that treatment. As your child improves, you and your prescribing doctor can decide together whether to step down medications.
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Most families notice better sleep and calmer skin within 4–8 weeks. Deeper changes fewer flares, less reliance on steroids, improved gut symptoms typically settle in over 3–6 months. Eczema that's been present for years usually takes longer than eczema that's relatively new.
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Most extended health insurance plans in Ontario cover naturopathic visits. I'll provide receipts you can submit directly.
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Yes! I see patients across Ontario virtually. In-person visits happen at Insight Naturopathic Clinic in Leaside, Toronto.
Ready to figure out what's actually going on?
Book a free 15-minute discovery call to talk through your hormonal concerns and see if working together is the right fit.
This page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. If you have concerns about your mental or physical health, please consult a qualified healthcare provider.