David

"David" (age 9) had been asthmatic since he was a baby and had suffered with severe eczema for about six months. His mother was extremely worried by both the amount of drugs David had to take (three for his asthma) and by the quantity of topical medication he had to smear on his eczema (which covered approximately 65% of his body). His general health was deteriorating and when David arrived for his treatment he had a hacking cough that was getting progressively worse.

During the first day of treatment David began to cry as he expressed how upset he felt about his parents divorce (a year or so earlier). Although the divorce had been amicable and David appeared to be very well adjusted to the new situation, he had in fact been suppressing the grief and pain he was feeling. In these situations, it is common for children to try and protect their parents from more pain by being strong and hiding their own. However, as a result of David's tears both he and his Mum realised how much grief was still there and that there was a great deal they needed to talk about.

On the second day of treatment David came bouncing happily into the treatment room and his mother reported that his cough had almost completely disappeared. By the third day of the treatment David's eczema, which had covered his back and the front of his body on the first day, had faded so much it could hardly been seen. David received his treatment in February 2001, his Mum telephoned in August 2001 to say that since that time David's skin had been eczema free and "absolutely beautiful".

Yvette Richards