infonuggets for new(ish) parents: Heimlich Clear Cream

Showing posts with label Heimlich Clear Cream. Show all posts

Friday, April 22, 2011

Heimlich Clear Cream Recall

So a couple of weeks ago, I blogged about the most amazing, miraculous, "all natural" cream that got rid of C's eczema in a matter of days. Given that I have used homeopathic remedies before, with much success, for some of C's other typical baby/toddler ailments, I had no problem trusting Heimlich Clear Cream's claim to being "all natural". Now, thanks to an alert reader (thank you, anonymous commenter!), I've found out that I've been duped. Apparently, the distributor has recalled the product because "FDA analysis revealed the presence of up to 0.037% Betamethasone Valerate, a corticosteroid". Argh! It's not so much the presence of the steroid in the cream that pisses me off so much (as .037% is still a much smaller concentration than is found in other steroid creams) but that the company felt the need to deceive an already vulnerable consumer base. So while in practice, I wouldn't mind using the cream again (especially since I didn't have to use much of it), I won't, out of principle. Companies like Heimlich give truly effective holistic products a bad rap, and I have to wonder what else the company is lying about. Perhaps they'll offer some sort of satisfactory explanation, but, in the meantime, if C's eczema rears its ugly head again, I'll give the California Baby Calendula Cream a try. It's cheaper anyway.

Here's information on the recall: http://www.totalrecallinfo.com/freerecalls.php?id=23428.

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Update on the Heimlich Clear Cream

So after applying the cream on C’s legs and ear for around a week, all of here eczema patches are gone. Yippee!!! If they dare to resurface, I know now that I have an incredibly effective weapon at my disposal.

Eczema

So I always felt badly for kids I saw with eczema. Looked painful and unpleasant, and I always thanked God that C never had to deal with it. Little did I know. Sure enough, around two months ago, I noticed that there was a rough dry patch behind her knees. It soon spread and started turning red and raw. Then scabby. I also noticed that where the earlobe met her jawline, she had what looked like a scabby crack. Argh. The pediatrician confirmed it: eczema. Argh. No doubt caused in part by her shabby diet (more on that in another post).

The ped recommended the usual. Hydrocortisone, a steroid. But then she stopped herself because she knew me better. Haha. What I didn’t tell her was that I was already on it. I had ordered Heimlich Clear Cream, which had gotten AMAZING reviews, from Amazon and was waiting for it in the mail. In the meantime, when we got home, I cracked open a homemade calendula salve I had bought a couple of years ago from a tiny homeopathic store in Switzerland. It had been touted as a cure-all for skin ailments, and I had just found it again going through my medicine cabinet. Because I knew I had to wait a couple of days for the Heimlich Clear Cream, I thought, what the heck? Might as well give this calendula salve a try. Astoundingly, in a 48-hour period, C’s eczema had cleared up considerably. But then I received the Heimlich Clear Cream, which I was determined to use since I had just spent $30 on it. And even more astoundingly, over a weekend, C’s eczema had cleared up completely. The only thing left is some slight discoloration behind the knees, no doubt discoloration from the scabbing.

Curious, I looked at the ingredients. You guessed it: calendula. Plus arnica, a powerful natural anti-inflammatory. Coincidence?

I laugh now when I read reviews about Heimlich Clear Cream on Amazon. There is so much skepticism out there, evidenced by comments like, “This cream must contain steroids…Medically speaking, the results cannot be explained by the company’s listed ingredients.” That kind of comment obviously comes from a reviewer so biased by Western medicine that s/he is incapable of entertaining the possibility that homeopathic remedies may be just as effective as Western medicine sometimes.

Anyway, if $30 is too steep a price for you, California Baby makes its own calendula cream, which is apparently pretty effective as well. Less than half of what Heimlich costs, but as effective? Would love to hear from someone who’s used it.

In the meantime, C and I are happy campers!!!!