Healing skin, healing self

I was fortunate enough to take my youngest to an appointment with Dr. Joe Williams, who was a beloved Cook Islands-born GP who dedicated over 50 years to helping people—especially children—manage eczema. Though he has passed away, his legacy lives on.

Throughout his career, Dr Williams treated more than 40,000 patients around the world, many of whom swore by his unique, compassionate approach. We did have to wait more than 2.5 hours for the appointment as there were about 20 other people who were also queueing to see him at 8 in the morning – but that is testament to his popularity.

His method, known as Eczema-Care Therapy, was a mix of medical know-how and a real understanding of how frustrating and painful eczema can be. Here’s what it involved:

• A special cream: Dr. Joe created a topical treatment that combined a strong steroid with an antifungal agent. It was known as “betaclom,” and he used it to tackle both the inflammation and the potential fungal causes of eczema. Many families said it worked wonders when nothing else had.
• Diet changes: He believed what we eat plays a big role in skin health. So he often recommended cutting out common triggers like dairy, nuts, citrus, tomatoes, and pumpkin—foods that might be worsening the flare-ups without people realizing it.
• Managing the itch: For those relentless itches, he sometimes suggested low-dose antihistamines to help patients get some relief—especially at night.

Despite many heartfelt success stories from grateful families, Dr. Williams faced criticism from medical authorities for some aspects of his practice, particularly prescribing strong steroids for facial eczema in children. Still, many stood by him, saying his approach gave them hope and healing when nothing else had.

He also shared his experiences in a book called Eczema: The Neglected Disease of Children, hoping to raise awareness and offer answers to those struggling.

If you’re interested, there’s also a powerful video where you can hear more about his journey and hear directly from the people he helped:
📺 Eczema: The Neglected Disease of Children – Dr. Joe Williams