In considering possible links between vitiligo and other diseases, I didn’t want to leave out lupus. Because some of the medical literature suggests an association between the two conditions. And also for the altogether less scientific reason that Michael Jackson, who famously suffered from vitiligo for a large portion of […]
Vitiligo Blog
314 posts
As summer approaches, the prospect of those lazy, hazy days ahead can be daunting. At least, they can for anyone with vitiligo. The fact that the rest of the world is eagerly anticipating its many pleasures just makes matters worse. Warm weather, swimming, barbecues and outdoor pursuits should all be fun. […]
Old wives’ tale or valuable autoimmune therapy? Can oil pulling improve vitiligo? Or anything else for that matter? Or is this just a fad? These are questions I have been pondering for the past few weeks and, frankly, I still don’t have the answers. But I’d like to share my […]
… and a Vitix update I have two topics to share this week and they are linked, so I thought I’d give you them both in the one post. I’ll begin with a valuable lesson I learned a few weeks ago. It’s one I wasn’t thrilled about at the time […]
Might chalk become your Vitiligo Friend? Vitiligo (or #leukoderma /# leucoderma as it is variously known around the world) is a condition in which the skin (and sometimes the hair) loses pigment. This usually happens in localised patches. But vitiligo can turn you chalky white in large segments or even […]
Thankfully, there is a lot more vitiligo research going on today than at any time in the past. However, I can’t help thinking that what people with vitiligo need more than anything – especially when they are first diagnosed – is a doctor who is willing to hunt down some […]
Talking therapies can help A common complaint among vitiligo sufferers is that their doctors lack an appreciation of the psychological effects of their condition. They just don’t seem to get that vitiligo is not just about skin. I don’t doubt that there are many medical practitioners out there who are sensitive […]
So many variables, so little money! I sometimes wonder whether those of us with vitiligo (an estimated one in 100 of the world’s population) are justified in feeling frustrated about the lack of progress towards a permanent cure. As far as anyone knows, vitiligo has been around for as long […]
What does vitamin D do? As I write this post I am sitting in my garden enjoying some unusually warm UK sunshine. I am feeling very grateful for this on two counts. Firstly, the relaxing warmth. And, secondly, the fact that I am able to enjoy it without worrying about […]
The quote above from Hippocrates, the “father of modern medicine”, is well-known. In fact, it has become my mantra (my very own Hippocratic Oath, if you like). Using food as medicine makes a lot of sense to me. Not least because I have an experiment in nutritional therapy to thank […]
Did you overindulge during the holidays? Let’s be honest, most of us overdo the food and drink during the Festive Season. And I’m not talking about green vegetables and mineral water! For a lot of us the bingeing gives way to dieting in January… The goal being simple weight loss in […]
There is still no universal cure for vitiligo. But there are certainly enough re-pigmentation stories to show that it’s a condition that can and does respond to therapy. There are a number of different treatments that can be effective to one degree or another. It’s just that no single one […]
People are like gift wrap: all different colours and designs! Without wanting to state the obvious, there are a lot of people on the planet… About 7 billion at the time of writing. Homo sapiens first walked the earth about 50,000 years ago. And since then the Population Reference Bureau […]
So why do doctors not treat it like other autoimmune conditions? Assuming that #vitiligo is usually, if not exclusively, the result of an autoimmune response, it is not surprising that no magic pill to cure it has yet been found. As far as I can tell from searching the net, […]
It’s complicated! The truth about vitiligo can be summed up very simply… It’s complicated! If it wasn’t complicated, research would have found the cause and a cure by now. The fact that even Michael Jackson’s fortune couldn’t buy him a solution says a lot about how elusive this is. Even his untimely […]
One man’s recovery from vitiligo One of the best parts of being a vitiligo blogger is the sense of being part of a global community of people who love to share their experiences. So many of the comments and emails I receive – as well as the forums and support groups […]
I found this beautiful poem in a calendar I bought for a friend and wanted to share it with all my friends. I truly do wish you all a wonderful year to come… A wonderful year to come!Success in everything you do.A little more joy,a little less stress,a lot more […]
Are you dressed to kill? Ever since I was a teenager I’ve loved shopping for new clothes. I still enjoy the guilty pleasures of carrying my purchases home, emptying them out onto the bed and staging my own private fashion show. Clothes are a great outlet for self-expression and individuality. They […]
The weird and wonderful world of skin colour: part 4 Can green pigment restore skin pigment? may sound like a nonsensical question. After all, the green pigment chlorophyll is completely different from the skin pigment melanin (which does not function in areas of vitiligo)… Isn’t it? Well, yes. But read […]
It has taken me more than half a lifetime of dealing with the day-to-day impact of living with vitiligo and wondering “why me?” (when all along I knew the answer was “why not me?”) to realise that the experience has made me a much more compassionate human being. Even though […]
A vitiligo friend pointed out a news item to me today which I somehow missed back in May of this year and which sounds to me like the closest thing to a potential real cure for vitiligo yet. The article, as reported in the Telegraph on 6 May 2013, confirms what […]