Anyone know of any doctors in Ohio that support UVB treatment? The few I've been to do not.. only use protopic creams. I heard there is a doctor in Cincinnati (Mason area) that does UVB. Any recommendations?
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Hi! I just cam across your post and and just wanted to mention that in my research I found out that antidepressants cause oxidative stress in our bodies..and oxidative stress levels have been found to be higher in individuals with vitiligo. When I first found out that I had vitiligo I considered going on one but decided not to because of the oxidative stresses potential to make vitiligo worse. St Johns wort is a natural alternative which many take to help vitiligo actually..and it is also used as a natural antidepressant.
Hi! I'm not from the ohio area but have you tried your local hospital/healthcare dermatologic group..maybe going to a larger clinic they would have it available. I live in CT and the one I went to was the UConn health center dermatology. They were the only ones(they are a large hospital)..every other small dermatologist didn't have it. I personally did not have any good results with UVB unfortunately but many do. I'm 24 and have had vitiligo since around 11. Has your daughter tried any dietary changes?
no diet changes or vitamins.. the doctor she was seeing didn't recommend them. Have you tried? If so, what?
My doctors never told me about alternative therapies either. But after much reasearch I found the best to be the following based on clinical studies and personal experience:
The two key elements to treating it are trying to get as many antioxidants as possible because vitiligo has been linked to oxidative stress. Secondly, boosting the immune system in order that it will function properly/optimally and not attack itself. (so anything dietary or supplement that will boost the immune system is great.) Also, I would recommend getting a blood test to make sure you are not consuming anything you are allergic to or are low in any vitamins. I had an allergist do a blood test for me and I think they tested around 50 foods..I wasn't found allergic to anything, but some are..its just good to know.
DIETS: A gluten free diet, vegan diet, dairy free, yeast free diet. Raw food is great too full of nutrients +antioxidants. (This is what I am on it)
SUPPLEMENTS: A powerful multivitamin (I would recommend one from a health food store not one like Centrum), probiotics very important help digestive system, b12, folic acid, Those are the most important!! however I would also suggest these: selenium, zinc, spirulina, reservatrol.
TOPICALLY: I am using coconut oil and have seen some repigmentation from it in combination with natural sunlight. Also, Bimatoprost is a new option the study I beleive from Korea was published and had great results, I am using that also.
I am using all of these. THE MOST important thing is that when you combine all of the methods of diets, supplements, sunlight, doctor prescribed medicine or uvb you get the best results so try to do as much as you can all at the same time.
When I tried only using doctor prescribed stuff or only doing uvb I saw no results but with everything I am doing on my own I finally am seeing some repigmenting!
Let me know if I can help with any other information :)
Wow Kelly, that's dedication. I'm not sure if i could do all of that, it looks very daunting especially while taking 19 credits! I was always scared to take in a lot of anti-oxidants, i figured if i strengthen my immune system it will just make it more efficient at spreading the vit. ugh idk I guess I better start doing something, I haven't done anything except cover it up and make small changes in diet (which i would do regardless of vit). what's the easiest things to start with?
It can seem like a lot but you get use to it and it is not only good for vitiligo but for overall health! I definitely didn't do it all over night it, it took time and I am still in the process of trying to go completely raw food and always researching new potential things to try.
The biggest misconception is that we shouldn't strengthen our immune systems when completely the opposite is true..we need to strengthen our immune systems because when we have a weak immune system our bodies are not functioning properly/optimally and end up attacking our own cells or not absorbing all of the vitamins/nutrients we are consuming etc. Also, there have been many studies published that show that individuals with vitiligo have an extremely higher level of oxidative stress..which means we need more antioxidants to prevent high levels of oxidative stress and the free radicals attacking our cells. And antioxidants also boost our immune systems.
To start with a few things I would say start with easiest and work your way up:
1)Go to a doctor and see if your low in any vitamins (get a typical analysis done..the one my doc did also showed my levels of white blood cells etc which was interesting to see how your immune system is functioning. Also, if possible go to an allergist and have them test you for any food allergies (I had a blood test done for it).
2)Definitely take the vitamins..they are an easy thing to do and don't involve too much time.
3)Make sure you get as much sun on your spots as possible without burning them. Maybe every night put coconut oil on them. (should find it at your local health food store)
4)Try to start incorporating foods from the diets..and ease your way into it. Start with just one meal a week and keep adding when you have time. (I would say the most important diets are gluten free and dairy free) Or you could start the dairy free diet with just substituting all the milk you drink with rice milk..it tastes really good..that right there is a huge step.
Where in Ohio?
Anywhere.. Cleveland or Cincinnati area would be most ideal
oh we live in Toledo we used a dr. in adrian michigan
how old is your child?
25 years old. Had vitiligo at 12years old.. and gradually worsen until age 18, it started to disappear. Now at 25 its spreading rapidly again.