Vitiligo a Proactive Approach

With 40+ years in the skin industry, today I combine my skin health business with my health coaching business. I am an advocate of finding out what causes symptoms and researching the hidden connections to our challenges.

There are many faces of skin disorders when we come to realize how the gut and skin are closely connected. Our gut is where 80% of our immune system lies. If we eat poor quality foods, or, are addicted to alcohol and have an abundance of stress….we have reduced blood flow to the gut which leaves our immune system compromised.

Vitiligo has been reported to be associated with a variety of autoimmune disorders such as adrenal insufficiency, pernicious anemia (lowB12), diabetes mellitus, and thyroid disease. We can address these by removing and avoiding sugar, vegetable oils, alcohol abuse, gluten, dehydration, and processed foods. If one is seriously interested in making improvements in their skin, one must also address “chronic stress levels.”(1)

Stress can be caused by toxic food choices, toxic chemicals, and toxic emotions. In order to restore color to areas of skin where melanocytes are still functional, we must make sure that diet and lifestyle don’t continuously undo the re-pigmenting work that your melanocytes are constantly engaged in.

In my research, I’ve found Vitiligo is exacerbated by stress. This is where support from a certified holistic health coach can be useful.

Vitiligo can be related to thyroid imbalance and leaky gut. Intestinal permeability (a.k.a. “leaky gut”) causes both systemic and local inflammation, which in turn may contribute to skin disease. Try to avoid gluten, alcohol, sugar, and a folate deficiency.

Lectins can contribute to eroding our intestinal barrier also. Because the lectins also circulate throughout the bloodstream they can bind to any tissue in the body — thyroid, pancreas, collagen in joints, etc.(2) Wheat, peanuts, kidney beans, and soybeans are high in lectins. Cow’s milk, nightshade vegetables (such as potatoes) can also contain lectins. Lectins may be problematic because they are sticky molecules that can bind to the linings of human tissue, especially intestinal cells of sensitive individuals.

With Vitiligo, most rBGH milk products, including buttermilk, should be avoided. Grain-fed/ GMO Beef, pork, and farmed fish are also never recommended.(3) Why? Because leaky gut has a direct connection with vitiligo and pesticides from GMO’s. The end results may lead to poor skin health, brain-fog and cognitive issues.

Leaky gut can lead to “leaky skin”. The main function of the skin is to act as a physical, chemical and antimicrobial defense system. Studies have shown that both stress and gut inflammation can impair the integrity and protective function of the epidermal barrier. This in turn leads to a decrease in antimicrobial peptides produced in the skin, and may increase the severity of simple infections and inflammation in the skin.(4)