I was looking into treatments for vitiligo for a friend, and reached out to Irene at Nourished Life.
This is what came back. I thought I’d share…as this is the kind of thing Irene does. She’s passionate about her work and she’s taken the time to work with an expert to give me a full breakdown.
Vitiligo is an auto-immune disorder where the body attacks its own melanin cells. It commonly occurs with auto-immune hypothyroidism (Hashimotos).
It is also sometimes labelled ‘Gilbert’s Disease’ in cases where the skin goes a bit yellowish or slightly jaundiced because of the slowness of elimination of oxidised haemoglobin. The ‘old’ blood cells make the skin look yellow or ‘mediterranean’.
It’s often considered a ‘benign’ condition, but only because its often viewed in isolation from the thyroid condition. In reality, vitiligo should be considered the initial stage of a progression of disease of the thyroid that can get worse and worse, at each stage acquiring a different disease label.
There is a genetic predisposition to acquiring this kind of immune system disorder, which goes hand in hand with digestive disorders, including not enough stomach acid to digest proteins, leaky gut symptoms and liver detox weakness. It’s the old paradigm: “Nature loads the gun and environment pulls the trigger.” Some people with these genes may never develop the symptoms if they don’t suffer excessive stress and if their nutrient intake is adequate.
I did extensive research on this issue and discovered that regular daily use of magnesium chloride (including mg cream like Elektra magnesium cream) can stop its advancement in its tracks.
To further manage symptoms:
* Get in mega magnesium nutrition via your skin (up to three times that of the average person). Can be a combination of magnesium soaking, spraying and Mg cream moisturiser.
* 2.5-3 litres magnesium mineral water over a 24 hour period (more if sweating). Use filtered water (no fluoride) and add once pinch (3-5 flakes or half a gram) per one litre. This will take water to neutral pH, but if people need higher alkalinity add an apple-pip-size amount of bicarb soda to that litre of Mg water. Don’t put in too much bicarb soda because this is a sodium and some people can have sodium overload. The 7-8ish pH range is a moderate and comfortable range for cells to buffer acids.
* B-group vitamins.
* Anti-oxidant support foods such as turmeric, purple vegetables and fruits, and plants with high vitamin C. Rich green leaves a a sign of high chlorophyll and therefore high magnesium (which sits in the centre of the chlorophyll molecule).
* Sulphur foods such as sesame seeds, eggs, garlic and onions.
* Good oils and fats (not superheated or oxidised-rancid)… ie. cold pressed vegetable oils (omega 3) for salads but not cooking. For cooking use coconut oil or butter. Eat some of the fat around your chops and the crispy skin of your roast chicken. Yum!
* Iodine rich foods such as seaweed, seafood and eggs. Offal such as liver and kidney is high in iodine (and natural iron and other minerals). You can get iodine also from the air when you walk on the beach. Lugols solution (or similar generic product) painted on the soles of the feet or under breasts for a couple days every two weeks is also a handy and natural iodine top-up.
* Fermented foods every day to maintain proper gut balance.
* Avoid fluoride in food and water (and medications) because it kills our beneficial gut bacteria and also blocks the action of magnesium. Magnesium supports enzyme activity, whereas fluoride suppresses it. Fluoride suppresses the thyroid, but magnesium supports it.
* Regular sunshine, fresh air and exercise to drive the lymphatic system, vascular system and to produce vitamin D on skin.
Thorough, no?! Thanks again, Irene!
