ROSACEA

ROSACEA is a relatively common skin disorder that mainly afflicts adults between the ages of thirty and fifty-women nearly three times as often as men. It usually occurs over the cheeks and nose and looks like a sunburn. Some people will also get pimples that resemble acne. Rosacea can wax and wane; certain foods or alcohol or exposure to the sun can increase the problem.

Unfortunately, no one is certain precisely what causes rosacea. Studies have connected it with everything from menopause to alcoholism, but it seems that the most convincing evidence links it to either food allergies and/or an imbalance of the digestive system.

The traditional treatment is the antibiotic tetracycline. It’s unclear precisely how it acts to reduce rosacea, but in many cases it is of some help; in some other cases it seems to have little effect. My own approach is an effort to remedy the two factors most closely connected with the development of rosacea and to make some modifications in the diet. For many patients, these measures will completely clear up their symptoms.

If you know that you have allergies now or have had them as a child, it could be that they are causing your rosacea. Many people find that once they eliminate certain foods, their rosacea disappears. An allergy to yeast is the most common allergenic cause and eliminating yeast from the diet can help such cases.

In addition, you should also avoid foods that cause blood vessels to dilate, including coffee, alcohol, spicy foods, and any other foods that cause a flush.

There is a strong link between a certain digestive imbalance called hypochlorhydria-reduced gastric acid output-and rosacea. Hypochlorhydria sometimes occurs as a the result of stress, worry, or depression, but some people seem to have a natural reduction in gastric juices, particularly as they get older. It’s believed that this reduction in digestive juices may somehow allow more toxic substances into the system and thereby contribute to rosacea. Many of these people also suffer from constipation and brittle fingernails and hair.

The solution to hypochlorhydria is hydrochloric acid capsules, but you shouldn’t take them before you’ve had a gastric analysis done by your doctor. If you take the capsules without having been analyzed, you run the risk of developing an ulcer. Be sure not to take the capsules with aspirin or certain other drugs.

For unknown reasons, taking acidophilus along with hydrochloric acid tablets seems to increase the effectiveness.

One supplement that seems to help is vitamin B12, perhaps because people with a digestive problem also have trouble absorbing vitamins.

NATURAL PRESCRIPTION FOR ROSACEA

• Determine if you suffer from food allergies. If yeast Is causing the problem, find out if it is candidiasis. Eliminate any problematic foods from your diet.
• If a gastric analysis determines that you are suffering from hypochlorhydria, take hydrochloric acid tablets under your doctor’s supervision. (If you are taking hydrochloric acid tablets, take one acidophilus tablet three times daily.)
• Avoid foods that cause blood vessels to dilate, including coffee, alcohol, spicy foods, and any other foods that cause a flush.

IN ADDITION TO YOUR DAILY SUPPLEMENTS, TAKE:

• B12: 1,000 mcg. dissolved under your tongue.