" I have a small white spot on my lips! Will it spread all over my body; I am  afraid because my grandma had the similar problem!
 
I tried all types of treatment; no improvement at all. Now I am not taking any medicines.
              Vitiligo  is  the  most  common   skin  disorder.  Now  the  disease  is  most  prevalent  all  over  the  world.      This  non-infectious  skin ailment  appears as  white  patches all  over  the  body, symmetrically  or  asymmetrically. Leucoderma  is  localised  to  a  part  of  the  skin  whereas  the  vitiligo  affects  all  over.

               The  patient  becomes  a  social  stigma. They  are  humiliated and  boycotted  socially. This would be really an unfortunate  situation for  them. If  the  victim  is  a  woman   she  is  much  depressed   because   she  has  lost  her  beauty   and  charm  as well  and  becomes  a  victim  of  humiliation.
 
What is wrong?
              “Melanin”   gives  natural  colour  to  our  skin. Whenever  Melanocyte cease functioning the skin becomes white. Melanocyte  Stimulating  Hormone ( MSH) is secreted from  pituitary  gland  which  controls  the  pigment  cell  function. Vitiligo holds  three  prominent  theories: the  Auto-immune, Self-destructive and  Neural.
The  pigment  cells may  leave  an  auto  toxic  substance  that   destroys  the  new  pigment cells.
The  body  might  be  destroying its  own  tissue as  an  auto-immune  response  because  it  perceives  the  pigment cells  as  foreign.
Abnormal  nerve  cells  may  injure  the  nearby pigment  cells.
What are the causes?
Heredity plays a major  role. The  disease  tends  to  run  in  families: most  patients  have  a  relative  who  suffers from this  illness.
Clinically  this  disease  may  be  associated  with  some  other  ailments  such  as  diabetes  mellitus, thyroid  disorders, endocrine  disorders and  anaemia.
Now-a-days gastrointestinal  disorders  play  major  role  in  causing of  this  illness. Some  patients give the  past  history  of  Typhoid , Jaundice and  Amoebic  dysentery. Many   physicians  believe  that  the  vitiligo patients  need  a  purgative  to  eliminate  the  worms  so  that  he  could  enhance   better  absorption  of  nutrients.
 The  physical  and  chemical  agents  are  responsible  for  localised  lesions. The  Leucodermal   patches  may  appear  as  a  result  of  over indulgence  with  a  chemical  and  physical stimuli. Many  clinical  cases  of  white  skin  with  rubber footwear, synthetic  underwear, tight clothing  had  been reported  often to  my  clinic.  In  many  cases  of  burns, hypopigmentation  occurs.
The  inflammatory  process  of  psoriasis, eczema shall  interfere  with  melanin  synthesis  in a few  patients  who  reports  with  white  discolouration.
Long-time  in take of certain  material  medicines  is  found  to  produce this  pigmentary  disorder.
Emotional  and physical  stress  may  precipitate the  onset  more.
 
How to diagnose?
              Diagnosis  of  vitiligo  does not  need  any  special  investigation. With naked  eye one can  detect the  ailment.The  fungal  infections such as Tinea alba, Tinea  versicolor looks like vitiligo  patches. The skin scrapping for fungus and culture tests help establishing the diagnosis. Normally, the  white  patches  appears  in two-ways.
In  some  cases   the  discolouration  may  appear  symmetrically on lips, fingertips, toes, around eyes, armpits, around  areola  of the  nipple and  private parts. The  progress  of  this  type  is  very  slow.
In  another  type, the  hypopigmentation starts asymmetrically  at  any  part  of the  body   as  a  single  or  multiple  lesions. Mostly  Face, Limbs, Abdomen, Back  are  affected.  In   some  patients  the  depigmented area  remains for  years  together  of  the  same  size. Sometimes they spread rapidly all  over the body. The hypopigmentation  starts  as  small  brownish  spot. They are  trichromic.
              The  Fungal  infections,  Tinea alba, Tinea  versicolor looks  similar  to vitiligo  patches  which  requires  differential   diagnosis.
 
How does it affects general health?
              No! There  is  no  sensory  and  motor   dysfunction  except  the  cosmetic views. Whatever the  cause , the disease  is  never  life-threatening. Normally, the  sunlight  promotes  the  pigmentation. This  is  the  reason  why  the  other  systems  of  medicines  hold   an  external  application   with   the  exposure to  mild  sunlight  or ultra violet  rays.  But some  vitiligo  patients are unable  to  withstand  sunlight  as  it  could  produce  blisters  on over  exposure.
 
What are the dietary regulations?

              The  ascorbic acid  tends  to  reduce  melanin pigmentation. Clinically dietary regulations   are  absolutely  necessary   to  bring back  the  normalcy of  the  patients. Normally   the  patients  are  restricted  to  take  the  citrus  food like lemon, pickles, tomato, vinegar  and  other  sour  items, soda, preserved  food  and  drinks, chocolates  and  coca  products.

              Latest  clinical  research  studies  shows that non-vegetarian  food  like  egg, meat, and fish also  have  to be  avoided as  they  act  as  a foreign body  to  pigment cells.  Some  practitioners suggest  to  avoid  milk  and  milk  products  also. Greens  and  red  radish, beetroots,  carrots, plums  and  blackdates    may  be  taken  as  they play a role in  physiology  and bio-chemistry of  the  skin.

Click here to know more on Diet for Vitiligo

 
Which treatment is ideal?
              Clinical research  studies  have proved  that  Homoeopathy could only cure  this disease permanently. Generally, vitiligo  patients  often tend to sway from  one  system to  another  since  they do not know  how  to  get themself cured from  the  disease.

              We  do not  treat  a  vitiligo    as  a  local  malady   as the  other  systems of  medicines  do.   External  applications with creams and ointments, exposure to sunlight  and  ultra violet  rays  will  not  help  to  bring  the  normal  harmony to the  patient. The pigmentation appears with  external  treatment,  but  very soon  they  vanish  away.  These  white patches  are  the  local  expression  of  the  internal derangement   It seeks a  treatment  which treats the patient as a whole irrespective of  aetiology, and it is Homoeopathy!  Based on this simple logic, homoeopathy strongly believes in treating Vitiligo with the oral medicines.

              We believe in constitutional,  miasmatic and pathological way of prescription.The approach  varies from physician  to  physician.  This calls for individual case study in every case of Vitiligo. There is no single specific remedy for all the cases of Vitiligo. The exact treatment is determined only on  indepth evaluation of individual case by enhancing body's own pigmentation system naturally.

              What we understand by the Constitutional Approach in homoeopathy is nothing  but analysis and evaluation of various factors affecting the human constitution  to determine the disease, diagnosis and the exact treatment in turn. Every case of Vitiligo calls for study of the patient's constitution which includes various aspects of his as well as the indepth study of the mental sphere such as emotions, psycho-social background, behaviour and personality pattern etc.

               What do  we  understand  by  miasmatic  study? It is the evaluation of  symptoms  in relation to the miasms such as psora, syphilis and  sycosis to  have  an  indepth  study of  aetiology.  Eventhough Vitiligo seems  to be  a  psoric  miasm, it  is a  mixed  miasm. Sometimes  Physio-pathological  approach with a  particular  disease  prescription often helps.

               The Homoeopathic remedy selected in every case after such a detailed study is the  similimum for  the  vitiligo  patient, which when administered in the correct dose brings about harmony at the constitutional level, stimulating the normal  pigmentation and hence induces normal skin colouration. The  disease force in vitiligo will be  eliminated  completely from the patients  layer-by-layer  with  the  wonderful  Homoeopathic Remedy!

              The next question that blooms  in your mind  is about the duration of  treatment. It  depends upon  the  extent of spread and duration of illness. The  response  of  the treatment  is  very good,  both  localised  and  generalised  lesions. Normally,  the  small patches  respond  very  quickly  rather than the  generalised  spread. The  lips, fingertips, private parts  takes  more time, but  other  areas  recover fast. Mostly  the dark  complexioned  patients  develop pigmentation very  quickly. Vitiligo being a chronic and long-lasting disorder, exact time for the cure cannot be  predicted. However, I  have  seen improvement within   3-4 months  in  most  cases. The length of treatment should be considered as over 6 months to a year or more.

              Vitiligo has always puzzled physicians of all walks. However, Homoeopathy system offers reasonably positive treatment.


 

 

 



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