A long overdue update

As per my previous post…. its been a while!

As a preface to this post, I recommend reading this to understand what the Dead Sea can do for Vitiligo sufferers and what an amazing place Jordan is.

When I returned from Jordan, I continued to repigment for around four months without continuing any treatment, no cream, no UVB light, nothing!

Why did I stop the treatment?  There are a few reasons; I split with my Girlfriend of two years and became very complacent. I spent the next few months giving my body some abuse through bad diet, lack of sleep and limited exercise. I continued to work very long hours and spent any free time I had drinking and partying… a lot.

For better or worse, Jordan changed my view towards vitiligo and psychologically, it started to affect my day-to-day life a lot less. Before Jordan, Vitiligo was constantly on my mind with a constant uneasy feeling that it could get worse and dealing with a minor battle of acceptance.  At the the risk of sounding dramatic, Jordan actually does give a lot of hope that you can actually manage the condition and have an improved quality of life.

Getting back to the treatment lapses. After 6 months I started loosing some of the pigment I gained in Jordan. I think I need to be clear at this point that this 100% down to me and not a reflection of the treatment in Jordan. If you look at Gurus progress, he is a fantastic example of someone that has followed the treatment to the letter and has had fantastic success from it.

Prof. Schallreuter is very clear that if the treatment is stopped or not followed correctly then you can lose pigment again. This makes total sense seeing as Jordan is not a cure, it is purely a treatment method. My belief is that Vitiligo needs to be stabilised and this can or cannot be achieved depending on the type of person and what triggers their vitiligo. For me, I completely stopped taking any supplements including B12 and Gingko and completely stopped any light treatments.

I’m sure this post will divide opinion and some will think I’m an idiot for spending the money to go to Jordan and then letting the positive affects of the treatment be jeopardised but truthfully, sometimes life just gets in the way and other things take focus (hence the neglect of the blog).

Anyway, on a more positive note, the loss of pigment brought my focus back to treating the condition properly again as well as improving my overall health which had slipped massively since moving to London.

I’m aware that I’ve started multiple blog posts promising things I have never completed including my personal diet and treatment plan(Check some of Flavios comments for some great information) and some interviews. I’ve got a list of things to post about, so watch this space.

It’s also amazing how many people I come across with Vitiligo. Personal life and work, it seems like the number of those affected is increasing.

I feel like Vitiligo has been a blessing and a curse, I’ve met many great people because of the condition and its opened my eyes to wider health and prompted me to investigate dietary changes which I would have just been ignorant to before.

Photo is from when I caught up with Lee Thomas recently whilst he was in London!

I’ve got through all the private emails and answered them. I appreciate everyone that reaches out to me and I try to respond to all but I do still encourage that questions are asked in the comments section, that way more people can add their input.

A high number of emails I get are from people that have early stage Vitiligo and ask me whether they should start to treat it or wait. My suggestion is to try and stabilise it as soon as possible, you don’t necessarily need to jump straight to UVB lights or steroid creams but you can take some steps to help reduce skin oxidisation and strengthen the immune system. I also recommend getting blood levels from your Doctor as this may show if their is another issue that is triggering the Vitiligo.

My next few posts will be focused on my current treatment plan.

I’ve recently changed the design of the Blog, please feel free to send me feedback on the format and the content!