Natural Treatment for Grover’s Disease: Holistic Approach, Gut Health, Lifestyle Changes
I was diagnosed with Grover’s Disease or Transient Acantholytic Dermatosis (TAD) in July 2020 and have been managing my skin condition naturally for over four years, since January 2021. Read Part 1: My Story of Diagnosis and Treatment of Grover’s Disease (TAD: Transient Acantholytic Dermatosis).
I’ve encountered many hills and valleys in my journey, but I’ve never looked back on my decision to quit my dermatologist and manage this on my own. I used prescription creams and medication for seven months in combination with diet changes before I went all in on natural remedies. It’s an indvidual decision that may not be for everyone and that’s ok. My intention is to share my story and hopefully to encourage anyone who is struggling with their skin to be open to alternatives other then conventional medicine if you feel led in that direction.
There are three essential components to get clear skin for Grover’s Disease which I believe cross over to all chronic skin conditions. 1) The Mental and Emotional State, 2) The External Physical State, and 3) The Internal Physical State or the root cause are each critical to managing clear skin naturally.
While physical discomfort is probably the first thing that comes to mind, I’d argue that the mental and emotional aspects of dealing with chronic skin problems are the most impactful. It’s how we feel about ourselves and our outward appearance and the hopes that people won’t notice or judge us for the current state of our skin. The feelings of discouragement, hopelessness, and embarrassment lead to anxiety or depression when dealing with chronic skin issues that reoccur over a lifetime.
I want to encourage anyone who is dealing with a chronic skin condition, whether it is a possible diagnosis of Grovers Disease, or something unknown. It can be detrimental to your well-being to only focus on the negatives of your skin’s appearance. You must have hope, even in the bad times.
The Emotional & Mental Side of Skin Issues
Having a rash on your body that doesn’t go away or another skin condition like acne, ecesema, or psorias to name a few can be emotionally and mentally draining. We can’t discount the feelings of anxiety and depression that come out when dealing with the stress of a rash, especially over a long period.
Have compassion for yourself and what you are going through. Give yourself permission to feel your feelings. Just recognize, if you are getting stuck there, and seek a way out.
Our body was meant to heal itself. You are more than your skin appearance on the outside. You are a beautiful human being who has a purpose you can get through this. You may have some bad days and that’s ok. You are not a failure. Recognize that life ebbs and flows and you can get through this.
The power of our thoughts and the beliefs we hold about ourselves impacts our health more than we think it does. It doesn’t take a traumatic event for us to experience stress that will ignite a rash or exasperate a dormant or pre-existing health condition. It could be stress of a job interview or situation at work, studying for an exam, traveling with a health condition, or a relationship tension that is ongoing.
After the diagnosis of Grover’s Disease sets in, I think it’s natural to go through the stages of grief (denial, bargaining, anger, sadness, and acceptance) before you come to terms with the diagnosis. And even if you have been functioning well for years, not even thinking about Grover’s, and have a flare on your skin, feelings of despair can creep back again. The loss of normalcy experienced when dealing with a skin condition that doesn’t have a definite cure is a different type of loss.
I’ve accepted that dealing with skin issues is a lifelong journey for me and not one isolated problem I will solve with one magic missing ingredient. It is my hope for you in whatever you or a loved one may be going through that you can have some peace regardless of your circumstances and feel confident that you can navigate your skin issues.
Mindset Shift on Suffering with Grover’s Disease
I don’t describe or identify myself as a “fellow sufferer” as seen in the Grover’s Facebook group and other online forums. I feel that this description is demoralizing. We have strength in coming together for support in the suffering from symptoms we share, I don’t base my identity on or label myself as having a disease. This skin condition is ONE aspect of who I am.
A twist on the acknowledgment of the suffering that we experience as part of our skin issues is developing self-compassion for ourselves. The Latin definition of compassion: com- and pati, meaning “to bear, suffer.” (Merriam-Webster Dictionary). Suffering is part of being human and a way we can all identify with each other and our experiences.
“Self-compassion entails being warm and understanding towards yourself when we suffer, fail, or feel inadequate, rather than ignore our pain or flagellating ourselves with self-criticism.”- Dr. Neff, author of Self-Compassion.
“The more you see your problem as uncommon, unrelatable, and unnatural, the closer you move to self-pity, not self-compassion.” (Dr. Neff). It’s fine to commiserate the diagnosis of Grover’s Disease and to have a low day or week where things are extra tough. But we need to counterbalance this so we don’t get swept away in it and accept helplessness, which leads to the next topic.
I also don’t believe there is no cure. This is disheartening and doesn’t allow the possibility of healing. It also puts you in a victim mindset like there is nothing you can do. Believing that you can heal is a key to wellness.
There have been times when my skin problems were all-consuming, making me physically miserable but also emotionally drained and exhausted. That’s a big reason I started this blog, to acknowledge the connection between physical skin issues and the emotional impact they have.
We aren’t promised a life without suffering, but we can still have peace through trials we face. For believers, Jesus said to his disciples: “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” -John 16:33
What Can I Do About It: Taking Our Power Back
I am happy for the small number of people who do find relief through medication for Grover’s Disease, but for those who have gone to doctor after doctor and many prescription medications with no relief, my heart goes out to you. I applaud your persistence in seeking answers and hope you are willing to try yet another way. The good news is that struggles with doctors, insurance companies, and side effects go away when you choose natural solutions.
Prescription medication and creams for Grover’s Disease vary based on the doctor’s often limited perspective on treatment and pends insurance approval. Getting the medication is half the battle, and then in many cases, it does not work and comes with side effects. And it can be expensive. All for the profit of Big Pharma.
At first, I was overwhelmed with anxiety when I tried to research health-related information on my own. There are different schools of thought, and honestly, let’s all agree to disagree at times and be ok with it. If someone finds relief for their problems in a way different from me, including prescription medication, because they felt that was the best decision for them, I am happy for them.
But for those who are willing to open up to other alternatives, it’s a different kind of difficult road. Your health journey might lead you down a pathway you didn’t expect, and there may be bumps along the way.
It’s important to understand that healing isn’t always linear. While some step-by-step processes matter, there are nuances. Comparison to others is said to be the thief of joy, and this is true when it comes to the skin health. There are so many individual differences between us that it is unlikely we all have the same exact solution.
While many factors complicate a streamlined direct answer as to what you can do for your specific situation, there are many benefits to cleaning up your diet and lifestyle that will improve your skin. Once you get started, you are on the journey to troubleshoot and take ownership of your health. You don’t need permission from a doctor or health professional. Take ownership for your health starting today!
You’ve been in your own body your whole life. But are you emotionally present for everything? We spend a lot of time chasing in life. Chasing after a better appearance of our skin, chasing a promotion at work, chasing the latest trend on social media.
I have FOMO. Fear of missing out on SOMETHING if I rest. It drives me to take on too many commitments, too many other burdens, and then more stress! Resting has been really a challenge for me. I’m good at doing but I have a hard time just being. But when I do, I am happy that I am honoring myself with my decisions.
As someone who has always been an achiever perfectionist type, I have come to terms with the good that can come from this. I have compassion and feel feelings and emotions strongly for the hurts of others and I give myself permission to have compassion for myself. I am still learning to slow down and take accountability for my tendency to overwork myself and exacerbate some of the issues I am trying to prevent.
How to Manage Physical Symptoms of Grover’s Disease Naturally
For anyone who has been diagnosed with Grover’s Disease I will share what has worked for me to manage my skin. The main focus is keeping your body hydrated, both internally and externally, regulating your body temperature to keep your body cool at night and avoid excessive sweating. When you have symptoms regulated, you can look at long term prevention more deeply.
Hydrating Your Skin: Creams and Lotions for Grover’s Disease
It’s important to always keep your skin hydrated with a body lotion, oil, or balm to protect the barrier. There’s no specific lotion that is better than another here, it comes down to personal preference. Ingredients matter and everyone is in a different place in their health journey. You are looking for something neutral that doesn’t have added fragrance.
I’ve gone away from dermatologist-recommended mainstream lotions as I deepened my research on ingredients. CereVe, Eucerin, and Cetaphil are all brands I have used in the past and may be a good start for someone new. Sarna has a cooling effect and is even more impactful when you keep it in the fridge.
When my skin is in a flare, my go-to is now an organic non-nano zinc oxide cream with only 5 ingredients. It is lightweight and smells neutral. My old go-to Desatin was chalky and I realized the extra strength version has fragrance and is petroleum-based.
I’ll use this zinc oxide cream for a week when my skin is flared and then I take a break from it to let my skin breathe.
An alternative when not using zinc oxide, I mix castor oil or fractionated coconut oil with lavender and tea tree essential oils to calm my skin after showing at night. This helps reduce itching in a flare but it does not tone down the bumps like zinc oxide. (It also gets on your clothing but you can soak it with baking soda for removal.) Coconut Oil is another alternative that smells nice.
The only medication I can suggest for Grovers if you are feeling super itchy is an antihistamine or allergy medication. In my original breakout, I used Levocetirizine, an off-brand from Walgreens (similar to Xyzal). I’ve tried and switched all sorts of allergy meds in the past and this seemed to work well for me during Grover’s initial flare. And now I do not take any medication for allergies.
Hydrating Your Body with Minerals for Grover’s Disease
For hydration, you also need to drink clean, mineralized water preferably from glass or stainless steel. Avoid bottled water as much as possible as this leaches plastic into your water. I like to drink spring water when I can but I mostly now I get reverse osmosis water from Natural Grocers.
Spring water has naturally occuring minerals. It can be an adventure to make a trip to a spring and you can find them at findaspring.org.
Reverse Osmosis water has been screened to have the bad stuff taken out. While you need to start with clean water, to get minerals you need to add them. I mineralize my water by adding magnesium and sole salt. This has been a game changer for my health overall and one of the first things that made an impact on my skin. Here is a link for more information on how to make it:
The best natural alternative to Gatorade (pedia light or power aid) is coconut water to replace electrolytes. Watch out for added sugars when you look at difference between brands. You can also make your own electrolyte drink with lemon or lime juice and sea salt.
Sleep & Grover’s Disease
Keeping cool at night is the #1 priority for me to prevent a Grover’s rash flare. This has been my worst trigger that I have struggled with the most. When I go to bed I am colder and have a habit of wrapping myself like a burrito in the blankets and then waking up hot and sweaty. If I wake up drenched in sweat, its a bad sign. Depending how much sweat and how long it was sometimes one night won’t hurt if I cool down but a two or more nights in a row of this is a recipe for disaster.
I use ice packs to cool my skin and keep the area cool, especially at night. Spray bottles and fans are helpful to have around at night. Aloe from an aloe plant can help with cooling.
In Arizona I slept with 3 fans on all year long – ceiling fan, end of bed fan, and side fan. Since moving to Colorado, I have a tendency of overheating after getting cold in the winter. I have certain tank tops I wear as pajama tops but if I wrap in too many blankets, it doesn’t help me.
I’ve slept on different bedding over the years to help keep cool and comfortable at night. The latest material I am trying is linen. The verdict is still out on which is best.
I spulrged and bought bamboo sheets from Cozy Earth at the beginning and I liked them quite a bit, but I’m not sold that that is the best. They stayed in place on the bed after several years after many washings and were lightweight and soft, but also very wrinkly. I’ve also tried eucalyptus sheets which were cooling and less wrinkles but they didn’t stay in place well and ripped within a year. I was very disappointed, especially for the price point.
I loved the silk pillowcase I got from Blissy. This can be an effective option on a budget to start rather than a whole new bed set. I don’t think I would enjoy silk for all the bedding but maybe others might. You can also travel with it which I was very particular about for a while. It does help with cooling and makes your hair soft just as it is marketed.
Should I Avoid Hot Water with Grover’s Disease?
Hot water is no longer a trigger for me, although I took lukewarm showers for the first two and half years of having Grover’s Disease. I decided finally to try a parasite cleanse after my wedding in 2023 and this shifted something in my body where I have not had a flare from hot water again. I am also able to enjoy hot springs of temperatures up to 109. (Although I prefer 101-104 degrees).
I set a wellness goal for 2024 to soak in hot springs once per month. My theory was that even if it doesn’t heal my skin, soaking in hot springs makes me feel like a million dollars (which we all deserve, skin issues or not). There are many health benefits from the minerals in the hot springs.
I’ve been to seven different hot springs in Colorado. The closest to me is Sunwater Spa in Manitou Springs. The others involve driving a few hours and making it a day trip or overnight commitment. They include Mt. Princeton Hot Springs (Buena Vista), Cottonwood Hot Springs (Buena Vista), Strawberry Hot Springs (Steamboat Springs), Overlook Spa (Pagosa Springs), Hot Sulpher Springs, and Iron Mountain Hot Springs (Glenwood Springs).
I’ve been to hot springs during an active Grover’s flare on 2 occasions. One time, it had no effect, and the other time was a show-stopping improvement I attribute to the sulphur.
My trip to Hot Sulphur Springs was the game changer. Not only did I feel extra amazing, but my skin was noticeably improving in the TWO HOURS we were there and even a few days later. Rough, bumpy patches of my skin noticeably smoothed out in less than 2 hours!!
Native American culture has it right from the beginning…these healing waters are Mother Nature’s gift to us to help our body heal. Sulfate or Sulphur is mentioned as improving skin. Sulfate = miracle water! I reviewed the mineral listings from all the places I have been and it makes sense. Sometimes, I have no obvious effects on my skin, but the 2 hot springs with high amounts of sulfur showed improvement. Hot Sulpher Springs and Overlook Spa (Pagosa Springs).
Sunwater Spa, where I’ve been the most, has a small amount of sulfur, but it is not the main mineral. It’s always had a worthwhile impact but not as noticeable as the others. Mt. Princeton Hot Springs has no sulfur, and that explains why I don’t notice any improvement there or nearby Cottonwood Hot Springs.
Pagosa Springs is a wellness destination, and the Mother Spring here holds the Guinness Book of World Records for the deepest geothermal spring. There are three hot springs you can visit in this adorable mountain town. I have only been here once but it inspired me to start this journey.
The only downside is that Pagosa Springs is a 5-hour drive from the Denver International Airport, and sulfur has a strong odor you may not be a fan of. Basically, if the hot springs website boasts of having water free of sulfur smell, it’s not as good!
Hot Sulpher Springs is close to the west entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park if you want to plan a Colorado vacation, just saying!
I’ve paused my hot spring adventures after our 2-year wedding anniversary; we are looking at starting a family and intend to avoid hot springs for now.
How Can I Change my Diet for Grover’s Disease?
In the short term, while experiencing a flare, avoid inflamatory foods like alchol, sugar, caffiene in excess, and dairy. This will help manage symptoms in the interem, but dietary and lifestyle changes take time and experimentation to be successful in the long run.
There is not a magic diet answer to Grovers like the commonly tried well intended efforts to avoid gluten, avoid dairy, avoid alcohol, and incorporate this one superfood or cilantro smoothie etc. It’s a combination of things tailored to your needs layered with consistency and resilience.
Awareness about food is not about avoiding any category of food but about understanding and improving the quality. While there are some legitimate food allergies or sensitivities that people have, a lot of the problems stem from a history of chemicals and preservatives we have allowed in our food. Fake food substances that are offered as food but really have no nutritional value and are stealing nutrients from your body.
Managing symptoms and getting the to a sustainable place should be priority while making small shifts with your diet as an experiment to find out what works for you long term. I address this below with what I do to maintain my skin and proactively prevent Grover’s Rash flares.
Cilantro Smoothies have been enough for some people to cure their rash, perhaps because of the detoxification of the liver. If you can stomach eating this much cilantro consistently for at least a month, I encourage trying it as a worthwhile pursuit. I did it religiously for 6 months and did find some improvement but not enough to continue. I still do them from time to time in a flare because of health benefits, but if you truely detest cilantro, I would move on.
This list concludes all of the basics needed to manage the physical symptoms of Grover’s flare. When your symptoms start to resolve, you will have more mental bandwidth to look at some deeper lifestyle shifts you can make with your diet to address what is going on internally.
Understanding the Root Cause(s) of Grover’s Disease & Lifestyle Adjustments
Our current healthcare system or more accurately “sickcare system” uses an illness model that looks at undesirable symptoms and prescribes medications to get rid of them ASAP. The mainstream system is more reactive than proactive. It encourages people to take a pill to get better but don’t do anything to change your lifestyle until you have a problem again and then only do the bare minimum.
Because of this pill mindset, even when we are looking for natural solutions, we can sometimes get stuck looking for “the one thing” that will fix our symptoms. The superfood, the supplement, and for Grover’s Disease, the magic cream.
A holistic approach to wellness seeks to solve the root cause of symptoms by addressing multiple factors by looking at the big picture and asking “What is happening to you?” A holistic approachs examines anot on the physical but also the mental, emotional, spiritual, and social aspects of health and how they all contribute to wellness.
While we don’t have all the answers about Grover’s Disease through scientific reasearch, we can conclude from a holistic perspective that there are dietary and lifestyle changes we can do that will help improve overall skin health.
I don’t want to give stress that much credit, but when I look at the big picture and all the little seemingly unexplainable times I’ve had random rashes pop up, stress is the only thing that makes sense. I’ve always been an emotionally sensitive person that feels deeply and feels intuitively the emotions of other close to me. I’ve lost plenty of sleep over the years awake thinking.
In the podcast Grounded Wellness by holistic skin care company Primally Pure, (Episode: #12 Daily Practices to Find Peace + Regulate Your Nevous System) with Holistic Esthetician Courtney O’Connor discusses how unmanaged stress and a dysregulated nervous system are two significant contributors leading to inflammation which is the root cause of a majority of health conditions, and in the skin.
It may sound basic and obvious, but most of us can do better with how we structure our schedules to give us time to slow down. It’s tempting to cram your free time with plans, to-dos, saying yes to commitments and activities that all may be inherently good. We all face an addiction to technology and trying to keep up with a fast paced world. Have you stopped to ask yourself, is this the lifestyle I really want? And even more, the daunting and endless question of “What do I really want?”
Our skin is an expression of our insides. Whether we like it or not. Our skin tells the story that something on the inside is happening that needs our attention. Skin issues are often connected to gut issues with the kidney and/or liver. Your liver uses skin as a back up organ to remove toxins. So if you have a toxic gut, your likely have reoccuring skin issues.
Gut health alone, may or may not be responsible for Grovers in it’s totality, but your gut is your immune system and you will improve your health as a whole by addressing it. Our environment plays a part in it as well as what we eat and our stress levels.
Your body is regenerating itself with the materials given, primarily from your diet. The average timeframe for your body cells to fully regenerate is around 7 years and around 10 for the skeletal system. According to most sources, skin cells replace themselves every 2-4 weeks. The liver, the organ responsible for eliminating toxins from the body, regenerates cells every 150-500 days or 5 to 16 months.
Even though the cell and organ regeneration process is constantly in motion, there can be slight mutations in our DNA as cells replicate. As we age there are more mutations in the cell replication. As we age, it gets more complicated for our body to regenerate our skin, especially with Grovers.
There are many biological and environmental factors interacting for each individual which explains why there is not one default way people have been able to alleviate their symptoms from Grover’s rash. Grovers may be a setback, but it’s up to you if you let it consume or debilitate you.
Diet for Grover’s Disease
The best diet for Grover’s Disease is one that is evolving to fit your needs, one that you reasonable enjoy and can stick to as you modify what works and what you can realistically fit into your lifestyle.
When your skin is in a flare, be aware of inflamatory foods and your sugar intake. Illimnate all alcohol during this time.
Some basic guidelines that you can apply to your diet longterm is to eliminate all seed oils and vegetable oils, toxic bad fats. Doing this alone will help every other health condition that you have. It will also eliminate a lot of food you are eating, including processed food, and premade food from a lot of stores that appears healthy. Start reducing your intake a processed food slowly and start incorporating whole foods that you like and start becoming aware of food quality and preparation methods.
When you are eating and enjoying whole foods, notice how much sugar you are consuming, even by natural sources like fruit and honey. Many people blame dairy, but sugar has been the culprit along with hormones when my face breaks out and it may affect Grovers as well.
I’ve made adjustments along the way, but my current diet is the best-case scenario for Grover’s Disease. I also have early stages of gum disease that I am improving slowly so I eat a lot of calcium through dairy products and have gotten more serious about restricting sugar.
Gut Healthy Foods: Bone broth is my top recommended food to support gut and skin health and natural collagen. I enjoy mine with juice from half a lemon, grass-fed butter, and salt or other spices. Forget the collegen powders at the store, the quality is questionable in most cases.
Other gut healthy foods I love are avocados, saurkraut, kefir, full fat yogurt, and kombucha to help me support growing healthy probiotics in my gut.
Protein: Pasture-raised eggs, grass-fed beef, and some pork humanely raised with no antibiotics, wild-caught salmon.
Healthy fats: Bone broth (from the local ranch market), butter, ghee, and tallow from grass-fed cows, and coconut oil. Avocados as much as I can find (hard to find quality in Colorado, but I ate them almost daily in Arizona). Olive oil occasionally.
Dairy: Raw milk from local grass-fed cows, we have a milk share in Colorado. All dairy products (heavy cream, yogurt, kefir, cheese, etc) are from grass-fed cows and is A2. Local goat milk from the ranch market. Occasional sheep yogurt. Sheep cheese & goat cheese from Natural Grocers or local market.
Fruits and veggies: Limited, mainly juices. Green Juice and chollorphyl drink. Lemon in my bone broth. Occasionally berries.
Starches, grains, and nuts: Very limited. Sweet potato, squash, or sourdough bread for comfort food the week before the start of my monthly cycle. Once in a while, I’ll have tahini or sunflower seed butter for a treat. I used to eat a lot of peanut butter and nut butters and now I’m experiment with with completely illiminating them for awhile.
Sweets: Very limited. Homemade kombucha. As of recently I’ve cut out most fruit to reduce extra sugar.
Alcohol: Ideally none or special occasion only. I stick to beer or wine. Cocktails have too much added sugar. Alcohol is a no-go for managing inflammation. I also hate that it disrupts my sleep unless I drink it early and am well-hydrated.
Caffeine: I have one, occasionally two cups of coffee most days ideally before noon or 2pm at the latest.
Tea has many health benefits, I just don’t like it as much. I love coffee and support local coffee shops as much as possible. I look for coffee beans that went through a natural process over being washed (potentially with chemicals). I also drink Gano Excell black coffee or tongkatali which has reishi mushroom in it and a little caffeine. If you enjoy coffee and/or tea, educate yourself about quality and choose the best.
People have different opinions about caffeine and alcohol when it comes to health. The main point is to be intentional and ask yourself how your consumption impacts your health goals, your quality of life (such as feeling anxiety or disappointmnet with too many restrictions too quickly) and make your own decisions. Evaluate and learn from your experiences and be open to changes as you grow in your health journey.
Supplements
The supplements I take are food based and I consider them as food rather than a supplement. Ideally we should be getting all of our nutrients from food but in our mondern diets, this is a challenge.
Fermented Cod Liver Oil with Butter Oil from Green Pastures
Forget cheap, low quality, mercury filled fish oil supplements from Walmart or Walgreens that give you “fish burps” and a bad taste. Investing in a quality brand like Green Pastures is essential. This will not only improve your skin complexion but gives you a natural source of Vitamin D & A. Improving Vitamin D improves your immune system and your sleep. It also improves dental health.
Wild Caught Fish Eggs, Liver, & Beef Organ Meat Supplements
I regularly eat wild caught salmon and occasionally we eat grassfed beef mixed with heart and liver for food. Freeze dried grassfed beef liver and other beef organs allow me to get more nutrients in my diet that I don’t quite have a stomach for. Specifically the Wild Caught Fish Eggs have EPA/DHA which is great for improving skin health and horomonal health.
Anscestral Supplements and Heart & Soil Supplements are two quality grassfed organ supplement brands I trust as options. Both of their websites and blogs provide a ton of helpful information for you to research further. The testimonials are my favorite. Many have found healing for a variety of health issues with animal organ supplements.
The Carnivore or some version of an Animal Based Diet has a lot of legitimacy and success with healing skin issues, but it may be too extreme for some. The vegan diet in contrast is even more restrictive and there are less options for healthy fats. A 5-day juice cleanse is the closest vegan diet I have experimented with…. which brings me to the next important recommendation.
The Importance & Love of Greens
Since my skin journey began, I’ve become a big believer and advocate for juicing. Green juices are nourishing for the skin. I feel so good when I start my day with green juice and it improves my sleep. My complexion is improved. I went extreme and did a 5-day juice cleanse to clear my skin before my wedding and it helped. Even doing one to three days of juicing can help reset your body and reduce inflamation.
Green juices are also great to give your body a break from digestion. You can drink all the nutrients instead of eating salads and chewing stringy celery. (This is especially great if you are a texture person like me!) There area also a ton of preservatives and bad oils in most dressings making salad the opposite of what people think. I make homemade salad dressing now and it tastes even better.
I am on the straight and narrow with my diet when I have green juice because I don’t want to undo the time and effort of making my own or the cost of buying the juice.
Honestly, juicing is work. Consider the time to shop for local quality fruits and veggies, washing, chopping, and making the juice, then followed by cleaning up the kitchen. It’s worth it to buy juice occasionally to keep consistent but I never regret making it myself.
Other than juicing, another green that I’ve added to my regime is chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is the blood of the plant. It helps remove toxins from your blood and aids with digestion.
You can buy chlorophyll in concentrated form and add to water for a daily drink. I’ve been using this as a substitute for juicing this winter and I am seeing a noticeable difference on my skin. Both on my face and my torso, primarily where my skin condition has been most prevelant.
I’ll still do a cilantro smoothie when I have a flare-up, but my distaste for them has grown. I want to believe they help but I’m a little underwhelmed and tired of the taste.
Other greens that I’ve started incorporating in my diet are matcha green tea and green tea. I’ll be upfront in saying, my beverage of choice in the mornings is coffee. I like grass-fed butter in my coffee or heavy cream for a treat but I also enjoy drinking it black. The impact on my sleep is noticeable when I have coffee after noon. I can get by with a mushroom coffee that has less caffeine late afternoon.
Vitamin D & the Sun
Sun damage is frequently sighted as a contributed to Grover’s disease. Sunburn is never good for your skin, it seems obvious, however completly avoiding the sun is also not the answer.
Being outdoors for the morning to watch the sunrise and taking an evening sunset walk are some of the best ways to enjoy nature and reset your circadian rhythmn. If you enjoy sunlight outside of the peak hours (10am -2pm) you’ll decrease the chances of burning and can still get the benefits of the sun.
There are a lot of toxic ingredients in sunblock that are bad for your skin. It is better to cover your skin to avoid burning as much as possible by wearing hats and long sleeves. When this isn’t possible or comfortable for you, then choosing a sun protection with the least toxic ingrediets is important. This is where Zinc Oxide shines for Grover’s Disease.
Zinc Oxide is the best natural ingredient for sun protection and it also is an ingredient that has helped many with Grover’s Disease (and does not require a prescription). You can find a few different brands in local health stores that have better ingrediets than many of the options I grew up with (Coppertone, Banana Boat, and even Neutrogena). A company called Suntribe, based out of Sweden sells my new top pick for sunblock. Check out my Skin Resource List (coming soon) for more details.
Finding Joy in Your Journey
“Comparison is the theif of joy.” – Theodore Roosevelt
When we compare our skin results to others who we think are similar, we do a diservice to ourselves. Since skin issues are mulitfactoral, there is a lot we just don’t know that can skew our perception.
Sometimes I catch myself taking life too seriously. I try to control all the little variables in every situation, staying on my diet, keeping my skin cool and hydrated, and staying productive while managing my “stress.”
I am writing this at the end of February,and I can tell that I am in a funk from not being outside enough. I know that the cure to this is a long hike and time in the mountains to find my way back to myself. I need to spend time in nature to ground myself.
Creative projects, reading books for fun, baking for others, road trips, and exploring new places are sources of joy for me to disconnect from my normal routine. I also enjoy writing at coffee shops, juice bars, and libraries. Find what is fun for you and invest in yourself by taking the time to enjoy life!
We can have a beautiful and abundant life while living with a chronic skin condition like Grover’s Disease. Keep reminding yourself daily that you are on a healing journey and that relief is possible for you. You don’t have to be a lone on this journey!
My intention is to keep writing and sharing in this blog to encourage anyone dealing with their skin. If you would like to share your story or keep in touch, you can email me at leahb018@hotmail.com with the subject line Grovers Blog. I look forward to hearing from you.
Leah Z .
