Granuloma Annulare - natural remedy

[smiley]

Hi,

I have had GA for 10+ years on my elbows and have never had any success with steroid creams, etc.  This summer my GA spread to the inside of my upper arm so I went to my dermatologist who recommended a natural remedy which I thought was crazy but I was desperate so I tried it.  He recommended that I drink 1 oz of raw apple cider vinegar twice a day so about two weeks ago I went to the health food store and bought the raw apple cider vinegar (not the same as the ones in the supermarkets).  I put 1 oz of apple cider vinegar in 16 oz water and add a little honey just to make it taste a little better and I drink that twice a day.  Well it has been two weeks and my granuloma annulare is almost totally gone!  I can't believe it!  After all these years of people saying to me "what happened to your elbows!?"  I also bought a book about raw apple cider vinegar and apparently it is quite good for you... it is cleansing to your system eliminating toxins, etc.  My dermatologist wasn't even sure why it worked but he read that a well known dermatologist has had much success with this remedy.  It has worked for me and if anyone can tolerate drinking the vinegar I highly recommend trying it to see if it works for you too.  I am just so happy with the results that I felt that I had to pass it on to everyone else suffering with this crazy skin condition.  Hope it helps.

[KWS]

Hi, Seems like there are not too many people on this forum. Too bad ! I really need someone to talk to about Granuloma Annulare. I have had this problem for at least 8 years. I had read your memo a few weeks ago about the apple cider vinigar treatment. Well I tried it with no effect at all in a two week period. I'll keep it up for a while longer. I had been using Chlobetasol cream which keeps it in check as long as you don't stop using it. I did notice some thinning of the skin, so I stopped. My dermatologist perscribed Eledil Cream. What a joke!! Didn't do a thing but cost me and arm and a leg. My condition has gotton worse. I have the bumps on my upper back, my arms, and on my rib cage area. I do have some minor bumps on my knee's and legs. I have the generalized form of the disease. Do you have the same? Please get back if you can. I don't know anyone else with this profound problem and would find it nice just to have someone to talk to. Thanks,  Kim

[Victoria]

Hiya Kim!! Welcome!

 

-Victoria

[Overthehill]

I also have this problem.  I've had it for 18 months and have tried everything. By everything I mean Clobetasol cream,Elidel,Accutane, and a pill (can't think of the name) that was supposed to reduce the red blood cells so the white ones could fight the "problem".  None of these things worked.  I am now on PUVA treatments, which seem to be working.I have to take 5 tabs of Oxsoralen Ultra one hr before treatments-which are 2x per week.  They make your skin ultra-sensitive to light, and the PUVA treatments are given in a huge standup "tanning" booth.  The rings appear to be getting lighter in the middle and the outside ring inflamation is going down. 
I would not have gone to this extent, but I have MANY.  all over my arms,legs,and even my face. Some as big around as silver dollars and linked with others to form HUGE ones! 
If the PUVA does'nt work, I just don't know what to try next.  And yes, I have tried the vinegar too.
It's good to know there are others out there!  I'm just so tired of having to wear long sleeves all the time! 
Hang in there, there has to be something that works for us!

[peterb]

Hi Kim, Smiley and OverTheHill

A warm welcome to the forum.  I think there are a few members with GA, but the nature of the forum, people dont log in daily.  I am sure you can discuss your treatments and maybe the other sufferers will join in when available.

Peter and Rosie.

[Suzy2]

Hello Fellow GA sufferers.
I tried the vinegar with high hopes. Didn't work for me either. I've been to the dermo and tried the creams. My skin couldn't take it and I did not see results. I haven't had it appear on my face yet. That's my fear. I can imagine your desperation Overthehill.
I am currently not eating wheat. My chiropractor/accupressurist/witch doctor thinks that I have a wheat sensitivity and GA is my reaction to it. She says this is my immune system telling me something. It's very hard to stay away from wheat I've got to tell you!    There is no place on my body where the GA completely disappeared but my hands are actually looking a bit better. Could be the wheat, could be that finally I am seeing it turn itself off. I keep hearing that this is suppose to go away on it's own but mine never has.
It's a comfort to know that others share this. I have yet to meet anyone in my every day life that has it.
Good Luck to all!
Suzy

[floridian]

Many, but not all psoriasis patients are sensitive or allergic to wheat. It is worth a try to eliminate it.  I know what you mean about finding it in all kinds of foods as my wife and I cut out the wheat a few weeks ago.  Her autoimmune thyroid condition improved remarkably - my psoriasis maybe some, maybe not.

Apple cider vinegar is a popular remedy.  I don't know if it helps with P but again, it is safe and cheap.  Did you know that most of the white vinegar in the stores is distilled from petrochemical plants??  There is acetic acid vapor in natural gas, which is filtered out and purified for food use!  I used to prefer the malt vinegar, but now on a wheat free diet, I can't have that - most malt is from barley or wheat, which has gluten!

[MarieC]

it IS hard to stay away from wheat! unfortunately, everything practically has wheat/gluten in it. staying away from it has helped a lot tho.

[radar]

 
I'm so glad I found you all.  I've had this mess for more than 10 years. A ring would appear on my hand, then disappear.  My mom swore it was ringworms, so I went to the derm.  That's when I found out it is GA. I've seen lots of claims that the vinegar works.  Haven't tried it yet.  My doctor gave me Psorcon ointment.  I would put it on my hands at night and sleep in white cosmetic gloves.  I saw a difference, but once I stopped it really spread all over the back of my hands.

The "no wheat" messages are very interesting.  Thinking back to when this all started . . . I went from a high protein way of eating to eating lots of bread again.  Not only did I pack on the pounds, but that's also when I got this mess.  Think I'll lay off the wheat and see what happens.  I've also read that this may be related to diabetes and/or hypothyrodism.

I would love to get with all of you via personal e-mails and put together a chart of what we use/eat/drink and see what we are all doing that is common each other.  Any takers? [email address removed]  Sometimes we have to be our own doctor.

[Daisey]

hi, welcome to skincell Radar

  Daisey

[songinmyheart54]

Hello everyone
  I am new to this forum and I have really enjoyed reading everyone's story. I have had this rash for about 4 years. When it first started we thought it was eczema because I have had eczema most of my life in different areas. My rash started on one leg and then spread to the other. The itching is unbearable. I would scratch so much that my shins looked like raw meat. I could not stop scratching and it was so awful that blood would drip down into my shoes.
  Then as if magic happened it went away..I had so many prescriptions for different creams that if any of them helped I wouldnt know which one did.
   A year or so later it came again on the same leg and spread to the other leg. I heard somewhere that a woman had a rash on her legs and she sat in the sun and got a terrible sunburn on her legs. Her rash cleared up almost at once. So I thought what I would do is use the hand held shower spray and use hot water as hot as I could stand it..I did for a few days..Believe it or not it worked!!. but not for long. I started having joint pains so I went to an arthritis doctor. I showed him this rash that had come back again. They did a biopsy and said it was granuloma annulare and he prescribed dapsone. You have to be careful taking it because it does something to the blood cells but it worked.
   Two weeks ago it started back again. I tried the hot water but it only relieved the itching for several hours. I used benadryl and that helped the itch but my leg turned blood red. Then I remembered that I still had Dapsone so I started taking it yesterday. It has started helping already but it scares me about the blood cells.
    Sorry to be blabbering on so but what I dont understand is many of you say your rash is in a form of a ring. Mine does not look like that and the only thing I could find on-line was called generalized GA. None of the photos look like mine. Mine look just like red bumps under the skin and in no order, just all over the leg and it starts off small and spreads..
  Well I better close for now. I am so happy to be able to talk with someone about this. It is depressing...Thanks for listening. Anyone out there that wants to write me, please do....Pat
   

[DENEICY]

I have the bumps on my elbows, too..and when I scratch them they're like measles or chicken pox.  And I'm wondering if it's that mysterious, controversial disease, candida albans.  I seem to have addictive behavior toward the culpric foods....wheat, corn, fruits, rice, milk and wine.  ANd I'm hypoth7roid with a diabetic father.

email address removed

[megger28]

hey everyone i just found out that i have GA on my hand and was wondering if anyone had advice about how to help stop the itching its driving me mad!! any info about it would be very much appreciated i am  new with this so i am going to try all of your suggestions!!

[BirdieNumNums]

Hello, All!  New to the forum - just stumbled upon it today.  

I developed GA 32 years ago when I was 12 years old.  Guess that makes me a grizzled veteran.  I tried to break up a fight between 2 of my guinea pigs, and one bit me real good, right on the elbow.  Not long after that, I got my first spot of GA in the same location.  (Interestingly, I heard of another person developing GA after being bitten by a jellyfish.)

Never completely got rid of it, and I'm not doing anything for it - it just does its own thing - gets better, gets worse, etc.  It's never been really bad, but of course it's still no fun.  Diprolene worked fairly well for me (ointment works the best, don't bother with the cream) but I'm really bad at remembering to use it.  Probably a good thing, since it is supposed to thin your skin.  I want to do something natural, though, a search which led me to this forum.

I have heard of the many benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar, and was taking it randomly for general health reasons, but again I have a hard time sticking with something. Plus, it's bad for the enamel on your teeth...

I also have very mild psoriasis, which I've had for maybe 20 years or so.  It's all but gone now, though.  Not sure how I got that one in the first place.  

I've also heard removing wheat from the diet is beneficial, but I don't think I'm up for that challenge just yet.