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OK, sipping a delightful beverage filled with antioxidants is quite healthy. It might or might not cure vitiligo, however.
Please now consider that green tea is quite a common beverage which has been consumed by many Asians, particularly the Chinese, for centuries; and individuals there have still developed vitiligo. I personally know a few Chinese students who have vit, and these students grew up on the tea.
And did you know that some Chinese doctors recommend that vit patients avoid drinking green tea because in addition to these “polyphenols”, green tea also possesses other phenolics which are known depigmenting agents (hydroquinone is one such agent found in green tea). Nature has a way of bringing chemical balance to living things….a sort of Yin and Yang balance.Anyway, you are right. Good health is often a “mind over matter” issue. Sometimes, all it takes is faith, and the object of that faith can be anything, even tea.
Rhetorical question: What the heck causes vit, and is the cause the same for all vitties who display loss of pigment? Until this is answered, there will be no real cure, only trends of faith and hope on one thing after another. But faith is good.
Sanjay,
You misunderstood. The other site is not Lorraine’s. It was started by desis and the like….just a small group of professional people of color from all over the world.
Good luck, my friend!!!
Green tea is typically the same plant used for ordinary tea. It is simply processed for brewing while the leaves are still green. That is, the leaves undergo no fermentation and carry a higher percentage of certain polyphenols which are suppose to aid against cancer among other things. The use of “pure polyphenol extracts” have been reported to have some benefits for vit. However, there exists no medical evidence that drinking green tea is beneficial since green tea is NOT a pure polyphenol extract. Some members are simply hopeful that green tea can benefit them, and there is no harm in being hopeful.
Some members claim that green tea consumption is aiding repigmentation. But their anecdotal accounts are not scientifically supported. My childhood experience with vit suggests that sometimes pigment comes back on its own, and then it goes away again on its own….just a vicious cycle of losing and regaining pigment. Yes, vit does that all by itself. I propose that this is precisely what is happening with those drinking green tea: these people are simply unscientifically assuming the tea is doing the work. I will not rule out the idea that it could have some influence, however. My parents tried all kinds of kitchen remedies on me when I was very young.
Hi again Sanjay,
There are doctors who will do depigmentation on patients who display 50% pigment loss on visible skin. The general public will likely never see the skin beneath your clothing. So if a good portion of your face, neck and hands have lost pigment and cannot be reasonably repigmented, you would still be a good candidate for depigmentation. You just have to do the work to find a doctor who is understanding of your frustration. It took my doctor a long time to come around: I had to call another specialist and use him to pressure my doctor to take a decision finally.
Anyway, I do not want you to think that I am pushing you in the direction of depigmentation.
I just want to give some advise based on first-hand experience, from a person who has been through it all. Some others only have second-hand knowlege mixed with a little fear about the depigmentation process. I actually have real and total experience.I would now like to share some “real living experiences” with you. I have been depigmented for quite a while now. I live in the AZ desert!!! I have none of the problems which have been mentioned fearfully here. My skin is very healthy. One just has to be mindful of the fair skin issue: if I’m going to be in the sun for long spurts, I simply wear a good sunscreen. Because I am totally without pigment, skin cancer will not likely happen to me since it is often related to pigment production (you can’t get melanoma without melanocytes)!!!! The only thing you have to worry about is sunburn, but so does every fair-skinned person living in a hot climate.
I know another vittie, who depigmented naturally, who has never used sunscreen in the desert. He is in good health even though his skin is always very pink from excessive sun exposure without sunscreen. I only mention this guy as an extreme case of what happens to totally depigmented skin in the sun. I’m not recommending that you follow this guys bad habits.
Anyway, I will continue giving you info about the experience as you request it as it is always nice getting guidance from someone who has done it. LOL, even my own doctor had no experience, but fortunately we stuck it out and a specialist from Ohio,US gave further guidance.
Good Luck!!!
