Diet does play a role in GA

I also have GA & was wondering how long did it take to kick in when you started avoiding wheat.??

dermatologists over the years, all of who have said there is no cure and it will go away naturally. However it has continued to get worse. I looked at various forums, many of which in the US, and saw that other people had cut out gluten and wheat following American doctors' advice. My sister is a coeliac (allergic to wheat gluten) and since it is genetic would make sense that I also might have some sort

of allergy. I cut out all wheat, gluten and barley a year ago and since then my granuloma annulare

has gone from horrible red rash rings all over my legs and hands to a barely noticeable skin colouredremnant. After cutting it out I also noticed I

was no longer constantly bloated, overweight and lethargic, and I have since lost a stone in weight, so it seems the granloma was another

side-effect of a fairly serious food allergy. Since my last post I've found I also have a dairy allergy. I'm not saying this will be the cure

for everyone, but I really think doctors need to give a lot better consideration to food allergies and

skin disorders as I've heard from other people that wheat gluten allergies have also been connected with psoriasis and eczema for them. If I can also help anyone to avoid the distress that I have

suffered the past 10 years because I was told there was no cure and it was not a life threatening

disorder so I had nothing to worry about, when it was ruining my self-esteem and more importantly

when it seemed I have been badly allergic to certain food. I am eternally grateful it is not in itself a life threatening disorder, I do appreciate it could be a lot worse and I feel for those people suffering from such other horrible conditions, but I do not think that it is not a reason for doctors and specialists to

dismiss the condition. Especially as it seems it could be an indicator of coeliac disease which in itself IS potentially life threatening if not diagnosed. It would be great to hear from anyone who had the

same experience, or if you have GA and do not know what to do to get rid of it I really recommend

discussing food allergies with your doctor, and subsequently consider cutting out wheat and gluten

from your diet, or possibly dairy as this is known to affect ezcema/ psoriasis sufferes also. It may not even be either of those, maybe bananas or something weird, but I definately believe a lot of cases are food related.

This has to be fairly long term to work, unless you have only mild GA do not expect to see massive results in the first couple of months, but you may notice other differences in your body

such as weight loss or no bloating - you may discover you also have a food allergy! But if you do it

long-term over 6 months to a year you may notice a huge difference, as I am now. Best of luck to

everyone, hope you find something that works!

Granuloma sufferer for over 20 years, ever since I was treated with Biaxin following foot surgery. As with many of you who have posted, the dermatologist said they have no clue what triggers it, but it is not life-threatening or contagious. Gave me creams and tape to treat my patches. They only treated the symptoms, not the cause. Really began to annoy me as I began to see gramnuloma patients as their "dream" patients, sooo frustrated by the malady that they continue to return to get refills and new treatments. WHY any of my dermatologists (even the one who was at a VERY highly respected university medical center) would not even take the time to consider an internal trigger for a persistent dermatological ailment is beyond me and frankly, poor medicine (jmho). I firmly believe the broad spectrum anitbiotics prescribed for the surgery and my subsequent sinus infections (pollen allergies became even worse) compromised my immune stystem and got the GA ball rolling. That said...

A few years ago, I went to a compounding pharmacist (who helped me sail through menopause, btw) who ran a test on me, the results of which ascertained I was highly sensitive to gluten and to dairy (lesser extent). Was advised to cut both out and see what happened after 3 months. Also advised to take one tab of a high quality Omega supplement in the am and the pm, as well as a quality probiotic. Hydration was key.

Definitely a lifetsyle change, despite the fact that he agreed I had a pretty healthy diet otherwise. But Raisin Bran, Shredded Wheat, cottage cheese, yogurt, whole grain pasta, etc. had to go. Even my beloved single malt scotch (barley and grains) and beer were off limits! Eventually, you become accustomed to the dietary change and fortunately, gluten free alternatives are more available than they were in the past. Plus, you have a long desired goal in mind!

So, long story short, I did it. And in 3 months, the GA was all but gone! It takes a while for the liver to cleanse itself of the problem enzymes, etc.  

Once really into it, I could very occasionally cheat with a glass of single malt, etc. This was a very rare treat. A slip up into the habit of a scotch a day is a calling card for the GA. sigh....

Worth a try and far better for your skin than the creams and patches which thin your skin, making treated areas look wrinkled after continued use.  

Good luck!