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Finally something that worked!!

Posted , 35 users are following.

Thankful6288
Thankful6288

I am 55 yrs old, a healthy, active woman with well-controlled anxiety.  I have had GA (diagnosed by biopsy) for over 10 years, mostly on my legs & thighs and in 2016 starting on upper arm.  Like many on this site I tried numerous rounds of topical medical interventions such as steroid creams, to no avail (other than reduction in itching, but lesions continued to grow in size or spread) and spent lots of money on supplements, etc from well-intentioned wholistic practitioners.   I have been dismayed by how little concern my PCP and Dermatologist showed about addressing this issue, despite its significant impact on my quality of life.  I could no longer wear shorts or a swimsuit due to the stares from strangers wondering if I had some awful contagious disease.   

Fast forward to a posting on this site in Mid-2017 from a husband on behalf of his GA-suffering wife (I did not register, just read postings.).  THANK YOU! THANK YOU!  He said she had tried MSM/sulfer crystals daily and he could tell the GA lesions were fading.  I had always believed GA was some kind of auto-immune reaction, and I have sensitive skin in general to makeup products, etc. so I began researching sulfer/MSM and discovered it is one of the trace minerals our bodies need but that is lacking in modern diets.  I decided, “What the heck, it can’t be any worse and the cost is low.”  I began usage in late August 2017 and within weeks my lesions no longer itched and by the 3 month mark my husband noted a visible fading. I returned to wearing shorts & swimsuits this May.  I am here to tell you there is absolutely NO TRACE of a lesion (and I had many, large ones) anywhere on my body now! That’s one year for anyone reading!  After 10 years of suffering with this strange affliction I am beyond thrilled!

My usage: 1/2 tsp each morning in a 10-12 oz. cup of black tea (any variety).  It has a bitter taste so you don’t want to overdo it. If I had more than 3 refills of tea, diluting it, I would add another 1/2 tsp.  My profile picture has the specific brand I ordered on Amazon but there are many others available I believe would likely be effective as well (this is NOT an advertisement for this brand-just trying to be helpful).  I chose organic because I hoped it would be the purest form.  I continue to use it in my tea each morning; I have never been a coffee person but that man’s wife used it in coffee.

Good luck to all my fellow GA sufferers.  I hope this helps at least one of you out there!  Food really is the source of both our health and our lack of it.  God speed!

10 likes, 45 replies

45 Replies

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  • julie63938
    julie63938 Thankful6288

    Posted

    I just ordered powder and cream hopefully it will work I'm 49 woke up one day with three spots nothing is getting rid of it almost having it a year and a half later my friend's noticed it at the pool asking what it was and another baseball Mom came up to me after noticing it on my leg saying she had it also

    • Thankful6288
      Thankful6288 julie63938

      Posted

      Julie,

      I think the emotional factors associated with the embarrassment about GA are the most minimized by our medical establishment, ie: because GA is not life-threatening it doesn't seriously affect a patient. Everyone with GA can say otherwise. You have my sympathy and I hope you find relief with the MSM. BEST OF LUCK!

  • Leezack
    Leezack Thankful6288

    Posted

    I'm curious if other GA sufferers took anti antibiotics and then noticed spots GA evolving? mine seems to have erupted after taking cipro from dental surgery. please let me know.

    • Thankful6288
      Thankful6288 Leezack

      Posted

      This disease is so confusing (and so little studied) but I know the emergence of my GA was not related to recent antibiotic use.

    • Leezack
      Leezack Thankful6288

      Posted

      I started using msm a few months ago, AG keeps spreading

      I started using CBD oil and now got an infra red light yesterday. so far nothing has helped and it keeps spreading.

      Thanks everyone for your ideas and support

    • lynnz
      lynnz Leezack

      Posted

      I have been using MSM and the cream and liposomal C and still have them , using these about 4 months now. I will give it another couple of months then I give up.

  • lynnz
    lynnz Thankful6288

    Edited

    I dont think antibiotics has anything to do with it, I think stress has a lot to do with it. the pressures of life are incredible these days. also the food we eat, years ago none of us ate all this processed food we just ate normal stuff because thats all there was.

  • nora94022
    nora94022 Thankful6288

    Edited

    The cause of granuloma annulare (GA) is unknown but many researchers have proposed it may involve an immune and/or inflammatory response. While most cases occur in people who are otherwise healthy, there are a number of triggers and associated diseases. It has been reported to follow insect bites, sun exposure, tuberculin skin tests, tattoos, other injuries to the skin, certain medications (allopurinol, diclofenac, quinidine, calcitonin, amlodipine, ACE inhibitors, daclizumab, and calcium channel blockers), and viral infections (including Epstein-Barr, hepatitis C, herpes zoster, and HIV). GA has been associated with the development of other medical conditions including autoimmune thyroiditis, diabetes, dyslipidemia, and cancer. Chronic stress may be a trigger. However, researchers do not understand why GA only develops in a few people who are exposed to any of these triggers. Although a genetic predisposition to develop GA has been proposed, no specific genetic change (variant) has been found.

    **

    Since there are many different triggers and possible associated diseases, as well as different forms of GA, some researchers suggest that there is no single cause of GA, but rather multiple pathways that when triggered can lead to the development of this skin disorder. The localized form of GA may be treated with topical steroid creams, topical tacrolimus or pimecrolimus, freezing the lesions (cryotherapy), or laser therapy. Injecting triamcinolone acetonide, a type of steroid, into lesions has also been successful in some cases. In general, steroid creams are usually tried first.

    The generalized form of granuloma annulare can be more difficult to treat and many treatment options have been tried. Again, the first treatment is usually topical steroid cream or steroid injections into the lesions. These treatments work best before the lesions are very widespread. Predinsone taken orally (systemic steroid treatment) may also be effective early in the treatment of generalized GA, but the lesions may return when the steroid treatment is stopped. Light therapy, also called phototherapy, is the next main treatment option and involves exposing the skin to ultraviolet light. Light therapy options may include UVA1 phototherapy, PUVA photochemotherapy, or photodynamic therapy. Other medications that may be given for generalized granuloma annulare include hydroxychloroquine, isotretinoin, or dapsone. Combinations of certain antibiotics (rifampin, ofloxacin, and minocycline) have been shown to be successful in some cases. For people with very severe disease, treatment options may include cyclosporine, infliximab, or adalimumab. In Europe where fumeric ester acids (FEA) have been approved for the treatment of severe psoriasis, FEA has been reported to be effective in treating some cases of generalized GA.

  • Cdarrar
    Cdarrar Thankful6288

    Posted

    Thank you for sharing I have been suffering for 4 years and it seems to be getting worse. I am def going to get some today

  • Cdarrar
    Cdarrar Thankful6288

    Posted

    hello

    does it have to be or include sulfur

    thank you so much for sharing

    • Thankful6288
      Thankful6288 Cdarrar

      Posted

      I'm sorry I have not been checking the discussion board for some time, but I can only say I used crystals (and I THINK that is what the man whose post initiated my trying MSM Sulfur said his wife used). For anyone wondering about dosage of MSM Sulfur I have done the math on the amount I use each morning and it is roughly 1000-1250 mg/day.

      Good luck!

  • nora94022
    nora94022 Thankful6288

    Posted

    does it have to be a powder? There are also MSM capsules or tablets.

  • nora94022
    nora94022 Thankful6288

    Posted

    I did a little research on MSM. There is evidence to support that MSM inhibits NF-kB which is involved in The inflammation process. This is also true of Tumeric. Since GA is known to be an inflammation process it makes sense that MSM May help. But the real question is what is causing the inflammation? I took glucosamine With MSM years ago for arthritis. It was around that time that my GA started to appear. Strange? coincidence?

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