I have a delightful female patient called Tina who exudes charm and personality. She has battled with excess weight for some years and was very fatigued. But what brought her to see me was the awful condition affecting the palms of her hands. Her palms were bright red and extremely inflamed and grew a thick layer of hardened skin which would peel off every few weeks – somewhat like a snake sheds its skin.  She found this painful and very embarrassing. She had seen a skin specialist (dermatologist) who had diagnosed a condition called palma-keratoderma and he had told her it was incurable and had to be controlled with steroid creams. She found that the creams did not really help that much and her palms remained angry, red and painful.

Tina had a fatty liver and carried her excess weight around her abdomen. Her blood tests revealed high inflammation with raised CRP and ESR tests and her liver enzymes were also raised indicating liver inflammation. She was not drinking excess alcohol but she consumed way too much gluten and sugar and she found these foods addictive.  A blood test showed that she had a genotype HLADQ that predisposed her to celiac disease.

Tina needed to make a lot of changes but she knew that she was at the crossroads of her life – she felt awful and as she was approaching menopause she knew it was now or never if she was to regain her health. Good I thought; a compliant patient, but I still wondered how long it would take to get this chronic inflammatory problem under control.

I started Tina on a grain free diet which also excluded sugar except for fresh fruits which she could eat in moderation.

I prescribed the following –

Tina first consulted me in October 2014 and I saw her again in April 2015 and wow what a difference! Tina had lost 22 kilograms (48 pounds) and was in high spirits and very grateful to me which is always nice for a doctor.

Her chronic skin problem was 70% better which quite impressed me, as she had suffered with this problem for many years. Her palms were still redder than normal but the skin was not nearly as thickened and did not peel off in layers.
In people with skin problems, whether it be something exotic like palma-keratoderma, or more common problems such as dermatitis, eczema, acne or psoriasis, it is always important to improve the state of the liver and intestines. By improving the function of the liver and gut we achieve a healthier immune system which results in less inflammation. Steroid creams and antibiotics are only treating the symptoms of skin inflammation and infection but do not address the causes.

 

The above statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any disease.