As I am very much in a Q&A mood today, I am going to post my thoughts on another question that I frequently get asked: can an alkaline diet help with rosacea? I believe it is a BIG YES – read on to find out how.

What is Rosacea

Pronounced roh-zay-sha, Rosacea is a skin condition that affects many millions of people around the world. It is a condition that leads to the appearance of redness around the cheeks, forehead, chin and lower nose. It often resembles acne, and as such it is often confused for this (and is sometimes referred to as Rosacea Acne). However, it is an important distinction to make that Rosacea is not acne. It does not have the same causes, effects, treatments etc and as such should be treated differently.

According to Rosacea.org – symptoms include:

• Redness on the cheeks, nose, chin or forehead
• Small visible blood vessels on the face
• Bumps or pimples on the face
• Watery or irritated eyes

According to the organisation, there is no known cause and no known medical treatment available. Frequently used medical interventions have included topical and tablet antibiotics, steroid ointments and light/laser treatments. However, none of these treatments fight the cause, only the symptoms – which is why so many people have turned to nutrition as a way to lessen the effects of Rosacea.

Alkaline Diet and Rosacea

Due to its cleansing nature, many people have turned to the alkaline diet as a way to combat Rosacea. The alkaline diet consists almost entirely of cleansing vegetables, low sugar fruits, pure water, soups and juices, salads, omega oils etc and as such it provides the skin with all of the nutrition it needs to remain healthy.

It has been widely recognised that Rosacea is in the large part a vascular problem whereby Rosacea blood vessels change in terms of their function and their structure.

As ever, when assessing the potential for an alkaline diet to lessen the problem it just so happens, once again, that acids such as sugar, coffee, tea, alcohol, trans (and other bad) fats and cigarettes are predominantly the cause of vascular dilation/flushing. For instance it has been noted that fizzy drinks and junk drinks containing aspartame and or artificial sweeteners cause excessive redness in approximately 30% of rosacea sufferers and should be cut out entirely.

Stimulants such as coffee, tea, alcohol, cigarettes, and excessive sugar from sweets and soda are vascular dilators, the cause of vascular dilation, or flushing, and should be avoided as they are all “acidic foods” or “toxins”. Once these food are consumed, they wreak havoc in our body.

Obviously you have figured out that they are very acidic and you need alkaline foods and drinks to neuralize the acids given off naturally by exercise, walking or any movement (lactic acid) and to neuralize the large amount of “acidic foods and drinks” that we “like or are used to consuming” and wish to continue.

Sodas (soft drinks, pop) containing aspartame and or NutraSweet cause excessive redness in approximately 30% of rosacea sufferers and should be avoided. Anything that affects the entire body, brain, and nervous system to awaken it in the morning or stimulate it during the day can easily stimulate the sebaceous glands to secrete more oil that has to leave the body via the pores. Also, stimulants create stress, redness, flushing, rosacea papules and acne pimples.

In their book Rosacea: Your Self-Help Guide Arlen Brownstein, Donna Shoemaker highlight nutrition as a prinicple piece of the jigsaw in fighting Rosacea. They recommend a series of suggestions that sound eerily like embarking on an alkaline diet for rosacea:

• Eat a diet high in fibre, with plenty of raw and lightly steamed vegetables, and whole grains such as brown rice, millet, buckwheat, oats, amaranth, quinoa and spelt.
• Use fresh vegetable juices. Consider buying a juicer and a book on juicing.
• Eat berries (low sugar fruits), e.g. bilberry, blueberry, blackberry, etc. for vitamin C and bioflavonoid content.
• Avoid foods which cause flushing, e.g. hot drinks, spicy foods, alcohol, coffee.
• Avoid beef, pork, lamb and the skin of chicken and turkey, as well as dairy produce. These promote inflammation.
• Avoid fried foods for the same reason.
• Avoid salt and sugar.
• Allow food to cool slightly before eating it.
• A vegetarian or vegan diet may be best suited.

They also go on to suggest:

• A multivitamin and multimineral
• An antioxidant formula
• Digestive Enzymes, and
• An omega oil blend

THIS IS LITERALLY THE ALKALINE DIET!

To eat alkaline, I recommend eating lots of fresh, nutrient dense foods (such as those listed above) and avoid acids like chocolate, crisps, sweets, sugars, meats, dairy, coffee, alcohol, bad fats etc.

Since we launched the energiseforlife.com Alkaline Lifestyle Course back in December I’ve had heaps of people (including those with Rosacea) email me to say they’ve experienced massive improvements with their skin. Rosacea has been clearing up, eczema and psoriasis have been disappearing and people with acne (including me) cannot believe the difference that a change in diet/lifestyle has made.

The evidence to me suggests that Rosacea can be dramatically improved with a diet that is rich in these alkaline foods and I really urge you look into it further.

So if you experience Rosacea why not give this a try? Admittedly it will look a little daunting to you at first, but why not try a transitional approach to starting the alkaline diet?

First concentrate on breakfast: have an alkaline breakfast every day for one week or until you are happy with it, then move on to lunch. Alternatively you could first try to transition the acids out of your life. Switch from coffee to herbal teas, then switch from dairy to soy milk etc.

For more information on the alkaline diet, read my alkaline diet posts here on the blog or read through our alkaline diet resources here.

Further resources:

Rosacea Organisation
Rosacea Books
BBC Health Q&A on Rosacea

UPDATE: I’ve just received an email from a nutritional microscopist who has had some amazing results from alkalising for his rosacea:

In a search for better health during my own personal struggle with Crohn’s disease, Rosacea and acne all I wanted was a solution that made sense. No doctor I saw was able to offer long-term hope. They said that there is no known cause, cure and that it would likely shorten my life significantly.

Through my teenage years I found myself in and out of the hospital and Dr.’s offices. New unexplained inflammatory challenges sprung up every year and predicting how I’d be feeling any given month in the future was impossible. Imagine how amazed I was over 13 years later with the discovery and application of this research to find out every one of my doctors were misinformed.

There was an answer.

As I addressed the imbalance by using Dr. Robert O. Young’s principals of alkalizing the fluids and tissues of my body. Within days I noticed significant change and within 6 months I was symptom free. I have been completely free of what was previously daily/weekly/monthly symptoms of poor digestion, gas, bloating, inflammation and pain in my stomach and intestines as well as severe acne & rosacea for years – thanks to the pH Miracle Diet and Lifestyle and Dr. Robert and Shelley Young’s research.

So unlike most messages today on health be confident in the knowledge that you can actually take control of your own health. If you desire, choose to apply the Young’s principles or supplements to your lifestyle. That first step will begin a transformation in your life and allow you to take your first steps toward true long-term health and personal well-being. As a Dr. Young tranined nutritional microscopist I am continually amazed that, although this “New Biology”(R) of alkalizing is arguably the greatest scientific discovery to date, it remains generally unknown by the masses. But there is a current shift in conciousness due to a myriad of factors not the least being that people in the United States have reached a crisis point. Many individuals and families are facing escalating health challenges despite traditional medical treatments that they are actively seeking outside the box. And while a surprising many parents don’t care much about their own health they do care about the health of their children.

This has opened a door for many marketing opportunists and unproven yet appealing alternative methods within the media. From The Atkins, the Zone diet, Nutrasystem to Weight Watchers, the market has become saturated with new ways to “get healthy” or “lose weight” which has further confused people. But the confusion is the lesser evil as most of these “diet” trends and products are actually harmful to your health.

However, on a positive note, this “health” focused market, has begun to stir up the findings of microbiologist and research scientist, Dr. Robert O. Young who has until recently been little heard from or acknowledged but whose research has opened the door into a “New Biology”(R) he calls the pH Miracle Diet and Lifestyle.

Research the links below and take part in Dr. Young’s latest evolution of science in health and wellness.

-Mike Costa
Nutritional Microscopist

Don’t forget – our Dr Young accredited alkaline diet course is getting great results! Click here to check it out.

About Ross Bridgeford

Ross is known as THE Alkaline Diet Expert...especially when it comes to implementation and making the alkaline diet REAL in your life. He has been living, learning, teaching, coaching and loving the alkaline lifestyle since 2004 and has written over 600 articles, alkaline recipes, videos and guides on how to live alkaline and stay alkaline for life. Ross loves life in Brisbane, Australia (although is a proud Englishman) and is healthily-obsessed with nutrition, fitness and Tottenham Hotspur F.C.

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