Grover's Disease: What works to help find relief?

Posted by 43219876x @43219876x, Sep 23, 2016

I have been diagnosed with Grover's disease under my breasts. I had a biopsy for diagnosis. Tried topical ointment with no really good results. Any ideas?

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@dkdarcik

First time commenting here- I want to thank everyone who has shared their experiences with this frustrating condition. I felt so alone with this until I came across this forum and your words/advice have changed my life. Here’s my brief story- I first noticed breakouts about 15 years ago, they were transient and mild. They became less transient about 5 years ago and kicked into high gear, oddly, right after Shingrix vaccine. PCP said it was folliculitis, gave me antibiotics and anti-bacterial wash which did nothing.
Last year I finally told dermatologist who confirmed Grover’s. They say this is a rare disease but I think there are many like me who suffer in silence. After much experimentation and not wanting to take any meds I found that liberal and daily use of Calamine lotion was the only thing that somewhat stopped the itch(but not breakouts).

That was until I learned about cilantro from many of you! Finally, some hope! I’m on day 3 and have not had to use Calamine anymore. I still feel tingling in back and have a couple spots that are trying to materialize but the cilantro smoothies seem to be building efficacy. I am hoping I can report the success many of you have over the next month or so. I’m keeping my blend simple for now: 2 c frozen fresh cilantro, 3/4 c almond milk, 1/2 c frozen blueberries and a bit of banana. I am so grateful that I found this discussion.... thank you all!

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Welcome and we are hoping cilantro helps you and we are all interested so please keep us updated. Your recipe sounds very much like mine and have learned from others to make one every few months just as a precaution in keeping my heavy metal load down. I should also mention that like you my derm told me after I got the vaccine and I showed him my symptoms that Shingles is related to GD and with GD one shouldn't get the vaccine. I didn't know that and haven't found that information on the internet either.
There is abundant information that GD is related to Parkinson's, PK, and Dementia. It's about how protein doesn't support our cellular connections. With PK and Dementia it is in the brain connections (which don't heal themselves) and with GD it is in our skin, which can heal itself. Heavy metal detox has not been shown to put PK or Dementia in remission or heal it once it is acquired; too late. All 3 diseases are tied into heavy metal overload or poisoning. We are given recommendations for breast, prostate and colon screening yet I am surprised the information about heavy metal poisoning isn't required reading.

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First time post here. I've read many of the insightful comments and truly appreciate all of the details that have been shared. I've had Grover's for nearly two years, seen a top-notch mercury poisoning expert in NYC, and found no relief in using prescriptions that chelate mercury and other metals. I've been consuming the cilantro/chlorella smoothies for about a month without much of a noticeable change in my GD so far but I will keep up with the smoothies for more months.

Question: has anyone performed an analysis of their gut microbiome via stool tests and found dysbiotic bacteria present? I have and discovered harmful bacteria present that may be a contributing factor to my GD. I'll be working with a naturopath to treat the dysbiosis. Any comments about your experiences with gut health are welcome.

Also - I'm on a zero gluten, low-starch, low-carb diet. I've been strict about it too.

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I have never had the gut test you referred to. I never discussed this with a naturopath. I simply did some reading.
Yet I did get dramatic results which stopped my internal stinging, burning and zapping inside my skin by giving up processed sugar and limiting gluten. Yet this was not my GD pain and itching, this was head to toe 24/7 misery. This I believe was related to my Allergic Contact Dermatitis inflammation that even with Patch test results and contact control was still present. My diet starved out the yeast living in my gut which pass their waste products though my aging intestinal linings and thus raise inflammation. I read The Yeast Connection Handbook by William Crooke, MD a pioneer promoting gut health to control our internal inflammation which leads to many diseases, not only eczema. I do eat a processed sugar free, unflavored probiotic yogurt whole milk daily to help keep the good bacteria healthy to control the bad bacteria. You are on a strict diet which I assume also includes zero processed sugar, ever. I never overdid sugar like some, but I believe killing the yeast off totally was the key. Yeast doesn't die willingly and it takes months of misery, actual withdrawal because starving yeast sends screaming messages to our brains to be fed- sugar, sugar, sugar! Plus if you reintroduce certain foods it will grown back and live happily in your intestines. It took me 2 months to be certain it was helping. I've been on the maintenance plan now for 2 years and am so happy to be pain free inside my skin I will never go back to "normal" eating. Now I can have a few serving of fruit and gluten a few times a week. Plus certain non gluten carbs. How long have you been on this anti-inflation diet?
If chelation didn't help your GD it may be unrelated to heavy metals, which sadly is the case for half of us from reading these blogs. It seems from these blogs if we get relief and begin going into GD remission it happens fairly fast. I was certain I was going into remission within a month. It still took over 6 months or longer for all the no longer active papuales to release. If you find more about the dysbiotic bacteria please share what you learn.
How did you know you had mercury and other heavy metal poisoning? I never was tested for mercury, but I had a blood test for metals and learned I am allergic to: aluminum, nickel, chromium and 2-3 others I never heard of. My test was to find out it I could have a knee implant and there are no metal ones on the market I would not react to because even titanium, which I didn't react to has traces of other metals in it.

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Hi, Thanks to you I've been adding Cilantro to my daily Smoothie for about a month with very good results (very little redness no itching). My Two part question is Should I keep using the Cilantro EVERY DAY? And is Grovers affected by Alcohol use? I like a couple of drinks in the evening ! Thank you SO much !!

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@potts

Hi, Thanks to you I've been adding Cilantro to my daily Smoothie for about a month with very good results (very little redness no itching). My Two part question is Should I keep using the Cilantro EVERY DAY? And is Grovers affected by Alcohol use? I like a couple of drinks in the evening ! Thank you SO much !!

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@pookieof1 Alcohol did not bother my Grovers. I would say use the cilantro daily and then when you are totally free you can skip a day each week and then two days and so on. That worked for me. But I was totally free for months before I tapered back because I was so afraid it would return and had been SO MISERABLE with it. Good luck!@

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MariannJ gave good advice. Out of caution I also kept up with the smoothie for months after it stopped the outbreak for about a total of 8 months. Then I didn't make another for a year. A year later when some members who had success with cilantro mentioned feeling a recurrence starting and began with the cilantro smoothie again I made one for two days (one bunch used up) and now I do that once a month. I figure at the very least it pulls out the new heavy metals.
I quit alcohol (which I so enjoyed) about 5 years ago. I did that for other health reasons (white matter in the frontal lobe which affects short term memory builds up and never goes away with alcohol use, look it up) and quitting it made no difference in my GD symptoms. I gave up sugar about 5 months before trying cilantro. Giving up sugar dramatically helped with my internal inflammation with ACD eczema. At the time I gave up sugar I was ending the active 6 months of my GD cycle so it could be expected to go into remission anyway. Then I had my typical six months of inactive GD. That is when I read about cilantro when just starting to get the tingle in the torso area and some bumps which hadn't crusted yet signaling a new outbreak. At that time I was off of sugar and gluten.
Cilantro is a definite help for me. Alcohol made no difference with GD. Sugar and gluten helped with another form of eczema, but inconclusive about GD benefit.

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@gardeningjunkie

MariannJ gave good advice. Out of caution I also kept up with the smoothie for months after it stopped the outbreak for about a total of 8 months. Then I didn't make another for a year. A year later when some members who had success with cilantro mentioned feeling a recurrence starting and began with the cilantro smoothie again I made one for two days (one bunch used up) and now I do that once a month. I figure at the very least it pulls out the new heavy metals.
I quit alcohol (which I so enjoyed) about 5 years ago. I did that for other health reasons (white matter in the frontal lobe which affects short term memory builds up and never goes away with alcohol use, look it up) and quitting it made no difference in my GD symptoms. I gave up sugar about 5 months before trying cilantro. Giving up sugar dramatically helped with my internal inflammation with ACD eczema. At the time I gave up sugar I was ending the active 6 months of my GD cycle so it could be expected to go into remission anyway. Then I had my typical six months of inactive GD. That is when I read about cilantro when just starting to get the tingle in the torso area and some bumps which hadn't crusted yet signaling a new outbreak. At that time I was off of sugar and gluten.
Cilantro is a definite help for me. Alcohol made no difference with GD. Sugar and gluten helped with another form of eczema, but inconclusive about GD benefit.

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Thank you so much for taking the time to respond. In general I have a healthy diet and exercise regularly . I believe my GD is due to the steam room at my gym. I've seen Two Skin Doctors at UCLA and neither suggested Cilantro so thank you again.

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@mariannj

@pookieof1 Alcohol did not bother my Grovers. I would say use the cilantro daily and then when you are totally free you can skip a day each week and then two days and so on. That worked for me. But I was totally free for months before I tapered back because I was so afraid it would return and had been SO MISERABLE with it. Good luck!@

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Thank you !

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I'm throwing a line into the water. I was watching the Super Bowl, and there were several ads for the Shingrix vaccine. Given the number of people on this site, myself included, who feel that Shringrix may have played a role in their GD, I was wondering about the possibility of those of us, who feel that this product effected us in a very negative way, wrote to the pharma company, that produces the stuff, and asked them to mention at the least, there might be a risk of contracting GD because of the vaccine. There seem to be quite a few of us. Just a thought.

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@nodgabnoj

I'm throwing a line into the water. I was watching the Super Bowl, and there were several ads for the Shingrix vaccine. Given the number of people on this site, myself included, who feel that Shringrix may have played a role in their GD, I was wondering about the possibility of those of us, who feel that this product effected us in a very negative way, wrote to the pharma company, that produces the stuff, and asked them to mention at the least, there might be a risk of contracting GD because of the vaccine. There seem to be quite a few of us. Just a thought.

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Good idea. Is Shingix made by one company? Do you have a contact number?

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