Basically –KP (or follicular KP – which according to the above) is also known as phrynoderma – or at least is linked very closely to it…. I think that is what Anonymous was saying with the Beta Carotene thread….



From the information I have gleaned today KP could be a a deficiency in….Vitamin B complex and its interaction with Vitamin E and Vitamin A and EFAs. I got the Dietdoctors book today (I live in the UK) and they had a throwaway sentence about KP and say that if you up omega 3 and 6 in your diet (EFAs) and take supplements too, KP should diminish in a few months. I have actually been doing this for a while as I believe it is all linked to hormones and how our body controls them (vitamins and minerals help regulate hormones)- but I am on metformin (a diabetic drug) for PCOS and it aggravates my seborrheic dermatitis which I am covered in at the moment so I cant tell if this would help as my skin is extremely dry.



I think that we all have a mineral deficiency or something in common – we can’t use or maintain certain vitamins or minerals and therefore produce excess sebum and androgens etc. which primarily effect the skin and tissues. For example - you need vitamin D to absorb the calcium you need. If your stomach is destroying the vitamin D or your bowels are not absorbing the vitamin D, you will not maintain enough calcium even if you eat lots of it. So the above example would be a vitamin D problem? Not a Calcium one? Although it could look like a calcium deficiency, it may not be. By the way - all the members of my family with KP also have developed osteoporosis. The KP free ones have not. If we can’t regulate the vitamins and minerals then other problems arise such as disrupted hormone levels which lead to………KP.



I think therefore that our problem lies, sorry to be so blunt, at the bottom – and the way we absorb vitamins and minerals from the bowel/upper small intestine. There is a difference between fat soluble and water soluble vitamins but I don’t know if they are absorbed in the same place – can anyone shed any light on this or explain it more effectively? I am therefore thinking of trying out colonic irrigation! Has anyone else done this and has it had any effect on their skin?



http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=337129 5&dopt=Abstract



You have to pay for this one - If anyone does – can they share the info please?!

http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/cabi/bjn/1980/00000044/00000003/art00004



http://www.progesteronetherapy.com/phrynoderma.html

I'm sorry I can't really shed more light on what you are talking about, but I can tell you my personal experiences. I think what you are saying is very interesting. I can say that my KP first started when I got pregnant with my first child (hormones?). It continued to get worse throughout the pregnancy as well as while I nursed. This was the same cycle with my second daughter. I have not been nursing now for about 5 months and have not really seen significant improvement, but then again, my hormones may not be regulated yet.

As far as the calcium/vitamin D information you provided, I have had an abundance of kidney stones in my life. They are basically calcium and minerals deposits that your body can not absorb properly, so when I read this post it definately sparked my interest. I never would have linked my KP to calcium/vitamin deficiencies. I will continue to do more research on this and I will check out the (free) link you posted. Thanks for the information and I would be very interested in any more information you find on this!! ~:O)

I don’t know why but my second link is now free and I have pasted the article below.



http://docstore.ingenta.com/cgi-bin/ds_deliver/1/u/d/ISIS/26826039.1/cabi/bjn/1980/00000044/00000003/art00004/C2874EEECF5C27AF1141381278DCC1EBE3274BF32C.pdf?lin k=http://www.ingentaconnect.com/error/delivery&format=pdf



2 Angels - The third link was about progesterone therapy and I know that progesterone levels change when pregnant - so I think it is an avenue worth investigating - thanks. I am going to check with my doc if it is okay for me to take digestive enzymes with my food (and not disrupt my metformin) as they may help absorb any vitamins and minerals. Again, if anyone has anything to add to this - please do.



Also, when I referred to the beta carotene thread, I meant to quote Daisy not Anonymous - sorry Daisy and thanks - I think you are on the right tracks too.



Tattyhead

Vitamin C is needed to produce progesterone, vitamin E helps to look after vitamin C, too much Vitamin E can block vitamin K…..too much vitamin A is toxic!
The hip bone’s connected to the thigh bone, the thigh bone’s connected to the knee bone, the knee bone’s connected to the….

Can anyone find the start of the chain?