Wheat the People

Just gonna jump right into the middle of this topic...

OK, so I've had a rash on my cheeks for 5-6 years.  Yes, YEARS.  I have refused to see a dermatologist because I suspected he/she would prescribe medicine to treat it.  I don't take pills, as a rule, unless as a last resort.  Like when I had a c-section delivery...and even then I only took one of the pain meds.  I'm not a martyr, I just don't like chemicals of any kind in or near my body except in grave situations.  A rash on my cheeks -- a chronic one, at that -- tarnishes my vanity a little, sure.  But it's not debilitating or life-threatening, and I keep experimenting with natural treatments hoping to find "the cure."

In the beginning I tried treating the skin.  I had some success with scrubbing with baking soda, applying tea tree oil to the individual red spots, and moisturizing with vegetable glycerine.  But it never went away, and over time I began to understand that the cause(s) must be something internal.  I considered food allergies and began eliminating the foods/drinks/ingredients I thought most culpable: alcohol, caffeine, chocolate and processed sugar.  I would avoid these edibles for weeks and months at a time but would eventually reintroduce them because without them my rash did not improve much.  Perhaps this is hormonal, I thought.  The rash did not improve during my pregnancy or when I was breastfeeding.

After years of researching and experimentation, I think now I might be closer to a solution.  Someone suggested I look into wheat allergy symptoms.  I did (see the Mayo Clinic's website), and immediately I started reducing my consumption of wheat.  I think I have more of a mild intolerance to wheat rather than a full-blown allergy.  Awesome.  Already I have noticed an improvement in my skin.  There still might be a hormonal imbalance, too, but I will address that after completing my food "trials."  Again, if I eat more raw food and fewer processed foods (which often contain wheat, a cheap filler ingredient), I should be doing the right things for my skin and, more importantly, holistic well-being.

PS I have also looked at photos of rosacea and those images do not seem to match up to my rash.