Im far from in the know, i had to look up what the condition is, which is funny coz ive had it, lol.

I had a small patch of it on my face when i was a kid, my mum freaked and i was made to wear zinc whenever i was out in sunlight, it went away on its own luckily (and now i hate zinc with a passion, lol). I had this on a normal diet, i ate pretty healthy as a kid, not raw, but defo healthy, so i find it unlikely that the fruitarian diet is the cause of this.

My aunt has this too, spent too many years sunbaking in my opinion, so its in my family, but she didnt overcome hers. I dont know for sure that covering the spot in zinc is what made it go away, but the patch never spread and im sure it was gone within the year, its never returned. I might add i wasnt kept out of the sun, just my face was protected heavily.

That is interesting that she craves sour fruits, does she eat many greens? Its hard to comment too much without knowing more about it, whats the other 50% shes eating? Is she under any stress? If its come about at 2, what was happening in her life at the time that might have triggered this? Is it in the family?

I dont need answers to this, but it is something to consider.

Looking into it its autoimmune, i find this fascinating, im actually a little blown away to discover i had an autoimmune disease at 5yrs old, and later ended up with other autoimmune conditions, hmmm, so ive had immune probs even as a child!!!

I dont know what else shes eating, considering it happened when she was fruitarian, allergies are unlikely to be the problem. All i can suggest is supporting the immune system, maybe with some daily green smoothies (which will also alkalise) and some probiotics. Would be a good idea to get to the doc and check for any deficiencies.

Maybe b12 might be a problem? Not necessarily the cause, but worth looking into. Looking into it, b12 deficiency is associated with it.

On the emotional side, is she in a support group? i know shes young but i can imagine at 8 she would really be feeling it, a support group could be helpful.

considering her fruit intake its likely shes getting plenty of antioxidants, but a boost of them might be helpful. Maybe olive leaf extract??? boosts the immune system as well as an antioxidant.

Poor kid, hope she gets better. Send her some hugs from me.

I found this on rawfoodinfo.com

Question:

"Are there any "natural" therapies for vitiligo, that patchy loss of pigmentation of the skin?"

Answer from Dr. Michael Klaper:

Swedish researchers Lennart Juhlin, M.D. and colleagues at the University of Uppsala helped a significant number of patients in their study achieve re-pigmentation of their skin utilizing vitamin B12, folic acid, and sun exposure. Sixty-seven women and 33 men (ages 9 to 75) were given 1 mg. of vitamin B12 and 5 mg. of folic acid, two times daily. During the summer they were encouraged to have sunlight fall on their skin and during the winter to use lamps that emit ultraviolet B (UVB) light. Sunlight or UVB exposure was carried on long enough to create a slight reddening of the white areas of the skin. The participants were in the program for 3 to 6 months and 52 of the 67 patients experienced significant re-pigmentation of the blanched areas of their skin. Most noted re-pigmentation during the summer months.

Six patients experienced complete re-pigmentation of their vitiliginous skin, while 64% noted that the vitiligo stopped advancing after treatment. The combination of folic acid and vitamin B12 combined with the sun exposure produced better re-pigmentation than sun exposure or the vitamins alone.

The recommendation is that the vitamin and ultraviolet light treatment should continue as long as the white areas continue to re-pigment. Since at least 3 to 6 months were required for re-pigmentation to occur, patience is required for those utilizing this therapy. (Since the underlying causes of the pigment loss in vitiligo may be associated with autoimmune mechanisms arising from the "leaky gut syndrome," see the article on diet and arthritis on this website and follow the recommendations to optimize gut flora and function.)

NOTE: Modern allopathic medicine is rapidly advancing in its understanding of vitiligo and is continually devising new therapy programs. Check with your dermatologist for treatment options and, if possible, arrange a consultation with a dermatologist connected with a university medical center and who specializes in de-pigmentation disorders. You might well find an appropriate, effective therapy for your condition.
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"Improvement of Vitiligo After Oral Treatment With Vitamin B12 and Folic Acid and The Importance of Sun Exposure," Acta Derm Venereol (Stockh) 1997;77:460-462.

That is interesting about the greens, i really feel they are the key to good health.

Also interesting bout the link to leaky gut syndrome. This whole things got me thinking alot about how long ive really been sick, and im starting to think ive had malabsorption problems since i was a child. I asked mum when it was, she remembered very clearly, said i was 6 and it did just clear on its own.

She also said, but, we were on a really healthy diet at the time, she remembers we were eating 'almost' vegetarian at the time, so maybe the good diet saved me from a worse fate.

Man, thats awful bout the kids being cruel, i think i was really lucky it resolved quickly, i was too young to feel the social implications, and if i did, i dont remember.

Hi Kebbster and RawRadiance.

I got a phone call from the mother of this brave little girlie yesterday and she is profoundly grateful for the information supplied. So thank you for the help!

xoxoxo

Don't know what she is into, but homeopathy has also had very good results treating vitiligo. Peanuts are contraindicated - so she will need to avoid these and peanut oil.