This will be a chance to get to know some of the people involved in the rosacea world and to find out what motivates them, what they are currently doing, and what they think of rosacea research directions, etc.

Our first guest is Colin Dahl, Chief Scientist at Australian Sciences and the author of A Practical Understanding of Rosacea, Part 1: Heat Regulation and the Warm Room Flush Phenomenon that has been of great help to many rosacea sufferers. We hope you will find these interviews an interesting read.

Read the interview here: Colin Dahl on Rosacea Research

Recently we put some questions on the psychology of rosacea to Professor Peter Drummond, Ph.D., from the School of Psychology at Murdoch University in Perth, Western Australia, and his colleague Daphne Su, D.Psych, Clinical Psychologist (Registrar) with the Department of Health in Western Australia.

Professor Drummond’s research into the clinical psychophysiology of health-related conditions (pain, emotions, headaches including migraines, cardiovascular disorders) includes the neural control of facial blood flow, and the role of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) in pain and inflammation. (See also Rosacea and the Sympathetic Nervous System: Dr. Peter D. Drummond, PhD )

Dr Su’s doctoral thesis entitled "Psychological stress and vascular disturbances in rosacea" can be accessed electronically from the Murdoch University library catalogue using the above link.

The Rosacea Support team would like to express our warmest thanks to Professor Drummond and Dr Su for generously sharing their time and knowledge with us.

Some of the questions we asked;

• Do you have any advice on how to cope with flushing caused by crippling shyness and social anxiety?
• Rosacea can have a major impact on self-esteem. Have you any advice for single people who fear dating in case they are rejected because of their rosacea
• Some rosaceans also suffer from depression and suicidal thoughts. At what stage should professional help be sought?

To see the full list of questions and answers please visit; Rosacea and Psychology: Peter D. Drummond, PhD, & Daphne Su, DPsych

Also feel free to check out our other Experts Questions and Answers;

• Ocular Rosacea: Dr. Eric Jones, MD
• Ocular Rosacea: Dr. Mark J. Mannis, MD
• Rosacea and the Sympathetic Nervous System: Dr. Peter D. Drummond, PhD
• Combining Light-Based Treatments and Topicals for Rosacea: Dr. David J. Goldberg, MD
• Laser & IPL: Dr. Peter Crouch, MB.BS, Dr Steve Johnson, MD, Dr. Nicholas Soldo, MD

Related Articles

• rosacea sufferers have more anxiety and depression
• anxiety, depression and being obsessed with your skin
• rosacea can make sufferers life miserable
• rosacea and depression

Thanks to Georgie Holbrook for answering some questions for Rosacea News. You can visit her web site at joy-full.com.

In 2000 when I reviewed her book I wrote "Georgie is a delight to deal with and a true friend to all us Rosaceans". That is still very much a true statement.

1. What was your motivation for writing Joy-Full Holistic Remedies, How to Experience Your Natural Ability to Heal

I was compelled to write this book on self healing because I couldn’t find a book like this in my time of need when I had Rosacea.

2. What would you say was the key message you wanted to get across?

I wanted people to learn from my example and know that they too can decide to heal Rosacea or other health challenges despite the odds.

At the time I was diagnosed with Rosacea, I knew practically nothing about the mechanics of my body or how it does healing and repair.  I was in an emergency with what the doctors labeled as an ‘incurable.’ I was terrified that my face would deform before I found a solution. 

I had been a problem solver in the corporate world.  I felt very out of control and helpless with my bright red face.  I went on a quest determined to solve my own health challenge and vowed never find myself in this vulnerable position again.  I used skills developed in solving complex business problems on myself.  In the business world I learned to solve a problem at the cause level and the effect would go away.  What was the cause of my Rosacea?

After seven years with my face starting to deform and having lost a major part of my eye sight, it appeared my attempt to a solution was futile as I progressively got worse!  Finally, I found a doctor who knew exactly how the immune system heals.  When I followed his suggestions to correct the im-balances in my body, I healed in one year with 20/20 vision and the capillaries in my face healed without any scars.  I healed and solved what over 50 doctors and far more holistic practitioners thought impossible.  

Once healed I felt compelled to share my journey with others in hopes they could avoid this traumatic experience and heal faster than I did.  I hoped they would not label themselves “incurable” and stop researching all the negative things they could find about disease.  Some of the folks who have written to me had allowed their minds and emotions to run rampant about their diagnoses until it practically paralyzed them and their quality of life.  Hopefully with my story, they can learn to relax, find a direction and a more natural loving healing.  Many people get so caught up in the fear having Rosacea that they lose their jobs, become isolated and depressed.  Still others had tried all kinds of topical treatments and medications on their face that eventually burned or made their skin super sensitive.  I’ve heard horrible stories about what people have tried that didn’t work.  Currently many young women have written me regarding the enormous emotional pain they have as a result of their Rosacea face.  I wanted my book to reflect how fear alters the chemistry in the body by focusing attention on the problem and instead focus compassionately to encourage the body to heal deeper issues causing Rosacea.

3. What has been the reaction to your book?

Most often, the comments have been that it is rare to find someone who has written in unflinching details how to healed from Rosacea.

Many have told me they read my book two or three times to review and practice the self help exercises.  I continue to receive heart warming stories about how my book has given them a plan of action and that they too are now healing.

I have numerous testimonials from around the world and interestingly many, if not most, identify with my story.  As a society we have been taught to hide hurts, make money doing things we don’t enjoy and not to allow ourselves to grieve losses.  We live with routines of eat, sleep and work at the expense of our families and friends until our faithful body rebels with a health challenge.  These very people have been my angel helpers in sharing my web site, book and CDs with others, knowing that together we can touch other people’s lives in profound life changing ways.

David, since you live in Australia, I give you personal thanks for your great web site for the fact that I have sold more books to people from Australia than any other country.  

4. How did the reaction match with your expectations? i.e. what did you hope would happen once your book was released?

I was compelled to write my healing story and it was a dream come true.  I knew sales expectations would come from word of mouth and how well it was received by others.  My expectation when the book came out was like having a grateful heart and releasing a balloon into the sky wondering how far and wide it will travel and touch people’s lives.  The World Wide Web has proven to be a great resource in selling my book and CDs to people that would normally never had the opportunity of learning from my experience.

I wanted my story to be a wake up call for others who take their bodies and lives for granted.  Together we can make a difference in each other’s lives by learning about nature, natural remedies, healing our hidden hurts and living calmer happier lives.

5. What have you learned about Rosacea since publishing your book?

My book was self-published in 1999. During the time I had Rosacea, I met only two people in seven years with this disease.  In 2007, the World Wide Web estimates that some 45 million now have Rosacea.  I have often felt that God allowed me to write my healing story and surprised me by the great number of people who are now coming forward and are desperate to find Rosacea answers. 

Because of my book, I’ve been in contact with hundreds who have Rosacea, acne and others with all types of illnesses and diseases.  I’ve learned that my case was not an isolated case of healing an “incurable” disease.  I have been able to teach others that their own immune system knows how to heal them.  Because I was able to reverse an extreme case of Rosacea, I’m more convinced every day that the natural healing process works.  It brings me great joy to witness and learn about how other people healed of even bizarre types of situations.

The most important thing is we can all use this knowledge and it is very empowering to know how your own body works.

What I’ve discovered as one of the key factors about the immune system disorders is that enough stress or trauma, over a long period of time can cause the body to go into exhaustion.  The cells start failing to communicate and there is an auto immune reaction which in turn causes random symptoms including adrenal exhaustion, roller coaster high and low energy and a variety of illnesses or diseases.  How mild to extreme stress can impair the physical body, shutting down the life force.  And I know how these can be reversed.  All of this can be corrected over time time. 

Holistic healing isn’t easy or quick.  In the end, I have found it exceptionally rewarding and I’ve learned far more about my body, mind and spirit than I ever could have from books or a University education.

In my opinion, Rosacea is a reflection of the inner body.  The im-balance in the inner body is reflected on the skin.  So, we heal from the inside out in the reverse order that the health challenge originally got created.  Our incredible bodies have an intelligence that knows how to heal us and it is for us to count on it and support it by nurturing ourselves with proper diet, exercise, knowledge of the natural healing process and creating peace within.  Finding peace and happiness will start turning our many health challenges in a positive direction.  Healing takes whatever time it takes and it is always time to be our own cheerleaders and love our bodies back to wholeness.

I have a saying that Rosacea came from nothingness and will go back to     nothingness once the body is in harmony with nature and no longer stressed, unhappy or in chaos. 

6. Do you have plans for further editions?

I don’t have any immediate goals to write another book.  I have written various healing articles that have appeared in numerous national magazines.  I find I can talk faster than I can write so I continue to create more educational healing CDs.  My healing articles can be found under Georgie’s Blog on my web site joy-full.com.  The first chapter of my book can also be downloaded free of charge.  The beginning message on all my CDs can be listened to free in hopes of helping more people find answers.

7. Would you recommend to others to publish a book?

I would highly recommend people write their own stories for self-reflection and healing.  Self publishing now with print on demand is getting easier than when I warehoused thousands of books.  There is very little profit in books unless you hit the big time markets.  The reward comes from the accomplishment and self fulfillment of giving people around the world the opportunity to heal and find greater meaning in their lives.  

My personal belief is that we, as a society, can learn to stop running on empty.  We can learn to be an example to those around us of how to be joy-filled, healthy and happy.  When possible we can write our healing story and share it with the world in celebration and gratitude.

Related Articles:

• Rosacea Book Reviews
• an interview with Ann-Marie Lindstrom, The Rosacea Handbook
• an interview with Arlen Brownstein, Rosacea, Your Self-Help Guide

Thanks to Arlen Brownstein  for answering some questions from Rosacea News. You can visit her site at Rosacea World.

Arlen Brownstein M.S., N.D., is a Naturopathic Physician who has a masters degree in nutrition from the University of Connecticut. The book is co-authored by Donna Shoemaker, C.N., who is a Certified Nutritionist with her degree from the American Health Sciences University.

1. What was your motivation for writing Rosacea, Your Self-Help Guide ?

Truthfully, it was not my idea.  I was approached by someone from New Harbinger Press who knew me and my struggle with rosacea and asked if I would write a book.  I fought the idea initially, but she convinced me that it was a contribution to other rosaceans that I could and should make.

2. What would you say was the key message you wanted to get across ?

I realized that I could only write this book if I indeed had a central message.  The day I figured it out, was the day the book took shape in my mind. What I had come to understand was how important it was to reframe the experience of having rosacea. So the first words I wrote for this book became the chapter entitled "Everything You Can Have." Because the alternative, focusing on the limitations imposed by rosacea, is a waste of precious time.

3. What has been the reaction to your book ?

The response to the book has been excellent.  It is still doing well after all these years.  A friend of mine recently saw it as a featured book in an alternative pharmacy in Berkeley.

4. How did the reaction match with your expectations ? i.e. what did you hope would happen once your book was released ?

I had no real expectations since the book was not written out of any particular need I had. I wasn’t trying to sell something.  But it was exceptionally rewarding to get so many positive letters from people all over the world. 

5. What have you learnt about rosacea since publishing your book ?

I’ve actually learned a lot by experimentation on myself regarding what I put in my body and what I put on my skin.  I have learned to go beyond making my skin look "normal," to making it look great.  I have met other people who are working with rosacea who are getting impressive results, such as Helen Sher.  I recently spent time with Helen at her clinic in London.   I saw first hand clients responding to her topical treatments and makeup.

I’ve seen my own skin respond  dramatically well to treatments that supposedly should never be done to rosacean skin. I have a great aesthetician who does great things with my skin.

I have learned to work with bioidentical hormones in terms of how they effect my skin.  I am not aware of anyone else using that focus.
Mostly, I have solidified my belief that the etiology of rosacea is multifactorial.  There will never be one answer, but there are many answers for those of us out there that have struggled.

6. Do you have plans for further editions ?

I am meeting with the publishers this week.  I would like to update the book.  There is so much more I would like to say now.

7. Would you recommend to others to publish a book ?

Absolutely, if that’s someone’s desire.  The requirements are simply the ability to write and the desire to communicate a message.

Related Articles:

• Rosacea Book Reviews
• an interview with Ann-Marie Lindstrom, The Rosacea Handbook
• an interview with Arlen Brownstein, Rosacea, Your Self-Help Guide

Here is the first in what I hope will be a series of interviews with a few rosacea writers that are mostly unknown to the online rosacea community.

Thanks to Ann-Marie Lindstrom for agreeing to answer some questions from Rosacea News. I’m sure you will find her answers honest and perhaps not quite what you had expected.

1. What was your motivation for writing The Rosacea Handbook, A Self Help Guide ?

A mix of commercial and personal interests. I’d been working for the publisher off and on for a few years. When I heard he was thinking of doing a book on rosacea, I bugged him until he let me write it. A couple of years earlier, a doctor had diagnosed my red face as rosacea. (I’m not sure if he was right, though. All my symptoms disappeared within two years after I wrote the book. Or …maybe …I found the secret cure? Nah …probably a misdiagnosis.)

2. What would you say was the key message you wanted to get across ?

By the time I had finished the research for the book, I think the two points I thought were most important were telling people about how rosacea can affect the eyes and how ineffective the “cures” and “treatments” were. I hoped I could save some people the disappointment of trying expensive salves, creams and the like.

3. What has been the reaction to your book ?

My friends and family love it! Seriously, I don’t know what the reaction has been. I wrote it as a work-for-hire, with no royalties. So I never got sales reports. I believe the publisher was a bit disappointed by the sales, though.

4. How did the reaction match with your expectations ? i.e. what did you hope would happen once your book was released ?

I have to say I had no expectations for the book. I learned what I wanted to know about rosacea and made a few thousand dollars in the process. That was the extent of my relationship with the book.

5. What have you learnt about rosacea since publishing your book ?

Nothing. As I said, my symptoms disappeared after awhile, so my interest in the subject faded away.

6. Do you have plans for further editions ?

No. The original publisher died, and I don’t have an ongoing relationship with the man who bought the company.

7. Would you recommend to others to publish a book ?

That’s a great question. I think there are two conditions that should exist before anyone considers writing a book. Either someone else is going to pay you a bunch of money to write it, or you HAVE to write the book. You have something to say that you feel no one else is saying. You have ideas in you that are chewing on your gut to get out. After the initial excitement of “Hey, I’m going to write a book!” wears off, it is lonely, hard work. It is some of the hardest work you can do, in my opinion. You have to have a plan for the book. You have to do the research. You have to get words on the page. You have to go back and make the words better. You may have to replan the whole book once or twice as you find you didn’t know enough when you made the original plan. Because my publisher did all the marketing, I have no experience with book tours and signings, but I’ve heard from other authors that that part of the process makes writing the book seem easy.

All the above is if you have a publisher. If you’re going to publish your book yourself, you have all the work described plus preparing the manuscript for printing, finding a printer, doing your own marketing and sales. Maybe doing your own distribution from your garage or spare bedroom.

That said, people do write books. People do self-publish. In the process, they learn a lot about themselves as well as their subjects. They may even learn something about their loved ones! With any luck, they learn they are truly loved by people who put up with their grumpiness when things aren’t going well, who put up with their self-absorption when they ignore everything but the book for weeks at a time, and who put up with their child-like giddiness when the writing is going well and they can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

The money I made on the book is long gone. I don’t even think about rosacea these days. But, I have a book in the Library of Congress in Washington, DC. I still get a shiver when I think about that.

Writing a book is like having a baby. When you get to the point that you want to do it so badly it doesn’t matter to you that the timing isn’t right, the money isn’t right, you don’t really know that you can do it successfully … but you want it SO badly …that’s when you do it! When you’re done, you’ve created something that didn’t exist before and is unlike anything else on the planet.

BTW, just as an interesting aside, I have sold a total of 24 copies of this book via the amazon link on my site, but of course this doesn’t have much relationship on the total sales.

Related Articles:

• Rosacea Book Reviews
• an interview with Arlen Brownstein, Rosacea, Your Self-Help Guide
• an interview with Georgie Holbrook, Joy-Full Holistic Remedies