I recently saw a young woman complaining of bad dandruff. I agree with my dermatologist colleagues that Malasezzia yeast living in the follicles causes inflammation leading to this condition. My own perspective differs and jumps beyond.
I believe that overgrowth of other kinds of yeast like Candida in the digestive tract, and the presence of yeast byproducts in food. These foods include bread, beer and wine, rile up the immune system for a cross-reactive attack against the Malasezzia yeast in the follicles, in an inflammatory ruckus that causes the skin overgrowth we see as dandruff.
This conceptual leap in understanding the cause leads to new and effective dietary and other natural treatment. Although it may take some time to correct those issues that have been present for years, it occasionally results in a rapid improvement in conditions like dandruff and flaky, dry skin, as shown below.
Here is an email I just received from someone who followed my program, using diet and associated supplements, with great success. (I have changed names for privacy purposes.)
“Hi Dr. Dattner,
AMAZING news: after following your advice, Susan’s dandruff problem is completely gone. You will recall she had a drastic scalp condition which you diagnosed as seborrheic dermatitis. You advised her to eliminate yeast and sugars from her diet and add more vegetables as well as supplements. She followed your advice and within a week there was not a flake to be found on her scalp! I was flabbergasted! I thought for sure it would take many months to see a small change.
We are very grateful to you for your time and advice.
Sincerely, Beverly”
