Vitiligo, a disease severely affects the patients' quality of life, has complicated etiology and slow response to treatment. The importance of prevention of vitiligo is not realized by the general public. Many people do not know how to prevent the disease. Therefore the popularization of the knowledge of prevention is very important for early treatment, prevention of the disease before its occurrence and lowering the incidence of vitiligo.

1. Avoidance of harmful effects of environmental pollution and food contamination
The rapid population increase and industrial development have to a large extent damaged the ecological environment we are living in. Various pollutants have affected adversely on the health of mankind. However the complete rectification of the environmental problem is a long-term project, requiring the co-operative efforts of various quarters of the society. In the meantime an individual, especially, those susceptible to vitiligo, should take effective measures of self-protection to avoid or decrease the injurious effects to the body by many toxic substances.
① Avoid exposure to toxic substances: Avoid exposure to industrial chemicals, paints and heavy metal salts. For those with the risk of exposure at work proper protection measures should be taken. For house decoration, materials up to the national standards should be used. A newly decorated house should be ventilated for 3 months before moving in. The house should also be ventilated often after residing. If possible the house should be pollution-monitored.
② Avoid inhalation of toxic substances: Do not do any strenuous exercises such as running in the street or any fumy and dusty places.
③ Avoid intake of toxic substances by mouth: Fruits and vegetables should be thoroughly washed before consumption, and if time allows, they should be soaked in water for 15 to 30 minutes before rinse and use to get rid of the residual toxic substances such as agricultural chemicals. For children fruits should be peeled after washing. Avoid eating any foods contaminated by heavy metal salts, such as pop-corns processed by lead containers.
④ Decrease UV light exposure: Protective measures should be taken when there is long-duration exposure to strong sunlight. Our clinical observations demonstrated that not only many patients contract the disease after sightseeing and sea-bathing, but also the skin lesions are more recalcitrant and more difficult to treat. Do one's best to avoid direct sun exposure when conducting out-door activities for a long period of time by shielding and applying sunscreen.

2. Correction of dietary bias and fostering a good dietary habit with balanced diet and nutrition
Pay attention to dietary nutrition, formulating a scientific diet and fostering a good dietary habit are important for the prevention and treatment of vitiligo. According to clinical observation there are 2 types of children with vitiligo that are difficult to treat, one is those weak children with malnutrition due to dietary bias, the other is those fat children who eat only fish, meat, eggs and sweet foods but not vegetables.
Long-term dietary bias will eventually lead to inadequate and imbalanced intake of nutrients. There are hundreds of different kinds of foods in our daily life. There are large differences in the nutrition contents in different kinds of food, e.g., rice and flour are rice in starch, beans are rich in vegetable proteins, meat rich in animal proteins and fat, fruit and vegetables in fructose and fibers as well as various kinds of vitamins. Grains are rich in B vitamins in the outer shell. Tomato and orange and such like are rich in vitamin C. Although various quantities of trace elements are found in different foods contain, they are specially rich in fungi, dried vegetables and black foods (see appendix 2). Through the long process of evolution the humans have formed the habit of 3 regular meals a day and the utilization of proper proportions of different kinds of food, thus guaranteeing the requirements of various nutrients and the needs of various physiological functions. If the intake of regular food is not observed the digestive function of the body will be disturbed with decreased appetite, and even disease of the gastrointestinal tract.
In recent years there is a phenomenal growth of children's snack foods and drinks, some even contain toys in the package. This is very tempting to the children. Some parents do not understand the importance of regular hygienic food intake. Some parents dote on their children and to satisfy their children's needs they give their children snacks and drinks on a regular basis, leading to the unhealthy habit of dietary bias in the course of time. According to our statistics from July to December, 2000, 63% of the children with vitiligo attending our clinic have dietary bias or partiality for snacks. Therefore it is imperative to foster a healthy dietary habit. Not only the children's life is taken care of, but also strict demands on the children be made without doting on them with nibbles. The children should be supplied with a diet of proper proportions of coarse and fine food as well as staple and non-staple foodstuffs. Some parents overlook the importance of regular meals and try to correct the insufficient nutritional intake of their children caused by dietary bias, anorexia by giving them nourishing food and tonic. This is an incorrect method as no tonic can replace the nutrients contained in proper meals. Therefore adequate nutrition required by the body can only be guaranteed by the good habit of 3 proper meals a day.

3. Self-cultivation and optimistic spirit
There are stress and unhappy things in life and work. These will become psychological pressure if not dissolved promptly. These stress and pressures will produce physiological dysfunction through psycho-somatic effects and cause many diseases. Researches have shown that when people are angry certain toxic substance will be secreted in the body, causing diseases through the auto-toxicity effects, such as allergy, cancer and certain skin diseases.
Our traditional medicine formed the theory of etiology two thousand years ago. The etiology of diseases is divided into 2 categories: exopathogens and internal injuries. The exopathogens are 6 climatic conditions (wind, cold heat, dampness, dryness, and fire), and internal injuries are 7 emotions (joy, anger, melancholy, anxiety, grief, fear, terror). It is believed that the emotional changes are closely related to health, and abnormal emotions are the internal factors for diseases. Therefore one should in daily life and work adjust one's mental status, overcome abnormal emotional response to increase one's ability of dealing with the changing environment. Frustrations and tribulations are commonplace in life. During the long journey of life there are various kinds of difficulties and even the trials of disasters. Some, although psychologically stable, will be deep in distress when struck by the severe blow of a sudden event which exceed the psychological limits of the sufferer, especially when cruelly prosecuted by a crafty base person. How to dissolve in time the stress, and to keep a healthy body and mind to decrease the occurrence of diseases? The setting up of a correct outlook on life is of utmost importance. Uphold the spirit of struggle for the cause and unselfish contribution to the society, and this will abolish the selfish desire (Selfish desire is the source of all evils, and the malignant swelling of it will poison other people and oneself. Ultimately it will trap one into misery and worry that one is unable to extricate oneself). Face the changing environment with a peaceful mind, and through subjective endeavors to turn the unfavorable into the favorable. It is important to strengthen oneself through self-cultivation in daily life and work, correctly handle the relationships between family and society, relatives and colleagues. Suppress envy and suspicion, avoid inter-personal strife. Adopt a good code of ethics. Be kind and helpful to other people. Always think of other people's interest. Only in this way can one always look at the bright side of things, and forget all the worry and troubles, and lead a happy and worry-free life. A balanced psychology can maintain a balanced physiology, forever retain a healthy life free from disease.

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