The Hidden Plague: A Field Guide for Surviving and Overcoming Hidradenitis Suppurativa

Have you been plagued with boils, cysts, ingrown hairs, and acne-like bumps that take months to resolve, leave embarrassing scars, and cause considerable pain? Have you been to the doctor, only to leave with a prescription for antibiotics, few answers, and little to no hope? Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a poorly understood skin condition that is believed to affect nearly twelve million people in the United States alone. Only a small fraction of those affected have been properly diagnosed, leaving many others to suffer in silence or pursue ill-advised conventional treatment methods that fail to address the cause of this painful condition.Tara Grant, a twenty-year sufferer of HS, has become an underground legend to her Internet community of HS victims by presenting a methodical, self-tested action plan to heal naturally. The centerpiece of her holistic approach rests on the understanding that HS is an autoimmune disorder caused by leaky gut syndrome.With a few simple dietary changes that eliminate certain "trigger" foods, you can heal your gut, restore your skin, reclaim your health, and rid yourself of HS symptoms forever. That's it--no antibiotics, no experimental surgeries, and no more pain, suffering, or confusion.Questions for Author Interviews 1. There are tons of health related books currently on the market. What was it about the subject you chose to write about in your book that made you feel so passionate about spreading the word and getting your book published? Simply put, there aren't any other books on the market about Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) -- at least not anything that the average person can understand, or that doesn't tell them anything they don't already know. My motivation for writing this book was the overwhelming response I received from people on the Internet when I originally posted about it in March of 2012. It turns out it's a pretty common condition, but many people (and doctors) don't know what it is. It's pretty standard to visit various doctors, and be told that you have "acne," or to be subjected to butchering surgeries. There is no treatment for HS, according to the doctors. People with it suffer immensely--in fact, HS is acknowledged to be one of most painful conditions in the world. I've even received letters from doctors and nurses who suffer from HS, thanking me for telling them what it is that they have-and for offering them hope. The primary motivating factor for writing this book, however, was an email I received from a 12-year old girl, who said she was going to kill herself because of the pain she was in. I immediately wrote her back, but I never heard back from her. I am desperate to know that she's okay. I don't want anyone else to go through what I did as a teenager--I myself thought about suicide on more than one occasion. I've had many letters from people who say they want to kill themselves since. They've all touched me deeply, but that 12-year old girl is never far from my thoughts.2. HS is hard to diagnose, and many doctors aren't even aware of its existence. How did you get a diagnosis?I've had HS since I was thirteen years old, but wasn't diagnosed until I was in my mid-30s. Up until then, I saw over forty doctors from four different countries - none of whom could tell me what was wrong with me. I eventually found the name "Hidradenitis suppurativa" in a book about PCOS (also known as polycystic ovarian syndrome, which I also had) and could finally put a name to the horrible condition I had suffered from for so long. I took that information to a dermatologist.

About the Author :
Tara Grant is a featured success story on MarksDailyApple.com (Tons of Doctors and No Solution) and in the Primal Blueprint 21-Day Total Body Transformation. She has transformed from 235 pounds to 159 pounds since going Primal in 2009. Tara suffered a litany of serious health problems related to the Standard American Diet and repeated failures of western medicine to cure her. Empowered by the reclaiming of her health, Tara has made it her mission to inform and inspire others about Primal living. Her motto, "Empower. Enlighten. Evolve," has been put into play in numerous ways! Her book, The Hidden Plague -- A Comprehensive Guide to Surviving Hidradenitis Supprativa -- details her struggle with this debilitating skin condition, and how sufferers can take matters into the own hands and heal naturally. Tara is a veteran presenter of numerous PrimalCons, where she holds court detailing her Primal transformation from health to wellness. Tara is also a contributing writer for the Primal Blueprint Expert Certification program and is working with Carrie Sisson on her upcoming Primal Womanbook. A dynamic speaker, Tara presents the Primal Transformation Seminar in numerous cities, and counsels individuals as a certified CHEK Holistic Life Coach. Tara holds a degree in Journalism from Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada and blogs regularly. She currently lives in Phoenix, Arizona with her husband Derek and their twin boys, Taylor and Gibson.