Psoriasis

I'll think about it tonight and see show I get on. I suppose I just feel I'm putting my life on hold to do this so I want to know its worthwhile. I just recently graduated from college but cant take a job until this is done.
Also I just noticed a slight burn form Monday. Its my own fault really because I didnt put enough sunscreen on.

NEDDURC wrote: »

Sunscreen? I never used that while doing it. I presume you were told to obviously. It's obviously abit different than what I did.

I think I started out on about 10secs and only went up to about 1 minute in total by the end of 6 weeks doing it 3 times a week.

I have to take a bath in a solution to make my skin more sensitive to light for the UVA to (supposedly)work. When I finish I have to put sunscreen in areas that I can't cover(hands,face,neck) to protect them from natural light. On Monday I must have forgot to put it on my neck.
I think you may have had UVB but I don't know what the difference is or why doctors choose one over the other.

i had a lot on my back/arms/chest/shins so i started just doing it in a pair of boxers. starting at 10 seconds. never had to use sunscreen apart from on a few moles.

after about 4 sessions I started to wear a helmet as my face/scalp did not have any psoriasis.

It's unfortunate that you need to put a job on hold for this but stick with it. It has good results on anyone i've spoken to.

I've suffered with my own dose of psoriasis for nearly 15 years now. Thankfully my case is relatively mild by comparison to the very severe cases that one can see - I only really get it on my scalp and a few other places like the navel. In recent years it's spread to most of my scalp, and beyond the hairline onto my forhead. It's still not a problem, as I can hide it all with my hair. Mine has never cleared up with exposure to the sun, or got worse with stress, it's there and it just seems to stay there. I haven't ever really had a flare up of it only to go away again.

Thus far I've had steroidal stuff that will 80-90% clear the plaques, but they'll always come back within 1-2 weeks or so. The steroidal stuff is effective at clearing it up at least temporarily but applying steroids topically just isn't a solution long term as it does have adverse effects like thinning the skin if you use too much of it, as I've found out.

I've begun to research fixing it via diet for the last few weeks. I notice people often report success by eating a paleo diet or by going gluten free/dairy free. The theory is that psoriasis or most auto-immune diseases are down to a leaky gut, where certain stuff leaks out of your gut that shouldn't, your body attacks said stuff and the result is food allergies, and skin issues like psoriasis and the like. The report is that dairy, gluten and stuff that's hard to digest are the things that cause your gut to leak in the 1st place, and that the thing you should do is cut out these foods entirely and also consume foods that help heal your gut, like coconut products and homemade bone broth.

That would definitely fit with me, because one of my main hobbies is powerlifting/bodybuilding. As a result, to get extra protein my consumption of dairy would have gone up significantly over the last few years - whey powder, cottage cheese, milk etc. and my psoriasis has definitely got worse at a faster (albeit still very slow) rate over the last 4-5 years since I started it. Not to mention, I also don't really have any gut healing food in my diet currently.

So my new experiment is to try and get to the bottom of this via diet this time. I'm two weeks into what is almost a paleo diet, I haven't noticed anything yet, but I need to start consuming gut healing foods too. I'm planning on drinking coconut water daily which can be had in the supermarkets, and bone broth can be made cheaply and easily from a chicken carcass left over after a roast or from some bones that can be had cheap from a butcher. Bone broth is supposed to one of the most effective things in healing any gut related issues.

I'll report back if I've any success, but I think healing it from the inside-out rather than topically applying stuff to the skin is the way to go. People tend to report changes after like 6-12 weeks of a dietary choice, so this could take a while.

bucketybuck wrote: »

What? You're kidding, right?

This theory has been around for a while and that it is one of the causes of psoriasis...

http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/leaky-gut-syndrome/Pages/Introduction.aspx

Leaky gut syndrome'

'Leaky gut syndrome' is a proposed condition some health practitioners claim is the cause of a wide range of long-term conditions, including chronic fatigue syndrome and multiple sclerosis (MS).
Proponents of 'leaky gut syndrome' claim that many symptoms and diseases are caused by the immune system reacting to germs, toxins or other large molecules that have been absorbed into the bloodstream via a porous ("leaky") bowel.
There is little evidence to support this theory, and no evidence that so-called "treatments" for "leaky gut syndrome", such as nutritional supplements and a gluten-free diet, have any beneficial effect for most of the conditions they are claimed to help.
While it is true that certain factors can make the bowel more permeable, this probably does not lead to anything more than temporary mild inflammation of an area of the bowel.

More here...

http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-10908/9-signs-you-have-a-leaky-gut.html

bucketybuck wrote: »

What? You're kidding, right?

It's one theory. Here's another link:
http://draxe.com/4-steps-to-heal-leaky-gut-and-autoimmune-disease/

It certainly fits in my case, with my high consumption of dairy (isn't everyone like that here in Ireland), and gluten since I just love fresh crusty bread. The hardest thing about the paleo diet is that since I still get cravings for it every now and then.

I don't think going to a GP or Dermatologist is going to do anything for me since the GP is just going to prescribe me steroidal cream/ointments. The Dermatologist I don't know, but neither are going to suggest dietary changes.

I'd be surprized if I can't get to the bottom of it via diet, since I've fixed so much else from dietary changes - lost 20kg, put on significant muscle, better energy levels, almost never sick etc.

z0oT wrote: »

I'm two weeks into what is almost a paleo diet, I haven't noticed anything yet

Actually that's not entirely true. Even though I'm in my late 20's, I can still get some flares of mild acne. Just a single spot or two, nothing big. I get some on my face/neck and chest. Certain foods trigger it, chocolate is a bad one in particular.

It's been over a week now since I've had anything on my face. So maybe I'm onto something with a paleo diet. Not to mention, my sister was recently found to have an allergy to dairy, so it's likely I could have one too.

It's hard to know really. You ask different people, they'll tell you different things. You've just got to try out stuff and find whatever works for you.

I must admit - I'm a little cynical with what a doctor will tell you about in general, given it's really in their interest to prescribe you some from of medicine rather than you making dietary changes that'll fix whatever problem you have. That's a rant for another place.

Also, here's a blog some may find interesting. The girl who wrote it claimed to have eliminated her psoriasis by following a Paleo AIP diet (no nightshades, no dairy, no gluten, no eggs, no nuts, no legumes) and by consuming bone broth and other foods targetted at the "Leaky Gut Syndrome".
https://paleocollegestudent.wordpress.com/2014/02/17/psoriasis-update-after-one-month-of-paleo-aip/

greenfrogs wrote: »

In my experience I disagree with that. I have IBS and used get really bad stomach cramps. My doctor prescribed me with buscopan for one month but when I went back for another prescription she recommended I start the low-fodmap diet rather than depend on the medication. So far it is working far better than the medication.

You said in a previous post that using steroid creams thinned your skin. How did you know this had happened? I use dovobet on my scalp at least once a week.

Be thankful that you've a good doctor like that so. I was always persistently told that diet had no relation to most stuff I went into a doctor about, when I was younger with a much worse diet. It is wrong to tar everyone with one brush I'll admit.

Regarding your question, in my case you can tell the skin has been thinned by just looking at the surrounding unaffected skin and comparing it to that. That is after using the cream as prescribed for 1 week+. I found that Dovobet will eradicate the flakiness for me, but it made the skin patches more red and actually sore in the process.

BTW, well done on getting to the bottom of your IBS.

My Dermatologist doesn't like his patients using Dovobet. And his reasons are correct because I have personally experienced what says happens. But on the other hand it gives me almost immediate relief. Now after 5 PUVA sessions over 2 weeks, I'm looking at these red plaques which I know would be gone in 2-3 days if I used devote,but then whey would be back just as quick which is my dermatologists point.

Also, regarding the leaky gut. I have fairly irregular bowels and I do sometimes wonder if having a pile of waste matter sitting inside me for longer than it should be can contribute. It must give off toxins which can potentially aggrevgate it. No Doctor has ever suggested that to me, its just my own thoughts

BTW, one thing to mention I've found very good to apply to the plaques is Castor Oil. It's one of those wonder cures like Aloe Vera that can be used to treat a whole load of skin issues. It's a little hard to get since it can induce labor in pregnant women apparently if consumed. I've only been able to get it in a pharmacy after having them order it in for me. Sometimes they'll actually ask you what you want it for too.

I find it's extremely effective at reducing the redness. Just one application is enough to see the effect. The only problem is it's quite sticky, you kind of need to mix it with something else.

I haven't used it long enough to know if it's something that'll actually work like the steroid creams/ointments, and I don't think it'll eliminate it. But I recommend trying it as a means to control your psoriasis flares.

greenfrogs wrote: »

Yah my doctor is very good. I actually can't believe the difference it has made. Before I used be in pain nearly every day and it really affected my quality of life. I don't have a gluten free or dairy free diet but I have greatly reduced my intake of these foods. I haven't noticed a difference so far.

I actually looked up the diet you mentioned and while it doesn't mention gluten, it mentions reducing your intake of dairy, legumes and a lot of the stuff you get from processed foods. It seems to me there's a lot to be said for a Paleo diet.

Another thing I gather is that auto-immune diseases aren't nearly as common outside the Western World. It would certainly stand to reason with our consumption of gluten, dairy, processed foods, nightshades etc.

ryanf1 wrote: »

Also, regarding the leaky gut. I have fairly irregular bowels and I do sometimes wonder if having a pile of waste matter sitting inside me for longer than it should be can contribute. It must give off toxins which can potentially aggrevgate it. No Doctor has ever suggested that to me, its just my own thoughts

What's your diet like out of curiosity?

Shoneen wrote: »

Similar to Zoot I've suffered from a fairly mild version of psoriasis for about 12 years but never had a period where I've managed to get rid of it completely.

...

So this week I did something which is completely against my own cynical nature and went to see a herbalist.

That to me says that the trigger for our psoriasis has to be there all the time, whether it's consumption of dairy/gluten, stress or whatever. Finding it is going to be the tough part.

I'll be curious to see what comes of going to a herbalist for you.

z0oT wrote: »

What's your diet like out of curiosity?

Could be better, could be worse. Breakfast will be cereal with milk and occasionally a slice of brown bread.
Lunch can vary, maybe a small pizza and wedges or maybe meat sandwich/roll, followed by a small sweet.
Dinner again is slightly variable. Will typically consist of potato in various forms, one or 2 veg and a piece of meat, and again followed by a sweet.
I may occasionally add a few more bits to that, particularly if I'm doing a heavy workout or if I go to bed late and I feel hungry.

Almost a year ago I got so constipated I nearly ended up in hospital and I still haven't got 100% normal habits, but getting there. I cant say for sure there is a link between any of that, and I'm not entirely convinced there is but it ha been mentioned many times.

z0oT wrote: »

That's what I'm eating now, I had much more dairy and bread in it up until 2 weeks ago. It's pretty much Paleo, and it's also very high fat, high protein, and low carb since I need it for my progress in gym and I'm chasing a goal of visible abs at the moment. Not everybody needs to eat like this mind you.

Probably won't help your psoriasis (at least not immediately), but eating better would probably make you feel better in other ways.

Thats a lot of protein but then theres a nice bit of fibre in there to push it through. Puts mine to shame really! Im straying wildly OT here but I'm fairly skinny (5ft7 and 10stone) so I could do with some bulk. I had no real digestive issues until year ago when I got the most awful pain I hope I ever get in the middle of the night, my GP examined me throughly as the reason wasn't clear cut and asked me a few things. To cut a long drawn nightmare short I had an impacted bowel. Since then Ive tried to add some Flax to certain meals and tried to make some dietary changes even though I have a way to go there. Im the sort of person that I don't have a very varied diet but when I get something I like I eat loads of it.

During that time and being that sick I fell off my Psoriasis regime and it obviously stressed me out a lot, which is my no.1 trigger.

BlondeBomb wrote: »

Has anyone ever tried or have any experiences or recommendations with homeopathy?

I've read of people using it before as an alternative medicine?

No I haven't and I don't really believe in that sort of thing to be honest.

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2133.1971.tb07232.x/abstract;jsessionid=4B7C897A38F8EDC4C04B4505CE6818FF.f04t03

A DIETARY REGIMEN IN THE TREATMENT OF PSORIASIS

SUMMARY.— A dietary regimen employing turkey meat as the major protein source has been evaluated in patients with severe psoriasis. These patients had been selected for failure to remit spontaneously and failure to respond to other methods of therapy. Of 12 patients studied, 7 exhibited excellent response, 3 moderate response, and 2 no response to the dietary regimen. Two patients, who responded initially, were studied further. Upon resumption of a normal diet, their disease exacerbated. Reinstitution of the study diet again resulted in complete clearing of their psoriasis. Addition of turkey to a normal diet, however, did not prevent re-exacerbation.

These results suggest that turkey meat may lack a substance potentially harmful to patients with psoriasis.

You can preview the PDF which must be bought (might be found elsewhere). Only the first page is legible, the rest is all blurry, for me anyway