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Putting My Psoriasis into Remission.
Psoriasis is such a joy kill. Not only do you have to deal with awful painful itchy rashes. You have to deal with the looks people give you. Naturally, this can affect your self-esteem. And no psoriasis is not contagious. And yes, I’ve tried coconut oil(insert eye roll).
A psoriasis diagnosis can often leave a person feeling depressed and alone. Consequently you may feel like you have to stay hidden. Wearing cute sandals or beautiful sundresses are just out of the question unless you don’t mind the stares.
I started getting psoriasis shortly after the birth of my first daughter 12 years ago. It was mostly on my feet and my primary doctor thought it was eczema. She gave me some cream and it helped. So I didn’t put much more thought into it.
Coincidently doctors prescribe steroid creams to treat eczema and psoriasis. Due to psoriasis on my feet and ankles, I dreaded wearing sandals during the summer. Often I would wear slip-on canvas shoes with ankle socks to hide my plaques.
On and Off Rashes
The rash came and went throughout the years. Fast forward 10 years and I was starting to have these red spots on my scalp/hairline, right on my forehead and it really itched. I had them for months.
I went to the dermatologist and he thought they were part of another skin condition I had called mastocytosis. It really didn’t make sense to me. These weren’t like the normal mastocytosis spots. He told me to try steroid cream and sent me on my way.
A couple of months later my scalp was itchy and driving me nuts! The itching only was on the back of my scalp by my neck. It felt like I had this build-up of skin and scabs. I thought it might be a fungus and started using fungal shampoo but it was still there.
After a few months of dealing with this itchy scalp, I also had these red itchy spots on my feet and ankles. And now my big toenail had beau’s lines. Beau’s lines are a horizontal ridge which can be a symptom of psoriasis. In addition to all those listed above some of my fingernails were now lifting. And I had a patch of hair about the size of a quarter that had fallen out.
Finally A Diagnoses
Undoubtedly I was frustrated and had enough. I found a different dermatologist and she looked at my scalp and said “ Yup that’s psoriasis”. She prescribed me a liquid ointment to put on my scalp. Finally I got some relief from the incessant itching on my scalp.
But my feet, that was a different story. It seemed like all the prescription creams only helped a little. I kept getting more and more spots and they would take months to heal. And I would have scars and pigmentation issues where the plaques used to be.
I was in agony at times and would cry. And of course, it was at it’s worse during summer. I could feel the eyes on me when wearing sandals. People would stay clear of me at public pools. It definitely affected my self-esteem.
My doctor did not explain much to me about psoriasis. She said it’s an autoimmune condition and it might come and go but there is no cure.
She told me about UV therapy and said you can use steroid creams and biologics if it gets really bad. But all the treatments come with risks.
For steroid creams, you can experience skin thinning, easy bruising, increased risk of fungal skin infections, and skin pigmentation issues. Also if you are using it long term over widespread areas it can affect your internal organs. Yikes!
What is psoriasis?
Psoriasis is a chronic skin condition that affects 2 – 3% of the world’s population. Psoriasis is an autoimmune disease. In psoriasis, the life cycle of skin cell renewal has gone wonky. Normally skin cells renew every 28 days. But in psoriasis patients, it is every 3 days or so. It causes skin cells to rapidly build up on the surface. This causes scales and red patches which are itchy and can be painful.
There are several types of psoriasis. Psoriasis Vulgaris usually called Plaque Psoriasis. This type is what most patients have. Inverse Psoriasis, Pustular Psoriasis, Erythrodermic Psoriasis, Nail Psoriasis and then there is Psoriatic Arthritis.
What are the symptoms?
- Pitted or ridged nail beds
- Nail lifting
- Thick silvery/white flaky scales
- Red patches that sting or burn and are sore
- Cracked skin
- Temporary hair loss where plaques were.
- Swollen and painful joints
What causes Psoriasis?
The cause of psoriasis is unknown. Researchers believe genetics can play a role as well as environmental factors. Scientists believe there is a problem with T-cells and other white blood cells in your body. T-cells are part of your immune system and travel throughout your body and fight off foreign invaders.
But in psoriasis, your T cells attack your own skin cells. In a nutshell your body declares war on itself. If you have psoriasis you are probably thinking AWESOME! Lucky me! Trust me, I know how you feel. But I got better and my psoriasis is in remission? Don’t lose hope! You can experience skin clearance too.
Be your own Advocate
Initially, I was disappointed in the lack of guidance on managing psoriasis. I set out to do my own research. What I found in talking to others is a lot of people say there is a correlation with diet. I dug deeper. What I kept seeing was this connection between gut health, diet, and skin.
I started eliminating certain foods. I found gluten and dairy were triggers for my psoriasis. First I eliminated dairy. Second I removed gluten. My psoriasis disappeared within 2 weeks. I was ecstatic! I get no new outbreaks as long as I adhere to the diet. I do have hyperpigmentation where some old plaques were. However, I know in time they will fade.
Food Triggers and Psoriasis
I believe not all people are the same in what triggers their symptoms. But so many people I talked to had issues with dairy and gluten triggering their psoriasis.
When researching the link between gluten and psoriasis I found many studies. In one study about one-third of patients with psoriasis tested positive for high levels of Antigliadin Antibodies (AGA)(1). To me, this is all making sense. Here is another study showing a correlation between gluten and psoriasis.
Bile Deficiencies and Psoriasis
Something else I found that was interesting was some studies that talk about how psoriasis patients often have bile acid deficiencies(2). Guess what? I have bile acid problems! I had lots of gall bladder problems growing up. After I had a several week period of having gallbladder attacks. I had to have a test done where they inject this dye and watch it go through your liver and gall bladder. I believe it was a CT scan.
Later on we found out the test showed I had a restriction in the flow of bile. In the meantime, I was told to watch the fatty foods and if my symptoms continued to see a surgeon. They mentioned putting a shunt in or something like that. I can’t quite remember. But it never got bad enough where I needed the surgery.
Antihistamines Can Help
There appears to be a histamine link with psoriasis. Psoriasis itches. It itches pretty bad. When I searched medical studies on this I found a few studies here and here. With this in mind, I decided to try antihistamines, both over the counter and natural ones like stinging nettles and quercetin, and moringa. You can read more about the benefits of moringa and its antihistamine properties here. After a few days on antihistamines, I did notice less itching.
Omega 3 Fish Oils and Vitamin D for Psoriasis
After hearing people say that fish oils and vitamin D helped with psoriasis. I did find this study here that showed it does help and further studies should be done. I also increased my vitamin D and fish oils. Along with taking vitamin D supplements and fish oils I also increased my fish intake.
UV Light and Sunlight
Many dermatologist’s offices have UVB sun tanning beds specifically for psoriasis patients. Although I didn’t try tanning beds for my psoriasis. I know my mom used them for her psoriasis and it helped dramatically. Also I talked to a few tanning salon owners who told me they all had many customers with psoriasis who swear it helps keep there psoriasis in check.
Many patients report improvement during the summer months because of sunlight exposure. For me personally, I didn’t notice an improvement during the summer.
Tradition Chinese Medicine for Treating Psoriasis
Indigo Naturalis (Qing Dai) is a herb used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). In a study of psoriasis patients, that were given a prepared topical ointment of indigo naturalis 69% saw lesions completely clear (3). Clearly this stuff sounds pretty amazing.
Also there is Rubix Rubiae (Qian Cao Gin) also called Madder root. It is a herb used to treat psoriasis in Chinese Medicine.
Although I never tried any Chinese herbs for psoriasis the reviews look very promising on the web.
Herbs
Oregon Grape (Mahonia aquifolium) is a herb known for its antiproliferative properties which is the ability to slow skin cell growth.
Because there is an issue with the skin cells regenerating too quickly in psoriasis patients. It causes a build-up of the skin cells causing red flakey itchy patches of skin. Anything that could slow that skin cell growth down would seem beneficial. Secondly Oregon grape root is also antifugal as well as anti microbial.
The bark of the Oregon grape is dried and powdered or made into an extract or tincture. Additionally it can be added to creams or ointments and is applied topically to psoriasis lesions.
Oregon grape has been studied for psoriasis treatment. It has shown to be effective in treating psoriasis (1).
Slippery Elm– I have had a lot of people tell me they noticed a diffference when using slippery elm.
A small case study showed patients experienced improved psoriasis by drinking Slippery Elm tea and Saffron tea daily and eating a nutrient-dense diet.
Supplements
Vitamin D Topical– Vitamin D lotions and creams have been shown to be effective in psoriasis treatment. You can read more here on an overview of the 177 studies on topical vitamin D for psoriasis.
Probiotics– As more and more studies come out, there appears to be a connection between gut flora imbalance and chronic inflammatory skin conditions like psoriasis and eczema. In a study of psoriatic patients versus healthy patients, psoriatic patients had more bacterial translocation than healthy patients. Bacterial translocation is essentially leaky gut or intestinal permeability. As a result, bacteria and undigested proteins may pass through the intestinal mucosa which therefore can cause inflammation. (3), (4)
Skin Care
When you have psoriasis or any other skin condition taking extra care when it comes to skin care is so important. Choosing to use gentle cleansers or soaps is crucial. Most commercially available soaps and cleansers contain harsh, drying surfactants. These surfactants strip your skin of its natural oils. Many times this leaves your skin feeling dry.
Goats Milks Soap
Goat milk soap is a great choice because it’s rich in fatty acids and cholesterol which make up a good portion of your skins membrane. Goats milk soap contains selenium which is also good for skin health. It’s rich in lactic acid which is a gentle exfoliant. This can help encourage cell turnover exposing healthy new skin cells. Goats milk soap also contains probiotics which can support a healthy skin microbiome. I try to buy locally or make my own as we do have dairy goats but sometimes I just buy the brand I linked above from amazon. I feel like Zum is a decent brand.
Shea Butter
Shea butter is an excellent choice to moisturize your skin with. The fatty acid profile is great. It contains oleic, linoleic, palmitic and stearic acids. These fatty acids absorb into the skin well and help support a health skin barrier. Shea butter holds moisture in very well and can help with dry itchy flakes.
Moringa Oil for Psoriasis
I found lots of positive reviews on moringa oil for psoriasis. For this reason I ordered some off Amazon right away and it only took 2 days before the flakiness was gone and about 4 days before redness was greatly reduced. So I am totally a fan of moringa oil. Also it seems to help with the itchiness.
Moringa oil is used in skincare. In fact it is very sought after for skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis. Moringa oil has vitamin E and is anti-inflammatory.
Scalp Psoriasis
Many people with scalp psoriasis have difficulty finding a shampoo and conditioner that doesn’t aggravate their scalp. A lot of doctors and patients swear by tar shampoos like Neutrogena T Gel shampoo. Tar shampoos can help with thickening of skin, scaling, and hardening. Coal tar shampoos have been used for 100 plus years and are known to help with inflammation and help slow the growth of skin cells.
I know for myself using sulfate-free shampoo and conditioners worked better for me. I found those with sulfates burned my scalp where I had lesions.
Alternative Therapies
Dead Sea climatotherapy– Dead Sea Climatotherapy is soaking in the Dead Sea and sunbathing. This form of therapy has been around for thousands of years. Consequently, many people have reported remission of psoriasis after Dead Sea Climatotherapy.
Here is a study of 85 adult patients with psoriasis using Dead Sea Climatotherapy. As a result of the therapy there was a 70.9% reduction in PASI ( Psoriasis Area and Severity Index) and a 50% reduction in BPSS (Beer Sheva Psoriasis Severity Score).
If I was unable to get clearance of psoriasis this is a treatment I would definitely try.
https://www.psoriasis.org/about-psoriasis/
Putting My Psoriasis into Remission
Figuring out what triggered my psoriasis took a little a while. But I’d have to say diet was the biggest factor in clearing my psoriasis. So many people kept telling me that gluten bothers a lot of people with psoriasis. I also heard cutting dairy could help. So I started first with cutting out dairy and I noticed less itchiness with-in two days. Then a couple weeks later I went gluten free. And all my psoriasis cleared with-in two weeks! I couldn’t believe it!
People get into remission all kinds of ways. Sometimes it’s a combo of medications and stress reduction. Or supplements, herbs and diet. Or it could be all of the above. Whichever it is just know remission is possible and it doesn’t matter how you get there.
I have seen people bully other psoriatic patients online because they used medications to get skin clearance. Shaming them, telling them if they just ate cleaner or reduced their stress or just drank some celery juice their psoriasis would go away. The celery juice you guys…..it urks me every time. My eyes are rolling back into my head as you’re reading this.
Anyways, this is what worked for me and I have tried many things. Hopefully, this can give you some ideas on what others have tried and what some studies show helped. Most of all I hope you can feel hopeful because remission from psoriasis is possible. Wishing you skin clearance in your near future.
What about you? Have you noticed what helps your psoriasis?
Much Love,
Melissa
This website is for educational purposes only. The information provided by Renaissance Path is not intended to diagnose, treat, or cure any diseases. Please consult a qualified health care professional for medical advice.
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