Mrs. Kari Zanello with psoriasis.

[zanello]

hello, I am trying to find what will cure me from within to clear the psoriasis that flares up so often and it is so hot in this part of the world and I am sure it is the heat that is doing it and suffering from depression with it as have a chemical imbalance, but on medication for depression, but psoriasis flares up just when thinking it is coming right. Have tried creams which seemed to work at first and then not after a time. Will appreciate some advice/suggestions, thanks.

[Butterfly65]

Hi zanello,

I'm currently following the Dr pagano diet and am seeing results after only a few weeks. He recommends cutting out all night shades, including white potatoes, peppers, tomato, and any tomato based products sauces, baked beans etc & avoiding all processed foods, crisps, sausages pies, pastries, cakes and unhealthy snacks. No hot spices or curries,no salt or sugar but honey is permitted.

No caffeine and no alcohol. Decaf tea with lemon or decaf coffee is permitted but not with milk, and no more than two cups each day. He recommends drinking hot water with lemon in the morning for its cleansing properties.

Fish, chicken, turkey or lamb are allowed but not pork, ham or beef as they are harder to digest. Limit dairy intake, skimmed milk and low fat cheese & spreads etc. Try to drink 6 to 8 glasses of mineral water each day & incorporate lots of fresh vegetables & salads and no more than 2 pieces of fruit per day, the fruit must not be combined with dairy. I also take 3 to 4 desert spoons of lecithin granuals mixed in with drink or food. Probiotics daily,Cod liver oil daily. Slippery elm bark Powder( 1 teaspoon a day mixed in warm water taken first thing in the morning or last thing at night). Digestive enzymes before each meal. Milk thistle complex drops to cleanse the liver. Unsalted almonds and walnuts are high In omega 3 fats and are a healthy snack. Only whole grain bread, rice ( preferably wild ) & pasta, but in moderation. Epsom salt baths help detox the body, magnesium salt baths help to relax & dead sea salts help to soften plaques. Eggs are permitted 2 to 4 a week but not fried, no fried food is permitted.

Basically 70 to 80% percent of the diet should be veg, I eat mashed cauliflower or mashed sweet potato and Swede instead of white spuds. And have olives instead of tomatoes. Low fat Cottage cheese. Honey replaces jam. If you must have sugar his choice is stevia.

I really do recommend anyone suffering with psoriasis to read Dr pagano's book ' healing psoriasis' , I purchased mine second hand from eBay for around £10.00 about a year ago. After reading through it twice, and skipping some bits, I put it away on the book shelf and felt overwhelmed, defeated and in denial that diet played any part in my skin condition. I felt my diet was healthy enough and why should I have to give up all the foods I enjoyed.

It all seemed way too severe and I knew it was going to be a right pain In the bum cooking myself different meals from the family,not to mention the cost of all the different things I had to buy. However a few months later during another burning itchy scratchy red flare up that drove me nuts and back into spiraling depression.

I pulled it off the shelf & read it again, then decided that I had to give it a good try. His theory makes sense, heal the gut and see rewards, 27 years of this on and off and no great miracle cream ever worked, what have I got to lose ....red itchy inflamed skin I hope ...and maybe a few pounds in weight .The aip diet is similar, Google it for more info and good luck 'cos A diet of any kind requires stamina, commitment and patients. Ps; hope this hasn't overwhelmed you :-).

[booties12]

hello I had very bad psoriasis I was told by a nurse at the skin hospital to try canistan mixed with moisturiser I did and no more psoriasis it takes away the itching too xx

[Bee1970]

I also heard that tumeric is a great anti inflammatory... This may help with psoriasis... If you drink the warm water with lemon try throwing a TSP of tumeric in aswell and maybe some honey for sweetness.

[Gracie_Girl]

Hi Kari!

I, too, suffer from depression and psoriasis. I'm 59 yrs old and have been battling both since I was in college. As time has gone on, they both have waxed and waned. Lately, they both have hit with a vengeance. I have been on just about every topical ever made. The steroids helped for a while, but thinned out my skin, so I had to quit those. Light therapy worked pretty good too. But, taking treatments 3 times a week made me late all the time to work, so I had to quit that. Dermasmoothe topical oil keeps my scalp plaque in check, but it never completely goes away. I exhausted all the topical options about 8 yrs ago. My dermatologist suggested that I try biologics next, that was the only thing I hadn't tried. He prescribed Enbrel, 50 units twice a week. Well, it worked! I remained plaque free for about 6 yrs. In 2013, I was diagnosed with anal cancer and had to go through chemo and radiation for 4 months. My oncologist wanted me to stop the Enbrel since it suppressed my immune system. I remained plaque free for over a year and the psoriasis slowly started to come back. Only this time, topicals didn't even begin to help. I hesitated going back to Enbrel since cancer can be a side effect in some people. But, my oncologist didn't think Enbrel had anything to do with my cancer and ok'd it for me to start again. Unfortunately, I have this irrational fear that Enbrel had a little something to do with me getting cancer. So, I haven't started back, yet. My psoriasis is the worst it has ever been. Nothing helps. I have it over 95% of my body, maybe more, I can't find any blank spaces. My depression is probably close to being an all time bad high. But, that is due to additional reasons I won't get into. I understand what you are going through. It is an awful thing to deal with. But, you learn that there are much more important things to worry about and a lot of other people in worse shape than you. So, keep doing your research and learn what's out there and ask your dr. to give it a try. You can always stop if you don't like it. 

I so sorry to be so wordy, but your words really hit a chord with me and I wanted to let you know you are not alone. You just have to keep trying to get better and don't be afraid to ask for help. There is always someone here that is willing to listen and let you lean on them. Don't be afraid to ask questions. Someone is bound to have an answer or point you in the right direction.

Take care and I'll be here if you need someone to listen.

Gracie