Can changing my diet improve my psoriasis

Today’s topic is psoriasis and how it can be improved by nutritional tweaks.

Psoriasis is a chronic disease of the immune system that causes cells to build up on the surface of your skin, leading to thick, red, scaly patches that are very itchy and sometimes painful.

Although psoriasis appears as a skin condition, it is actually an autoimmune disease. Part of the reaction occurs when a type of white blood cell called a T-cell mistakenly attacks healthy skin cells.

These overactive T-cells then trigger other immune responses that together speed up the growth cycle of skin cells, causing them to move to the epidermis (outermost layer of your skin) in a matter of days rather than weeks.

Because the dead skin cannot be removed quickly enough, it builds up into the thick patches characteristic of psoriasis. For up to 60 % of people with psoriasis, the condition seriously influences their daily life.

Their skin may become so inflamed that it cracks and bleeds. Up to 30% of sufferers also develop psoriatic arthritis, which can cause debilitating joint damage.

People with psoriasis are also at an increased risk of numerous other chronic diseases, including eye conditions, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease. And then there are the psychological ramifications.

Those who aren’t familiar with psoriasis may view it as a contagious rash, and as a result people with psoriasis may be avoided or excluded socially. People with psoriasis often suffer from depression, low self-esteem, social isolation and problems at work, which may lead to a lower income.

This was a little bit of background but now for dietary tweaks…. I chose a feedback written by a patient named Alison Chester from Lambert UK.

"I was diagnosed with pustular psoriatic arthritis in 2004. By 2005 I had it all over my palms and the soles of my feet and I was in agony. I tried all the NHS solutions and it made the pain worse in all cases. Then in 2008 I began to research seriously, looking at the academic studies coming out of China. (I am a Master’s degree student myself) It became obvious that one could not cure psoriasis typically; treatment would begin in the gut by addressing mal-absorption problems and in particular healthy gut flora. (Since then, New Scientist has reported on the growing scientific awareness of how a healthy gut environment affects all manner of the bodies `systems`. ) I found an obscure diet which rang a bell with me, so I tried it out. It worked. Within two weeks, all the psoriasis had gone. If I relax my regime and allow myself the privilege of any kind of sugar, it is back with a vengeance, so I have proven this diets efficacy to myself over and over again. Here's what worked for me! Absolutely NO smoking! It really makes it worse. Absolutely NO sugar AT ALL. So that's no fruit sugar either. No fruit or fruit juice. If I have any fruit, the condition returns. Every day, morning and night, I have 200gms of Yeo Valley organic, natural, probiotic yoghurt. (NOTE - NO sugar!) This is to flood the gut with good flora. Daily Supplements: 2 x Bio-Kult Candea capsules. (Again for gut flora) 1 x high strength Milk Thistle 350gms at 80% silymarins 1 x ultra-high strength 5MG Biotin (from Nature's Remedy) - this stuff makes the gut flora healthy - it uses it to construct itself. And that's it! The BIG one is giving up smoking and sugar. You can tell if something has sugar because it tastes sweet. IF it tastes sweet..... You can't have it! It's that simple. I hope this helps some people - I would LOVE it if others got the relief I did! Two other people I know did this and both had clear skin after 2 weeks. It works for eczema too! "