Psoriasis.......... any one else got it?
So I was wondering if there is any others out there in VW World who have the pleasure of having psoriasis like I do? So I've had it since I was about 18 or 19 I think and then at 33 I found out I had psyriatic(sp?) arthritis too, lucky me!
So I have used various topical ointments over the years with varying success but am currently not using anything and it does not seem to be getting any worse (or better really). My doctor keeps trying to get me to go on embrel but I'm not into that for various reasons.
So what makes mine worse:
drinking alcohol
dry winter weather
stress
eating cheese (back when I did eat dairy, soy cheese has no affect)
What makes it better:
sunshine
moist humid weather (good for the arthritis too)
not being in work
So just wondering if any other can share their experiences with what they use, or don't use, to help their condition. Always on the lookout for cruelty free ideas to help.
Don't be shy, having the crusties is nothing to be ashamed of!
GESC
I have chronic cystic psoriasis on my arms (I believe that is what it is called...). Mine develops in dry little pimple like cysts..... I've had it since I was a baby, and have been to dermatologists who tell me it is an allergy, and then to allergists who tell me it is a skin condition..... Believe it or not, the person who diagnosed it was my psychiatrist/headache/add specialist! Skin problems are often tied in with ADD issues... In times of stress and hot/humid weather, it travels to other parts.
What I've found helps mine is a good scrubbing in the bath/shower with an exfoliating wash/jell (I've been using the sugar scrub found here: http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=15855.0) followed by applying a witch hazel infusion of: witch hazel, cinnamon, rosemary, calendula flowers, chamomile, and peppermint with apple cider vinegar (plain witch hazel works okay too) and then a lotion of your choice.
The past few summers I've been getting scalp breakouts, which aren't fun. This summer, I started playing around with the sugar scrub idea for a scalp treatment (besides just simply going bald for the summer) and have discovered a weekly treatment of a modified scrub of baking soda, coconut oil and a little bit of sugar scrubbed in and then rinsed out with apple cider vinegar is nothing short of a miracle.
I've also read recently that a ten minute bath with 1/2 cup of bleach added to it is supposed to help as well. (There was a study done testing this....I'll see if I can find the article.)
Hope this helps!
My oldest son has it bad, it is often worse in the winter. He's autistic, and often dosen't know or understand not to scratch so much. Right now we have a prescription steroid cream we can use when it gets bad. I've tried everything else before going to steroids, and even then have had to up the dosage twice. But at least we don't use it all the time. Baths help, and I grease him up good with shea butter or olive oil immediately after to keep him moist. Also taking out most dairy has helped. He still eats cheese sometimes, but his diet is SO limited I can't take away one of about ten foods he eats right now.
I dont have the condition but i have a cousin with this. He use "sabila" aloe vera but for the plant not prosess and thats helps a lot for him.
My sister has had it for several years and the only thing that has made it go away are cortizone shots.....she gets shots in her elbows and knees every several months....completely gone....
Hi Glen Ellyn,
I have had psoriasis since age 18 (32 years now). I went vegetarian 20 years ago and have been vegan most of that time. I agree that dairy is really bad for my skin, and eliminating it has helped considerably. I still get plaques on my hands, forearms, elbows, knees, ankles and feet, plus a few areas inbetween.
Gluten-containing foods also cause flare-ups. My skin has looked pretty good this summer (at least the parts of my body that I expose to the world - hands, arms and feet). I do use Taclonex Ointment periodically when flare-ups happen. Am dreading the coming winter as my skin gets really bad then.
I've been going to a doctor of oriental medicine for acupuncture for my carpal tunnel syndrome, and she thinks I have a lot of inflammation in my body which "feeds" the psoriasis. She advised me to do a 21-day elimination diet and cut out all wheat-containing products (difficult), red wine (my only crutch) and as much sugar as possible. That means cutting way back on fruit, which I love. She also wants me to reduce my intake of other grains, and cut out nightshades (tomatoes, potatoes, peppers and eggplant). I am to eat other vegetables, leafy greens, legumes, seeds and nuts. I read somewhere that soy products can also affect psoriasis so I'll probably eliminate soy for three weeks as well.
I am looking to start the diet soon, and will let you know what happens. I hope it's successful, because I am tired of being ashamed of my skin.
dazzle
P.S. A good book on the subject (the author has psoriasis too):
"Your Healing Diet: A Quick Guide to Reversing Psoriasis and Chronic Diseases with Healing Foods" by Deirdre Earls, RD, LD
I have terrible ezcema.. well i use to. Its quite okay right now.
Having lots of oils- flax seed, coconut oil or hemp oil in your diet or avocadoes helps.
Not wearing watm clothes.. cotton or hemp is the best.
Not hot showers.. just warm..
Shea butter and hemp oil were great to but on my skin, also dr bronners has been great.. pepermine.. even though i felt it was too strong it really cools my skin.
No chemicals..
LEss stress.
And doing a detox every yr or so is great. No wheat and limited sugar...
Limit stress!!!
http://www.earthclinic.com/CURES/psoriasis.html
I have mild psoriasis, mostly a few spots on my stomach, hips, nose, eyebrows, and in my hair (which looks like huge flakes of dandruff when the skin comes off). I have a prescription cream, and it pretty much cures all. I can't remember the name of it, and I often forget to use it. I'm usually worse in the winter time, too.
I have it on my scalp mostly and a couple spots on my chest, got it when I was around 11. I was bottle fed on cow's milk as a baby. I made sure to strictly breastfeed my daughter so she doesn't have as great a chance of getting any skin issue.
Sugar definitely makes it worse, as does wheat. Not gluten so much, I can eat oatmeal and spelt without too much trouble, but it seems to be wheat-specific. Beer makes it worse, and I think wine does too...bummer!!
I went vegan last Sept, and cut out wheat, and within the first week, my skin *greatly* improved.
Take vitamin D supplements if you don't get enough sun.
Watch this video if you need an instant topical solution just to get it under control because it's driving you crazy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8CpbOyNSeA
The stuff really helps!
My skin has never cleared up completely, i think i cheat too much on my diet (chocolate, beer/wine sometimes, and some alternative sugars) but my husband is already annoyed to the gills with my diet as it is, so I just kinda deal with being a little itchy and scaly.
i remembered yesterday i have a ointment called takema you can read about it here
http://charak.com/ProductPage.asp?id=78
Its a herbal ointment and really helps bad flare ups, its thick and smells not so great. But it really works.
I seem it get two patches of ezcema on my nipples once in awhile and they are really hard to heal and not to itch when im sleeping. But after two nights of using the ointment they are all better. Its great stuff!
I've had psoriasis on my scalp for a while now. The winter before this one was the worst, so I decided to try changing my diet this winter and my scalp cleared up almost completely. The diet I followed was similar to what Dazzle mentioned (no gluten, nightshades, dairy, limited sugar).
The other suggestions on the board are all great, I think the only ones I have to offer in addition would be really hot, salt water baths or even saunas. Also, when I do have it I put teatree oil on it (I bought it for pretty cheap at a drugstore, with the haircare products).
I don't know if there have been any studies on this, but in my research on psoriasis I think that it is related to liver problems. I know that I have a lot of toxins (at least as of a year ago, in a blood analysis) and a bad/overloaded liver because of this. Also, a lot of the natural remedies seem to also be forms of detox. I really want to try doing a liver cleanse sometime soon to see if this helps clear my scalp completely. I have read really great things about liver cleanses, including eliminating allergies, from those who advocate them.
Glen,
I have psoriasis and this is what is working for me:
Psoriasis is linked to heart disease, so my approach is to improve my circulatory system and lipid profile. My total cholesterol used to be 220mg/dl. I am following a diet by Caldwell B Esselstyn and my TC is consistently between 110 and 130mg/dl.
It is basically a very low fat vegan diet. That's why you have found alcohol makes it worse for you, alcohol is processed by the liver and produces fat. Don't worry about stress. I have a lot of stress and all that matters is keeping fat consumption between 0% and 10% of your caloric intake. The closer to zero the better. Also keep away from high fructose corn syrup and too much refined sugar. The fructose (50%) in the sugar also gets processed by the liver and produces fat.
Are you over weight? A side affect of this diet is weight loss that stabilizes at your natural healthy weight without counting calories.
It has been a few months and some spots are gone and have not come back. I still use cortisone occasionally – but not nearly as much as I used to. And my skin responds much faster and recurrences are much slower to come back.
It's been working for me.
So I was wondering if there is any others out there in VW World who have the pleasure of having psoriasis like I do? So I've had it since I was about 18 or 19 I think and then at 33 I found out I had psyriatic(sp?) arthritis too, lucky me!
So I have used various topical ointments over the years with varying success but am currently not using anything and it does not seem to be getting any worse (or better really). My doctor keeps trying to get me to go on embrel but I'm not into that for various reasons.
So what makes mine worse:
drinking alcohol
dry winter weather
stress
eating cheese (back when I did eat dairy, soy cheese has no affect)
What makes it better:
sunshine
moist humid weather (good for the arthritis too)
not being in work
So just wondering if any other can share their experiences with what they use, or don't use, to help their condition. Always on the lookout for cruelty free ideas to help.
Don't be shy, having the crusties is nothing to be ashamed of!
GESC
I do i also have eczema as well. I refuse to ue percription medications like sterioids as they are so bad for your body, personally i think those should be reserved for life saving measures. I made my own ointment which helps ALOT though its not vegan (beeswax and oils) you can make it vegan if your willing to pay more for plant based wax. That and a calendula glycerite or gel (i use hylands alcohol free calendula spray i dont know the brand of the gel). Im a huge hippie lol so i switched to making pretty much everythig i use myself so it eliminated allt he nasty preservatives and additives. I use a blend of oils for my moisturizer (usually olive, grapeseed, and whatever else i have on hand) that i put on rigt after my shower, then before iget it bed i put the spray or gel on followed by the ointment on the worst of it (hands and wrists) and that has kept me undercontrol. I dont get very many thick scaley patched anymore its mostly just mildly red unless i come into contact with an irritant or i end up washing my hands alot.
Like i said im a huge hippie so i would rather use mild natural products than smother myself in chemicals that go on and off the market faster than i do laundry or havent been throughly studied. Oatmilk soaks are helpful so is making sure any allergies you have are under control (i use nettle). Not all natural products are safe for everyone though so its usually best to stick to what gets to to comfortable rather than "cured". But overall id rather risk it on what nature gave us than a scientist disecting and rarranging molecules. Good luck!
ETA: Id also consider eliminating SLS/SLES cleansers as they are very harsh and irritating. I use bronners liquid baby soap and it has really reduced the irritation and its very pue and minimal, no extra unessicary crap and you can scent it however you like with essential oils. They also carry already scented versions :)