Hello, I've been suffering with psoriasis for eight years now. I am currently 23 years old. The psoriasis first appeared on my scalp, and gradually over the years, it has spread to my back and neck. Back in 2003, my doctor prescribed me a medication for my scalp known as Derma-Smooth. This medication has been very helpful in treating the psoriasis on my scalp. When I applied the Derma-Smooth to other affected parts of my body, I also noticed positive results. I would recommend that you ask your doctor about Derma-Smooth if you haven't already. Derma-Smooth, however, does not cure the psoriasis, but it does help maintain it. Having said that, this medication is very expensive, and since I will lose my health insurance soon, I would like to explore other methods for treating (and possibly curing) my psoriasis.
Like many of you out there, I have tried all sorts of over-the-counter medications - including T-Gel, Coal Tar, all of that stuff. Some people have had positive results when using these over-the-counter medications. This hasn't been the case for me. My doctor informed me that removing gluten from my diet might help reduce my psoriasis symptoms as it has helped others as well. Again, cutting gluten seems to help some people, but others report no changes [for example, the following links are some discussion forums where people relate their experiences: link 1; link 2]. I tried the no-gluten thing for a while, but I never really committed to it. The point is (as many of you out there know) that a connection between diet and psoriasis has been suggested by many people - some with positive results (Tommy and Molly, for example). With the exception of Tommy and Molly, many people don't really like to share their secrets for beating psoriasis (case in point), leading me and many others out there to believe that it's all a scam.
Still, I would like to see if I can help treat my psoriasis by making dietary changes. For the next thirty days, I will cut out all red meat, bread, and processed foods from my diet. To the extent possible, I will cut out gluten as well. The thing with gluten, though, is that it seems to be in everything and difficult to know where it is not. So, I will increase my fruit and vegetable intake. If anything, I will lose weight and feel healthier. I will also not be using Derma-Smooth so that any results I may get do not get skewed. Instead, I will be using an over-the-counter oil known as Doo-Gro ONLY TWO WEEKS AFTER going on this new diet (which I will be figuring out along the way). Although Doo-Gro is supposed to stimulate hair growth, I bought it mainly because (1) someone recommended it to me; and (2) it is an oil like Derma-Smooth (discussion forum on Doo-Gro).
That was a long introduction. I am a real psoriasis sufferer and would like to help other psoriasis sufferers out there by documenting my dietary changes and any positive results that may come from such changes. Hopefully, we can all learn something together. Since I am most concerned with clearing up my scalp, I'll be posting pictures of my scalp as it looks with psoriasis tomorrow (6/26/10) and thereafter so that I can track any changes. This way, you can see what worked (or didn't work) for me. If you have any dietary suggestions, please leave a comment bellow. Thanks, and best of luck to the rest of you!
