- I tried to get about 15-20 minutes of sunlight on my body every day. That is the best source of vitamin D.
- I went to a tanning bed in November about 10 times. I do not think this made a huge difference. Maybe if I had tried it earlier in the illness, I would have seen a bigger improvement, but tanning beds are so scary, I am not sure it was worth it. But, November was really when my skin got rid of the redness, so I do not know.....
- I ate natto. This is a great source of K2. It's gross. I didn't eat too much of it, but I did pinch my nose and choke it down. Desperate times.
- I started watching Jimmy Fallon! Laughter is good medicine! We would pull up episodes on YouTube, and have a good laugh. He is funny.
Tuesday, April 21, 2015
More Things I Tried
Other things I have remembered that I did to help put guttate psoriasis in remission.
Saturday, April 18, 2015
Guttate Psoriasis in Remission Naturally
Some Miracles Take Time.
For anyone dealing with guttate psoriasis, take heart from my story, mine is in remission. This blog will account for my journey, and I hope it will provide you with practical information to help heal your psoriasis. I took no pharmaceuticals. In short, I followed the autoimmune protocol paleo diet, I cut out nightshades, I added lots of fermented foods (Bubbie's saurkraut at every meal), I took a bunch of supplements, I prayed for mercy to my Savior Jesus, I bought a new loose, comfortable wardrobe, I stopped any intense exercise, I took lukewarm showers, I gave up baths, I saw a functional wellness doctor, as well as a dermatologist, I read Pagano's book on psoriasis, and I persevered when I really wanted to quit everything and stay in bed. Hard to do with four kids and lots of commitments. I will explain in detail, but here are some pictures.
Here is the shortest version of my journey. Guttate psoriasis is caused by
stress, strep throat, and a genetic predisposition. My grandmother died
and my husband was in Brazil and missed the memorial service. At the
same time I had strep throat, but didn't know it. Was just pushing through as we all have to do sometimes. Strep test was
negative, but blood work showed positive. In short, four kids, hubby gone, strep throat, lots of grief, and little sleep (two year old did not sleep at Granny's house during memorial weekend) wrecked my immune system.
After two weeks, I turned to medical professionals. I baffled two urgent care clinics and one dermatologist.
What didn't work:
One of the urgent cares got me an appointment the following day with a dermatologist which is a miracle around here with the long wait times. The dermatologist freaked out. She kept saying this was crazy for cocoa puffs. Oddly this made me feel better. For two weeks I had been pressing on, completely miserable, trying to hide it and I was freaking out, so it made me feel better to have a medical professional validate my concern.
After two more weeks, we got a biopsy and the answer: guttate psoriasis. Makes me itch just thinking about it.
So what to do? I was already eating strict paleo. (No sugar, no grain, no dairy, no soy, no corn, no alcohol) I went to Healthy Beginning Wellness. We wanted to find the root cause and heal from the inside out. Healthy Beginnings is a functional wellness clinic that my family has seen in years past. The other five members went to him more often than I because I was so "healthy." Oops.
He suggested a lot of supplements and vitamins. I decided to take the following (this is my own story, and you should consult your own doctor before you take anything):
Vitamin A
Vitamin D
Vitamin K2
Probiotic
Turmeric
Magnesium
Resveratrol
Fish Oil mixed with olive oil
Digestive Enzymes
Neem Capsule
Black Seed Oil
Emu Oil topically
Neem oil
Neem Shampoo/Conditioner
Neem Soap
He focused a lot on my emotional stress, which as an active 35 year old female, was through the roof. I felt like a leper. I had to completely cover my body except for my face.
But in my weakness, I turned to my God. I pleaded for mercy. He answered my prayer, but the healing was not immediate. Some miracles take time, I felt Him whisper. My children were so blind to the ugliness of it and sympathetic to my sadness, and my husband was really supportive emotionally and financially because all the remedies, dr visits, supplements, etc added up fast. God didn't leave my side. I almost punched my husband when he said, I will never leave you (like, obviously, right?!) but truly hearing this assurance was what I needed. Friends also reached out and please forgive me for all the desperate texts. Some of you kept me going in the darkest days.
I ate a 100% strict paleo diet plus I gave up eggs, butter, coffee, chocolate, alcohol, seeds, nuts, lunch meat. I did not cheat AT ALL for at least 6 weeks. I gave up all nightshades, the biggest ones being tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant and paprika. I never added these in.
I cut way, way back on red meat (even though I eat grass-fed)
I drank Saffron tea.
I took Chinese herbals Nourish the Surface Teapills
I ate a lot of green leafy's.
I tried the breathing technique where you close one nostril, breathe in deeply and exhale slowly.
I tried EFT.
I repeated to myself this mantra when I felt stressed: God is my help. I am doing enough.
After 6 weeks, I stopped the autoimmune protocol, but I still to this day, try to avoid nightshades. We eat organic and local as much as possible/Pasture-raised, Grass-fed. (As we did before my GP). I started lifting weights again in December. That always helps my stress level, and I still workout 4 -5 times a week.
My goal now is to keep my immune system as strong as possible so when my kids get strep throat, I will not catch it. As in, I will go check myself in to a hotel and avoid them like the plague. When you are covered in a rash like I was, you find willpower you didn't know you had. I hope that this awareness of my body's weakness will change the trajectory of my life for the better as it really gives me motivation to eat healthy and supplement with good vitamins even when I feel great. Spiritually, God taught me to let go to the tight hold I had on this world and to trust His promises.
I will try to revise this with links to all the vitamins to help you if you suffer from this or know someone who does. I hope my story helps. I know when I was searching for help on the internet, it was pretty depressing. Best Wishes!
For anyone dealing with guttate psoriasis, take heart from my story, mine is in remission. This blog will account for my journey, and I hope it will provide you with practical information to help heal your psoriasis. I took no pharmaceuticals. In short, I followed the autoimmune protocol paleo diet, I cut out nightshades, I added lots of fermented foods (Bubbie's saurkraut at every meal), I took a bunch of supplements, I prayed for mercy to my Savior Jesus, I bought a new loose, comfortable wardrobe, I stopped any intense exercise, I took lukewarm showers, I gave up baths, I saw a functional wellness doctor, as well as a dermatologist, I read Pagano's book on psoriasis, and I persevered when I really wanted to quit everything and stay in bed. Hard to do with four kids and lots of commitments. I will explain in detail, but here are some pictures.
Maybe 2 weeks into it (September), the peak.
This covered 90% of my body. Everything but my face and scalp.
Literally inside my ears ears to the bottom of my feet were affected.
It all itched. Sweat and heat made it worse.
1 month later (October)
2+ months later (December): scaly patches replaced with
smooth white (new) skin on my limbs, but stomach and back were
completely clear. No itching.
7 months later
After two weeks, I turned to medical professionals. I baffled two urgent care clinics and one dermatologist.
What didn't work:
- Benadryl
- Oral Steroids
- Caladryl
- Steroid Shot (made it worse)
- Antibiotics (no effect besides ruining my good bacteria in my gut)
- Topical steroid creams
- We use Young Living essential oils, and I love them. They did nothing. I tried oregano in capsules and topically in coconut oil, thieves, melalueca (tea tree), lavender, and frankincense topically. They offered no help or relief.
- Oatmeal baths did nothing.
- Colloidal Silver did nothing.
- Coconut oil did nothing.
- MSM did nothing.
After two more weeks, we got a biopsy and the answer: guttate psoriasis. Makes me itch just thinking about it.
- Dermatologist gave me a frozen water balloon to rub wherever it itched. This was a lifesaver. It was hot outside, and heat made the itch much worse. The frozen water balloon soothed the itch.
- Dermatologist got complete bloodwork. Everything was fine, but I did have high levels of anti-strep, so we knew for sure I had had strep earlier.
- Dermatologist reluctantly suggested a biologic or that drug they also use to kill cancer. She told me to go home and google it. SCARY DRUG. We thought about it because at that moment we were desperate, but this goes against a lot of our beliefs as we are already paleo/primal/medication free, and I could not take a pharmaceutical that had terrible testimonies (DEATH). I could not take a drug that was possibly life-threatening for an illness that was not life-threatening. We declined.
So what to do? I was already eating strict paleo. (No sugar, no grain, no dairy, no soy, no corn, no alcohol) I went to Healthy Beginning Wellness. We wanted to find the root cause and heal from the inside out. Healthy Beginnings is a functional wellness clinic that my family has seen in years past. The other five members went to him more often than I because I was so "healthy." Oops.
He suggested a lot of supplements and vitamins. I decided to take the following (this is my own story, and you should consult your own doctor before you take anything):
Vitamin A
Vitamin D
Vitamin K2
Probiotic
Turmeric
Magnesium
Resveratrol
Fish Oil mixed with olive oil
Digestive Enzymes
Neem Capsule
Black Seed Oil
Emu Oil topically
Neem oil
Neem Shampoo/Conditioner
Neem Soap
He focused a lot on my emotional stress, which as an active 35 year old female, was through the roof. I felt like a leper. I had to completely cover my body except for my face.
But in my weakness, I turned to my God. I pleaded for mercy. He answered my prayer, but the healing was not immediate. Some miracles take time, I felt Him whisper. My children were so blind to the ugliness of it and sympathetic to my sadness, and my husband was really supportive emotionally and financially because all the remedies, dr visits, supplements, etc added up fast. God didn't leave my side. I almost punched my husband when he said, I will never leave you (like, obviously, right?!) but truly hearing this assurance was what I needed. Friends also reached out and please forgive me for all the desperate texts. Some of you kept me going in the darkest days.
I ate a 100% strict paleo diet plus I gave up eggs, butter, coffee, chocolate, alcohol, seeds, nuts, lunch meat. I did not cheat AT ALL for at least 6 weeks. I gave up all nightshades, the biggest ones being tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant and paprika. I never added these in.
I cut way, way back on red meat (even though I eat grass-fed)
I drank Saffron tea.
I took Chinese herbals Nourish the Surface Teapills
I ate a lot of green leafy's.
I tried the breathing technique where you close one nostril, breathe in deeply and exhale slowly.
I tried EFT.
I repeated to myself this mantra when I felt stressed: God is my help. I am doing enough.
After 6 weeks, I stopped the autoimmune protocol, but I still to this day, try to avoid nightshades. We eat organic and local as much as possible/Pasture-raised, Grass-fed. (As we did before my GP). I started lifting weights again in December. That always helps my stress level, and I still workout 4 -5 times a week.
My goal now is to keep my immune system as strong as possible so when my kids get strep throat, I will not catch it. As in, I will go check myself in to a hotel and avoid them like the plague. When you are covered in a rash like I was, you find willpower you didn't know you had. I hope that this awareness of my body's weakness will change the trajectory of my life for the better as it really gives me motivation to eat healthy and supplement with good vitamins even when I feel great. Spiritually, God taught me to let go to the tight hold I had on this world and to trust His promises.
I will try to revise this with links to all the vitamins to help you if you suffer from this or know someone who does. I hope my story helps. I know when I was searching for help on the internet, it was pretty depressing. Best Wishes!
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