Psoriasis, Acne, Eczema , Asthma and Allergies

[NeedAChangeNow]

Hi first of all.

Here is my "little" story:
I suffer from many skin issues and Asthma. I´ve had Asthma and many allergies (pollen, dust, animal hair...) since my childhood and now i still have to take an inhalator because i often suffer from inflammation due to my asthma. I also have had the psoriasis since my childhood especially on my scalp. I have to say that the psoriasis has improved over the years because the plaques were so bad that my hair used to stick together. Now i still have psoriasis on the scalp and i use the Sebamed Shampoo. I always have flaky scales in my hair in the morning because of the psoriasis. A Year ago i shaved my hair off to 1mm and could see the red plaques which scale off and always became thick and white. But these are not all of my issues. I also took Roaccutane around 2 years ago because of my acne. I used to have a lot of white, thick, red and inflammed pimples on my face, back and arms. The acne improved while i took Roaccutane but it never disappeared completely. Now i still have pimples and breakouts every few days. The pimples aren´t as bad as they used to be but there are still a lot of white pimples when i have a breakout. On top of that my skin is very dry, flaky and irritated and therefore often red. I had eczema a few times when i was a child but after roaccutane i also had eczema in many places (arms, neck, eyelid) but it has disappared. But i still have mild eczema on the chin, on the leg. When i wake up in the morning i have very flaky skin on my face and it is easily irritated and red. Sometimes i use Cetphil Lotion to moisturize but my skin reacts very sensitive to all sort of creams and it still gets red and flaky. Over the years i have tried almost everything that i could do. I even changed my diet because i used to eat a lot of sweats, chips.. as a child. But i have read a lot of diet and i want to go the natural way because i am sick of all these chemical medications which don´t work for a long time.

So i want to change my diet. I think of a mostly organic diet without wheat and dairy with a lot of vegetables and fruits. Do you guys think such a diet could cure me from asthma, psoriasis, acne and all the other skin issues. I would even go deaper and try a raw vegan diet if it didn´t work. I know that i have to make a lot of experiments to see what food is bad for me but i finally want to heal/cure all of this crap and live a normal life. When i am in a bad temper, it is always because of my skin issues and i often feel ashamed because of this.

So i want to get rid off:
-Scalp Psoriasis (Scalp is full of dry flakes and there are also a lot of psoriasis plaques)
-Asthma
-Allergies (Pollen, dust, animal hair...)
-Acne (mostly on the face and neck but i also get pimples on the back and chest)
-Very flaky, dry, sensitive skin on face (there are a lot of flakes who don´t even disappear when i use mosturizer, skin is very sensitive and gets red but sometimes also very oily)
-Eczema (Eczema has improved and there are a lot of Eczema patches which have disappeared, i have got mild eczema on the chin, neck and leg)

On top of that i suffer from other more unimportant issues like very dry hands, dry lips, dry and sensitive eyes.

That was my story but i want to have a happy end :/ . I hope that there are maybe a few people who have had or had psoriasis, asthma, allergies, acne, dry/flaky skin and/or eczema and who have had success with a raw diet change :)

And sorry for my English ;)

[Frugal Raw]

Welcome!! I wish you the best of rawesome health!! I absolutely DO believe that switching to a plant-based, high raw (at least) diet will help you with these issues. I have allergies and also asthma, and the higher raw I go, the less they affect me. Also remember to drink plenty of water - the dry skin and general dryness could be an indicator of dehydration. To know how much water you should be drinking in a day, divide the number of pounds that you weigh by 2. That number will then be the number of ounces you should be drinking. So, a person who weighs 150 lbs, would need to drink 75 ounces to be fully hydrated.

[MysticTree]

My boyfriend has psoriasis. He went almost totally raw for 6 weeks this summer and plans to do it again next year for longer but he has the whole cold weather means hot food thing in his head. But my point really if I ever get round to saying it is that during that 6 weeks his psoriasis almost disappeared. Just think what it would be like if he would just stick with it. His psoriasis sounds similar in presentation to yours but he has it all over as well as scalp and face where it is worst. I know you will get some relief for most of your conditions if you go raw.

[laughalways]

I got eczema for the first time 2 1/2 years ago and it correlated to when my brother passed away...one alternative health practitioner said grief probably caused it. My raw vegan diet has not completely cleared it up but it can help. I am the closest to getting rid of it as my skin is the clearest now as it has been since the initial flare-up. For me there is an emotional component. Based upon everything I have read, the causes are different for each individual and there is a genetic component and a tie in for eczema and psoriasis. My mom has psoriasis as did my grandfather and one of my uncles.

There are certain foods I am sensitive to and you may want to consider this in a raw diet: tomatoes (I can eat heirloom only); citrus; hot peppers. You definitely need to give up dairy and wheat...those are known to cause problems for skin disorders like this. Stay away from nightshades and refined sugar. You may want to try detoxing for sure as you begin to change your diet. I have also read leaky gut can contribute even though that was not my issue.

I hope you find answers...improving your diet can only help you.

[Arky]

NeedAChangeNow, you have an absolutely classic pattern suggestive of possible liver toxicity. Really - an absolutely textbook example.

(and that includes the sensitive eyes symptom, too)



Since you've had this since childhood, I'd question if your mum had dental fillings whilst you were in the womb. That and/OR if your symptoms began shortly after childhood vaccinations.


Probable toxicity issues aside, do ensure you get plenty of Omega 3 in your diet, along with plenty of zinc. Pumpkin seeds would be a good starting point to supply both of these (preferably soaked or sprouted).

People here on RFT probably roll their eyes at me when they see me repeatedly going on about liver toxicity, but it really is a common factor in a huge number of health conditions, and this increases decade by decade as we live in an ever-increasingly toxic world.

In your case, your symptoms absolutely scream probable liver intoxication.

Therefore, I highly recommend you consult with an experienced qualified naturopathic physician (preferably one who specialises in environmental medicine). I am very confident you could benefit SO much from full toxicological testing and treatment.

Your bowel would also respond well, I suspect, to the introduction of home-made sauerkraut, since this is teeming with trilions of healthy bacteria, and is, additionally, rich in vitamin C which will benefit your skin. I'm not currently tolerant of sauerkraut (but I'm unusual in being intolerant of it -most people tolerate sauerkraut very well). It is remarkably detoxifying due to it's regulating effect upon bowel function. It is even more detoxifying if you add beetroot to the fermenting cabbage, since beetroot stimulates the liver and nourishes the blood.

I'm also very confident that everyone here on RFT would benefit tremendously from hearing your progress under the treatment of a qualified practitioner. Many people arrive at Raw Foodism as part a search to improve their health, and many are seeking improvements to their health when they've been let down by conventional medicine, since there is often an unfortunate tendency, in conventional medicine, to place the emphasis upon pharmaceutical means of suppressing symptoms rather than directing resources and training at identifying the underlying causes of people's symptoms.

I don't say this out of prejudice - I say it out of personal experience, and it was indeed this which led me to a great deal of self-directed research and learning, a part of which was my journey into raw-foodism.

I suspect your particular life-long symptoms would improve extremely well under the care of a naturopathic physician with knowledge of environmental medicine and would serve as an inspiration to folks here on RFT!

And by the way, you have excellent English! :-)

[MysticTree]

I agree about the liver thing Arky but it seems like I bang on about liver every time there is a psoriasis post - there is a strong liver link with my bf. I should have mentioned it. I applaud you repeating yourself!

[NeedAChangeNow]

Thanks for your responses!

I suffer from my Scalp Psoriasis and Asthma/Allergies since my childhood. I don´t remember exactly but i was very young (a few years young).
The Acne appeared when i was in puberty and was very bad for years. After my Roaccutane Therapy it got better but my dry skin got worse and i developed eczema. When i was a kid i also suffered from eczema but it disappeared and didn´t come back until after my Roaccutane Therapy. But i have to say that my skin have always been dry and sensitive. When i am outside and it rains, my skin becomes very red and i get pustules and rashes. The same thing happens with cold wind and sweat.

I have to say that i drink a lot of water (2-3 l water/a day) and i have improved my diet since i developed bad acne when i was 14 years old i think (i am 21 now). But i still eat the processed food, wheat, dairy etc. I eat what my parents cook so my diet isn´t very healthy.

You have also recommanded a naturopathic physician and i find this really interesting. When i visited my general practitioner years ago he saw my bad acne and recommended me to go to a dermatologist because a naturopathic physician coudn´t help me, he said. At this time my acne was really bad and so i went to the dermatologist but when i look back, i should have visited a naturopathic physician. But at this time i only wanted to see fast results :/

I will surely tell you my experiences with a raw diet and will contact a naturopathic physician. I think i have been waiting long enough taking medicines which haven´t helped in the long term.

[Arky]

The Acne appeared when i was in puberty and was very bad for years.

This might be suggestive of some hormonal interaction, and a liver whose function is compromised will struggle to metabolise hormones, the result of which can be inappropriate levels of hormones circulating within the bloodstream, and causing imbalances in various bodily systems and cells, as a consequence.

Julia Chang chats about this aspect of liver health on her website:

http://www.sensiblehealth.com/Journey-04.xhtml

You have also recommanded a naturopathic physician and i find this really interesting. When i visited my general practitioner years ago he saw my bad acne and recommended me to go to a dermatologist because a naturopathic physician coudn´t help me, he said.

As you've probably come to realise, that was nothing more than prejudiced insecurity and ignorance - "I'm a medical doctor, so if I can't help you, then a naturopath can't possibly have any ability over and above my own". "Therefore, go and see someone who'll give you something to suppress your symptoms, instead" etc. etc.

At this time my acne was really bad and so i went to the dermatologist but when i look back, i should have visited a naturopathic physician. But at this time i only wanted to see fast results :/

Understandable but naive - we've all been through times in our lives when we were naive in seeking a 'quick fix'. I think it's an absolutely necessary process to travel that route in life, in order to clearly and unmistakably see that it doesn't work. I'm a wiser person for experiencing that lesson, and I dare say you are, too! :-)

I think i have been waiting long enough taking medicines which haven´t helped in the long term.

"Amen" to that!

So, NOW, it's time for the real healing to finally begin in your life. I'm not just trying to motivate you here - I am REALLY, TRULY very certain that you will benefit enormously from serious detoxification under the care of a qualified naturopathic / environmental medicine practitioner. I bet as soon as you consult with such a practitioner he/she will tell you, just as I have, that your pattern of symptoms are totally, utterly, unmistakably, indicative of a need to deeply detoxify.

I can't wait to hear your inevitable success story!

[Arky]

In the meantime, please do consider making your own sauerkraut (it really must be homemade!) and adding it to your daily diet. Provided you tolerate it ok, it'll do you a lot of good, on several levels.