Guest Post - Russell's Story
This is a beautifully written account by Russell. He took the time out to write about his experiences with psoriasis and has courageously let me share that story with you.
Russell's E-mail:
I tried most of the creams you have written about but
nothing really worked for me. Things just got worse.
I did a great deal of research and found three things that
have worked well to minimise the effects of Psoriasis. I developed it when I
moved to a desert country, whether that was the trigger or not, I'm unsure.
The four things I tried were a healthy diet to detoxify,
exposure to sunlight (UV), exercise to de-stress and a good cream regime.
I went on a strict four month detox diet. Within 3 weeks the
small hard itchy areas that had started to develop receded back to normal skin
conditions. I cut out sugar, processed foods, yeast, all oils (except small
amounts of olive oil), cut down on red meat, no coffee, dairy products
especially butter, cheese as well as margarine, bleached products like white
flour, white rice and pasta. I also cut out anything acidic except for lemon
juice. The only sugar intake was through fruits and a few teaspoons of honey
for my immune system. I found out that so many food products like baked beans
and tinned soup (even the top brands) contained excessive amounts of sugar. I
resorted to buying only fresh foods and did not eat out.
I increased my intake of salads, vegetables, green tea,
water, brown rice, brown pasta and fish. I also reduced my meal time portions
and when I felt hungry I drank water. In most cases when one has a healthy diet
and you feel hungry, your body is asking for water. Chips and roast potatoes
were par boiled and baked coated with a bit of olive oil and fresh herbs. Bread
intake was decreased but I made homemade whole-wheat bread as I could see what
went into the recipe.
I would drink juice from a whole lemon with a tea spoon of
virgin olive oil (watch out for fakes) to cleanse the liver on a daily basis. I
actually started having a lot more energy as a result of the diet. Along with
the diet I took a daily dose of Psyllium husk tablets for my colon. I also took
an antioxidant tablet but one can get these vitamins through natural foods.
This worked for me but there are different detox diets
available out there where it is up to the individual to try what's best for
them.
Secondly, I increased my exposure to sunlight which did help
somewhat. Nothing had eradicated the problem entirely but life was more
bearable.
The third most important part was to exercise regularly to
reduce the normal daily stress of life and having to deal with Psoriasis.
But here's what I have found to work well on top of the
diet. I use Skin-Cap shampoo which has cleared my scalp entirely. On my body, I
use a soft loufa to remove the scales and slightly reduce the size of the area
without breaking the skin and then I build the skin up through moisturising
creams.
I use Skin-Cap cream 2 times a day on areas that start to
show. The really bad areas are covered in the cream quite thickly and then I
use a surgical plaster to keep the cream in. I leave it on for 24 hours and
then let the skin breathe for half a day and repeat the process. After a week,
all of the red irritated parts have almost disappeared. Once the scales are
gone, I keep moisturising twice a day to keep it away. This works wonders and
my skin goes back to normal.
I still have to moisturise my entire body with a general
cream like Bioderma twice a day and when I see a red area developing I use the
Skin -Cap cream to stop it spreading. Areas that are persistent get the Skin -Cap
daily just to be on the safe side. When a hard itchy area starts to develop I
found that preventing it from spreading was a lot easier than trying to reduce
it in size.
Contacting Russell.
On top of emailing about his struggles with psoriasis he has given contact details if anyone would wish to communicate with him about anything that he has written.
From me:
I have never personally met Russell, he just emailed me about his story and I asked him if it was okay to share on my blog for others to read. I really feel that reading someone else's story gives you a sense of calm and clarity that you are not alone and that others out there face the same things you do.
Thank you Russell, your story was truly appreciated.
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