Healing My Psoriasis Holistically - Part 1

Healing my psoriasis is a work in progress. I plan on documenting it on social media but will write updates on the blog as I go. Wish me luck! 😁

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If you’ve poked around the website at all you’ve probably seen I’ve had my fair share of GI issues. What I haven’t mentioned is my experience with psoriasis, scalp psoriasis to be exact. I’ve dealt with it off and on for almost 10 years; however, after the birth of my daughter it flared and it hasn’t really improved at all. She’ll be two-and-a-half this October.

I saw a dermatologist when it first started and her answer was to use a topical steroid. I wasn’t as holistic as I am now, and I was miserable. I took her advice and immediately had relief. The symptoms subsided almost entirely and lasted for the next four or five years, with minor flare-ups here and there that I could soothe with a balm, salve, or tea tree oil shampoo.

Since that time I’ve become much more interested in treating any issue I have by finding the root cause, not using a medication indefinitely to mask the symptoms. So for better or worse, a topical steroid isn’t an option for me right now.

What is Psoriasis?

Psoriasis is a skin condition that causes red, flaky patches that burn and are incredibly itchy. Some people experience this all over their body; I’m “lucky” in that mine is confined to the back of my head. Unfortunately, psoriasis is not very well understood, so many doctors (at least in my experience) resort to a topical steroid or other medication as the “solution.”

However, at its core, psoriasis is an immune response. The tricky part is figuring out what’s causing your immune system to attack and show up as an uncomfortable, and oftentimes embarrassing, skin condition.

Potential Causes of Psoriasis

When I saw my second dermatologist soon after my daughter’s birth, he said this more recent flare could be postpartum hormones, or it could be this or it could be that. He recommended I just make it easy on myself and use the steroid (I like this doctor, but man that was an infuriating response!).

Coming away from that appointment with no more information than I started with, I began researching it myself. Some specialists think it’s a vitamin B deficiency, others say hormones play a role, some point to stress, and others encompass it all and say it’s the microbiome (which I’m finding is the most reliable common denominator, and makes the most sense). This has all been a little overwhelming to sort through, and it hasn’t always felt like much more help than what my derm gave me, but at least it was something.

At the center of all of these possible causes is the microbiome. An unbalanced gut is practically synonymous with inflammation. And if your gut is imbalanced, it’s probably not absorbing vitamin B (or other vitamins) properly. And we know by now that stress is a major contributor to gut dysfunction. There’s also a potential link between inadequate stomach acid and the ability to digest proteins. It always comes back to the gut!

One other cause of psoriasis, and one I’m currently exploring, is that of “dirty genes.” Also known as epigenetics, this field of study looks at how your genes turn on or off depending on your diet as well as your environment. To be clear, by environment I mean everything from your stress levels to toxins you may be exposed to.

While I wish I had more concrete information, I do feel like it’s enough to get started.

My Healing First Steps

Admittedly, I’ve let this flare go on longer than I would like, or would even recommend to a client. But, sometimes in order to make a hard change you have to get to your breaking point, and that’s where I am now. Am I stoked about the idea of doing an elimination diet? No, no I am not. Do I enjoy the idea of going gluten-free? Not particularly. Would I rather keep dairy in my diet? Yes. And those have all been deterrents to getting to the bottom of this. Also, it’s summer and my kids are home and I frankly haven’t had the brainpower to adopt a brand new diet protocol just for myself. But also, do I like waking up during the night and first thing in the morning with my head on fire? Also no.

So, what am I doing to help myself? For starters, I’ve removed all inflammatory oils from my diet. This is a lot harder than it seems because they are in EVERYTHING. It’s so discouraging. It’s also the go-to oil at most restaurants, which is a real bummer. This is a pretty big topic, so I’ve elaborated a little bit below.

Next, I’m going to focus on cleaning up some of my genes. I have narrowed down three or four genes that are potentially “dirty” and may be contributing to this flare. This is pretty individualized, but for me personally, I am going to:

1. Eliminate gluten. This is kind of inevitable, but it actually is very doable and is honestly more of a nuisance than something that’s hard. I don’t eat much gluten anyway, but if it’s aggravating my system, consuming even a little is a problem.

2. Limit histamine-containing foods. This will actually be harder than eliminating gluten. The tricky part is that some of the foods that are high in histamine are actually foods I should be focusing on for other reasons, so I’ll be looking for that balance.

3. Focus on getting magnesium, calcium (from non-cow sources), riboflavin, folate, cysteine, selenium, vitamin A, zinc, and B12, along with high-quality protein (grass-fed beef, wild-caught fish, etc.). This may seem like a lot, but there are many foods that provide multiple vitamins & minerals in one sitting.

4. Eat three balanced meals a day, ideally with no snacking. I need to give my GI system time to recover between meals, ideally 2-3 hours. I’ll also be continuing my overnight fast of 12-16 hours to give my gut an even longer break.

5. Prioritize relaxation and movement. It’s going to be imperative that I reduce stress and SWEAT! Sweating is an amazing detoxifier, so my goal is two good sweat sessions a week. I’ve just picked tennis back up and am trying to play weekly, so that’s one; the other I’m hoping to start incorporating is Epsom salt baths (sweat + relaxation). I’m also trying to include weekly yoga.

Considering I wanted to start slow, I think five things are good 🥴. This feels doable for me right now, and I’ll reassess in about two weeks.

Small Habits I’m Keeping

I have been doing a few other things that give me some relief and/or generally support my immune system:

• Using a tea tree oil shampoo to soothe flare-ups

• Using pure aloe vera to soothe flare-ups

• Taking apple cider vinegar to ensure proper stomach acidity

• Drinking lemon water every morning to support stomach acidity, vitamin C levels, stress, immunity, and gut motility

• Following up the vitamin C with adaptogenic and/or ginger tea

• Taking a daily probiotic, however, I will be starting a new one as soon as my current one is out

• Reducing my exposure to plastics, heavy metals, and other toxins

• Running a HEPA air purifier daily, both upstairs & downstairs

• Ensuring everything from our laundry detergent to my shampoo to my mascara is EWG certified in order to further reduce any exposure to chemicals & toxins. It’s important to note that this has been a process over the course of many years, so it’s more honing it than anything. I do firmly believe in making these swaps though. Our ancestors weren’t exposed to a fraction of the manmade chemicals we come in contact with today, and our bodies just haven’t adapted in a way that can handle them effectively.

A Note on Inflammatory Oils

Inflammatory oils are everywhere. They include sunflower, safflower, soybean, vegetable oil (canola), palm, and corn oils. These oils are highly processed and refined, and lead to oxidative stress within our bodies. We naturally produce oxidative stress on a daily basis and have natural antioxidants that help protect us. However, when we start adding additional stress from food and/or our environment, our bodies can’t keep up with it. This not only makes our immune system ramp up, but it also takes a toll on our cells, causing them to become sick and eventually die off prematurely. And if our cells start dying off, our organs eventually die, and if our organs are dying…well, you get the picture.

You may be asking if that means sunflower seeds aren’t good to eat if the oil is so bad. The answer is no. Sunflower seeds in their whole form are protected from oxidation and are safe (and healthy!) to consume. It’s the processing of these seeds that makes them so unhealthy; they are stripped of their protective quality and are oxidized during the bottling process when they’re exposed to oxygen and light.

Overall it’s just a lose-lose situation.

I’ll be documenting this process as I go, so follow along for updates! If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me or schedule a free 30-minute exploratory session!