Those of you who read this blog are aware that I am big on eating properly. I believe strongly that the root of many diseases and unhealthy conditions is in the bad eating habits of most of us. For some people this is a matter of necessity, due to the circumstances in which they live. This may be due to poverty or tight finances or it may be that food for a better diet is simply not available where they live. For others it might be too much reliance on convenience foods rather than cooking from fresh.
I recently came across a blog about nutrition, more particularly a post about countries around the world that have a problem with inadequate nutrition. Whenever this subject is discussed we expect it to be about the poor people of Bangladesh, Africa or other under-developed or developing parts of the world. Believe it or not, some of those people are probably eating more healthy diets than many people in more affluent countries.
Anyway, when I looked at that list of countries with poor nutrition, I was surprised to see that it included the United States of America. Take a look for yourself at this article on countries that have nutrition problems.
This is the opinion of the authors rather than the result of scientific research but the more that I think about it the more I believe that it holds a large helping of truth. If you live in the USA (or any country that has adopted the American lifestyle and diet) then think about your eating habits and how you go about preparing your meals. If you rely more than occasionally on TV meals, take-outs and canned food then you are undoubtedly putting plenty of unhealthy food into your body and you may be part of the nutrition crisis. The same applies if you drink lots of sodas; they seriously affect how your body handles the foods that you eat along with those drinks.
The modern world has us all under massive time pressure but some of it is self-inflicted. We don't have enough time available to cook a healthy meal from fresh produce, so we spend time in the drive-through of our favourite fast food franchise on the way home from work instead. After we have wolfed down that meal too fast for healthy digestion we will spend an hour on Facebook or email or playing on-line computer games with people far away, some of whom we will never meet. Is it more important to feed yourself and your family properly in the interests of long-term health or to exchange pleasantries with people on the other side of the world? It is important to maintain good contact with friends and family far away but modern communications has changed that contact from a monthly or annual telephone call or letter to daily chats about much of little importance. We have overdone the contact and need to step back a bit to take care of other important things in life.
I have found over the years that my psoriasis becomes worse any time that I let my nutrition slip. When I look after my nutrition my skin is almost clear, with no more than a square inch or two of psoriasis to be found. It has been that way for the past 18 months since I decided to be more diligent with my eating habits.
If you and psoriasis are at war constantly, please look at your diet. Fast food and sodas may be a big part of your problem. Change your outlook on cooking. Take time out to enjoy preparing a healthy meal from scratch.
If you are a woman you probably think that I am only a man and don't know what I am talking about because I don't cook. Wrong!! Yes, I am a mere man but I do most of the cooking in our home. I do this precisely because my wife likes to take the easy route and pull a box from the freezer. I prefer to eat healthy so I took over the cooking and watched the psoriasis fading from my body, as you can do as well.
Dear Sir
ReplyDeleteI would like to get some detailed information on how you treated your PA.
(i am a 38years old mom).
I have scalp psoriasis (since 4 years, diagnosed 2 yrs back) and Psoriatic arthritis (since 2.5 yrs),
,the scaly itchy scalp is bad.
The arthritis has also been a big struggle, need orthotics and can only use sports shoes like New Balance, no regular work shoes etc.
Have been on ADVIL about 2 yrs back 2tabs 3 times daily, but got to a point where i was limping with pain during walk(toes, knees etc). Also problem with wrist, fingers , tendons, muscles (aches and pain all over). Some Ayurvedaic treatments and medicines helped about 1 yr back. But then again it became bad, currently on some supplements through a nutritionist and it is helping.
I would like to know if you have been on natural alternatives.
My digestive system is a also a havoc, gassy, indigestion etc, it was under control but a recent antibiotic does upset the stomach badly.
I want to consider probiotics for my digestion (feel there is a link between trouble with digestive system and autoimmune issues) .
Also want to try some natural topical for my scalp.
Do you have suggestions for good probiotics and natural topical cream that you have tried and can recommend.
Any help is much appreciated.
smi_ssb@yahoo.com
Thanks
Smith
Hi Smith,
ReplyDeleteI am sorry to read of your psoriasis and arthritis troubles. At 4 years and 2.5 years respectively, you appear to be fairly new to these conditions but your symptoms seem quite strong. However, I see no mention of you modifying or experimenting with your diet. That is the core of the problem so needs the most attention.
First off, I recommend that you read my blog from the beginning rather than just this post to which you responded. In my earliest posts I described how I worked my way through the diet issues to find what the worst culprits were among the foods that I was eating. If you haven't gone through the process of keeping an accurate diary of what you were eating and drinking and how your symptoms reacted then you should do so. It is really the only way to find out for sure what works for and against you. I can tell you what works for me but you may be different.
You should also make sure that you read the posts that I have written that mention inflammation in the titles. Your psoriasis and arthritis are both inflammation that is caused mainly by your diet and can be improved by reducing or eliminating red meat, fried foods, processed foods, sodas and various other toxic foods and drinks. They all aggravate your digestive system and that is where your autoimmune system is being upset.
You should increase the amounts of anti-oxidant foods in your diet because they are the ones that have anti-inflammatory affects on your system. Those anti-oxidant foods are colourful vegetables and fruits such as carrots, tomatoes, brocolli, spinach, sweet peppers etc as well as spices like tumeric, paprika and black pepper.
I have not experimented with probiotics except that I have a few spoonfulls of plain yoghurt every morning after breakfast.
I have not experimented with natural topical treatments. For my scalp I alternate between tar and salycilic acid shampoos and use a small amount of Scalpicin daily, which keeps it clear of scaling and itching.
You will also find a post titled "Easing Arthritis Symptoms" about stretching and straightening my joints to aleviate the arthritis symptoms. Those methods have proven very effective for me.
Hope this helps you. Remember that these are only my opinions and you need to experiment for yourself to establish what works for you.