Today I received an email to tell me that my Psoriasis Spot blog has been selected by Healthline as one of the Top 10 Psoriasis Blogs for 2012.
I know that what I say in my blog is sometimes going to be at odds with what the medical profession says about psoriasis but I speak from my heart and from years of living and coping with a condition that can sometimes be very uncomfortable. I speak from experience and not from a platform that is influenced by the vested interest of drug suppliers. I have to live with any decisions that I take about my lifestyle and anything toxic that I put into my body.
I took responsibility for my own health many years ago, when I realised that my own vested interest in my personal health far outweighs the conflicting vested interests of some practitioners in the medical profession or those who simply follow outdated text books or have a closed mind to alternative treatments.
I don't ask you to do what I do, I ask only that you try the methods that have proven positive for me. If I can help just a few other people to better health then the work that has gone into blogging is well worth the effort.
Thank you to Healthline for including my blog in their list.
Monday, August 6, 2012
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Nutrition, Nutrition, Nutrition
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.
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.
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Slippery Elm Bark
I have been extremely busy with preparations for a boat show and exhibiting, then catching up with business after the show. That has kept me from posting on this blog the past two weeks.
I have said it before but it bears repeating. Psoriasis is caused by an unbalanced immune system. I treat my psoriasis by doing everything that I can to get my immune system in balance. One of the major factors that affect the condition of the human immune system is the state of the intestines, particularly the large intestine or colon.
Proper elimination is important to maintaining this balance. Waste products contain toxins and the longer that they remain in the body, the greater the chance of the toxins being reabsorbed into the bloodstream. Those toxins can play havoc with the immune system and any conditions that depend on its health. If you have constipation problems then you can be sure that there are other health issues that are related to it.
I start the day with a full glass of filtered water as soon as I get out of bed. This is very effective at flushing out the intestines. Some people make this a cup of warm water for even better cleansing effect.
Most mornings I follow the water about 20 minutes later with a cup of tea made from slippery elm bark powder. This is something that was recommended by Edgar Cayce for psoriasis treatment because of the colon-cleansing effects of slippery elm bark. I tried it, as well as other Edgar Cayce recommendations. I did not see any benefit from the others but the slippery elm bark tea seemed to help, so I continued with it.
I used to buy my slippery elm bark powder from The Heritage Store in Virginia Beach, which they prepared in-house. Recently they have changed to an outside supplier and seem to be having supply problems. I have had to find a new source and have settled on More Than Alive . Their product seems good and effective.
It needs hot water to dissolve it because it clumps if mixed into luke warm water. I stir about 1/4 teaspoon into a 1/4 cup of boiling water, then stir in another 1/4 to 1/2 cup of cold water. Leave to stand for a few minutes, which allows it to gel a bit before drinking. This should be taken 20-30 minutes before breakfast, to allow it to work before consuming any food.
I recently discovered another benefit from slippery elm that I did not know. I saw on a Dr Oz show that he recommended taking slippery elm for fighting colds as soon as you feel that itchy and scratchy discomfort in your throat. That was when I realised that I have not had a cold or flu since I started taking slippery elm more than 2 years ago.
Give slippery elm a try, you may benefit with reduced psoriasis symptoms and fewer attacks of winter ailments.
I have said it before but it bears repeating. Psoriasis is caused by an unbalanced immune system. I treat my psoriasis by doing everything that I can to get my immune system in balance. One of the major factors that affect the condition of the human immune system is the state of the intestines, particularly the large intestine or colon.
Proper elimination is important to maintaining this balance. Waste products contain toxins and the longer that they remain in the body, the greater the chance of the toxins being reabsorbed into the bloodstream. Those toxins can play havoc with the immune system and any conditions that depend on its health. If you have constipation problems then you can be sure that there are other health issues that are related to it.
I start the day with a full glass of filtered water as soon as I get out of bed. This is very effective at flushing out the intestines. Some people make this a cup of warm water for even better cleansing effect.
Most mornings I follow the water about 20 minutes later with a cup of tea made from slippery elm bark powder. This is something that was recommended by Edgar Cayce for psoriasis treatment because of the colon-cleansing effects of slippery elm bark. I tried it, as well as other Edgar Cayce recommendations. I did not see any benefit from the others but the slippery elm bark tea seemed to help, so I continued with it.
I used to buy my slippery elm bark powder from The Heritage Store in Virginia Beach, which they prepared in-house. Recently they have changed to an outside supplier and seem to be having supply problems. I have had to find a new source and have settled on More Than Alive . Their product seems good and effective.
It needs hot water to dissolve it because it clumps if mixed into luke warm water. I stir about 1/4 teaspoon into a 1/4 cup of boiling water, then stir in another 1/4 to 1/2 cup of cold water. Leave to stand for a few minutes, which allows it to gel a bit before drinking. This should be taken 20-30 minutes before breakfast, to allow it to work before consuming any food.
I recently discovered another benefit from slippery elm that I did not know. I saw on a Dr Oz show that he recommended taking slippery elm for fighting colds as soon as you feel that itchy and scratchy discomfort in your throat. That was when I realised that I have not had a cold or flu since I started taking slippery elm more than 2 years ago.
Give slippery elm a try, you may benefit with reduced psoriasis symptoms and fewer attacks of winter ailments.
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