Psoriasis is in my genes. My fathers side of the family had it. I however, have it the worst out of anyone in my family and that's ok. I grew up with it, hated myself, and then learned to love myself, even with my spots.

I remember the puzzled and concerned look on my mothers face as she was helping me dress for another day of kindergarten. My belly button was covered by a red, rough, scaly rash and it looked like it was spreading rapidly to the rest of my stomach. My back was also covered in spots. My mother sent me to school and then called my aunt (on my fathers side) to come take a look at my stomach a few days later. From there, we called my first dermatologist and scheduled an appointment. The dermatologist went back and forth. Was it eczema or psoriasis? A few appointments and tests later, the doctor decided it was indeed psoriasis and so it began, my long journey with ointments and steroid creams. I must have tried every. single. stinking. ointment and cream. Nothing worked too well but that was the only means of treatment for me.

Fast forward a few years, I was probably about 8 or 9 years old and I discovered several thick patches of psoriasis on my scalp. I was prescribed topical solutions that burned, tar shampoo that wreaked, salicylic acid shampoos (ineffective for the thickness of my patches) and even prescription shampoos that came with a slight risk of turning my hair blue…yes, blue. <—— never had the guts to try that one. Sock it up to being in sixth grade and already getting teased for a weight problem and psoriasis. By the way, the scalp psoriasis made it look like I had the worst case of dandruff in the world (not an exaggeration when you are in junior high and appearance matters more than personality, am i right?)

By the time I hit fourth grade I had psoriasis on my knees, arms, ears, scalp, back, stomach, thighs, legs, and my nails :/

I remember the nail psoriasis was so ugly that I used to twist my "bad" nails behind my "good" nails so much so that my left pinky actually became more curved. Kids used to ask me if I shut my fingers in doors, slammed them in the car door, etc, my nails were so ugly and kids just did not understand how a skin disease could do that to my fingers, so I just said, "yes" I slammed my fingers into a door by accident. Gym class was horrific, specifically the swimming section. I hated the thought of exposing my skin to my classmates so much that I had my mother write me an excuse saying that I was on my period. I sat on the sidelines so often that it appeared my period was a month long. 😉

Getting dressed in the gym class locker room was always embarrassing, Other girls would ask: "Did you fall?" "Whoa, what happened to your legs!?" and each time, I would hold back tears and ask myself what DID happen to me, why did I have this disease that made me feel so ugly?

More years went by and I was sent to another dermatologist who decided to put me on Methotrexate. I took Methotrexate for a few months and did not see results. From there, I went back to my original dermatologist who gave me my diagnosis and he sent me to a pediatric dermatologist two hours away. I was immediately put on Enbrel injections, 100 mg, twice a week and stayed on them for 4 years until I went back to my original dermatologist (again) and he moved me down to 50 mg once a week.

I was never told the side effects of the drug as it was relatively new when I was prescribed it. In fact, when I first started it, I had to mix the medication up in a vial myself and then put it in the syringe. After a few years, I was given pre-filled syringes and now Enbrel comes in Sure-click syringes which are much safer. As I got older, I did my own research and uncovered some very ugly side effects of the medication. I scheduled an appointment with my doctor to discuss some of my concerns and he was not very helpful. He told me he couldn't tell me whether or not the medication could contribute to worse conditions. He did not know how it could impact a pregnancy (if I should ever choose or be lucky enough to have children.) I left feeling like I had been doing more damage than good to my body for about 8 years.

Somewhere along the line, I went to a nutritional counselor who told me to avoid dairy and wheat like the plague after an evaluation. I followed her directions for about a month and did notice a decrease in inflammation and less stomach aches. I was pleased but for some reason, went back to eating wheat. I kept the thought of changing my diet in the back of my mind.

I decided to get a second opinion about Enbrel and scheduled an appointment with yet another doctor. He had more knowledge of Enbrel but told me the same thing that the other doctor told me…nothing. He said that every medication comes with its own side effects and Enbrel very well could lead to worse conditions but the medication is just too new to tell. I got dressed, feeling like an idiot for spending money on a second opinion and decided to find more answers and hopefully a more natural route for treating myself.

A couple months of contemplation and research led me to the book: "Healing Psoriasis, the Natural Alternative." Dr. Pagano pulls from the research of Edgar Cayce and looks at psoriasis as a disease that begins internally but manifests externally. According to Cayce and Pagano, the problem begins with an inability to release toxins and a problem called "leaky gut" evolves. Pagano recommends following a strict diet, incorporating exercise into your routine, and keeping a positive mindset (telling yourself that you are healing, enjoying the process, etc.).

That is my story up until now. I'm a couple weeks into the diet and I'll be posting progress pictures here and there. I'm really not getting my hopes up too much but I am remaining positive about my journey.

As always, questions and comments are welcome,

-Annie

Hello,

I'm postponing my post about camouflaging psoriasis, makeup, etc.  I want to provide an update about the Dr. Pagano diet. I totally slipped up two days ago, I had peanut butter which is on the list of "no no's" in terms of nuts, errr…legumes I guess. Whoops! I knew I shouldn't do it but I had a rough day and could not resist. Peanut butter is one of my all time favorite foods and I have consumed it every single day for months and months. Trying to divorce myself from a love like that has been a bit difficult. Moving on, except for my morning cup of caffienated coffee, I have successfully followed the diet since then. I even tried the "Spinach Tofu" soup listed at the back of the book. While I did eat it, it was nothing to write home about. I'll probably have some of it tomorrow and then freeze the rest. The soup contains some all star ingredients: spinach, green onions, and tofu. The broth (chicken bouillon cubes) was quite bland. Oh well, I'm learning to love a diet with less sugar and salt to we will see where my taste buds are in about a month.

I am 21 days into a smoothie-every-day challenge that I made up on a whim. I had oatmeal this morning because some members of this household are still asleep and turning on a high powered blender is just plain rude. I will have my smoothie with my lunch instead. My bowl of oatmeal was nothing special but i'll share in case you're interested.

Blueberry Cinnamon Oatmeal:

1/2 cup oats – use the whole oat, not the quick oats…more nutrition that way.

I little over a half cup of unsweetened vanilla almond milk- I use almond breeze but any brand is alright.

A handful of fresh blueberries

1 teaspoon cinnamon

I 1/2 teaspoon of honey

1 tablespoon flax – I'm using a flax/chia seed blend currently

That's all for now, I'll be posting my journey with psoriasis soon 🙂

I didn't provide an update for a few days, whoops! Life got busy and I could not find the time.

So, I finished my three day "cleanse." I use the term slightly loosely because I did not do a three day apple cleanse as suggested. However, I did only eat one serving of grains a day and ate fruits and vegetables the rest of the time. I was more hungry than usual and I feel like that came from a lack of protein. I began the actual diet today. For breakfast I drank half of a fruit smoothie.

Cherry Berry Smoothie:

A cup and a half of cherries and blueberries (mixed)

One cup of spinach

One to Two tablespoons of flax and chia blend

About a cup or so of almond milk, I used unsweetened vanilla Almond Breeze

Blend it all up and drink!

I ended up only drinking half of that today for some unknown reason. I also had one cup of black coffee which should have been decaf. However, chasing a two year old around calls for a little caffeine? Am I right???

I ate a little ice cold watermelon to round out my breakfast. Later, right before lunch I had a banana. Dr. Pagano writes about fruits that should not be eaten together. Banana's, melon, and apples are all to be eaten by themselves but never together.

For lunch I had a spinach blueberry salad

Spinach and Blueberry Salad:

Two cups of spinach – I like baby spinach personally

A handful or two of fresh blueberries

A half cup of cooked brown rice (no white rice)

Walnuts (just a few)

About a tablespoon of low fat feta cheese

Squeezed lemon and extra virgin olive oil as dressing

Toss together and eat!

I'm thinking of making a wheat free turkey meatball soup with carrots, onion, celery and spinach for dinner. I'll make it with regular tortellini for the rest of the family. I will be using Delallo brown rice pasta shells and omitting the breadcrumbs from my meatballs.

NEXT POST:

I will be discussing the different ways I have hid my psoriasis. I will also be discussing different cosmetics I have tried using to cover up my psoriasis, what works, and what has failed big time.

If anyone ever has questions or comments, please leave them below,

Thanks!

Today was the first day of the Dr. Pagano diet. I did change the cleanse a little bit to accommodate myself.

I had one cup of coffee because I cannot chase a two year old without it.

I had an apple, watermelon, and water for breakfast

I snacked on five applesauce cups throughout the day —> no added sugar or HFCS

I snacked on random fruit like a mango and more watermelon because there is no such thing as too much watermelon

Lunch was a berry and spinach smoothie with flax, chia, and almond milk….yum.

Dinner was a spinach salad with blueberries, walnuts, 1/2 cup brown rice, and lemon + olive oil for dressing

I had steamed carrots later

That's all folks…so it's no apple diet but I ate pretty well and will do this for two more days. I am definitely hungry and had cravings for sweets in the evening.

I'll check in tomorrow!!

Tomorrow, June 14 is reportedly the most popular day of 2014 to get married. Although I wont be walking down the isle to the tune of "Here Comes the Bride" tomorrow, I hope to marry myself to a new and more natural way of dealing with psoriasis. About a week ago, I received my copy of Dr. Pagano's "Healing Psoriasis: The Natural Alternative." After taking some of the guidelines for a test drive, I've decided to commit to the diet for at least a month, until July 14th.

Diet Guidelines: 80/20 balance

Dr. Pagano recommends a three day apple cleanse (red or yellow delicious). You can eat as many as you need and if you cannot tolerate apples, you can substitute them for grapes or another fruit.

Following the cleanse, a colonic or enema is recommended. :/

WATER WATER WATER —-> 6 to 8 glasses of pure water. No coffee 😦 Up to three cups of decaf is ok, but not recommended. No sugary drinks such as soda/pop, koolaid, etc.

No nightshade vegetables—–> Eggplant, all peppers aside from black pepper, tomatoes, paprika, potatoes and tobacco.

Lots and lots of fruits and veggies are good, fruits are cleansers and veggies are builders

Limit dairy to low fat

Avoid sugar and cane sugar

Only apple cider vinegar is allowed

Use olive oil and lemon juice as a salad dressing

No processed meats

No shellfish

White fish and meat such as poultry is ok, no red meat, lamb is acceptable

Do not fry food or cook with oil other than olive oil

BTW: Olive oil is awesome for you 🙂

Slippery Elm and American Yellow Saffron Tea are recommended

Dr. Pagano also notes the power of positive thinking. The success of the diet depends on the willpower of the person utilizing it and the positivity they have within themselves. Essentially, retraining your brain to expect results (as long as you are putting forth the effort) is important!

I'll be posting more about the guidelines of the diet in future posts. This is the very first post and I am starting the diet tomorrow. I'll check in and let you know how it goes!!

-Annie