This is my success story about clearing my psoriasis.

I have always had dry skin on my knees and elbows and a dry patch on my right ankle. I didn’t pay much attention on it during the years except from moisturizing it sometimes. Then when I was 27 in 2005, it started to spread slowly. It got worse every year, more spots have started to appear and became more red, the scaling has started also.

It didn’t take long for the general practitioner to diagnose it as Psoriasis Vulgaris (plaque psoriasis). He sent me to the derm who confirmed the diagnosis and prescribed Esperson (desoximetasone 0.25mg), I started to use it based on his recommendation. He said that it is a very stubborn disease and it’s difficult to treat. I was happy to see the spots looking better after a week and disappearing slowly. I went back to the derm, he checked the spots and prescribed a weaker Sinoderm (fluocinolone acetonide 0.025mg). In one month my skin was clear and I stopped using the creams.

Facing the truth

Soon after the treatment small red spots started to appear where the scales were, and they were spreading quickly, merging together, forming larger scaly spots, these merging to even larger spots. I started to take it more seriously now. I did some research and I quickly learned that there is no cure for this autoimmune disease/condition, that corticosteroids only work for some time, that they have pretty bad side effects and the rebound effect – that psoriasis returns worse as it was before the treatment (like in my case). My derm wanted to continue with the corticosteroid cremes, but I said no, I knew that the psoriasis will only return with vengeance. That was the first time I started to search for alternative methods. I found a natural moisturizer creme developed for my condition specifically, it contained dead sea salts, algae, lecithin and sesame seed oil. After about a month and two 200ml tubes the patches were smooth without scales but also bright red. I read that UV can help also, it was summer and I sun-bathed every day, twice for about 15 mins for two months. At the end of the summer my psoriasis looked about the same as before – neither got better nor worse. Obviously, the sun had some good effect on it but not enough to reverse it.  I had to do something. It looked like this then:

Alternative treatments

I did a lot of research by then, I learned that eliminating toxins, detoxification and healthier lifestyle can help my psoriasis. I was a pack a day smoker for 16 years so I knew where to start. I quit smoking cold turkey on Sept the 1st in 2009 and started exercising – 30 mins biking every day and some weight lifting. I used glycerine topically, took soda bicarbonate and dead sea salt baths.  Unfortunately things got worse as the winter approached. The patches were spreading to my forearms and lower legs, spots were appearing on my torso and ears too.

Psoriatic Arthritis

About that time I started having joint pains. First in my right shoulder, then left shoulder, right knee, two fingers on my left hand then my right wrist. The pain was severe, I hardly could sleep. I had to stop with biking and weights. The doctor ordered a blood test in order to check the rheumy factor, but it was negative, then he sent me to a rheumatologist who said it’s most likely related to my psoriasis – it is called Psoriatic  Arthritis – and there is no cure for it either. He took x-rays of my joints, but there were no visible signs of degeneration yet. I had to take a few ibuprofen capsules every day to relieve the pain. My skin got worse and worse, I had to do something to be able to go to the beach with the kids that summer – I went back to desoximetasone, and after 3 tubes my skin was nearly clear.

I continued with a less potent corticosteroid to prevent the rebound effect but I developed a severe folliculitis everywhere where I used the cremes. I had to stop and the patches returned quickly and of course worse than it was before. It was end of October 2010 and my skin looked on the picture on the left.

It got worse every year so far and I knew that soon my whole body will be covered. I said now I’ll try everything. I started using cold pressed oils (coconut oil, sesame seed oil, olive oil) internally and topically, I took milk thistle for liver detoxification, did coffee enemas, liver flushes, detox teas and I started also with taking a formula called “Barney’s formula” which consists of:

• Vitamin D3 – cholecalciferol – 1000 – 4500 IU (less in summer more in winter)
• Multivitamin
• Selenium – 200mcg – I took Brazilian nuts, 2 of them has the required amount
• Vitamin B12 – 250 mcg
• Folic acid – 400 mcg
• Flax seed oil 2x 1000mg
• Fish oil 2 x 1000mg
• Calcium 400mg
• Ibuprofen 200mg (I took a few 400s already for joint pain)

First results

To my surprise the first time so far the psoriasis started to look better during that winter. I had no idea why because I did so many things at once, but it worked and I didn’t want to stop anything. My joints got better too, I was able to lift weights again, slowly increasing the weight each workout. I have even built a power rack to make my workouts safer.  As the summer approached I was pretty sure that I’d have a clear one this year.

I started with sun-bathing also, because of that I lowered the Vitamin D intake to 3000 IU (the body synthesizes it from sunlight exposure). I got pretty confident at this stage and slowly I started to drop some of the formula ingredients (as I ran out of them), and soon the P started to get worse. I knew that I’m very close to the solution and I started to take again fish oil, milk thistle, selenium, folic acid, I started a gluten and dairy free raw food diet but kept the Vitamin D3 at 3000 IU during the summer. My P did not change much. At the end of the summer I ran out of D3 completely, I was very busy then and I was more than a month without it.

The Clearing

The P started to get worse again. I got a large supply of D3 and started to take 9000 IU every day. Within a week my P started to look noticeably better and in about 2 months I was 99% clear, a few small spots remained on my knees and elbows and the only joint pain I had was (and it is) in my right wrist. I took the D3 alone now, so I can say that for me it is the thing that works. I lowered the dose to 5000 IU daily, it keeps me clear. Most likely my body has a problem with the D3 synthesis from sun (sun bathing alone has never helped much), now I’ll try to figure out why and maybe I can remain clear on lower doses of D3.

Obviously the Vitamin D3 deficiency made my immune system function improperly and it caused Psoriasis because I have genetic predisposition for it. Many genes are associated with this genetic predisposition and no one knows how they work together, this is why this disease is so difficult to treat – different people have a different gene combination, different factors trigger their psoriasis and a different treatment works for them. I just wanted to share my story, maybe it helps someone to get rid of their psoriasis too.

Most people have Vitamin D3 deficiency, I suggest to everyone to check their Vitamin D3 levels (although I never did) and to consult their doctor before taking high doses of D3. Experts recommend 10 000 IU as the upper limit, so I consider the amount I take safe.