LIVING WITH PSORIASIS: THE LONELY DISEASE (Part three)

PART THREE

Two years after I started exhibiting symptoms of psoriasis I graduated from high school, because of all the mental baggage I was logging around and essentially living a lie, I did not perform to my full potential in my exams. My graduating class planned a beach picnic so that the class could celebrate our new found freedom together before going our separate ways to face new life challenges, sad to say I was the odd man out, I did not attend, I had hid my skin condition from my classmates and almost everyone else for two years and I couldn’t let them find out when we were about to part and be scorned and pitied.

 I felt bad and was overcome with guilt that I was missing out on all these once in a lifetime events but it was the price I had to pay; I certainly didn’t want my classmates having a lasting memory of me being a scared scaly mess. Psoriasis was not a common disease in my community, back then the information super highway had not arrived in my neck of the woods, the internet was still novelty commodity to people where I am from so I couldn’t Google Psoriasis to try and unravel the mystery. I my world and psyche psoriasis was a taboo subject, my high school graduation that was supposed to be one of the happiest occasions of my life closed as a very sad chapter for me.  

 

After finishing high school, I decided that Psoriasis will not define my life; I told myself that I am too strong mentally to allow that to happen. I was determined to find my place in life and if it meant adopting my lifestyle to minimize the effects of psoriasis on my life then that I will do. I was unemployed and had a lot of time on my hands I decided that I will use some of my time to learn as much as I could about psoriasis. Where I am from a lot of faith is placed in the healing powers of herbs and bush medicine, after learning the harmful effects of prescription medication to treat psoriasis on the body and immune system in particular, I decided to use local plants to make “bush medicine” to try and rid myself of the disease. I had no medical or scientific knowledge as to the effectiveness to treat psoriasis or any other disease, or the potential damage the consumption of these plants may cause to my body and health, I was desperate and felt that I had to do something. I did not seek any medical advice from medical doctors or elders in my community who are more knowledgeable about such matters than I am, I went on gut feeling if I saw a plant and I had a good feeling about it I took it, boiled it in water and drank the water.

 Looking back now that was very unwise on my part, I did not see any improvement to my psoriatic skin and a few of the plants may have been harmful to me, I did experience some pain in certain areas of my body when I used a particular plant. I reverted to conventional medicine and sort to educate myself on the whole subject of Psoriasis; I wanted to know what caused major flare ups, how to control Psoriasis symptoms, alternative treatments, etc.

The problem that I had at the time was that my information stream was almost dry but I tried to get my hands on whatever literature I could, I had no access to the internet and I was ashamed to go to a library to do research. When I visited the dermatologist who was treating me I asked a lot of questions and for any literature he could give me about on Psoriasis.

When I was nineteen I realized that under the crusty flaky patches of dead skin were inflamed with puss, at that time I did not know of the pustular form of psoriasis, fortunately that form of psoriasis did not afflict my body for very long and it has not reappeared since.   With the experience and knowledge I gained from living with psoriasis and learning as much as I can about the disease I was able to control the flare ups and keep the percentage of my body surface that exhibited the symptoms to about twenty five percent.

Click here to learn more about how you can get rid of psoriasis.

End Part Three.

How Do You Cope With Being a Sufferer of Psoriasis after the Initial Shock of Being Diagnosed?

Being diagnosed with Psoriasis is a traumatic experience; it is never easy digesting bad news about your health especially when you learn that the health issue will be affecting you for the rest of your life. Naturally each individual will react differently to the initial diagnoses as everyone has a different perspective on life and different coping mechanisms based on their life experiences, background and other factors in their lives.

The worst thing you can do after being diagnosed with psoriasis is to build up your stress level and go into a state of depression, dermatologists and other health experts will tell you that psoriasis will break out into its worst forms when a sufferer is in any high stress state of mind.

The best approach to take after being diagnosed is to become familiar with your condition, do a lot of research on the subject, a lot of people are still not aware of the condition but it is far more common than you might think. Information on psoriasis is far more available and accessible than it was twenty years ago. If you do research online there are blogs, articles, forums, journal, search engines and other resources available where you can learn anything you are interested in learning about psoriasis.

Acceptance of your new challenge is very  important as your attitude is going to be very important in how you control your psoriasis. The more willing and motivated you are about learning about every aspect of psoriasis and how it affects you, the more successful you are going to become at controlling outbreaks and how soon your symptoms clear when you do have an outbreak. You should start your research by finding out what causes your psoriasis. Learn more about yourself, both your physical being and your psychological makeup that might trigger the onset of psoriasis in you. Outbreaks can be triggered by stress, genetics, allergies, certain food you eat, injuries, and environmental factors. You should discuss psoriasis with relatives (Especially your parents if they are around) to find out if there’s a history of psoriasis or other autoimmune diseases in your family.

Find out what form of psoriasis you have and research what are the best methods of treatment for you, there is no standard treatment for everyone because what works well for one person may cause another person’s psoriasis to get worse. Be meticulous in paying attention to your habits and routine, note what aggravate your condition and what makes it improve, avoid doing activities and using products that trigger your psoriasis. If you don’t take proper care of your body psoriasis symptoms will be a constant presence in your life, cut out harmful practices such as smoking and the heavy consumption of alcohol.

Avoid processed foods as much as possible, eat a diet predominantly of organically grown food, green leafy vegetables, nuts and whole grains, and eat fish (Especially oily fish) and other seafood as much as possible, eliminate red meat from your diet, use olive oil instead of oil containing saturated fats, rehydrate your body by drinking a lot of water, drink herbal tea, keep your body moisturized. If you are male and suffer from psoriasis of the scalp you should keep your hair cut low so you can treat you scalp effectively and keep your psoriasis under control.

Being diagnosed with psoriasis is something that each person who has been diagnosed must come to grips with, the sooner you get over the initial shock and start taking the necessary actions to learn everything about the disease and what make you vulnerable to the disease, and doing all the right things to care for your physical and emotional health to keep your psoriasis under control, the more successful you will be at coping with psoriasis.

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What Is The Root Cause Of Your Psoriasis?

It is said that the real (root) cause of psoriasis is unknown, I am not a medical doctor however several persons who have done research on the subject have identified reasons why people may become affected by psoriasis. Here are some of those reasons and explanation behind them;

1) Minor anomalies in the spine caused by complications during the delivery of the child

 

2) Some other accident during childhood like falling on your rear-end from a swing, or climbing, or something similar.

3) There might, in some cases, be a genetic factor involved in how the spine develops. (Further research is needed).

 

The conclusion being drawn is that there is some type of spinal cord defect which is the root cause of psoriasis. This defect in the spinal cord affects the proper functioning of the central nervous system which is responsible proper functioning of the digestive system. When the digestive system becomes affected and is not functioning properly the bowel becomes static. It is believed that the lack of movement in the bowel further affects the digestive system from the time a child is born. Waste products are not being excreted from the body at the rate it should be, this causes toxins to build up in the body.

 

In many cases it is said that these minor spinal defects corrects themselves as the child grows, but in some people the condition gets worst. The affected person might not notice anything “unusual” with his or her digestion because the body has learned to compensate and “cover up” the problem to a certain degree, but if you suffer from psoriasis it is highly likely that the problem is still there “hiding in the background”.

 

The way healthy digestion works; the digestive tract contains a layer of muscle that enables

their walls to move. The movement of the walls is supposed to propel food and liquid through the system. The food moves through muscle action called “peristalsis”. Peristalsis looks just like an ocean wave traveling through the muscle. The muscle of the intestines contracts to create a narrowing and then propels the narrowed portion slowly down the length of the organ. These waves of narrowing push the food and fluid in front of them through the digestive system. This is how healthy normal digestion works. However, it’s not how it works in people suffering from psoriasis.

 

Therefore some researchers have concluded that the root cause of psoriasis is due to the abnormality in the spine which affects the central the nervous system, the strength and force of the muscle action in your bowels is severely weakened. Overloads of toxins are therefore constantly re-absorbed back into the bloodstream through the sore and weak mucus membranes of the digestive tract and/or colon. The body is forced to expel this overload of toxins through the skin.

 

While with psoriasis the body goes into “overdrive” in order to protect the skin (the skin cell life cycle which normally takes around 30 days is reduced to only 3-4 days). The silvery/red and flaky patches and plaque is actually all the dead skin cells that build up on the surface of the skin.

 

These abnormalities of the spine can be corrected over time with chiropractic treatment until the spine is completely recovered to its normal condition. Your digestion will become strong and vibrant, and so will the protective mucus membranes of your intestines. Your psoriasis will improve over time since the deepest root cause has been corrected. You will need regular chiropractic treatment and observe a strict diet over a period of time to ensure that the root cause of your psoriasis has been corrected.

To learn more on how to get rid of psoriasis click here: http://bit.ly/1ktrz2v

 

“LIVING WITH PSORIASIS: THE LONELY DISEASE” Part two

PART TWO:

My new reality was one that I was not prepared to accept, weeks and months after being diagnosed with Psoriasis and told by the doctor that I was going to have to live with the dreaded condition for the rest of my life (which I was just beginning to live), I felt hopeless and despondent. I was using the treatment that the doctor prescribed and it provided some temporary relief, however I knew that I could not use Methotrexate forever because of the harmful side effects associated with it’s use, the coal tar that I was using discolored my skin badly and made me smell like a freshly paved highway.

Before my prescription for Methotrexate could be renewed I had to take blood tests for my liver function so that any damage could be minimized. I was prescribed topical steroids which appeared to be effective for a while as they masked the symptoms, while I applied the steroid to the affected areas in the form of ointment the symptoms disappeared, however the areas where I rubbed the skin thinned and left white spots. The relieve that I got from using steroids was very brief and when the symptoms returned it was with a bang, I would have severe itching and more patchy scaly skin all over my body. My scalp, eyebrows, nails, every area of my body had scaly patches and my symptoms were spiraling out of control. I became very self conscious of the way I looked and didn’t want to leave my small room to face the world. 

I am from a very small community and am quite aware of how the people in that society can be judgmental, I knew that when I went to school, to hang out with my friends, to the grocery store, or any other public place, eyebrows would be furrowed and gossip would be passed around as to why my skin looked like that. People would start spreading vicious rumors about what was wrong with me, some would ask me questions and show pity while other kids would be cruel and brand me with unkind names.

 How could I possibly face their scorn, ridicule and pity? When I was just a small lad there was a young girl in my village who had a skin disorder that left black spots on her legs, I remembered other kids calling her unflattering names and making fun at her expense. In my moments of despair I thought if that girl was the mockery of the village and her skin condition seemed mild compared to what my body looked like, what my treatment would be?

What answers can I give when no one from the community ever heard of Psoriasis? I became reclusive, I stayed in my room almost all day, when the time came for me to go visit my grandmother or go to school I was fearful that people would see my skin condition. I wore only long sleeved shirts, long trousers and hats outdoor even when the sun was shining and the temperature was 35 degrees Celsius. I made myself scarce and only ventured out of my home when it was absolutely necessary. 

I became an expert in secrecy and managed to conceal my psoriatic skin from outsiders, only my family was aware of my condition. I managed to transition from a phase of total denial to self acknowledgement that my skin condition was not going to miraculously improve and that I must carry on living even if life for me would be far from normal. The year before I had the first outbreak of Psoriasis I had represented my village team in an under sixteen football (soccer) competition, I was very passionate about the sport and felt I would play for many years to come.

When I became stricken with psoriasis I turned my back on the sport because I could not bring myself to leave my house in shorts to go to the playing field to play with the other boys. My home was on a hill not very far from the ball park, I stayed on my porch and watched the boys and listened to the thumping sound of feet connecting with ball, I yearned for the day when I could rejoined them uninhibited by my insecurities about my Psoriasis and being found out. I also played cricket and I was determined that Psoriasis would not rob me of all the sports I loved, playing cricket does not require you to wear shorts (it is known as the gentlemen’s game) so eventually I reintegrated myself into the local cricket fraternity.

 I made sure that my psoriasis symptoms were covered up and by this time I had learned how to manage my condition so that areas of my body that had to be exposed were symptom free. Eventually I became accustomed to my new normal without all the fun activities that a teenager should be indulged in, I stopped going to the beach, I was even ashamed to be shirtless in the presence of my own family members.

END PART TWO