psoriasis/auto immune
JennyToy
Posts: 149 Member
i have been on keto on and off since the new year (steady in fall of 2014 but struggled in the holidays through now). i think even at my worst i am still low-carb compared to SAD and most days much better than that. i managed to get diagnosed with psoriasis due to stress. It seems so unlikely i would get this for the first time mid-low-carb-eating. Isn't that supposed to help all things auto-immune? i have no idea what to expect from this illness. Does anyone have any experiences? thank you!
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Yes I have it and was in a flair for 3 1/2 years. All I can tell you is psoriasis has a mind of it's own. I had some success calming myself with youtube videos. If you are interested friend me and I will share with you. In the three and a half years I made salves bought salves cortisone injection which put me into an over all itch for about 30 days or more I almost could ot stand. I do not know which version psoriasis you have. I have three versions of it. Some times all at once. I was totally clear for almost 6 months after starting thyroid now I am having some creepy skin coming back on my hands and feet. A few splits and swelling called sausage finger. I believe mine was brought on by stress too. I have had it since I was a kid but was in remission for over 20 years other than a tiny flair here and there all during stressful times. The you tube really helped that. If nothing else it gave me a good nights sleep which I believe slowed down the fight or flight. I also have hypothyroid which is an auto immune problem. sigh.0
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thank you shades. i don't know what kind i have, other than to say plaque psoriasis. and very swollen lymph nodes!! And not much fun. she said it's very likely to spread and now i have some close to my eye and in my ear! WTH! i honestly thought it seemed highly unlikely to get this while being low carb-because it seems to be at least partly an inflammation thing and this diet supposedly keeps inflammation down. But as you say-it has a mind of it's own. And in all honesty i have cheated with honey and coconut flour cheats lately so maybe something in that was triggering. I suppose i should stop looking for a dietary link. as you say.."mind of it's own" - thank you, i feel much less alone now. It's a scary illness to get suddenly and Dr. Google has conflicting information.0
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I didn't have psoriasis, but I did have eczema, so figured I'd share my experience and maybe you can get some help from it.
About a year and a half ago, I developed a case of eczema that my doctor claimed was "contact dermatitis," but it didn't go away with steroid cream and I didn't come in contact with anything (the one thing I did -- the barbell at the gym -- I stopped, to no avail). It was a pretty nasty case, too. Thickened skin, splitting, itchy. The parts that split wouldn't heal and wouldn't heal. The cortisol cream barely did anything, even after several weeks of using it twice a day (with some days off, as directed by the doctor, due to the "skin thinning" side effect), and as soon as I stopped, it'd flair up again.
At the time, I was "mid-low carb," with a limit of around 100g. I took another look at what I'd been eating and found that wheat had creeped back into my diet (I also follow Primal, which is grain free, especially gluten grains). So, I did a trial and cut it out again. It took about two weeks, but it finally started clearing up.
The odd part was that some of it started clearing up (namely, the bumps and itchy parts, though the splits were also starting to heal), but parts of it weren't. So, I also cut milk back out and the only dairy I kept was butter. Within a week or so, the rest started clearing up.
It took a solid month to completely heal, but it finally did, and without the use of the steroid cream or any other medication. For a while, I was able to trigger it by having one or more servings of wheat per day for three days in a row, though milk never seemed to trigger it again on its own. Even now, it's not as bad, but it starts getting itchy bumps if I let the wheat slip back in.
I never had such an issue before, and I haven't really had it since (though I rarely eat gluten containing grains these days).
Like I said, I don't know how much use this will be for you, since I know the two are rather different beasts, but figured I'd share, anyway.0 -
I've read some stuff about psoriasis being helped with Omega 3 fatty acids and a better ratio of them to Omega 6 in the diet. Don't have any science to back that up, though. It may be worth looking into.0
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The 3 1/2 year flair started behind my ears then went to my hands then my feet and then the scaly stuff went to my elbows and knees and then it just went ape *kitten* all over me. Then the inverse started and it was just awful. Cortisone cream makes it worse for me. No lotions worked. My home made salves soothed it a bit. I put quite a bit of the bee pollen, the actual name escapes me right now, in it for healing and antibiotic effect. There were 6 other herbs in it. The Lemon balm I made is cooling and helped with the itch. HA Even Gold Bond medicated powder helped a little bit.0
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I've had psoriasis, mainly on my scalp, since I was a kid. I've never been able to pin point when it's going to flair up other than the changing of the seasons. It always gets bad in Spring and Autumn. I can clear it up totally during the Summer and Winter though. It's been this way for all through adulthood. It stuck around all the time when I was a kid. Eating keto hasn't changed it. My eczema has gotten better but still acts up once in awhile too. I have another auto-immune disease and I've noticed that the flare ups from that happen maybe once a year now compared to at least monthly before.0
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Hi. I have a few auto-immune diseases. One is a mast cell disease. For me, keto / low carb has helped with controlling the degranulation of my mast cells, but I try to be very cognizant of what can cause degranulation. When the mast cells degranulate, they break down and release (over 200) chemicals into the body, one of which is histamine.
I've developed a non-irratative rash on my skin (trunk, upper arms and thighs) that looks kind of like chicken pox, and will never go away. initially i thought it was due to sun exposure (living in the south), but then found out its a symptom of my disease.
Check this study. It shows that mast cells in the skin inflamed with psoriasis can be hypersensitive - meaning it degranulates easier, irritating your condition in a vicious cycle.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9602224
http://www.good-health.ch/6/Histamine-Intolerance.html
Maybe look at your diet, and see if you are eating lower-histamine foods? Or try to eat lower histamine foods for a while?
I know that histamine levels increase exponentially in foods that are not fresh (i.e., meat you buy and do not immediately cook or freeze), and in leftovers.
If you are interested in learning more about histamine intolerance check out the low histamine chef. She does an amazing job of sharing information and recipes to help those of us that have this type of problem.
http://thelowhistaminechef.com
Hope this helps.0 -
thank you all so much. I was hesitant to post about this! But i appreciate all the support. I will read over all the information you guys have given. At least, i am not alone! thank you!0
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WOW I just tried to read the first article. It is way over my head but I had a clearing of my psoriasis by about half almost two years ago.. It was not gone but more manageable. My indigestion was so bad I started taking over the counter ranitidine one a day. My weight continued to climb and I figured this was adding to my horrible indigestion and the one a day ranitidine was not enough so I started taking two just about the time I finally was eligible for health insurance and able to go to the doctor. He said no problem take two of the ranitidine as you need it. Meanwhile my psoriasis was totally gone hands and feet healed no more red spots all over me no more flaky spots no more splits.
So I lost 20 pounds and the indigestion let up considerably I dropped back to one tablet a day. This was maybe two months ago. Now my skin issues are starting up again. Is it just because spring is coming? I have never had the seasons effect my skin before. I thought the meds the doctor put me on for thyroid and edema had an effect on the psoriasis.
I am going to print out the article and have the doc take a look at it and hope he can understand it better than I can. Gosh if the ranitidine will keep my skin clear I will go back to two a day. Doctor said that was fine to do.
Thank you for this I need to read it a few more times to understand it better.0
