As I mentioned in an earlier post, one of the reasons I have decided to fast for 30 days is a condition that I have called Psoriasis. It started when I was 23 years old as a small patch of dots on my left leg that quickly turned into a bunch of spots ALL OVER my body. The classification is Severe Guttate Psoriasis, though the patches on my legs and arms have been scratched over so many times it is now being called Severe Plaque Psoriasis. For those of you that have this annoying disease, I feel your pain. Since there is no cure, as a sufferer of this ailment you are given a few choices, all which are extremely inconvenient or risky.
1) Mild sufferers can go to a well equipped dermatologists office 1-3 times a week and sit inside of a box that throws ultraviolet rays at their skin for 30 minutes at a time. Again this is for mild sufferers AND it's only if your psoriasis decides to respond to light therapy. Psoriasis is a fickle bitch that has a mind of its own.
2) You can go to the same office 1-3 times a week and lay in a tar bath for 30-60 minutes at a time. It smells terrible but this seems to be more effective for ALL types of psoriasis and doesn't discriminate like the light treatment.
3) You can take topical creams and ointments like Dovonex, Clobetesol or Eucerin compounds that contain tar, steroids and other anti inflammatory meds. The problem is (and you can ask any psoriasis sufferer) these topicals work for MAYBE a month, if you are lucky, and then your condition becomes immune to them and it comes back worse.
4) Finally, you can take immune suppressing bio meds that stop your immune system from functioning properly. Since psoriasis is caused by a "glitch" in your immune system, researchers have found a way to block these bad signals with the help of frog DNA. The problem is, it also blocks the same receptors that fight off serious diseases like Tuberculosis. People have DIED because of these meds and some experts believe they cause cancer.
Regardless of the form of treatment, there is NO CURE for psoriasis. I never really cared and since I am married and I am not a self conscious teenager anymore, I came to terms with it years ago that I would have spots all over my body for the rest of my life. Then, last summer I woke up and had a terrible pain in my left knee. A few days later it was in my right knee, then my hips, then my elbows. I went to the doctor and he told me I had Psoriatic Arthritis. SHIT! Apparently, the inflammation can make its way down into your joints over time. My mom has this condition so I knew how painful and life changing it can be. I immediately went to my dermatologist and he told me about Humira (one of the above mentioned bio meds). I figured it was worth the risk now because I have 2 small boys and I don't want to have them running circles around me by the time they are adolescents. I want to toss the football around and ride bikes with them. They ran some tests and told me that my liver enzymes were high and I had to see my primary doctor and have him sign off and tell them it's okay to treat me. DOUBLE SHIT!
My doctor is a D.O. He is not the kind of guy that writes prescriptions and treats symptoms. The work they do in this office is almost holistic. To give you an example of the attitude at this office, my original doctor had a baby and decided to give up her doctoring career to be a Yoga instructor. So, needless to say, he was not crazy about me taking bio meds. He and I talked about risks and he said, "I am not going to sign off on this until we fix your liver issue" and that was it. He told me to eat right and exercise. So I started riding my bike and eating right. Since that day I have lost about 40 lbs and my liver enzymes, blood sugar and cholesterol is lower than it has been in a decade. Oh, and the arthritis....GONE!
So this fast comes at a time in my life where I am starting to truly believe in the natural functions of my body. I am not such a believer in what they do in the doctors office these days (and who is?) and, as I have said before, most conditions like Psoriasis, can be attributed almost entirely to lifestyle choices. So, for 29 days I will CHOOSE to eat nothing but nutrient rich raw juices. After that, I will CHOOSE to reintroduce only healthy, beneficial foods into my diet and hopefully, I can CHOOSE to not have psoriasis anymore. Again, to my fellow Psoriasis sufferers, I feel your pain and let us not forget the one positive side to having this disease is the strong bond that we feel towards each other, knowing we have the same daily struggles.
I found your blog while doing a bit of research online and figured I'd throw my 2 cents and encouragement in. In one of your earlier posts you mentioned that you're anticipating a protein deficiency from juicing. This doesn't have to be the case. There is some protein in vegetables. An internet search should provide you a good idea of which veggies pack the most protein and you may want to focus on adding protein rich plant sources to every juice you make. You might also consider getting some Spirulina which I've heard is a complete plant based protein. My only other advice on the protein issue is to perhaps allow yourself solid organic nuts or beans as part of your diet. Personally I love fresh juice but I can't handle it without solid food of some sort.
ReplyDeleteEither way I wish you luck. I'll be keeping an eye on your blog as I'm interested in how juicing will effect psoriasis. My husband has psoriasis and while it's difficult enough to get him to eat fruits and veggies much less drink them, someone having success treating their psoriasis through diet might help me persuade him.
Also from what I've heard of juice fasts the first 24 to 48 hours is the worst. Once you make it past the first few days the rest is a breeze... just what I've heard though.
Awesome! Thanks for the advice!
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