Today I wanted to share what got me started on the all-natural, chemical free bandwagon.
How It All Started
About 10 years ago, while I was in college, I woke up one morning with tiny red spots of dry skin all over my back and arms. I thought I was having a reaction to something. I went to the doctor and He wanted to swab my throat for strep. I was a little confused and told him that I didn’t have a sore throat, but let him swab me anyway. Within a few minutes he came back and told me that it was positive for strep! I was shocked! He told me that I had a disease known as guttate psoriasis.
In the past I had suffered from psoriasis of the scalp in a few rare occasions, like after I dyed my hair, but nothing like this. Psoriasis is genetic. My mother has it on her scalp and my sisters have had a few patches here and there. My back was pretty much covered in what looked like chicken pox. The doctor gave me antibiotics and a steroid cream to apply topically and it settled down for a little while. There were quite a few stubborn spots that wouldn’t go away. Ever since then, my skin has NEVER been completely clear.
Dealing With The Disease
I have been to numerous Dermatologists and they all have told me the same thing, that there isn’t a cure for psoriasis, you just have to “manage” it. Over the years I have used numerous creams, lotions, ointments, sprays, pills, and injections to try and “manage” this disease. Each of the medications had its own risks and potential side effects like thinning of the skin, infections, and damage to the liver and kidneys. Most of the medications only work for little while and then you have to use more and more stronger medications.
“Coping with psoriasis can be a challenge, especially if the disease covers large areas of your body or is in places readily seen by other people, such as your face or hands. The ongoing, persistent nature of the disease and the treatment challenges only add to the burden.” Mayo Clinic
Living with this disease HAS been a challenge. Most people don’t understand your disease and they look at you like you have the plague or something. Not being able to wear shorts, dresses or swimsuits in the hot summer days because you’re too self conscious, is only part of the burden. Dealing with the itching, scaling, flaking and bleeding is another. Nothing relieves the itch, and then you scratch until you bleed and eventually scar. Waking up to blood stained sheets and floors covered in skin cells is another embarrassing truth about the disease.
Since moving to Italy, my psoriasis has only gotten worse. The water here is very “hard”, and has wreaked havoc on my skin and hair. The beginning of last year I was experiencing a terrible flare up. It was worse than it has EVER been. I went to the dermatologists here on base. I was super embarrassed to show her my skin. I had spots covering about 75% of my body (arms, chest, back, legs, hands, scalp, ears). It was horrible. I had so much inflammation and I don’t know how my poor husband even looked at me.
The Dr. gave me the same medication options that I had heard in the past. I had just stopped taking birth control because we were thinking about starting a family, so I didn’t want to take anything that would harm a pregnancy. So I agreed to just try and use the steroid cream (I needed about 6 tubes). Each time after I applied the steroid cream, my body would boil and I would have terrible hot flashes. It was miserable. I had had enough with the harsh medications and their awful side effects. There had to be another way. This was the beginning of my journey to find alternative treatments.
A Different Approach
For the next few months, I researched the internet, read many books, and tried different diets and supplements. The common denominator that I found in all my research was that you needed to treat psoriasis from the inside out. It is NOT a dermatological problem, it is an autoimmune problem. Something was causing my body to attack itself.
One of the many books I read was “The Autoimmune Solution” by Dr. Amy Myers. Dr Myers is a M.D. who practices functional medicine. 
Functional medicine focuses on the underlying cause of disease rather “than matching the ill with the pill”. She herself had suffered from an autoimmune disease. Her approach to treating autoimmune diseases focused on reversing the inflammation and preventing it.
One of the four pillars in her approach is TAMING THE TOXINS.
“Every day we are assaulted by thousands of toxins – at home, at work, and outdoors – and our immune systems feel the burden. If you have an autoimmune condition, or if you’re anywhere on the autoimmune spectrum, the degree of your toxic burden can make the difference between health and sickness.” – Dr. Amy Myers, The Autoimmune Solution
I never really understood how many poisonous toxins I was exposing myself to everyday. From brushing my teeth in the morning and taking a shower, to cooking my food and cleaning our house, toxic products were EVERYWHERE. To be honest, I really didn’t believe that these products I had been using my entire life were actually making me sick. The thought of replacing all my favorite smell good products seem entirely overwhelming. But I was desperate and decided to give it a go.
To make this long blog post short, after about 6 months of slowly switching my household to all natural, toxic free products, my body is about 95% CLEAR OF PSORIASIS. I still can’t believe it. My skin is so clear that my husband has even been bragging to his friends about me. He was a bigger skeptic than I was in the beginning, and it took him a long time to trust my all natural products. (He loved his Downy Unstoppables; He would bathe in them if he could).
While searching my computer and phone for pictures showing my psoriasis, I found very few. I avoided showing it off and always wore something to cover it up. Here are a few photos of my progress thus far.
August 2018
I am so grateful to have finally found an approach that works and makes total sense! For years, I was taxing my body with harmful chemicals and medications. Now, in detox mode, my body is thanking me. I’m so happy to share my story and I hope that it will help and inspire others.
This blog is just beginning so please keep checking back for more posts! Feel free to post comments or contact me with any questions.
—> Switching out your house to all natural, toxic free products can be overwhelming. My advice to you is to take things slow and do your own research to know what to avoid. Check back later for an upcoming blog all about toxins, what to avoid and where to find my top rated all natural products.
