Sometime the hope of healing is all we have left after exhausting our efforts to control and understand psoriasis. Focussing our attention on the good news stories can help us set our own personal goals of healing and give an insight into what has worked for other with psoriasis.

This type of hope and positive outlook is essential because lack of hope puts us at risk of feeling depressed. Our personal encounters with anxiety and fear of breakouts are something that almost all psoriasis patients feel from time to time, but this should not happen all of the time.

Here is your hope for today

Studies based on repeated observations of 5600 psoriasis patients over a long period of time suggest that spontaneous remission may occur in about one-third of patients with psoriasis (Farber, 1974).

To deliver this happy news to you in another way, one third of the 5600 observed people with psoriasis have had an unexpected improvement or cure from psoriasis. The term ‘spontaneous remission’ should not be misunderstood as instant healing, but rather a slowing down or reversal of the progression of psoriasis that cannot be attributed to Western mainstream pharmaceutical medicine.

Improving your chances of spontaneous remission?

We can do a lot more than leave our healing to luck. It is well documented in medical journals and case studies that our chances of slowing down or reversing the progression of psoriasis improve when we ensure a healthy diet, take supplements, do regular appropriate levels of physical activity and management of other risk factors including obesity. Each of these are important elements of care.

Anti-inflammatory diet

Psoriasis, essentially an inflammatory disorder, should benefit from an anti-inflammatory diet. An anti-inflammatory diet consists basically of an emphasis on good fats such as those found in cold water fish, nuts, seeds, and olive oil. Including whole grains, legumes, vegetables, and fruits in our diet and avoiding bad fats such as saturated animal fats, trans fats, fried and processed foods, and poor quality oils. Just as importantly is the removal of refined carbohydrates from our diet. In addition, an excessive amount of omega-6 fatty acids in the diet can contribute to an inflammatory response (Adam, Beringer, Kless et al 2003).

Vitamin D

It has been established that patients with disseminated psoriasis have significantly decreased serum levels of the biologically active form of vitamin D, 1-alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1-α,25(OH)2D3; calcitriol) compared to control tests of people of the same age and sex and also compared to patients with moderate psoriasis (Staberg, Oxholm, Klemp, Christiansen, 1987).

Lifestyle

Remove or significantly reduce cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption as these are associated with the severity of psoriasis (Chodorowska, Kwiatek, 2004).

Obesity

There is evidence from various scientific sources that obesity increases the risk of psoriasis onset and severity. On the flip side, exercise and physical outdoor activity has been shown to reduce the severity of psoriasis.

Stress

Two dermatologists providing phototherapy to their psoriasis patients compared the results of two patient groups – those who listened to guided meditation during their therapy, and those who did not. The patients who were given the chance to meditate during their phototherapy session cleared four time faster than the patients who received phototherapy only (Kabat-Zinn, Wheeler, Light, et al, 1998).

Hope

When we have a feeling of expectation and desire to control psoriasis and understand what needs to happen, then what you hope for can become your reality.

Reference

Farber EM, Nall ML. The natural history of psoriasis in 5600 patients. Dermatologica 1974;148:1-18.  

Adam O, Beringer C, Kless T, et al. Anti-inflammatory effects of a low arachidonic acid diet
and fish oil in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatol Int 2003;23:27-36
Staberg B, Oxholm A, Klemp P, Christiansen C. Abnormal vitamin D metabolism in patients with
psoriasis. Acta Derm Venereol 1987;67:65-68.  (Staberg, Oxholm, Klemp, Christiansen, 1987)

Chodorowska G, Kwiatek J. Psoriasis and cigarette smoking. Ann Univ Mariae Curie Sklodowska [Med]2004;59:535-538. Kabat-Zinn J, Wheeler E, Light T, et al. Inflence of a mindfulness meditation-based stress reduction intervention on rates of skin clearing in patients with moderate to severe psoriasis undergoing phototherapy (UVB) and photochemotherapy (PUVA). Psychosom Medicine 1998;60:625-632.