I’ve been suffering from psoriasis since I was 12 years old. It began with a small patch on my eyelids then it started appearing on my legs, my ears, my arms, and eventually my scalp and my back.

Right now, my scalp is the worst. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gone to the hairdresser and have them think that I have a serious case of dandruff.

Yeah, it’s embarrassing.

Psoriasis is commonly referred to as a skin condition, as it’s characterised by itchy, red, scaly patches of skin. But ultimately, it’s an autoimmune disease.

For most people, the immune system attacks foreign invaders and spares the healthy cells – as it should. But in people with autoimmune disease, the immune system has trouble distinguishing between the two.

In a nutshell, my immune system overreacts and attacks my healthy cells by mistake leading to an overproduction of skin cells, five times more than normal.

SMH, it be ya own immune system.

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Although not contagious, psoriasis has no cure and is a lifelong disease. It can be managed, however, with the right lifestyle and medication.

I’ve been prescribed with tons of steroid creams, lotions, injections, etc. that only served as temporary relief. In most cases though, they made it worse and only thinned out my skin and even caused discolouration. 

So I decided, enough is enough. 

Fed up by these medications that only made everything worse, I decided to look for other alternatives.

Since psoriasis is an autoimmune disorder, wouldn’t it make sense to heal my skin internally instead of externally? If I were to fuel my body with the right nutrients, maybe just maybe it’ll work with me instead of against me?

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My immune system be like…

So that’s what I’ve decided to do with the help of a book called “Radiant” by Hanna Sillitoe . Hanna suffered from acne, eczema, and psoriasis for over 20 years but is now virtually free of these ailments by dramatically changing her diet/lifestyle and ditching the steroid creams. In short, she’s basically #GOALS.

It started with a 3-day juice cleanse. It wasn’t easy, not gonna lie. I was having intense cravings. BUT I did feel amazing in terms of my body and my energy.

I can’t eat the way I used to as there are a lot of ingredients/food that may trigger my psoriasis, namely but not limited to:

  • Meat (I’m already vegetarian, anyway)
  • Dairy
  • Gluten
  • Oranges
  • Strawberries
  • Nightshades (e.g. eggplants, tomatoes, potatoes, peppers.)
  • Sugar

I love some of these, especially eggplant and potatoes BUT if I have to at the very least eat these very minimally to improve my skin and overall health then I guess I have to do what I need to do no matter how hard it is.

It’s only Day 4 (I have about a month to go) and I’m just glad that I can finally EAT again! I’m currently experiencing sugar withdrawals but I keep telling myself that this will all be worth it in the long-run.

So far, I’ve noticed an improvement in terms of my energy levels and MY SCALP ISN’T NEARLY AS ITCHY AS BEFORE. I literally don’t even remember what not having an itchy scalp is like until now. This is a miracle.

I’m hoping that by letting the internet know about this lifestyle change that I’m doing, it’ll make me more accountable.

I know I’m not gonna be perfect and I’m gonna mess up a few times but I’m proud of myself for finally taking action.

In the meantime, I’m gonna enjoy my yummy green juice (spinach, cucumber, celery, apples, avocado & lecithin granules) + my burdock root, nettle, and red clover tea and ditching the sugary coffees and chocolate chip cookies.

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