Natural Psoriasis Treatment from the Inside Out
Science Based
Written by Amy Myers, MDDo you get itchy, painful, thick, and scaly skin flares? If you have psoriasis, you know these signs well. You may feel frustrated as your psoriasis symptoms persist despite prescriptions and even any natural psoriasis treatment you may have tried. Believe me, I understand your feelings!
What many people don’t know is that natural psoriasis treatment starts deep inside your body, not on the surface of your skin! Luckily, by addressing the underlying root causes of your condition, you CAN overcome your symptoms. You CAN find success at reducing your symptoms with natural psoriasis treatments. Best of all, you CAN take back your health, and regain your beautiful skin.
Now, let’s dive in and learn more about what psoriasis is. First, I’ll cover its signs, symptoms, and underlying causes. Then, I’ll address what you need to do to reclaim your health with The Myers Way® and natural psoriasis treatments.
What is Psoriasis?
Psoriasis is an autoimmune disease that speeds up the lifecycle of your skin cells. Yet, while psoriasis symptoms manifest on your skin, it is not a simple cosmetic issue. In fact, the true cause is your immune system, which went rogue and began attacking your own tissues.1,2,3
Let me explain. When your immune system goes rogue, your T cells mistakenly target healthy skin cells. Then, these overactive T cells lead to increased production of other T cells as well as skin cells. This can then cause redness and dilated blood vessels in the affected area.
Typically, the process of skin renewal takes weeks. Yet, with psoriasis, your body goes through the process within days. The result is skin cell build-up that forms thick, scaly, red patches.4,5
6 Signs and Symptoms of Psoriasis
There are six common signs and symptoms of psoriasis. They include:
- Inflamed, raised, red, and scaly patches of skin.
- Small scaling spots.
- Dry, cracked skin that may bleed.
- Itching, burning, and soreness around inflamed patches of skin.
- Thick, pitted, and ridged nail plates.
- Swollen and painful joints.
You may notice that psoriasis symptoms come and go. Even so, psoriasis is a serious affliction that greatly affects everyday life. In fact, many people find the discomfort, pain, and embarrassment of psoriasis interfere with work, school, household duties, and social activities.6
The 8 Types of Psoriasis
Did you know psoriasis is one of the most prevalent autoimmune conditions? In fact, it affects 7.5 million people in the United States and 125 million people worldwide. That means roughly 2-3% of the world’s population are affected by the eight different types of psoriasis.
1. Plaque psoriasis
This is the most common type. Plaque psoriasis is characterized by dry, raised, and red plaques, or raised lesions, that can be itchy and painful. They can crop up anywhere on your body.
2. Nail psoriasis
This type of psoriasis can affect your finger- and/or toenails. It can lead to discoloration, abnormal nail growth, and loose or crumbling nails.
3. Guttate psoriasis
Mostly, guttate psoriasis is found in children and young adults. It characterized by small, water drop-shaped, scaling lesions. These are triggered by a bacterial infection and often go away on their own after the infection passes.
4. Inverse psoriasis
Usually, inverse psoriasis occurs in your armpits, groin, under your breasts, and around your genitals. It is characterized by red, inflamed skin that may be triggered by fungal infections.
5. Scalp psoriasis
The mild type of scalp psoriasis appears as fine scales on the scalp. Moderate to severe psoriasis of the scalp is thick and crusted, covering large portions of the skin on the head. It can even extend beyond the hairline to the forehead, back of the neck, and around the ears.7
6. Psoriatic arthritis
This form is characterized by inflamed, scaly, and red skin. It is accompanied by painful, swollen joints. Although it is usually less painful than other forms of arthritis, in time, psoriatic psoriasis can lead to progressive joint damage and greater pain.8,9
7. Pustular psoriasis
Pustular psoriasis is fairly uncommon. It can develop quickly into blisters filled with pus accompanied by itching, fever, chills, and diarrhea.
8. Erythrodermic psoriasis
The most uncommon type of psoriasis, erythrodermic psoriasis is characterized by red, peeling, and itchy rashes all over your body.
As with all autoimmune conditions, there is no cure for psoriasis. However, using a psoriasis treatment plan that addresses the underlying root causes is the most effective tool over the long term. By making certain dietary and lifestyle changes, you can eliminate symptoms and find success with natural psoriasis treatments.
Diagnosis of Psoriasis
Your doctor begins with a physical exam and takes note of your medical history. Then she or he will examine your skin, scalp, and nails. Your doctor may decide to examine a small skin sample. This is to identify the type of psoriasis you have and rule out anything else.10,11
How Conventional Medicine Approaches Psoriasis Treatment
Because there is no known cure for psoriasis, conventional medicine focuses on the symptoms. So, no matter what type of psoriasis you have, your conventional doctor will determine your psoriasis treatment based on the severity of your psoriasis symptoms. When you work with a conventional doctor, your psoriasis treatment may include:
- Laser therapy to remove skin cells.
Your doctor may also recommend lifestyle changes and remedies as a part of your psoriasis treatment plan. This includes daily baths, small amounts of sunlight, moisturizers, and avoiding alcohol and trigger foods.12
Root Causes: The Basis for Natural Psoriasis Treatment
Sadly, when it comes to psoriasis treatment options, conventional medicine uses a “one-size-fits-all” approach to address psoriasis symptoms. Although conventional doctors may attempt to address lifestyle and environmental factors in your psoriasis treatment, there is little focus on the bigger picture.
In short, conventional medicine assumes three things:
- Your condition will get worse over time.
- It cannot be reversed.
- Your only option is to get psoriasis treatment with medication and ointments.
Yet, nothing could be farther from the truth!
In fact, the truth is that you can naturally treat psoriasis and take back your health! However, to treat psoriasis naturally, you must understand its root causes. Below, I’ve identified the five root causes. These play a huge role in autoimmune diseases such as psoriasis. By addressing these issues, you can treat psoriasis naturally. You can banish psoriasis symptoms with your natural psoriasis treatment and regain your health.
1. Leaky Gut, Gut Infections, and Candida
Natural psoriasis treatment relies on a healthy immune system. And the bottom line is that you can’t have a healthy immune system without a healthy gut. That’s because your gut is home to nearly 80% of your immune system. So an unhealthy diet and environmental stress can compromise your immune system and your gut health. It can also provide the perfect ground for infections and Candida overgrowth.
When Candida gets out of hand and your gut flora is out of balance, the tight junctions in your gut lining become “leaky.” This means they open up. Then, undigested food particles, toxins, and microbes slip through into your bloodstream. Your immune system can’t recognize these invaders and attacks them.
Furthermore, an overworked immune system and increased inflammation lead to autoimmune conditions. Depending on what part of your body your immune system is targeting, autoimmunity can manifest in many forms including psoriasis.13
2. Inflammatory diet
An inflammatory diet is filled with processed foods, refined sugar, gluten, and dairy. It includes few vegetables, fruits, and other whole foods. This can lead to autoimmune conditions such as psoriasis. This is why a healthy diet is essential in natural psoriasis treatment.
In fact, gluten has been linked to over 55 diseases including many autoimmune conditions. Gluten can cause inflammation and skin problems. That’s why I recommend anyone with an autoimmune condition remove gluten from their diet immediately.
The second most problematic food is dairy, followed by grains and legumes. Avoid these foods during psoriasis treatment as well. At the very least, eliminate them for the first 30 days following protocols such as The Myers Way®.
3. Toxins
Another common problem is exposure to molds (mycotoxins) and heavy metals such as mercury. Conventional mold tests do not test for mycotoxins. However, I used a urine mycotoxin test at my clinic. Mercury toxicity may happen due to amalgam fillings, cosmetics, fish, and mercury in our air and water. The first step I always recommended to my patients is to have their amalgam fillings safely replaced by a biological dentist.14,15
4. Infections
Guttate psoriasis is usually triggered by a bacterial infection. And this is not the only autoimmune condition that may be related to infections from bacteria, viruses, and other toxins. For example, the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) that also causes mono, Herpes Simplex 1 and 2, and E. coli have all also been linked to autoimmune diseases.
5. Stress
We live in a busy, stress-filled world that has led to the rise of stress-related illnesses. That stress can cause both emotional and physical health problems by disrupting your immune function.
This occurs because your body wants to protect you and attacks stress as if it were an infection, injury, or wound. This becomes a problem when stress is chronic and leads to chronic inflammation. This, in turn, puts you at heightened risk for autoimmune conditions and psoriasis flares.
Overcome Psoriasis with a Natural Psoriasis Treatment
By addressing the root cause of your symptoms, you can treat psoriasis naturally and regain your health after psoriasis treatment.
As I explain in my book, The Autoimmune Solution, my treatment approach is The Myers Way®. It focuses on preventing and reversing autoimmunity by getting to the root cause rather than just managing symptoms. I address all five of the root causes listed above with the four pillars of The Myers Way®.
Pillar 1: Repair your Gut
Repairing your gut is essential to restoring your immune system and your health. There are four parts to this. First, remove the bad. Second, replace what’s missing. Then, reinoculate with good bacteria. Finally, repair the damage!
Pillar 2: Eliminate Gluten, Grains, and Legumes
Food sensitivities can affect symptoms of psoriasis as well as other autoimmune diseases and chronic illnesses. That’s why, in my clinic, I recommended that all of my patients remove gluten from their diets because it wreaks havoc on your gut. In addition, I also recommended removing all grains and legumes, dairy, corn, soy, and nightshades. This is not only because they’re inflammatory themselves — they can also cross-react with gluten.
Pillar 3: Tame the Toxins
Tame the toxins by reducing your exposure to toxins. Start with adding more organic food into your psoriasis treatment diet. In addition, drink plenty of filtered water to support your natural detox processes during and after psoriasis treatment.
If you suspect that mold exposure could be to blame for your autoimmune condition, you’ll need to find the source of the mold. Next, you must either clean the mold or get away from it. Then, you may require prescription medications to bind the toxins and antifungals to kill them. Finally, glutathione can also help remove toxins from your system. I cover this topic in much greater detail in The Autoimmune Solution.
Pillar 4: Heal Your Infections and Relieve Your Stress
Healing your infections and relieving your stress are critical in reversing the symptoms of autoimmunity. Any doctor can test you for EBV or other viral infections. I’ve found that an effective strategy is to support your immune system with The Myers Way® protocol and prioritize reducing stress. You can also supplement with humic acid and lauricidin, which I found effective in treating patients with EBV.
Finally, I urge you to sign up for my free training. In it, you’ll discover how to take back control of your health and live your best life!