‘Psoriasis is making my life miserable’
Naturopath and herbalist Shaf Khan gives his top natural health tips for this irritating skin condition, on behalf of the College of Naturopathic Medicine
‘In many years of working with clients who have psoriasis, I have often found leaky gut syndrome to be the problem’
Normally skin renews itself in 28-30 days, but for people with psoriasis, skin production is accelerated, causing patches of raised, silvery scales or red areas over the skin.
Although you can help relieve the symptoms, to gain long-term relief you need to find the root cause. In many years of working with clients who have psoriasis, I have often found leaky gut syndrome to be the problem. Psoriasis is a metabolic disease and may be linked to faulty fat assimilation. I suggest finding a naturopathic practitioner near you who can help develop a programme that’s effective for your unique constitution. They might start with suggesting an elimination diet, in order to identify any specific foods to which you may be allergic. They’ll provide nutritional advice, and might create a tailor-made bowel cleansing formula for you, which in my opinion is essential to a long-term health strategy. In the meantime, here are some changes you can easily make yourself: ► Eliminate all junk food from your diet. Avoid processed food, white flour, sugar and citrus fruit. ► Milk, cheese, eggs, meat and poultry contain arachidonic acid, which causes psoriasis lesions to turn red and swell, so reduce these for a two-month trial. ► Focus on eating a diet of raw food with plenty of vegetables, non-citrus fruits, whole grains, nuts and legumes – vitamins A, B and D plus calcium, magnesium and zinc are all important in helping you reduce symptoms. Opt for organic food if you can. ► Take some flaxseed oil, sesame oil or primrose oil every day. These contain a chemical that tends to reduce psoriasis. ► If you are overweight, try to lose the excess, which you may well do by cutting the junk food. ► Stress can aggravate psoriasis, so try to develop a calm, cheerful outlook on life. A good diet, and some herbal remedies can help with that. ► With exposure to regular safe amounts of sunlight, 95 per cent of sufferers do show signs of improvement. Plus swimming in the ocean is helpful, or you can put sea salt or a few handfuls of oatmeal into a warm bath to relieve itching. ► Creams containing capsicum can reduce both scaling and redness, and liquorice contains glycyrrhetinic acid, which studies have shown works better than hydrocortisone in treating psoriasis and eczema. Apply it directly as you would a cream. Or visit a naturopathic herbalist who can mix you an appropriate combination of milk thistle seed, dandelion root and yellow dock, which, taken as a tea, can work fantastically well in reversing the symptoms of psoriasis.