10 Best Tips for Healing Psoriasis

Yep. I have been there and done that - psoriasis that is. Horrible, embarrassing, emotionally and physically scarring and a relationship nightmare!

It covered my body from head to toe in long sleeved tops, long skirts and jeans. Swimming in public never happened. I stopped getting pedicures due to the disgusted stares by customers when my legs were exposed. My body was covered 75% in red, ugly scales! I bled in my sheets, left flakes of skin in a trail and my body was covered in slippery, greasy ointments.

That was then. This is now. Now I am clear. After twenty-five years I have clear skin and no signs of the psoriatic arthritis in my ankles. I have been psoriasis free for over three years and counting!

So I am passing on the secret to clear skin - well, it is no secret really because psoriasis sufferers worldwide (of which there are 125 million) are beginning to wake up to the fact that drugs are just concealing the effects of the disease - not curing it. It wasn't until my dermatologist ran out of drug options for me that I set out on a journey to find an alternative cure.

It is the old story.. we are what we eat. And if you are eating mostly acidic foods and suffer from psoriasis (like I was) then you will love how simple it is to clear your skin forever.

1. Test your pH level to see if you are acidic.

Psoriasis grows in an acidic body - is your body acidic? You can purchase pH test strips on line (Amazon etc) or pop into your local hardware store. The pH test strips used for spas and pools work fine too. I check my pH level regularly to keep on track and keep my psoriasis away. The human body is supposed to be between 7.0 and 7.5.

2. Go Sugar-free

Sugar is a major reason why we suffer from so many diseases. Once humans only ate sugar when it was in season. Unfortunately it is not only "in-season" everyday now it has become an automatic additive disguised in so many of our foods. Check out That Sugar Film - it changed my life.

When I cut out sugar, the pain and weakness in my ankles disappeared so quickly.

3. Go Dairy Free

So easy to do. Just switch your milk for Almond milk. The benefits of going dairy-free not only healed my skin, but I lost all my excess weight. Yep, I not only have lovely, healthy skin but I am trim and lean too!

4. Alkaline your Drinking Water

This should really be No. 1. You have three options to keep your body pH balanced by drinking at least four glasses a day with the addition of an alkaline booster:

(a) Add 1/8 tsp of baking soda to your glass of drinking water (see my blog on Baking Soda and Psoriasis)

(b) Freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice (must be fresh)

(c) Add Liquid Chlorophyll drops to your water (read my blog on Liquid Chlorophyll)

(4) Add pH drops

I like to use baking soda (bicarb of soda) mostly. It also keeps my teeth white. Don't over-do the baking soda - too much can cause side effects... Just add 1/8 tsp to each glass and don't exceed 1/2 tsp. per day.

Interchange these options.

5. Greens, greens, greens

Yep. Grow a vege garden if you have room. Grow fresh herbs (read my Herbs blog) Add herbs to everything. Eat Kale Chips (see my recipe) instead of potato chips, Eat spinach, broccoli, cucumber.

Make lots of soups. Watch your psoriasis heal!

6. Himalayan Salt - it's pink and on the "YES" list

Throw away all your old salts - they are acidic and called "junk food" by many. Replace with great tasting, pink Himalayan Salt (read my blog on Himalayan Salt) It is totally alkaline.!!!

7. Get out in the fresh air and sunshine

I am so lucky to live in both sunny California and New Zealand where the sun shines and I can lay outside and expose my skin to the healing rays of the sun (in private) Obviously I am careful to not over expose my skin.. but the natural Vitamin D of the sun really helps my psoriasis. If the sun is not an option for you, I have also used Sun Bed Treatment. But make sure the tanning bed provides both UVB and UVA light. When my psoriasis flared up - a tanning bed really helped to calm my skin and during my healing process I would take regular visits to a tanning salon in Ventura.

8. Sleep

When my body was deprived from sleep my psoriasis would flare. I noticed when I got a good night's sleep, I would awake to find my plaques were not inflamed.

Sleep is so necessary for healing your skin and your body. Check out my Sleep Blog.

9. Keep your body moisturized

Now, I don't mean greasy, slippery moisturizer, but a light moisturizer that you don't even feel but you know it is keeping your skin soft, pliable and healthy.

My chemist makes me up a great moisturizer without any added nasty ingredients. Find one that works for you and use it daily. Especially when you get out of the shower or bath. Keeping your skin soft prevents those ugly dry scales from reappearing.

10. Don't STRESS!

I have written a whole blog on stress and how it is a trigger for psoriasis. I know it is hard not to be stressed when your body aches with psoriatic arthritis and your skin looks like a lizard on fire but stress causes your psoriasis to flare. But one way of eliminating stress is taking control of your life. When you take control of your life it is amazing how your stress dissipates. Every day as I watched my body heal I was excited. Every day I felt "in charge" and was no longer a slave to the disease that had ravaged my body.

I wish you all happy healing.