Eating Blueberries has cleared up my psoriasis
Posted Wed 30 Jan 2019 04.17 by Ormond (edited Wed 30 Jan 2019 04.19 by Ormond)
Hi all,
I’m new to the forum, diagnosed with P 14 yrs ago, stress being the trigger. It started with one red spot on an elbow and has since progressed to affecting most areas of my body. I wasn’t content with just one type of P, my body decided to dish me up 4 from the list, effecting nails, scalp, elbows, lower back, legs, feet, torso, and hands. More recently, it appears that I may be swiftly heading into PA territory too!
My P flares significantly during the winter months, with further herald patches popping up recently on my torso and legs. I’d hoped that as I got older (53 yrs), it would improve, rather than progress, yet it seems to be relentless at the moment!
I’m currently awaiting an appointment to return to dermatology and discuss possible phototherapy, as the numerous potions and lotions over the years have had little impact. Having being also diagnosed with type II diabetes around the same time as my P, I’d done some cursory research around the correlation between P, diabetes and heart disease. I’d already got two of the triangle, so wasn’t too eager to see a presentation of the third. At my last visit to dermatology, I’d ask about a more holistic approach to treating my existing conditions, this was met with a rather blank expression and an assertion that the person I was seeing was ‘just a dermatologist!’
I had previously read some research which indicated a link between gut micro biota and P, so have been particularly interested in this thread. The connection between the gut and P being made more worthy of exploration after a period of illness last year which required two lots of strong antibiotics, in which I noticed a marked improvement in my P. Having read that taking antibiotics was like setting of a nuclear bomb in your gut, I was even more interested in whether there was substance in the relationship between the gut and P.
Also, because it’s a particularly long thread, I was interested to see if the results were sustained over the summer and winter months, which generally it appears they are. I’d like to thank all who’ve contributed to the thread; it’s been an interesting read. I’ll give it a try over the next couple of months and let you know.
Posted Wed 30 Jan 2019 12.09 by Maxine
I can now vouch for this amazing antioxidant berry!! Please read on as I have other advice to help you!
After having Pulma Plantar Psoriasis on my hands and feet leaving me crippled and cracked red raw for the last ten years and endless research, endless steroid ointments etc, I refused to take Methotrexate as its a cancer drug and the side effects are awful. I didn't want poison put in my body.
So after four weeks of eating an punnet (150g) of blueberries every day and also using Psoriasin coal tar ointment £15 (you get a tub off ebay or Amazon as its from America) my skin is healing rapidly for the first time in a decade!
But also, at the start of my 4 week 'blueberry mission' I started taking Vitamin B12 B6 &B Complex, all high strength - again from ebay - search Lindens they are the cheapest and do over 100 tablets for £5/£6, get high potency.
Also, one cod liver oil capsule daily - i take all these every morning before breakfast with my morning tea.
I cut out ALL sugar and alcohol, bread and pasta and went veggie - so many tasty dishes to play with and buy ready made too, all fresh and healthy, nothing over processed and no tins! no sugar drinks at all. Herbals teas and litres of water daily.
Then on two of your meals sprinkle 2 tbsp of Diatomaceous Earth (DE) powder (I found 700g on ebay for £5.75 rom a reputable seller). THIS ladies and gentlement kills off worms and bugs and parasites in your gut! and make sure you get the Food Grade version. All those parasites in your gut play havoc with your immune system and your skin, so its time to expel them!
I cannot stress enough the difference to my health, my overall wellbeing and my red raw cracked pustular feet and hands are almost clear!!! i now have light pink patches turning back to normal skin colour HURRAH!!!! and I will never give up eating the blueberries as i have also survived an office full of novoviruses and colds. TEN years a of hell and now finally I'm feeling normal again!! I hope you will all try the same and stop this awful suffering i hope this works for you too xxx
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Posted Wed 30 Jan 2019 18.44 by Jeannette50
Do be careful: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diatomaceous_earth
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Posted Wed 30 Jan 2019 18.57 by Maxine
Hi Jeanette,
We wouldn't ingest the horticultural grade.
The filtered grade for himan consumption Is sold at health stores and when taken by mouth, diatomaceous earth is used as a source of silica to heal cholesterol, constipation, and for improving the health of skin, nails, teeth, bones, and hair and eliminating parasites from the gut and has amazing health benefits.
We should all research thoroughly before deciding if something is right for us.
This has made a huge positive difference for me and when i told my GP he agreed it has positive benefits in the right doses :)
Posted Wed 30 Jan 2019 19.25 by Chrissie NW
Hi Maxine Thks so much for the information I’m going away in ten days so I will try your recommendations when I return, if I get my gut better I will be over the moon.
I will be in touch and let you know how I get on.
Best regards. Chrissie
Posted Wed 30 Jan 2019 20.44 by Maxine
Ok Chrissie, you're welcome.
I wish you all the best and see the link i posted above regarding the powder and all its health benefits, i prefer mine in cereal and start off with 2 tsp rather than tbsp.
All these things combined have healed me in 5 weeks :after a decade of agony.
All the best
Maxine
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Posted Fri 1 Feb 2019 13.29 by OhNo_NotAgain?
Maxine: In this thread, on 30th Jan 12:09, you say here that you are vegetarian. And at 6:57 pm you say that your GP has agreed that taking diatomaceous earth has "positive benefits"
In another thread: https://www.psoriasis-association.org.uk/forums/topic.aspx?ID=2832
on 31st Jan at 7:53 am, you say "My GP confirmed this was harmless in the recommended doses as stated." - saying that something is harmless is not the same as saying that something has positive benefits.
Yet in another thread: https://www.psoriasis-association.org.uk/forums/topic.aspx?ID=2830 , at 3;05pm 30th Jan, you say that you eat chicken and fish - so NOT vegetarian then.
You seem to have a relaxed relationship with truth and accuracy.
Many people reading these threads are desperate for effective treatments and do not need inaccurate claims being posted as if fact.
If you can post even ONE reference to rigorous trial or researched evidence (not anecdotal claims) that proves or even supports the claims being made for ingesting diatomaceaous earth, please post it.
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Posted Wed 6 Feb 2019 22.37 by NoelB
I’m 56 and have had Psoriasis for at least 25 years. Mostly elbows and knees but has slowly spread to shins in last 5 years.
I stumbled upon Phil’s post about Blueberries over Christmas and as everyone says it seems too good to be true but nothing to lose so I started testing it on 2nd January averaging about 100gm per day. Now after a month and a bit I thought I’d join the forum and provide an update.
I still have Psoriasis but there is a noticeable improvement. Much less itchy, thinner plaques, less red etc.
Starting on the Blueberries also coincided with me running out of ointments (steroid and diprosalic). They never really did much good and I just haven’t got around to renewing my prescription. All other dietary and lifestyle factors remain the same. I can find no other explanation other than the blueberries and even if the improvement remains slow I’ll be sticking with it.
Thanks, Noel
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Posted Wed 6 Feb 2019 22.57 by Ormond
So I'm just over a week in to my blueberries. I've been having them for breakfast with probiotic yoghurt and honey, which I find really tasty. I've also started to take Vit D, turmeric and fish oil supplements. I've cut down my red meat intake, substituting it with Quorn.
I know it's way too early, but I am starting to see an improvement, particularly with my scalp P. My other affected areas also appear less raised....... So, if this is the start on the road to remission of P, long may it continue 😊
Posted Wed 6 Feb 2019 23.39 by Jeannette50
Wow that's a quick response Ormond, I have been on a similar regime (scalp P), with Blueberries, vit D, fish oil etc. but it seems to be stuck at a level. Will persevere though.
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Posted Wed 6 Feb 2019 23.43 by Ormond
My scalp generally resembled a lunar landscape Jeanette. But over the last week the plaque's seem to be much fewer and my scalp less raised..... I'm keeping on with the blueberries for sure 😊
Posted Wed 6 Feb 2019 23.53 by Jeannette50
Great you are seeing such improvement :) I had an issue late 2017 that I only started to recover from April 2018 and after significant hair loss (mostly noticeable by me), had started to recover growth. Mine feels more like another persons description a 'flapjack'. But it's not very visible (under the hair) and finger tips are so sensitive it feels far worse than it looks/
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Posted Thu 7 Feb 2019 00.16 by Ormond
Here's wishing respite and improvement to all on our journey to being P free.
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Posted Thu 7 Feb 2019 20.09 by pdr321 (edited Thu 7 Feb 2019 20.14 by pdr321)
A long sufferer of plaque psoriasis who found an effective treatment after 27 years (blueberries). I have now been clear more than 5 years.
Hi Noel B,
I'm pleased to hear about your success, and like me achieved with only blueberries - simple and effective in our cases. After about 27 months I am happy to report that I remain clear. No doctor would believe that I was ever a psoriasis sufferer now.
Hope that your improvement continues until you are fully clear.
Phil
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Posted Sat 9 Feb 2019 23.18 by joe (edited Sat 9 Feb 2019 23.20 by joe)
50%-ish psoriasis coverage, scalp, elbows, shoulders, back, stomach, calves, toes
Hi all, thank you pdr321 this forum thread is fantastic. It's great to hear about so many people having great results improving and some cases getting clear and free of this horrible condition just by eating blueberries.
My story is one of plaque psoriasis appearing in my late teens and slowly but surely spreading everywhere over the last 30 years or so. Nowadays I've managed to reduce my use of Dovobet to a minimum, just small applications in the worst spots perhaps once a week and moisturizing with Vaseline intensive lotion. The list of stuff that I've used in the past is extensive: Acetretin, Metotrexate, Cyclosporin, Trimovate, Protopic, Dithrocream, Diprosalic. Cyclosporin did work but I definitely won't use that again.
I've recently started blending a mix of celery, spinach, pinapple, apple, lemon juice, mint leaves, turmeric, cayenne pepper and black pepper daily every day for breakfast; this really does help my aching joints. At 49 years old I'm very slow coming to realize that diet is very much linked to how my joints feel and I'm now convinced that there must be something more that I can do diet related to help clear my skin of psoriasis.
Well done everyone who has benefited from pdr321's story and advice. I'm going to add blueberries to my diet starting tomorrow, Sunday Feb 10th 2019. I've lived with this for so long that I had resigned myself to having psoriasis forever but this thread gives me hope, tentative hope.
Posted Mon 11 Feb 2019 21.21 by Cwak
This thread is giving me hope! I've suffered for 36 years, the psoriasis getting worse year on year despite two weeks of treatment as a hospital in-patient, every cream on the market, light treatment, sun - you name it! I took methotrexate for anyway and there was slight improvement but since stopping my skin is worse than ever. I'm going to try the blueberries but is it ok to still use Enstillar foam? My plaques a very thick, dry and my skin is splitting when I move. Enstillar does help and I wondered if I could use it alongside the blueberries until I saw some improvement?
Also, is it just me or do other people never notice anybody else on holiday who has psoriasis? I always seem to be the only one by the pool or on the beach who has unsightly skin!
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Posted Mon 11 Feb 2019 23.45 by pdr321 (edited Mon 11 Feb 2019 23.50 by pdr321)
A long sufferer of plaque psoriasis who found an effective treatment after 27 years (blueberries). I have now been clear more than 5 years.
Hi Cwak,
Personally I would not use a steroid cream while trying the blueberries. The steroid might interfere with the efficacy of blueberries, but then again perhaps not. Better just to try the blueberries alone if you can bear it, at least this way you will know for sure, keep it simple.
Good luck, Phil
P.S. I did see the odd other sufferer on the beach on rare occasions, but most hide I think. I did get challenged a few times back in the day when exposed in public. I used to feel really embarrassed about it, and so would generally cover up and avoid the beach.
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Posted Tue 12 Feb 2019 07.49 by OhNo_NotAgain?
CWAK: I recall some advising on here not to use any other treatment while trying blueberries, but the justification has never been medical or scientific. I recall one comment was along the lines of " . . .you won't know what has helped you".
Personally. I did not care what was helping me when my psoriaisis was at ists worst and cracked, splitting and bleeding.
If blueberries or other dietry changes help by influencing the gut or some other internal inflammation, then I can see no conflict or harm in continuing use of a topical steroid to reduce or ease the immediate external symptoms.
Most people with experience of steroid use for this seem to recommend a gradual reduction in the steroid use rather then an abrupt stop.
There is an effect often called "steroid rebound" (you can find references to it on the internet) and people seem to find or think that a tapered reduction in use is better than a sudden stop.
I have been lucky and never experienced a classic steroid rebound. I can clear the plaques with steroid, some never return, and some - esspecially on elbows - do return but only weeks after stopping the topical steroid use. Personally I have never experienced " it came back worse than before".
If my psoriasis was particularly bad then personally I would continue the enstilar use (I was prescribed Dovobet - an ointment version) to reduce the severity, in parallel with eating bluberries and reduce the enstilar use once you start to feel more comfortable with the severity of your plaques.
Critics of topical steroid use often say that it only works at the level of the skin and not the inside of the body.
You might also seek your doctor's advice. I woud certainly go ahead with the bluberries in anycase - they are only going to be good for you.
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Posted Tue 12 Feb 2019 08.31 by pdr321 (edited Tue 12 Feb 2019 08.32 by pdr321)
A long sufferer of plaque psoriasis who found an effective treatment after 27 years (blueberries). I have now been clear more than 5 years.
OhNo_NotAgain - what is your experience of blueberries anyway? You don't say.
You point out that the advice is not medical or scientific. Where do you think medical and scientific advice got me after 27 years? Answer - NOWHERE! that is to say covered in psoriasis, and suffering from the misery and expense of many short-term fixes and side effects.
Here I am just telling sufferers what my experience is with blueberries (you are not), and a sufferer does need to work out what is helping them. The whole point about the blueberry treatment is if it works you never need to see a doctor about it, or have medication again. My 'cure' did not involve any steroid creams, I can tell you that.
When you are testing a new potential treatment, it is never a good idea to combine it with an existing one, because if you do get better you don't now which treatment has worked for you. It is also very possible that the combination of two different treatments might work against each other.
If you have found a treatment that has cleared your psoriasis for good (like blueberries for me), please share it so it can help others too.
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