No more gluten, no more psoriasis

I have had plaque psoriasis, gradually worsening, for nearly 30 years. No topical treatment or light treatment cured it, and the strongest steroid cream was barely holding it in check. It had got so bad on my hips that it hurt to lie on my side at night. I really did not want to go onto oral steroids or subject my very fair skin to yet another round of UV treatment that would only provide temporary, partial respite but do permanent damage to the skin. Because of worsening IBS digestive issues as well as psoriasis, and after getting nowhere with standard medicine, I went to a nutritionist privately and got a detailed blood test for gluten intolerance. It turns out that I have three strong gluten reactions, including one related to skin health. I stopped eating gluten, and within a couple of weeks my psoriasis was clearly improving even though I'd stopped using all medications for it. Six months later it is almost entirely gone, with just a few tiny spots left that are disappearing. And my digestion is much better, too, though that has taken longer and is also due to treating the other issues my nutritionist diagnosed through a stool test (candida overgrowth and citrobacter infection). An added bonus has been losing 12 pounds even though that wasn't the aim. Of course, my psoriasis may also be improving due to my improving gut health. To deal with the gut health problems I took a range of alternative remedies recommended by my nutritionist to kill off the bad stuff, and then very strong probiotics to repopulate the gut. I also cut out all sugar, fruit and alcohol to starve the yeast. It has been a long haul, but it's been worth it to feel so much better and see my psoriasis disappear at last. I am very gradually returning to a more normal diet now, but I will never eat gluten again. I was almost in despair after exhausting all options in the medical profession. I saw a consultant dermatologist who told me diet has no proven link with psoriasis. Her suggestion was further light treatment. My GP told me I could carry on eating wheat and gluten because a basic NHS blood test showed I was not allergic to wheat and not a coeliac; but I noticed the more wheat I ate the more sick I felt. A consultant gastroenterologist my GP referred me to told me I had "classic IBS" which was untreatable, because my diet was already healthy and I was not suffering stress. He said he had never seen any benefit to "any of that alternative medicine stuff" when I said I was considering seeing a nutritionist to check for gut flora problems. He dismissed my case even though I frequently had an upset stomach and felt nauseous most of the time. So my advice for all psoriasis (and IBS) sufferers is, firstly, don't give up, and don't just stick with traditional medicine! Secondly, go to a nutritionist to check your gut health and get a full Cyrex Labs blood test on gluten intolerance (see https://www.cyrexlabs.com/CyrexTestsArrays/tabid/136/Default.aspx). If you can't afford the nutritionist or the blood test, you could try cutting out gluten for at least a month and see whether your psoriasis improves. If it does, you are probably gluten intolerant, and you will probably find your psoriasis and general health both continue to improve if you stay gluten-free. Cutting out gluten really isn't so bad these days, as there are so many good alternatives and restaurants are so clued in. Hope this helps some of you!