Thursday, July 30, 2009

So Here is what we did

Sorry for the delay. We wanted to wait and do this right. Work has been crazy, plus everyday life...you know how it goes. So, most of you know the background story. To recap, P exploded on Tommy. We freaked out, Tommy was going to try Raptiva, it got pulled off the market, we got scared, I learned about healing through nutrition and we started this immediately. First we ate a 100% raw diet for one week. We purchased the cook book and DVD by Allisa Cohen called, Living on Live Food. During this time Tommy was taking Omega 3, vitamin d, milk thistle and colostrum. We exercised daily, quit smoking and that was it. Within three days of this, Tommy's itching and discomfort decreased. We kept on the raw diet for only one week, because it was pretty difficult to maintain AND EXPENSIVE. If anyone would like raw tips, feel free to ask or Google, there is a ton of info out there. Though this did not work for us long term, I urge others to follow raw for a week. It acts as a means to restart your system towards eating healthy, plus it gives your digestion a rest. It also gives you a new appreciation for the natural flavors in fruits and veggies, something many of us lose eating the standard American diet.

Our approach always followed the idea, that psoriasis cannot live on a healthy body. We pin pointed all areas of Tommy's life that were unhealthy. This included smoking, diet and his dental health. Tommy goes to the dentist more than anyone I know. four to five times per year. Cavities, root canals you name it, he's done it. I suggested Tommy see a Holistic dentist to have his mercury fillings removed as I had read about a link between P and fillings. When Tommy went to the dentist and had his first exam, the dentist inquired about an unhealthy looking tooth in Tommy's mouth. This was a tooth that had a root canal, a filling and a gold crown. This also was a tooth that had a botched root canal done three years ago, that Tommy needed to have corrected. After an x-ray and an analysis, it was determined that this particular tooth was not only infected, but impacting Tommy's immune function. About two weeks after this, Tommy had the tooth removed. I will post a picture of it at a later time, it was disgusting. We let the tooth heal, took a course of antibiotics and the tooth fiasco was over. Though we have yet to remove the fillings, that will be someday in the near future.

After this, Tommy met with a holistic doctor. She recommended Tommy begin a cleanse, he was prescribed the Standard Process Cleanse. Look it up for all the details, too lazy to explain it! Tommy's diet during this time eliminated, wheat, gluten, animal fat, dairy, processed foods, and sugar. Basically anything that was not fruits, veggies or rice. This was a 21 day cleanse and Tommy followed diligently. During this time we purchased a juicer and would juice up to two times per day. Mostly vegetables, with a little fruit for taste. I can give recipes if people would like them, right now I want to just get the process down. Juicing is essential. I believe it helped Tommy, and myself, become healthier individuals.

Soon after this cleanse results started to become increasingly apartment, undeniable actually. It was the greatest thing I have ever seen in my life. We actually did this. After we had heard from so many that it couldn't be done without the use of drugs. WE DID IT! I love looking at his skin now, it is a sign of his strength and our commitment to each other and our health. Psoriasis was the best thing that ever happened to us. Crazy, but true. it gave us health, perspective and appreciation for what truly matters. Now I know what your thinking, it was the tooth, not the diet. Here's the thing. We never thought poor diet caused psoriasis, we thought it was like throwing gasoline on a fire. Diet was medicine, not a correction. We wanted to create an environment in his body that supported healing. This meant getting adequate sleep, exercise and eating well. Without a doubt diet helped. It helped Tommy's state of mind, comfort level and quick results. No I do not know this for sure, but it was what we experienced. Today we eat a plant based diet. Lots of salads, juicing, fruits, and all vegan meals.

This is our life now. I know many want specifics. You want us to tell you what to eat, when to eat, and what to do. It is more about an approach than a diet. Look at your body. What seems off or unhealthy? What have you had consistent trouble with your whole life? Do you eat poorly? smoke? lack exercise? Digestive problems? Lactose intolerant? Do you have poor dental health? Lots of fillings? Repeated infections (strep, tonsillitis)? Make yourself healthy, at the least it will make you mentally more strong and focused while fighting your P and at best it will give you clear skin. We often preach about diet, though it is more about an approach. Fix all that is unhealthy, not just diet. Be patient, see what happens, never give up and ask for help when you need it. This is a place where anyone can ask for our help. We are dedicated to helping as many people as we can rid themselves of this horrendous ailment. We are here for you. Hope this helps. ASK FOR ANY SPECIFICS OR QUESTIONS! Be strong, Be healthy, and most important be happy.

Sunday, July 26, 2009

Blog Guidelines

Here is the deal. This is a place of support. People from the National Psoriasis Foundation Message Boards, only post of you have something relevant to the blog to say. This is not a place to hash out unsubstantiated claims by an unstable member of your message boards. This is a safe place for people to ask questions, gain support and hope. There is not tolerance for any other conduct.

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Today was a good day

We unveiled Tommy's results last night to his sister and others, and seeing the look of shock on their faces made it all worth it! Their fear for Tommy had subsided. It was so great to see their reactions, since I see it gradually change each day. Then his parents visited the blog today and they were in disbelief that the pictures were actually Tommy! It is nice to know we gave them some piece of mind through our efforts. My mother as well, she read the blog yesterday and said she cried. When one suffers so does the whole family. Tommy clearing, a new baby in the family and a bright future ahead is all I need to be happy!!!!! Naysayers can suck it! you know who you are......

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Before Diet, After Diet.

My doctor of almost 10 years told me that diet didn't play a factor in Psoriasis. He literally laughed at me and told me I "was on a fool's errand". I think the pictures speak for themselves. I still have a long way to go, but it is a drastic improvement.

These pictures are from before I started my diet, and less then 2 months later.

Click on the pictures to make them larger.

















Overdue

Hey all!

Tommy and I have not posted in a while, that is because we became an aunt and uncle this weekend! Super exciting. So, again the camera perplexes me and I have no clue how to upload. We took pics last night. Improvements are still happening! The arms are amazing, legs are improved. And here is the BIG ONE! FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THREE LONG YEARS, TOMMY DOES NOT HAVE AN OUNCE OF SCALP PSORIASIS! None. at. all. I looked myself, and could not even find a tiny patch! How crazy is that?? We will post pics tonight if we have time. Oh, and last night we watched "A Beautiful Truth". I recommend it if you are treating your P naturally. It helps to instill your faith and drive!

Hang in there ya'll!!

Molly

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Progress after six weeks of dieting














Okay so I figured out the new camera!!! Here are the pics, I know the shins look pretty scary still....much to my dismay Tommy picks them. He is probably going to be pissed I posted this without him. I'm bored and procrastinating doing work! I also added a pic of our babies just for fun :) As you can see the arms are clearing quickly, as is the spot on Tommy's chest. We have a long way to go still, though this is the first sign of improvement we have ever seen. All his P has ever done is get worse, never improved. So here we are with definite sings of improvement, so exciting!! Peace out until next time!

Update...now anyone can post comments, just changed the settings.

Feeling Good this Sunday Morning

Wow! I see a few people have already read the blog, that is amazing! Tommy and I took some pictures last night that we will post today. I would do it myself, but it is a new camera and I have no idea how to use it (Tommy is currently golfing)! Looking at these pictures compared to the pictures posted, it may be difficult for some to see improvement. It is important to note, that at the time of the previous pics tommy was taking a lot of baths. This stopped the plaques from developing. Tommy has since discontinued the baths, as they caused a great deal of irritation and he no longer has the tormenting itch that he once had. Now his shins have substantial areas of plaque, so that may appear to be worse to some. But let me say, the plaques have gotten thin and weak, especially on the thighs. The arms are awesome and his face is basically cleared. If people are really interested in exactly what we have done, I can type it up and post it. It may be time consuming, so I will do it only if someone wants it. And don't worry, I ask for nothing in return for the info. I LOVE to share it with anyone who will listen. I can see my friends' eyes roll back in their heads the more I talk about Psoriasis and nutrition, so anyone who will listen I am happy to tell!!! It makes me sad how skeptical some are of people lending information on Psoriasis treatment. I hate how people exploit this disease, as they know how hopeless it can really feel. Since we began this journey I have felt this huge desire to provide relief to people with this disease. So many think it is a little skin issue, and it drives me crazy! This is serious, and it inhibits quality of life, which to me is unacceptable. Hang in there everyone. If we can see improvement, you can see improvement. We are all different, I know. But we are surprisingly similar as well. I may be an idealist, but I think you have to be in order to make it through this disease. If I listened to every naysayer and disapproving medical professional I came across I would have given up long ago. So happy we didn't and neither should you! Wow this has turned out to be a pretty sappy post...so I will stop. But one last kernel of hope. Tommy has been golfing all summer in long sleeved shirts, a real source if shame for him as you can imagine. Today and yesterday he went in short sleeves, something just two weeks ago he would have never considered. That was a true milestone! Hang in there everyone we will post pics tonight!

Saturday, July 11, 2009

The past from my perspective!

Hello all! My name is Molly and I am Tommy's girlfriend. Tommy and I have been together for over six years. Half of this time Tommy has had Psoriasis. Initially, as Tommy detailed, his psoriasis did not put much of a damper on our lives. Sure my boyfriend had some ragin' dandruff, but a little flaking here and there doesn't stand in the way of true love! Then it started to creep from the head, to the nails, to the legs, to the chest, to the arms and then last but not least THE FACE! I was all about him getting on some wonder drug to make this awful mess evaporate from his body so we could get on with our lives. I did my research and learned of a new drug, Raptiva. I learned about it because it was what the girl from America's Next Top Model took (Yeah, I know not the greatest frontier of medical advancement). I said, "Tommy make an appointment with your dermatologist, and get on Raptiva!" Tommy made the appointment, though there was a one month waiting list. We decided we could make it through until then. Literally two days later Tommy comes home from work and informs me that Raptiva had been taken off of the market, after three people had been killed by the drug in California. I was shocked! Also relieved that he had not gotten in to see the dermatologist sooner.

And this is the part where my entire life changed, and I do not say this lightly. I began to research like a madwoman. I learned that Psoriasis is not a disease of the skin but that of the immune system. I also learned that Tommy's immune system was overcompensating due to another issue internally. These drugs used to treat the illness were immune suppressing, to stop the skin from regenerating so quickly. So wait, his immune system in in chaos, resulting in this autoimmune response and we want to suppress his immune system to make it stop. Does that sound crazy to anyone else. The immune system is like the front door to your house. Would you leave it open all the time. I don't mean unlocked, I mean open! Let vermin, debris and even people in whenever? No thanks! It just didn't make sense. Then I began to lean about the role diet plays in health and healing. It made perfect sense, we all believe that your diet can prevent illness but oh no it could never cure an ailment. Of course, I have no proof. Just a belief. We had to try. Medicine will always be there. Though this opportunity, prior to any harmful meds was something we had to seize!

We ate raw for a week, quit smoking, exercised daily and Tommy's mental state began to improve. He was once the happiest, most carefree guy I had ever met. Now he was sad, hopeless and scared. It killed me. Seeing him regain his personality after one week was astonishing. The itching and pain decreased, though there was little physical evidence. Raw became to difficult to maintain so we switched to a vegan plant based diet. NO GLUTEN! Tommy also went on a cleanse, got a natural doctor. Slowly but surely things have been improving, now the results are unavoidable.

Look, I know many who will read this already have psoriasis and are skeptical. Rightfully so. We are not here to exploit you, sell you anything or recommend you do anything. Just simply to document our journey, maybe give some hope, and make ourselves accountable to our treatment. There are thousands of blogs and youtube channels covering celerity news, why not have one about the plight of those with this horrendous ailment? I am a social worker and have always been driven to help others. Seeing the torment the love of my life endured at the hand of this disease was enough to make my heart break for him and all that suffer from psoriasis. I want to help everyone get their lives back, because I know with psoriasis it is on pause. I know on the National Psoriasis Message Boards, many people are skeptical of Tommy thinking he is a snake oil salesman. Not the case. He is a good man looking to show others his amazing progress. He has worked so hard, and does not deserve that scrutiny. Good luck and health to all!

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

The Begining Of My Psoriasis

Sometime in the year 2005 a small circular layer of skin appeared on my scalp. I never really thought anything of it. I had always had bad dandruff and thought that it was maybe just an excess buildup. It would itch really bad but I still didn't think anything of it. One day I showed it to my family and they suggested that I get it checked out by a dermatologist. We had initially thought that it was ring worm because it was formed in such a perfect ring. The day I went to the dermatologist he took a biopsy and a week later I had learned my fate. He told me I had psoriasis. What is Psoriasis you say? According to Psoriasis.org

"Psoriasis is a chronic, noncontagious genetic disease of the immune system that prompts skin cells to regenerate too quickly, causing red, scaly lesions that crack and bleed. It often affects the elbows, knees, scalp and torso but can appear anywhere on the body."

OK that's fine. What do I do to get rid of it? Well according to my dermatologist there is "no known cause, no known cure".

Well that sucks. So he sends me along with two prescriptions for Dovenex and Clobetasol. I start to use the medicines and they burn my scalp but after a couple of weeks it seemed to go away. So I thought nothing of it again even when it came back a couple weeks later. I didn't care it was a small circle on my scalp that itched every now and then and couldn't be seen by anyone. Why should I worry about it, I was 22 at the time and didn't have a care in the world. I wish I would have cared more then.

A year later I began to notice deformities in the growth of my finger nails. I knew from the reading I had done after my diagnosis that this too was the dreaded psoriasis. This caused some degree of embarrassment, as I work at a bank and people often see my hands. Despite this minor blow to my self image, I continued to pay little mind to psoriasis and its role in my health.

A year or two went by and my Psoriasis never really spread. Then One day I started to notice a small legion on my leg. I thought I had scratched my leg earlier in the week and didn't think anything of it. Then all of a sudden its started spreading like wild fire. I honestly can't even remember it happening. It seems like I just woke up one day and it was covering 40% of my body with my legs taking the worst of it. I stopped wearing shorts, was experiencing constant pain and itching. My legs would get so sore I would have to take a bath everyday. For some reason I was still even willing to deal with that much psoriasis. But then one day I noticed it start to spread to my face. That's when I really started to take things seriously. My mental state was going to a bad place. I was calling in sick to work because I would only get an hour of sleep because of the pain I was having.

I needed to do something. My girlfriend Molly and I decided that I should look into prescription drugs. We had been hesitant in the past because of all the horrible side effects that come with these prescriptions. We decided that I would look into one of the biologic drugs. I made an appointment with the dermatologist and was ready to go.

A couple of days before my appointment I was looking through Google news for any info about psoriasis or any new drugs being developed. That's when I read the story about the 5 people in California that died from using Raptiva. I told this to my girlfriend and that's when my life changed. She started doing all the research she possibly could regarding Psoriasis. She read numerous books and articles searching for any solutions. I pretty much sat back and let her do everything and listened to her recommendations.

After doing a lot of research we discovered a lot of people we healing there Psoriasis by just maintaining a healthy diet. This seemed like the safest and most logical course. Molly and I went to see my doctor to tell him what I was going to begin doing. We thought he wopuld be very supportive and guide us in the right direction. Boy were we wrong. For almost an hour he basically scolded us and literally told me that by trying to cure my Psoriasis through diet I was on a
"fools errand". He had my girlfriend in tears because she was starting to lose hope. This doctor was not very creditable though. I told him how I wanted to have all my mercury filings removed and he told me dentists don't use mercury anymore in fillings. I know for a 100% fact that most dentists still use mercury today. I had 2 fillings put in about 3 months ago and I asked my dentist and he confirmed that mercury is still used. When I asked him about the health risks he told me "the jury was still out on that one".

Needles to say I still let him put the mercury in my mouth because it was the cheapest option. Low and behold a week later my Psoriasis spread so rapidly I didn't even know what happened. Do I have proof that mercury fillings cause Psoriasis no but I'm sure it doesn't help. It is one of the most toxic elements on the periodic table, yet we allow this to be shoved into our mouths.

Anyway back to the diet. We decide to just go for it and I started eliminating every bad thing I was putting in my body. I quit smoking, drinking, eating unhealthy foods, and started eating only fruits and vegetables with brown rice. I try to exercise at least a couple times a week and make sure to get 8 hours of sleep a day.

I am creating this blog for the hopeless. For the people who have no where else to turn. For the individuals who refuse to believe that there is "No known cause, no known cure". I don't buy it. I think we are getting taken advantage of by the drug companies. It's time to stand up and figure this out.

For however long it takes me to rid myself of Psoriasis, I will update this blog with pictures and videos as well. I hope that I can help at least one person as well as myself at the same time. I'm sick of living with this. This is my journey.