My long journey with psoriasis started when I was 5 years old.  I had just had my vaccinations to go to school, when an itchy rash appeared on the top of my feet.  I can remember scratching it until it bled, so my Mum took me back to the doctor where I was diagnosed with eczema.  After finally being referred to a dermatologist I was then diagnosed with psoriasis.  By this time it was on my ankles pretty badly so my legs were wrapped in coal tar bandages for 6 weeks at a time. The smell was awful and so were the comments from the other children at school.  When it got really itchy I would push knitting needles through the bandages to try and gain some relief.  After the 6 weeks it was bliss to get the bandages off and have a proper bath.  The skin would be all clear for a short period of time, and then ..... back to normal.  I would do anything to stop the itch.  When I woke in the mornings the sheet would be blood stained where I had been rubbing my ankle on the side of the bed while I slept.  One time it was so itchy nothing would stop it even though I had scratched it so hard that I had made it bleed.  In desperation,  I poured nail polish remover on the open wound on my plaque ridden ankle. The pain was intense, but so much better than that nightmare itch!  I would definitely not recommend that one though!

When I got to senior school we studied vitamins and minerals as part of our cookery class.  I was interested in anything to do with health and wellness, and was so intrigued by vitamin A and zinc and how they benefitted the skin.  This was where my passion for nutrition began.

Over the years I tried almost every topical solution to get rid of my psoriasis.  The strangest one was when I was working in a bar in Gibraltar.  

The lovely cook who worked there was Moroccan and spoke very little English.  One day, as I was walking through the kitchen, she grabbed my arm and started pointing at the large white plaques.  I couldn’t understand what she was saying but it seemed like she was referring to the psoriasis on my elbow.  The next time I went into the kitchen, she grabbed my elbow again and started to rub a paste of raw garlic over the plaques.  I went with it as I didn’t want to offend her as she was so lovely (and made the best Spanish omelette I have ever had).  She continued to put the garlic paste on my elbows, and within a day or two the plaques started to clear!  The only problem was the smell of raw garlic, and the comments (and weird looks) I received from the customers in the bar.  So unfortunately, that wasn’t an option.

What it did show me was that there were natural alternatives to the hydrocortisone cream that I had used for years.  I was not happy using it anymore as I had to keep upping the dose as my skin got used to it. Plus it was thinning the skin and I didn't like the other side effects it can have.  What I didn’t realise at that time, was that the cause of psoriasis comes from within and the topical treatments were just dealing with the symptoms. 

Education

My interest in nutrition grew and I studied for a nutrition diploma at the Institute for Optimum Nutrition. I went on to gain a BSc (Hons) degree in Nutritional Therapy from Middlesex University via the renowned Centre for Nutrition Education and Lifestyle Management (CNELM).

 

After seeing a mix of clients over the years I decided to focus on skin conditions, specialising in psoriasis.

My further education includes:

Immune Advanced Practice Module

The Institute for Functional Medicine

Autoimmunity Clinical Strategies and Treatment Applications

The Kharrazian Institute

Currently studying Cogence® Immunology

Dr. Samuel Yanuck

I am registered with BANT and the CNHC.

Functional Medicine Model

My learning was (and still is) based on science and to always look for the evidence.  I was taught to use the functional medicine model, which looks at the root cause of disease rather than just the symptoms.  It also teaches us that all the systems in the body are interlinked, so one disease may have many different causes (as in psoriasis), and one cause may result in many different diseases (such as high blood sugar).  Psoriasis plaques are the result of what is going on within the body and although topical creams and lotions help to ease the symptoms, unless we get to the main root causes and triggers, psoriasis will always rear its ugly head.

My Motivation

It breaks my heart to see so many pictures on social media of people having to deal with psoriasis on a daily basis.  This is why I have decided to concentrate on developing a support system for those of us who have to deal with this awful skin disease.

I hope you decide to join me.

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