Psoriasis – My Story, from Plaques to Clear Skin
2015 was the year my face exploded. There was no C4 or dynamite involved, but it looked like I might have been a burn victim. Sometimes it felt like my skin was on fire. It was plaque psoriasis.
It also scared me, as my mom dealt some sort of face rash before she passed away. She saw over 20 doctors, and the relief she got was temporary at best. Her skin used to itch so badly that she would scratch her face raw in her sleep.
Was I destined to be stuck with something similar for the rest of my life?
When I finally got a name for my condition – plaque psoriasis – all the overpriced dermatologist had to say was to smear some steroid cream on it and live with it.
I told her I was changing my diet to see if I could address the underlying cause. She told me that I was welcome to try, but food didn’t have anything to do with your skin.
Thankfully that doctor was wrong.
My Psoriasis Journey
I’ve been hesitant to talk about this because I didn’t have any answers. I was flat out miserable at times, and I felt like a failure.
My brother said to me, “You try harder then just about everybody I know to do the right thing.” And I do, darn it! But I still got sick and it took me quite a while to find something that helped.
The stuff I write about and share is how we live and what we care about. We grow much of our food, and source much of what we don’t grow locally and/or organically.
I don’t smoke, and rarely drink. Heck, I only drink one cup of organic fair trade coffee per day. We don’t eat out much, and don’t buy much prepackaged food.
But we’re not perfect. Sometimes when we’re in the middle of big project, there will be frozen pizza for super. We like some sweets. (And sugar is the devil according to many current diet fads.) I’m not binge eating bakery doughnuts, but I do know how to bake and am pretty darn good at it.
The Good Old Days Weren’t Always Good…
Most of the time I stick to talking about the good times I remember from growing up on the farm, but there were some bad times, too. My dad was an abusive alcoholic, and he beat mom while she was pregnant with me.
My sister told me how dad knocked mom down her knees on the concrete floor of the milk house when she was pregnant. Mom protected me, but it couldn’t have been easy for her.
Dad sued mom for divorce shortly after I was born. She had the milk check put in her name so he couldn’t drink it all up. He tried to force her to sell the farm and take the money, but thankfully the judge listened to mom’s argument that she needed the farm to feed us six kids.
My stepdad entered the picture seven years later. He did help mom with the farm and he didn’t drink, but the man was still not a nice person.
That’s a story for another day, but let’s just say that many aspects of my upbringing were less than idyllic. That may have all played a role in bringing my physical problems to a tipping point.
“You Need a Miracle.”
That’s what my neighbor told me in the summer of 2015, when my skin was at its worst. She was right. I did need a miracle, but I already had one – my momma’s love.
If she could fight so hard to protect me, and stay strong emotionally at the end of her life, even as her body was being ravaged by the skin crap and myotonic muscular dystrophy, then I had to keep searching until I found an answer – for her and for me.
I wanted to find an answer for my readers, too. So many of you offered suggestions for psoriasis treatment. Many others have shared their own stories of dealing with chronic illness and being let down by conventional medicine.
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Don’t give up hope, and keep asking questions and trying things until you find answers.
My skin cleared in 2016, and has been clear since, except a flare up on my hands in 2019. I quit my thyroid medication, and I suspect the flare up was a detox symptom. (More on the hand flare up here.)
Sharing My Psoriasis Story
This series (and book) shares my research and how I healed. I investigated psoriasis causes, herbal treatments, diet, alternative treatments, and underlying conditions.
Contrary to what the dermatologist said, diet was a significant part of clearing my skin. I avoided certain foods for a while, and added fermented foods and specific herbs and supplements.
Additional resources:
A Happy Ending
It’s been eight years since I originally wrote this series. I have more wrinkles and grey hair, but no more psoriasis. Don’t give up hope if you have a chronic condition!
I have friends who have battled everything from cancer to autoimmune diseases and found their way back to health. Stay strong, and we’ll make the journey together.
Other posts in the series:
- My Anti-Candida, Anti-Psoriasis Diet
- Candida
- Psoriasis Causes
- Toxic Skin
- Alternative Psoriasis Treatments
- Topical Psoriasis Treatments
- Psoriasis on my Hands
Get the Book – Psoriasis Healing
Now available in kindle or print, “Psoriasis Healing – From Curse to Blessing“. Released in 2020, this book shares my story and other tips for healing.
More Support
If you need support or ideas for dealing with chronic illness, check out our membership website, Bona Cresco. We have private forums (members only, not on social media) where we can discuss natural health options.
This article is written by Laurie Neverman. Laurie is a lifelong learner with a passion for natural remedies and holistic healing. She’s successfully improved her eyesight and cleared her psoriasis.
Originally posted in 2016, last updated in 2024.