Diet in psoriasis: is it possible to get rid of this disease?

To date, there is no "cure for psoriasis", but there are effective methods that can help reduce its symptoms. One such method is a diet for psoriasis.

Psoriasis is a chronic dermatological non-contagious disease in which characteristic skin eruptions in the form of red spots (plaques) covered with light dry scales appear on the skin of the extensor part of the elbows and knee joints, on the scalp (the scalp, around the ears). Over time, rashes can spread to large areas of the skin throughout the body. Despite the fact that about 4% of the world's population suffers from psoriasis, the causes of this disease have not been definitively determined. The most convincing version of the pathogenesis of psoriasis is autoimmune. The immune reaction in the form of hyperkeratosis can be caused by hormonal, hereditary, stressful and metabolic factors.

[1], [2], [3], [4]

Nutrition in psoriasis: the goal is to reduce the acidity of the blood

Most diets help in the complex treatment of certain diseases. Can a diet for psoriasis cure a person of this disease and counteract its recurrence?

Some researchers in the field of clinical medicine say that the theory of the influence of nutrition in psoriasis has no serious scientific justification. But many patients with psoriasis claim that dieting made their condition easier. Therefore, today in the treatment of psoriasis, doctors take the diet into consideration.

The main provoker of psoriasis is the so-called "syndrome of increased intestinal permeability." The appearance of specific psoriatic rashes on the skin is facilitated by the thinning of the walls of the small intestine, which leads to the breaking of the hematopoietic barrier, and toxins from the intestine gain access to the blood. When the liver and kidneys overloaded with toxins stop taking them out of the bloodstream, the skin "our" "third kidney" is taken for the cause. As scientists suggest, against the background of unfavorable factors there is an autoimmune reaction. That is, the acid-base balance of blood shifts towards acidity, and triggers a mechanism of pathological production of dendritic immune cells and T-lymphocyte cells. They interfere with the process of dividing the cells of the epidermis and significantly accelerate it, which leads to skin rashes.

Diet for Pegano with psoriasis

So, in normal blood should have a weak-alkaline reaction, so the diet for psoriasis pursues the main goal - a decrease in the acidity of the blood, which should lead to a decrease in the synthesis of autoimmune antibodies. In addition, the normal functioning of the gastrointestinal tract should be adjusted to regenerate the integrity of the walls of the small intestine and ensure the release of the large intestine from the "waste" of the digestive process. That is, at any cost to avoid constipation.

The most famous diet for psoriasis was developed by a physician from New Jersey John Pagano (John O. Pagano, 1930-2012), who for more than 40 years has been dealing with the problem of psoriasis. The basic principles of the diet for Pegano with psoriasis are set forth in his book "Healing Psoriasis: The Natural Alternative", first published in the United States in 1991. And in 2000 the cookbook "Dr. John's Healing Psoriasis Cookbook, "which lists over 300 recipes for cooking dietary foods.

At the heart of this food system, according to Pegano himself, lies the works of his predecessors. This study "Food is your best medicine" ("Food is Your Best Medicine"), an American doctor with 50 years of experience, Henry G. Bieler (1893-1975). And also "Encyclopedia of Healing" ("Encylopedia of Healing") of the world-famous American "sleeping prophet" Edgar Cayce (1877-1945). For four decades, Casey diagnosed and prescribed effective treatment, using his unusual medium gift. Among Casey's patients, there were many who addressed him about the treatment of psoriasis. It was Edgar Cayce who saw the cause of psoriasis in the already mentioned "increased intestinal permeability syndrome".

According to the definition of Dr. Pegano, psoriasis is an external manifestation of the body's attempt to free itself from internal toxins. The main diet of patients with psoriasis, Pegano describes as follows: a diet for psoriasis, including a diet for psoriasis of the head, requires a greater intake of food, alkaline blood plasma, and less consumption of foods that increase its acidity. The daily ration of 70-80% should consist of alkaline formers (vegetables and fruits), and the rest - from meat and cereals, that is, products that promote blood acidity.

Diet for Pegano with psoriasis excludes:

• red meat (except lamb) and meat by-products (heart, kidney, liver, etc.);
• sausages and meat smoked products;
• bread and pastry from white flour;
• all fatty and fried;
• vegetables of the Solanaceae family (potatoes, aubergines, peppers, tomatoes and all tomato products);
• White rice;
• strawberries, cranberries, currants, plums, blueberries, citrus fruits and juices;
• cane sugar and sweets of all kinds;
• cream, ice cream and milkshakes;
• seafood (crabs, shrimps, scallops, mussels);
• Coffee, drinks with caffeine, carbonated drinks;
• canned food and all products with preservatives and food colorings;
• alcohol and tobacco.

Diet for Pegano with psoriasis includes:

• fractional meals in small portions;
• at least 1.5 liters of clean water a day (in addition to other liquids), lemon juice can be added to the water;
• green leafy vegetables (salad, celery, spinach, parsley);
• fresh fruit in moderation;
• fish, poultry, lamb;
• vegetables (fresh, boiled and stewed cabbage, zucchini, carrots, beets, onions, broccoli, pumpkin);
• eggs (2 times a week, not fried);
• fruit and fresh fruit juices;
• cereals are limited (from oats, barley, millet, buckwheat, corn);
• bread from coarse flour, corn bread, bread with bran;
• low-fat milk, cheese and cottage cheese (sometimes);
• olive oil (for dressing salads);
• almonds (2-4 pieces per day, up to 3 times a week);
• seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, sesame, flax);
• herbal teas (from chamomile, safflower, mullein, saffron, bark of slippery elm).

A diet with exacerbation of psoriasis, along with a balanced set of foods, should include: fish oil, linseed oil, vitamins A, D and E, lecithin, selenium, zinc and folic acid.

[5], [6]

Diet for Psoriasis of Fire

Russian dermatologist and herbalist Svetlana Ogneva herself suffered from psoriasis, which prompted her to deal with this disease. She was treated with herbs, and her recommendations, included in the book "My Life and My Duel with Psoriasis" (published in 1997), are formulated as follows. It is necessary to refuse the use of any hormonal means; regularly drink herbal tea and take herbal baths; monitor the condition of the gastrointestinal tract and maintain a diet.

As for the diet for Psoriasis Ogneva, the list of foods that can or can not be consumed is absolutely analogous to the recommendations of the diet for Pegano with psoriasis.

True, cranberries, currants, plums and blueberries Ognev use permits - in small quantities. Melon, bananas and apples are recommended to eat separately from other foods, but avocados can not be consumed with an elevated level of urea.

Further, the Diet of the Fire prescribes psoriasis patients to have lean beef, veal and rabbit meat (boiled or stewed). Beetroot is introduced restriction, as well as on cereals (with reduced consumption of bread). Oatmeal, rice, semolina and corn groats, pasta, as well as legumes (beans, peas and lentils) should be excluded from the diet. But the string bean is not forbidden.

The doctor advises to prepare or vegetarian first dishes, or soups on a thin meat broth. One of the options for a daily diet menu for psoriasis looks like this:

• For breakfast - omelet from two eggs, 100 grams of cottage cheese, coffee with milk.
• For lunch: vegetable salad (dressed with olive oil), vegetarian borscht or cereal soup, boiled or baked in the oven chicken (rabbit) with buckwheat, compote.
• For a snack - a fresh or baked apple, a banana.
• For dinner - sea fish, steamed, stewed zucchini, rose hips infusion.

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Reviews about diets for psoriasis

Many dermatologists treat diet therapy positively and believe that proper nutrition in psoriasis can reduce the symptoms of this disease. And practice shows that this is indeed so.

Efforts to comply with the correct food system are not in vain. Reviews of diets in psoriasis indicate that in some patients the symptoms of psoriasis practically disappear after 4-6 months. But, as soon as a person begins to break the diet, rashes on the skin appear again.

Unfortunately, a diet with psoriasis does not relieve this disease, but helps to reduce the manifestation of its symptoms. At the same time, it helps one, others do not feel any positive changes when changing their diet. Obviously, this is due to the fact that psoriasis belongs to polyethological diseases, and individual characteristics are of no small importance both for the development of pathology and for the degree of effectiveness of the therapeutic effect of various methods of treatment.

The time it takes to have the first positive results - from several weeks to several months. So you need to have patience. Moreover, the diet for psoriasis should be observed all life - to maintain control of the appearance of skin rashes.