Ebb and flow

I used the ripple of water metaphor in an earlier blog to say that stress and crisis moments in life do pass. Another metaphor is the expression “Ebb and flow”, typically describing the ebb or receding tide, followed by the inevitable flow or return of the tide… and so it is with treating Psoriasis…

Remember it’s an incurable disease at the moment. As more information becomes available, it would seem that the western diet, and the consumption of ultra processed food, along with sugar, smoking and consumption of meat all play their part in triggering the inflammation that is the Psoriasis plaque.

So it comes as no surprise after a few short weeks, I can feel the skin irritation, the itch and pain in spots on my skin re-emerging.

I said Psoriasis is multi factorial, and if you combine a period of stress with a lack of attention to diet, and skip a few skin care sessions you can easily see how a flare up occurs.

So this is my ebb and flow and it’s a challenge …

However there is a difference this time, I have documented exactly how to moisturise and treat a flare up and I am also learning more about triggers…. So is this the secret to successful Psoriasis treatment… is this the reason why so many people don’t achieve remission.. is this why I never saw any improvement ….

Maybe there were times of remission in the past, but in the moment it just does not feel like that… maybe because we make mistakes and have our ups and downs, life clouds the memories and the truth is harder to pin down…

It can be hard to focus on the present and harder to look back into the past, which is where a blog come in handy as a written document.

I wrote the creams and mistakes page back in August as I was aware of the things that needed to be said, so here is a big statement… is Psoriasis our own fault… is it a selection of life choices that ultimately are within our hands to manage. Is it that simply my genetic make up, means that I cannot tolerate the western diet, while other people might have no problem with it. Could it be that simple…..

Looking at the evidence so far, yes is the only answer I can see..

I’ve shared the stresses of the last few weeks, in that time I’ve been lazy with my diet. You might be surprised by that last comment as, it was only last week that I was blogging about diet.

Here’s the truth, I know all of those things I spoke about in the diet blog, make good sense, I am also fully aware that I am only starting to practice some of those things, and that’s why I wrote it. As a mantra to set a path, to guide my thoughts and to set a goal…..

November is the start… eliminating different foods…..

The plan is simple, organic, whole foods, lots of greens, no sugar, low dairy, meat free… and sure we will be tea-total to boot.. let’s see what a month on the diet blog brings…

I know that all the creams and treatments will certainly reduce scaling and can lead to brief remission but to achieve full remission with clear skin is going to take a whole new commitment. A transformation in diet, eating habits, alcohol consumption along with a major change in my exercise regime…… I’ve got this far but how much more is there to come….. am I ready to take the next challenge and really work to full and complete remission or will it Ebb and Flow.. let’s see how November goes…

Psoriasis health online 1st November 2021