Skin Health

Dietary supplements by definition do not treat, prevent, or cure a disease and cannot claim to on labels or in advertising. However, plant extracts are continually being studied for their potential to maintain health and affect the disease process.  Clinical trials are being conducted, aiming to figure out whether certain plant extracts could affect cancer-related biomarkers, act as beneficial adjunct treatments to be used with chemotherapy, or help to prevent progression of an early stage cancer or pre-cancerous condition. Read more

It does not take much will-power; it takes knowledge. Once you have the knowledge it seems pretty foolish to suffer with psoriasis. Did you read my book, Super Immunity and the position papers stressing the high-green diet for psoriasis? When you are really committed to get rid of your psoriasis, let me know. You are correct to assume it will necessitate a radical change in your diet. You will have to cut out animal products, coffee, other drinks, and the processed sweets. The mistake you are making is that you think you can't give up your food addictions and won’t enjoy eating a diet without all those compromises. It will take more work, and I know change is stressful, but once you eat this way for a few months you will enjoy it just as much and lose your desire for all the low nutrient junk you are eating. You just have to do it, and you may be surprised that it is easier and tastier than you think. Your fear and hesitation in changing is not based on fact but an emotional response to change.

The place to start is 100 percent dietary perfection with no compromises and no excuses (and to exercise every day, no matter what the weather). Instead of medications, juice fast a few days and water fast a few days to curtail inflammation every few weeks. Follow the dietary protocol for autoimmune disease from my Super Immunity book. You do not have to have a gym membership to exercise vigorously. The most important supplement to assure adequacy is Vitamin D. Do not let yourself get deficient in that.

Genetics plays a lesser role in all forms of psoriasis (and autoimmune disease in general), but early life environmental and dietary factors are the major contributory factors in those susceptible individuals. Smoking, obesity, and alcohol have been shown to increase the severity of the disease. Infections and exposure to antibiotics can also worsen the course. It takes a strongly motivated person to heal their body via nutritional excellence, and you have multiple addictions going on, so you have to take the initiative to learn more so you have the tools and education to change. Reading my book Super Immunity would be a good start. You would have to be willing to give up cigarettes cold turkey and simultaneously give up your old diet. It is not impossible; I have seen people do it. It might be helpful for you to be seen in the office, since it sounds like you have complex issues and could use the extra motivation. If you follow the protocol carefully, lose weight, and stop smoking, you should benefit greatly.

You can still eat low gluten grains, such as oatmeal, but most do better with avoiding wheat, rye, and barley.

You should review my autoimmune guidelines in my book, Super Immunity. We frequently see people with psoriasis improve with the autoimmune protocol outlined there. The key features are a strict ETL vegan diet, high dose EPA/DHA (omega 3 fatty acids), no wheat, no dairy, supplemental flora (probiotic), supplemental vitamin D (if levels are low), minimal dried fruit, large salad or blended salads, and a glass of fresh vegetable juice per day. The digestive track is what promotes the immune dysfunction that causes the attack on your skin, which is why the probiotic is often helpful. This protocol eliminates the most likely allergens and is high in the phytonutrients that will heal your immune system. Eat raw nuts and seeds like walnuts, cashews, and sunflower and sesame seeds along with the foods listed in the autoimmune position paper. Start with avoiding gluten for six weeks and any other food that you feel you may be sensitive to.

You need to follow the protocol 100 percent, not 95 percent, to get better, and even then it could take months to see improvement. No snacking on nuts and seeds, just some with the salad or in the salad dressing. Since you relate that your problem is severe, it may be best to have a comprehensive evaluation in our office, with blood work.

Of course. Melanoma is powerfully related to diet and a major cause is lack of protective antioxidants in the skin, so, this program is essential for recovery after excision as well as future prevention. Of course, sun protection without using chemical sunscreens is also important. Chemical sunscreens may increase the risk of developing melanoma, so look into the sunscreen options we make available here.

Sorry to hear about your skin cancer. Cancers occur from damage to cells that began 40 60 years ago. A cancer is many, many years in the making before it appears. Certainly burning the skin could be the initiating event and then nutrition does play a role, but sometimes it is hard to know exactly what went wrong to initiate the problem. But, the longer you are eating this way and maintaining excellent nutrient levels and the earlier in life you fix things, the lower and lower your risk will be.

Nevertheless, looking back and trying to align causation is not always the best exercise. I hope the surgery goes well, and they can make you look as good as you do now. It is amazing what a great plastic surgeon can do these days.

Absolutely, a Nutritarian diet colors the skin with protective phytochemicals. The carotene coloration parallels the heightened concentration of other important phytonutrients, so the real protection comes from the synergistic effects of all the healthy foods, which is not the same as taking carotene from a supplement.

Eating vegetables colors the skin and decreases risk of skin cancer.

We do know about the link between high levels of exposure to UV rays (sunlight) and risk of skin cancers, so it is still important to minimize this exposure, but there are significant chemo-protective effects of plant food nutrients, such as carotenoids and flavonoids, that have been identified in research studies. The Nutritarian diet is ideally designed to decrease the risk of cancers, including skin cancers. The general advice for preventing cancer applies here: eat more cruciferous greens, onions, garlic, leeks, all type of mushrooms (cooked) and a variety of colorful fruits and other vegetables (high amounts of flavonoids) every single day. If you make this effort it will translate into decreased risk over the years.