I’ve been living with psoriasis for the past 6 years, not
many people know what it is or where it comes from. I would like to inform you
about this disease and how it affected my life.
Firstly, what exactly is psoriasis? It appears as red patchy
scales on the skin, it occurs when the immune system mistakes the skin cells as
a pathogen and sends out faulty signals that speed up the growth cycle of skin
cells.
Psoriasis is not contagious, although it may seem that way.
It mostly appears on the elbows, knees and scalp, depending on what type of
psoriasis you have.
There are five types of psoriasis. I have plague psoriasis,
which is the most common form. It
appears as silvery red scales on my knees, elbows and being dark skinned doesn’t
help much, I look like a leopard. The other four types of psoriasis are
guttate, inverse, pustular and erythrodermic.
It is said that the cause of psoriasis is not known, it
could be triggered by an injury to the skin or it could be genetic. I believe
that stress had a significant role with regards to my psoriasis. At the time I was diagnosed, I just gave
birth to my first child and suffered from post natal depression the psoriasis
soon followed.
I have tried numerous amounts of medication on the market. I
often stressed about this disease, but soon realized that by stressing I was
just aggravating it more. So I began my research, although I’m not a health
freak, I had to make drastic changes to my diet. Lots of vegetables and water, not my favorite.
I discovered Omega 3,6 and 9, It contributes a great deal
to my health, after using it for 4 months, I noticed an enormous change in my
skin, it wasn’t flaking anymore, it almost seemed as though my psoriasis was
going away.
It didn’t go away, but this miraculous change in my condition
boosted my self esteem, which was at an all time low. I have accepted this
disease as part of who I am. It makes me unique, it teaches me to take better
care of myself. I don’t smoke as much cigarettes as I used to, I’m down to 3 a
day, my alcohol intake is minimal and occasional. Both these factors aggravate psoriasis. I have
a new outlook on life; yes people will stare at your skin and make remarks, so
what, its only words. This disease that I
once saw as ruining my life, turned out to be a life saver, I would still be
smoking 20 cigarettes a day and drinking copious amounts of alcohol, but I have
chosen better for myself.
If you are suffering from psoriasis, it is important to find
out which type you have in order to get the proper treatment. If you were like
me, you totally hate the fact that you have psoriasis, but it’s not life threatening,
more like life changing. Keep healthy and don’t forget the Omega 3.
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