Healing Psoriasis: The Natural Alternative

I have suffered from severe scalp psoriasis for 14 years. I have very think brunette hair, making my scalp particularly hard to treat. After trying every medicine under the sun, both prescription and over the counter, the only thing that ever worked for me were injections. I was on Enbrel from 2009-2011 and then Stelara from 2011-2013. When I decided to get pregnant, I had to stop all of my meds. Pregnancy kept my symptoms relatively at bay, but postpartum, my skin erupted, and fast. I had lesions in places I'd never seen them before. 90% of my scalp had thick lesions and perhaps worse, I had 4" lesions around my nipples, making it very difficult and uncomfortable to breastfeed. I came across this book on Amazon while shopping for alternative treatments. Due to the compelling reviews, I figured I'd give it a shot. I followed the system nearly to a "t" for the first 3 weeks. I did not do any hydrotherapy or home enemas, but I did a 2-day apple cleanse, cut out all sugar, white flour, nightshades and coffee, and began a regime of Slippery Elm Bark tea in the mornings and lemon water throughout the day. Since then, I have stayed 100% off nightshades but have reintroduced very limited quantities of white flour, sugar and decaf black coffee. Within one week the lesions on my nipples were 90% gone. Within two weeks, the lesions on my body started to fade. Within four weeks, 75% of my body lesions were gone. As of today, which has been about 5 weeks since I started the regime, my scalp and body are 95% clear. I am honestly in a state of shock. I feel like telling everyone I know about Pagano's theories. A couple notes: ** I found sea salt baths to be helpful as my body healed itself. Pagano recommends epsom salt baths (using 4 pounds of salt!), but I had read about people having success with Pink Himalayan Sea Salt, so I tried that instead. SF Salt sells it for a really great price. ** I used a topical prescription treatment to help speed things along (Clobex spray), but I plan to stop using it in the next week or so as I get closer to 100% clear. ** I found Burt's Bees Miracle Salve to be a great product for my nipples. I had to avoid all medications in that area due to breastfeeding. ** I discovered that my baby's Burt's Bees Baby Shampoo & Wash worked really well for my hair and scalp. Plus it smells delicious. I have since switched to the adult version of Burt's Bees Shampoo and think the gentle formula has been a welcome change for my scalp as it heals. ** Pagano recommends a pretty large list of supplements. I couldn't commit to the whole list due to personal preference and breastfeeding, but I have been taking 1000mg Flaxseed Oil, 200mg Milk Thistle, a pre/post-natal multi-vitamin (contains Zinc and Vitamin A), and 100mg Colace (stool softener). Instead of taking an additional 1000mg of Fish Oil, I've just been making it a point to each fish at least 4 days a week. To anyone considering trying Pagano's 'diet', I urge you to not be afraid of what seems like an overwhelming list of 'to-do's' and 'not-to-do's'. I have found the diet very easy to follow and actually quite fulfilling. It's been nice to be cooking again and eating more healthy foods. Pizza has been hard to give up, but when your skin clears up like mine did, you won't feel too bad about missing out on a slice. Seeing amazing results sure makes the regime seem a lot easier to execute. I am so grateful for discovering this book and I encourage you to try it if you're a psoriasis sufferer. *I am a real person who actually bought this book on Amazon and have not been compensated for this review.*

With "Healing Psoriasis" Dr. Pagano has created a book of hope for any sufferer of this disfiguring disease. The medical community isn't interested in finding a cure, and insists that, in fact, there is no cure at all for Psoriasis. Their only solution, is to prescribe creams that treat the problem topically, but mostly without lasting results. Here is where Pagano comes in. He offers a drug-free alternative. And it makes perfect sense (to me at least). In his book he describes a treatment plan for Psoriasis, that he has come up with after researching, and healing the disease for over 40 years. This isn't one of those books that promises an easy cure. If you want to get rid of Psoriasis, you have to make some drastic lifestyle changes. One of the key elements in this treatment is diet. You will have to avoid a lot of your favorites. Only then can your body heal from the inside out. The author is very good at breaking down all of the required steps, into small and manageable ones. I found the appendix very helpful, where Pagano goes over all the allowed and forbidden foods, and gives you some very handy lists for easy reference. The book includes a lot of before-and-after pictures of Dr. Pagano's psoriasis patients. And seeing their results is very encouraging and helps you to believe in the effectiveness of the treatment plan. The only thing I found disappointing is that in this updated book edition the pictures are only black and white. In the 1st book edition all the pictures were in color and covered a whole page. That just made more of an impression on me. But the inclusion of recipes in this edition made up for all that. I was kind of at a loss after reading the original book, because I had no clue of what to eat. So I was glad to discover that the updated version included actual recipes. Overall, a helpful and easy to understand book which I couldn't recommend more!

This book is full of fabulous & helpful information & really helps the reader to understand what causes psoriasis & how to get to the core of the issue so that symptoms cease. I did, however, find it extremely & unnecessarily repetitive; sort of like those 30 minute commercials that build up the product before you actually get to the part you need to hear. He really builds up his diet plan. Honestly, I think the book could've been reduced by half because of the repeats so that's why I can't give it 5 stars. I found myself eventually flipping through most of it just to get to the information I needed. The cookbook is the same way. You're not just getting a cookbook, 2/3 of the book is pumped up proof of why his method works. Don't get me wrong, this disease can feel hopeless & discouraging to those who have it so I'll extend some grace because of that. Some of the recipes seem great but as of yet I have not tried any. I've dabbled with his dietary plan enough to see that it DOES work but my psoriasis is not severe enough to warrant giving up chocolate & all caffeine. ;) I am very thankful for this book & if you have psoriasis this will help you if you stick with it. :)

I want to preface this review with some history: Last month a friend told me about how Zinc helped her son with his acne. After taking 10mg in the morning and night for 2 weeks, his acne was completely cleared. So I began taking 50mg/day. Within just 1-2 weeks a patch of psoriasis on my scalp began to disappear. That is amazing because it had been there for at least 4-5 years. I first noticed significant psoriasis on my scalp in 1990. So, I have put up with it now for 24 years! When I turned 50 I began using a topical steroid which eliminated the psoriasis for 2 years - but then I began to have bumps on my nose that wouldn't go away. Through research I learned that it was a side effect of long-term topical steroid use. I quit it cold turkey but experienced greater rebound psoriasis over multiple areas such as my back and abdomen. (The Merck manual states that this will happen when discontinuing systemic steroids) Soon I also suffered polymyalgia for a year, which I believe could have been triggered by the steroid also. Then I bought the book “Healing Psoriasis.” I learned a lot from this book, especially about the need to eliminate “nightshade” plant foods from the diet because of their toxic properties. I did more research to confirm this. The website, “noarthritis.com” was very helpful in this regard. After giving up most nightshade plant foods I experienced a significant reduction in the psoriasis very quickly – within a month. The large lesions on my elbows almost completely disappeared. And the scalp was less bothersome but it still persisted to some extent, especially at the edge of my hairline. After starting the zinc last month and seeing results, it gave me hope. I pulled out the book “Healing Psoriasis” again and reread it. It does not mention zinc – but the doctor of chiropractic who wrote it had great success healing psoriasis, largely through diet – and I believe the diet he recommend would improve mineral and vitamin content for anyone. So, I am now enthusiastically eating a more healthy diet AND taking zinc. I really believe the outstanding amazing results I am experiencing are mostly because of the zinc! If I continue to progress as I am, by Christmas the psoriasis that I have lived with for 24 years will be gone!!! I will be eternally grateful! My husband is happy because he knows better than anyone how much this means to me. I would have gladly given up a million dollars to experience this benefit. Who would have guessed that all I needed was a $10 bottle of zinc added to a more vegan-type, no-nightshade diet! I want to shout it from the hills and help others. As a nurse I know the pharmaceutical companies will never share or promote such a cure because there is no money in it. Just as magnesium sulfate can often cure seizures but the pharmaceutical companies are not interested in using cheap minerals to help anyone. I highly recommend following the book’s advice regarding the elimination of nightshade plants, eating a heathier diet and taking zinc supplements. By the way, Walmart sells a diaper cream that is 40% zinc. I tried it on some psoriasis lesions behind my ears and it is helpful, although it is white in appearance. Knowing beforehand that zinc cream can be helpful, helped me to trust that systemic zinc could be very beneficial.

I think the book is great, but for me it was not enough. I also needed mega-doses of vitamins and minerals to help aid the body in its healing process. I had a reaction to amoxycillin a couple years ago. The rash never went away except while I was on a lot of drugs and topically applying steroids. Eventually, I was diagnosed with eczema, but the rash still would not go away. Around October, someone I met told me about the book Healing Psoriasis by Dr. Pagano, so I bought it. I took myself off gluten since many people react to it. I also took myself off nightshades (potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant, peppers - bell, paprika, red, jalapeno, etc.) since the body has difficulty dealing with some toxin they contain when it is compromised. I did not eat foods with sugar. I still did not get better, though. In fact, as winter approached I got worse. I eventually saw a nutritional therapist. (Although he has a doctorate, he is not considered a medical doctor.) My immune system was compromised. He put me on 1000mg of primrose oil three times a day, a calcium pill that I take three times a day, and two bio-immunozyme pills three times a day. The pills are taken with meals and the body can more efficiently use the supplements if taken over the course of the day rather than all at once. Three calcium pills contains 50mg Vitamin C, 400 IU of D, 570mg Calcium, 375mg Magnesium, 3mg Boron 60mg Glutamic Acid, and 29 mg L-lysine. Two Bio pills contain 6667IU of A in a natural form, vitamin C and a lot of B-vitamins. Most of the percents of daily values are way over 200%, but because my immunity was compromised I needed that. I don't know that anyone else will want the same products, but the bio pills are sold at amazon at http://www.amazon.com/Biotics-Research-Bio-Immunozyme-Forte-Tabs/dp/B001PYULGI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=hpc&qid=1240711642&sr=8-2, and the calcium at http://www.amazon.com/Douglas-Labs-Cal-6-Plus-tabs/dp/B0006SY82W/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=hpc&qid=1240712317&sr=1-4 The reason for the mega doses was to aid my body in healing itself. The nutritionist also suggested avoiding sugar and milk products and making sure that I get enough fiber and protein in my diet. I lived with the rash for over a year before seeing the nutritionist. I saw the nutritionist in December 2008. I noticed a small improvement in 4 weeks. Now about 18 weeks later, I have very little itch and very little rash. I know I am not completely better, but it takes time for the body to clear the toxins (from all the drugs) from itself and heal completely. Unfortunately, I am still unable to eat nightshades. The rash and itching will get worse if I eat any of them. I should add that I was tested for allergies and, according to the tests, I am not allergic to any of the fifty or more items that are typically tested. I have attempted going out to eat and it is difficult to find a restaurant that will leave out spices in the cooking. Seasoning salt which frequently has paprika and chili pepper will make me worse. I must watch the chemicals that I breathe as well as the food that I eat. I have unvented gas logs and discovered that using them will cause me to get worse. My husband can use certain strong cleaning agents in another room, but I will still break out from them. Cigarette smoke will also make me worse.

Dealing with psoriasis for years now the one thing I disagree with is eating whole grain bread. This is packed with gluten and always sets off my psoriasis. I was hoping for some new insight, this all seems like old information.

This 231-page soft-cover book, by John O.A. Pagano, was published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. in 2009. The book has a cast of international physicians and patients vouching for what the author says in this book. There are some black and white graphics and photos sprinkled throughout this book. I have an interest in health, healing, and diet, and this book bridges together all 3 topics together beautifully. Note that after the Forward, there are 21 Chapters, 4 Appendices, and then the Acknowledgements, Notes, Bibliography, Illustration Credits, and Index. Here are the 21 chapter titles: Chapter 1. Psoriasis: The ‘Inside’ Story; Chapter 2. Does the Regime Work?; Chapter 3. About Psoriasis; Chapter 4. The Natural Alternative; Chapter 5. Internal Cleansing; Chapter 6. Diet and Nutritional Basics; Chapter 7. Herbal Teas; Chapter 8. The Role of the Spine; Chapter 9. External Applications; Chapter 10. Right Thinking: The Role of the Mind; Chapter 11. The Emotional Factor; Chapter 12. The Crowning Glory; Chapter 13. Psoriasis on the Hands, the Feet, and the Nails; Chapter 14. The Healing Process; A PHOTOGRAPHIC PORTFOLIO; Chapter 15. Pushing the Panic Button; Chapter 16. The Arthritic Connection; Chapter 17. Cases of Eczema (Atopic Dermatitis); Chapter 18.What about the Failures?; Chapter 19. The Question of Recurrence; Chapter 20. Achieving the Goal A Mini Review ; and Chapter 21. Where Do We Go from Here?. The 4 Appendices are: A. Nutritional Considerations & Natural Healing of Psoriasis, Eczema, and Psoriatic Arthritis *B. Menu Plans and Recipes C. Self-Hypnosis Recording for the Psoriatic D. Product Suppliers The Notes section is 4 pages long and deals with Chapters: 1, 3, 5-8, 10-11, 16, and 18. The Index is 15 pages long. (Regarding *B. in the Appendices, many people buy this book solely for this Appendix, Menu Plans and Recipes. However, all of the 21 chapters are the ‘meat‘ of the book that is needed for buyers to know why the menus and recipes work. Buyers at some time will then be able to automatically know which foods to shop for and order at restaurants. Without reading the 21 chapters, there would be no knowledge base established and then no healing because of this lack of an information base.) I highly recommend this book to people who have a general interest in health, to those who have an interest in healthy foods and nutrition, and to those who are afflicted with psoriasis, eczema, and psoriatic arthritis. Since the skin is the largest organ of the body, if this organ has problems, it is necessary to find out why. This book will give the reader the tools to be able to understand and tackle psoriasis and its other, related problems. This is a great book to have in the health section of my bookshelf, and it will be on yours, too.

Psoriasis is a nasty disease. Just ask someone who has it. I purchased this book after conducting tons of research on the web just after diagnosis. It is very helpful. My symptoms subsided after I started the diet and combined it with Dr prescribed ointment. Within three months my symptoms subsided. I do think I have suffered some liver damage from the meds...but we'll see if liver support and continued diet helps. The diet is difficult for me to maintain and I do fall off the wagon (I can't live a life without tomatoes I guess...) I am careful to taper down my consumption of night shade vegetables, but I must confess, they were a large part of my diet. I can give up the eggplant,, but not the tomatoes I guess. The information in this book is very important for psoriasis sufferers, so if you are suffering, or have been recently diagnosed I encourage you to try this book. I also bought the cookbook. Although I am a good cook, I thought there might be a recipe or two that would be helpful and that has been the case. If you can only buy one book and you can cook, I suggest you buy this one. I tried to talk with my Dermatologist about the content of this book. He wasn't too willing to listen to me. Don't be surprised if yours doesn't want to listen either. But do go ahead and take control over your own healthcare. You and your dr are partners in your healthcare. The dietary changes cannot hurt, but only help. Maybe less medication will have to be taken with less side effects. There's lots of info and support on the web for psoriasis suffers. Be your own advocate and learn all you can yourself. You'll feel more in control of your own health. I hope this review helps you. Good luck with your journey into wellness.

Motivational I'm going to give it a go. I've heard others have experienced great success with this book. Most valuable is ch 6

Recieve

This book has changed my life for the better and I am so thankful to Dr. Pagano!! When I was first diagnosed with Psoriasis in April 2015 I thought my life was over because I had Psoriasis all over my body from head to toes. I thought I could never go out in public. I thought I would never be loved again. I thought I would never be able to wear skirts and short-sleeves again for the rest of my life. To make matters ever worse, my doctors told me that I was likely to be in that state (have Psoriasis all over me) for a long long time, possibly for the rest of my life. Then my doctors suggested that I take cancer drugs. I wept for a long time because I felt utterly hopeless. But after doing some research about Dr. Pagano's treatment methods I rejected the possibility of taking cancer drugs. Instead, I bought his book and read it voraciously into the night like my life depended on it. Actually, I was itching all over the place so I could hardly get maybe 2 hours of sleep per night anyway so I spent all that time reading his book. :) I read and followed every step of Dr. Pagano's strict dietary regimen even though I was at times tempted to break off and give up. I fought the urge! I fought off the temptation!. I did my exercises as he had recommended. I ate foods that I normally did not eat. I rejected foods that were bad for me (a.k.a. trigger Psoriasis). I drank 8-10 glasses of water every day. I avoided nightshades, red meat, gluten, sugar, spices, fried foods, processed foods and all kinds of foods that I used to love. I went through a total cleanse of my system. I basically changed my lifestyle, my dietary habits, my way of thinking, and my way of living my life. After 6 months of rigorously following Dr. Pagano's steps AND using the prescribed cream AND doing phototherapy, I went to see my family doctor and my specialist again for a follow up and let me tell you, they were both AMAZED by my ultra quick recovery! They honestly didn't think I would have my normal skin again for at least another 3 years or more. But in just 6 months most of my Psoriasis was gone (except for a dot here or a dot there) and it seemed as if somebody had used an eraser on my skin! I still had to do more check ups and phototherapy afterward to ensure that my Psoriasis didn't flare up again but after 1 year and 2 months I can thankfully say that my skin looks absolutely beautiful and clean these days. I have even received a few compliments on my skin from strangers. When people ask me what I do to have such beautiful skin I smile and say "It has a lot to do with what I eat and don't eat" but I know there's A LOT more to that story. :) Anyway, I am definitely healthier and happier than I used to be all thanks to Dr. John Pagano and his lifetime passion of researching Psoriasis and treating patients. Thank you Dr. Pagano! You are a gift to humanity and my personal hero!

Sehr gute Erklärung für die eigenen Sympthome. Bietet einen guten Startpunkt. Meine Mutter hat mich angeschrien ich müsse in die Psychiatrie, als ich verkündete ich vertrage keine Kartoffeln. Ich habe diese Dinge durch probieren selbst herausgefunden. Mein Umfeld war aber leider nicht sehr verständnisvoll, so war ich nach Jahren glücklich solch ein Buch in den Händen zu halten. Leider hätte ich es mir schon 5 Jahre vorher holen sollen. So bin ich mit der Rohkost und besonders mit Obst und auch mit nur Fruchsäften feinstens hingefallen. Nehmt einfach dieses Buch und Natural Health Diet hinterher und ihr seid auf einem sehr guten Weg. Wenn möglich testet auch noch Allergien auf die Erlaubten Lebensmittel. Ich habe einige weitere Nahrungsmittel und besonders Kräuter, die ich nicht vertage.

I bought this book based on the reviews on this website and have noticed that there has been a number of negative reviews since I purchased the book over a month ago, so I felt although my p is still here I needed let people know how I have found this book and what it is doing for my psoriasis. I have had p for 11 years and although I only have it in small amounts - elbow, knees, knuckles. I do have it severely in my scalp and over the last few months have noticed more spots appearing in different parts of my body and I also have nail psoriasis developing. To try and control the p I decided to take to the internet yet again, in the search for yet another product to help. Then I found this book and I cannot believe I have never come across it before, because it is working and slowly I can see p leaving my body! I always believed p was a skin problem, but Dr Pagano explains that p is developed due to a "leaky gut". By eating certain foods, cutting certain foods out of your diet, drinking teas, exercise, positive thinking and more this helps to build your immune system and eventually if you stick to the diet your p will go. I have been on this diet for a month (although I prefer to call it a lifestyle change)and I have noticed changes to the p. My scalp is 80% better. I have no p on my ears, which was really bad, my older p is starting to fade slightly and my newer p is almost gone. I urge any psoriasis sufferer to read this book. Yes the diet is fairly strict, however I personally have found the diet to be enjoyable and have welcomed the challenge. Like me if you really are at your whit's end because of this terrible disease controlling your life, then I expect you will do anything to get rid of it. Since developing psoriasis I have been told on many occasions, that there is no cure for it and eventually over time I have just decided to live with it. For the first time in 11 years I honestly believe eventually I will be free of it. I never thought I would ever say that and it is this book that has given me hope! I will also update on this review with my progress or if you have any questions, please leave a comment and I will do my best help. :)