I started writing here about what I believe triggered my Psoriasis & what I've discovered helps but it soon became a rival to War & Peace  
I really think I'm on to something and tho' I'm sure it won't help every one I do think it might resonate with some.
One sorry sad sack day late last year I realised I needed to pull my finger out and stop whining. I wrote down every event that could possibly be connected to my Psoriasis. This is how it went. I've have the P on my scalp, in my ears, a good dose on my hands and fingers. I also have it on each elbow but I have that area under control with Daivobet 50/500 ointment. Every joint in my hands and fingers were always swollen and stiff and the pointer fingers were becoming crooked.  I've had it for over 3 years.  
In October I went to my doctor desperately looking for relief, all I left there with was a box of tissues. Next day I started eating totally gluten free and I felt so much better just 3 days later that I've kept with it and have I lost 10 Kg with no effort but it didn't ease my P.  In September it had suddenly dawned on me that the cycle of flare ups (it never went away just wasn't as bad) matched my monthly cycle (or what had been) I also out of nowhere started getting a bad tummy after I had eaten food with dairy in it (and now I suspect eggs), mayonnaise, aioli and especially cream and ice cream, it became a pattern that within 30 minutes of eating I'd have to break the one mile minute to get to the ladies.  Now I know what some people say about the 8 hour digestion cycle but I don't believe a word of it. It also occurred to me that 3 times in a row of going to the movies and eating an icecream that the meaty area of my palms were burning and blisters under the skin were trying to erupt thru the skin after about an hour. It had happened many times over the years, I just didn't put the pattern together. I am in the early stages of full menopause now but my bloods showed only a small dip in numbers, I felt like crap but I thought the only symptoms I had was minor hot flushes just thru the day. It was like a light bulb being switched on, a diary entry every day for the next 4 weeks tied hot flushes with my psoriasis flare ups. 90% of the month I was having to wear 20 band aids on my fingers just to be able to use cutlery, write with a biro and do my job. At it's worst I would only have to straighten my pointer finger and the skin would split and it was like having 100 paper cuts.  My scalp was unbearable, I'd pour vinegar on it just to change the feel of the itching to stinging. Resting my hands on a hot kettle almost felt so good it tickled.
After going to a new lady doctor who was right up on the latest HRT info I had bloods and scans done and after getting results started on HRT on Feb 17th. Today is the 27th March and I can tell you that I have not had one eruption or flare up for 2 weeks. The band aids were making it worse and I started getting plaques on my knuckles but they are looking better. My hands are dry but I am so happy they are feeling so much better, it will be some time before the hard plaques are gone. The splits are healing and I haven't had a bleed for weeks.
Another thing I know gave me relief within a day was scrubbing my whole body with chlorhexidine and scrubbing my scalp with a product containing ketoconazole (that was for you jiml... not giving you a spanking opportunity    )  in fact I used the keto on every area there is hair, particularly the eyebrows, they itched like mad and the plaques were ugly. I had also had a reoccurring crazy itching inflamed area down the right side of my entire nose. I know from being a nurse that humans develop skin bacteria, we use microshield at work, it comes from warmth, sweating and just living. I must have been in denial! I smelled funny! I blamed the water coming out of the taps, I had collected water in a container intending to take it to be tested. I really smelled generally off. By the time I had scrubbed twice in a  week the smell disappeared.  For 3 weeks I have also cut milk products and eggs. I checked my calendar and am not surprised that my cycle would have started yesterday for this month. Last night my left pointer finger started itching and it became inflamed, exactly in the same area I believe the first signs started after continually opening and closing a spring water bottle for 3 weeks. I am a strong believer now about petrochemicals in plastic causing skin disorders and I know this is where mine started 3 years ago. I also notice now that if I become stressed/ over tired/ my anxiety levels pitch that my hands and scalp start heating up and become itchy. Sorry for the book length story. I hope it helps some body.  

Very interesting read Gilly. It's great that you keep up with what you've eaten and your system as well as when you have flares. I think the triggers can vary so much that it's helpful to keep up with what sets things off. I'm terrible at doing that though!

Good read, the length wasn't a problem but I always struggle to keep going without any spaces between paragraphs.

But I got there in the end, even though my eyes are now all blurry.     

That's great Gilly! I am a firm believer in things upsetting the balance. Unfortunately, I couldn't have HRT and so have suffered quite badly for the past 12 years with the dreaded menopause. Nothing really seemed to help.

I have also tried unsuccessfully over the years to lose weight (I'm not enormous or anything but am used to being a lot smaller) and was starting to feel quite beaten by everything, quite apart from my PPP. Last year I was so fed up that going to the gym wasn't working (partly because I hated going and therefore did not put quite as much effort in as I should have) and partly because even though I was calorie counting nothing seemed to work. Now you can put that down to the menopause or age or whatever you like but the thing I hated most was always feeling grotty.

I met a friend of a friend by chance on (as it turns out) my last day at the gym who suggested I give Sarah a ring. Sarah had qualified as a personal trainer and was heavily into good eating. What a life changing moment that was! I started last year on the Paleo diet - basically the Caveman diet. No carbs, little dairy, but what dairy you have should be good stuff, and no sugar! Sugar is dreadful stuff and causes the most harm I think - for me anyway.

For dietary assistance or a new way of life as we call it, have a look on Amazon for books and information. It has certainly worked for me. And it has improved my PPP I think because even when I have a flare up it is nowhere near as severe. I have also found 2 new (food) loves in my life - sweet potatoes and Greek yoghurt with blueberries! lol.

I stress that it is not a fad, not a diet but a way of life. I wouldn't want anyone to think I was behind a diet fad.

It may help some of you.

Keep it up Gilly! Any improvement in quality of life is better than none!

Let us know how it all goes.

S

Gilly, i think a good soaking for you in virgin coconut oil might help ?

We are all different in our treatments but Freddo on here got me onto the virgin.



Well, all i can say is now Gilly..............................



Happy scratching



GB

Blimey grizzly that dolphin never gets full wet

Well Gilly I like the story of your journey you have certainly been through the mill with your suffering. And I'm glad you have brought your experience here. It's refreshing to see a new approach that is giving you positive results . And while it may not work for all, if it helps one other person out of their misery, you will have achieved a lot . Already your post has been viewed by almost 100 people so you are getting your message out there

Women in general have a history with immune disease. One theory suggest birth control may play a part in disease such as MS. Just food for thought.

Another thing worth mentioning... Any skin damage could possible lead to a flare. Yeast infections, bacterial infections, and so on can possibly damage the skin. Yeast and bacteria thrive on sugar; so basically when you are eating foods high in simple sugars and salt basically feeds infections.

I have chonic yeast infections and it is my experience that limiting surgar and salt have a dramatic impact on on yeast and psoriasis. Just my experience...

Thank you every one for your comments, it makes me feel better reading the information you all added.
I remembered that I had tasted like salt when I had a bad flare up day... I wasn't licking myself  I discovered it one day when I licked my top lip, probably sulking and pouting    I'm not a salt eater, I haven't added salt to food for 20 years. I've also never eaten red meat, ever (but my cholesterol is always 7)  I'm confused and feeling picked on      (In a perfect world we could start a "secret women's business" thread and blame men  
Today I dyed my hair again for the first time in months, ordinarily by tomorrow morning I'm itching like crazy, so I'll be laying there with one eye open checking the ambience.  Grizzly Bear told me about coconut oil, he said Fred had put him onto it and it is great. I had some in the cupboard from mixing it with lavender ointment. Just straight like this is so much better, so thank    you Andy.

(Sat-28-03-2015, 13:23 PM)Gilly Wrote:  (In a perfect world we could start a "secret women's business" thread and blame men  

Eeeerhem you already live in a perfect world, created for you by us men    

Wow!! Why didn't I notice that men had created us women a perfect world, I must have been looking out the window when it flashed past like a burning comet  
If they can put two men on the moon why can't they put them all there