Health Boards
Sat-24-09-2016, 08:03 AM
Hi Bill. I'm happy with my results to date using a diet based approach as you know. Conventional treatment didn't help me. That's my experience, which is all I can go by. At then end of the day it's about personal choice and what works for the individual. I'm posting here because I want to share my experience with anyone who's interested, but totally accept that it may not be the best option for all (as I stated in my original post), and certainly would not try to suggest that anyone should eschew any medical treatment that works for them. The only reason I have is because it wasn't working. Thankfully I found a way of managing the problem.
My GP was not in the slightest bit interested in how I had improved my skin which I found frustrating, whereas the dermatologist did show some curiosity, which was nice. I don't, however, share your faith in the medical establishment. Initially, I fully expected to see my GP for what I thought was a simple rash and come away with some advice and or medicine, and that it would clear up relatively quickly. It didn't. It progressed. Subsequent visits did me no better, eventually leading to a referral to a dermatologist. My hopes were high prior to the consultation as my psoriasis was crippling me at that point. Consultation arrives, and the recommendation was yet more steroids and a course of PUVA. So more of the same that hadn't worked over the previous 8 months, but I persevered but with no results. I was repeatedly told that diet was not the cause. Only after a bad outbreak following a long weekend eating plenty of junk - toast, pizza, sandwiches etc. - did I suspect that that was wrong information and that diet really did matter. So I came on here and other forums and read a shed load of posts, coming to the conclusion that a significant number of people reported that knocking out certain foods helped them immensely. I can only but agree, because it has helped me clear this up to the point where I forget about it a lot of the time. So, if I can find a simple solution that works for me why didn't my healthcare provider inform me of this option?
As for pasteurization, I agree it has it's place in ensuring dairy products are safe for mass consumption within a commercially driven low cost food industry. However, that does not mean that it is a healthier product, in fact quite the opposite. Pasteurization denatures milk, destroying beneficial enzymes and vitamins which help the body digest it and get the most out of it. It really is of most benefit to producers and distributors in guaranteeing a safe product for mass distribution, and of course to us the consumer. However, if milk producers and distributors always used best practice there would be no need to pasteurize because the product would not need it. This was the case before mass distribution - after all word would spread very quickly that Farmer Joe's milk makes you sick, and he would go out of business or clean his act up. Mass distribution adds to the problem - further distances and increased time from production to table so more chance of the milk fouling. Also, milk is used from many different suppliers - a bad batch can then spoil others when added to it for transport or storage prior to bottling or processing. But, pasteurization is a sledgehammer to crack a nut. All milk is assumed to be potentially dangerous and must, therefore, be heat treated. Why? Surely one simply tests a sample from each batch before being accepted from the producer. The reason this is not done is, I suspect, simply to cut costs.
I trust the farmer whom I use for my dairy products, he is passionate about what he does. All his produce is organic, which I appreciate - we have too much exposure to chemical additives and fillers in our food. If I got food poisoning from his produce he'd know about it and I wouldn't be going back in a hurry.
As for whether raw milk is good for psoriasis, I don't know, all I can say is I've had no reaction to it so far - but early days for me - a couple of weeks drinking kefir and a few days of milk. My suspicion is that it probably is helpful (see my earlier comment to Celia) simply due to it being a good source of probiotics. Food companies advertise that probiotics are good for us all the time.
Unpasteurised milk has the potential to be dangerous - just like any food. It spoils as quickly as raw fish. We are able to buy fresh fish, it's a shame we can't buy raw milk in supermarkets in the UK. At least we can buy directly from the farm.
Finally, it's all about personal choice, I'm not saying my way is the only way. You're not saying your way is the only way. I think we would both agree that whatever works is the best way.
My GP was not in the slightest bit interested in how I had improved my skin which I found frustrating, whereas the dermatologist did show some curiosity, which was nice. I don't, however, share your faith in the medical establishment. Initially, I fully expected to see my GP for what I thought was a simple rash and come away with some advice and or medicine, and that it would clear up relatively quickly. It didn't. It progressed. Subsequent visits did me no better, eventually leading to a referral to a dermatologist. My hopes were high prior to the consultation as my psoriasis was crippling me at that point. Consultation arrives, and the recommendation was yet more steroids and a course of PUVA. So more of the same that hadn't worked over the previous 8 months, but I persevered but with no results. I was repeatedly told that diet was not the cause. Only after a bad outbreak following a long weekend eating plenty of junk - toast, pizza, sandwiches etc. - did I suspect that that was wrong information and that diet really did matter. So I came on here and other forums and read a shed load of posts, coming to the conclusion that a significant number of people reported that knocking out certain foods helped them immensely. I can only but agree, because it has helped me clear this up to the point where I forget about it a lot of the time. So, if I can find a simple solution that works for me why didn't my healthcare provider inform me of this option?
As for pasteurization, I agree it has it's place in ensuring dairy products are safe for mass consumption within a commercially driven low cost food industry. However, that does not mean that it is a healthier product, in fact quite the opposite. Pasteurization denatures milk, destroying beneficial enzymes and vitamins which help the body digest it and get the most out of it. It really is of most benefit to producers and distributors in guaranteeing a safe product for mass distribution, and of course to us the consumer. However, if milk producers and distributors always used best practice there would be no need to pasteurize because the product would not need it. This was the case before mass distribution - after all word would spread very quickly that Farmer Joe's milk makes you sick, and he would go out of business or clean his act up. Mass distribution adds to the problem - further distances and increased time from production to table so more chance of the milk fouling. Also, milk is used from many different suppliers - a bad batch can then spoil others when added to it for transport or storage prior to bottling or processing. But, pasteurization is a sledgehammer to crack a nut. All milk is assumed to be potentially dangerous and must, therefore, be heat treated. Why? Surely one simply tests a sample from each batch before being accepted from the producer. The reason this is not done is, I suspect, simply to cut costs.
I trust the farmer whom I use for my dairy products, he is passionate about what he does. All his produce is organic, which I appreciate - we have too much exposure to chemical additives and fillers in our food. If I got food poisoning from his produce he'd know about it and I wouldn't be going back in a hurry.
As for whether raw milk is good for psoriasis, I don't know, all I can say is I've had no reaction to it so far - but early days for me - a couple of weeks drinking kefir and a few days of milk. My suspicion is that it probably is helpful (see my earlier comment to Celia) simply due to it being a good source of probiotics. Food companies advertise that probiotics are good for us all the time.
Unpasteurised milk has the potential to be dangerous - just like any food. It spoils as quickly as raw fish. We are able to buy fresh fish, it's a shame we can't buy raw milk in supermarkets in the UK. At least we can buy directly from the farm.
Finally, it's all about personal choice, I'm not saying my way is the only way. You're not saying your way is the only way. I think we would both agree that whatever works is the best way.