For this month I have chosen this disease process symptomology
because my sister recently wrote to me and informed me her new
husband has a bad case of psoriasis. Since I have counseled several
people with psoriasis and they have had a resolution of the condition,
I decided to relate what I know about it.
The following information I obtained from the web-site of The
National Psoriasis Foundation (as a tip to facilitate web searches
I use HotBot as the most efficient way I have found to find information
on the World Wide Web).
What is Psoriasis?
Introduction
Psoriasis is a noncontagious skin disorder that most commonly
appears as inflamed swollen skin lesions covered with silvery
white scale. This most common type of psoriasis is called plaque
psoriasis.
Psoriasis comes in many different variations and degrees of severity.
Different types of psoriasis display characteristics such as pus-like
blisters (pustular psoriasis), severe sloughing of the skin (erythrodermic
psoriasis), drop-like dots (guttate psoriasis) and smooth inflamed
legions (inverse psoriasis). The degrees of severity of psoriasis
are divided into three important categories: mild, moderate and
severe.
Causes of Psoriasis
No one knows what causes psoriasis, though it is generally accepted
that it has a genetic component, and a recent study has established
that it is an autoimmune skin disorder. Scientists believe that
a person is born genetically predisposed to psoriasis. One in
three people report a family history of psoriasis, but there is
no pattern of inheritance. There are many cases in which children
with no apparent family history of the disease will develop psoriasis.
Whether a person actually develops psoriasis may depend on something
"triggering" its appearance. Examples of "trigger
factors" include systemic infections such as strep throat,
injury to the skin (the Koebner phenomenon), vaccinations, certain
medications, and intramuscular injections or oral steroid medications.
Once something triggers a person's genetic tendency to develop
psoriasis, it is thought that in turn, the immune system triggers
the excessive skin cell reproduction.
The Psoriasis Cycle
Skin cells are programmed to follow two possible programs: normal
growth or wound healing. In a normal growth pattern, skin cells
are created in the basal cell layer, and then move up through
the epidermis to the stratum corneum, the outermost layer of the
skin. Dead cells are shed from the skin at about the same rate
as new cells are produced, maintaining a balance. This normal
process takes about 28 days from cell birth to death.
When skin is wounded, a wound healing program is triggered, also
known as regenerative maturation. Cells are produced at a much
faster rate, theoretically to replace and repair the wound. There
is also an increased blood supply and localized inflammation.
In many ways, psoriatic skin is similar to skin healing from a
wound or reacting to a stimulus such as infection.
Lesional psoriasis is characterized by cell growth in the alternate
growth program. Although there is no wound at a psoriatic lesion,
skin cells (called "keratinocytes") behave as if there
is. These keratinocytes switch from the normal growth program
to regenerative maturation. Cells are created and pushed to the
surface in as little as 2-4 days, and the skin cannot shed the
cells fast enough. The excessive skin cells build up and form
elevated, scaly lesions. The white scale that usually covers the
lesion is composed of dead skin cells, and the redness of the
lesion is caused by increased blood supply to the area of rapidly
dividing skin cells.
Living With Psoriasis
Psoriasis can be very painful, but the pain is more than skin
deep. The emotions suffer as well. It presents people with physical
limitations, disfiguration, and its tedious, daily care always
demands too much time. Embarrassment, frustration, fear, and depression
are common. In extreme cases, a loss of self-esteem results in
a complete withdrawal from society.
Various kinds of temporary relief are available, and they work
with varying degrees of success. Treatments and medications are
often time consuming and expensive. They can be cosmetically unpleasant
and pose additional health risks for the patient.
Psoriasis does not follow a predictable course. Each individual
case breaks its own trail. One thing is certain: the symptoms
may come and go, but they almost always come again. Its a life-long
disease.
The National Psoriasis Foundation is committed to improving the
lives of people who have psoriasis through education, while stimulating
research to find a cure.
Psoriasis Statistics
[ * ] Americans Affected - Psoriasis affects 5 million Americans.
[ * ] Gender - Psoriasis affects men and women equally.
[ * ] Average Age of Onset- The average age of onset is 22.5 years
of age, though psoraisis is seen at birth and as late in age as
90.
[ * ] Childhood Psoriasis - Between 10 to 15% of the people who
get psoriasis are under the age of 10.
[ * ] Psoriatic Arthritis - There is a form of arthritis that
occurs in approximately 10-20% of the people who have psoriasis.
It is called psoriatic arthritis.
[ * ] New Cases - Between 150,000 and 260,000 new cases of psoriasis
occur each year.
[ * ] Outpatient Costs -Annual outpatient costs for treating psoriasis
is currently estimated at $1.6 to $3.2 billion.
[ * ] Disability Grants - An estimated 400 people are granted
disability by the Social Security Administration because of their
psoriasis each year.
[ * ] Fatalities - Annually, approximately 400 people die from
psoriasis-related causes.
[ * ] Psoriasis Patients - Over 1,500,000 people per year are
seen by U.S. physicians for psoriasis.
The above is conventional medical information. And I have mentioned
several times that there is no cure for any disease.
From a macrobiotic perspective, any skin condition indicates the
organs of elimination are stagnated and toxic - these are the
kidneys/bladder, the large intestine/lungs and the skin.
The foods which are significant contributors to stagnation and
toxicity in this particular condition are the following:
Any animal protein/fat - thus they must be avoided - including
any form of meat and dairy food. So, no beef, lamb, pork, eggs,
chicken, fish, milk, cream, cheese, ice cream, yoghurt, butter
etc.
Any form of simple sugars - thus no fruit or fruit juices, soft
drinks, any form of alcohol, sugar, honey, maple syrup, molasses
etc.
Any form of refined food - especially refined white flour, tofu
and tofu products like soy milk etc.
Avoid all the deadly nightshade family of foods- potato, tomato,
peppers and eggplant.
Spices.
Drinking too much liquid of any kind.
Overeating any food.
It is also very important not to overdo the use of sea salt (regular
table salt must necessarily be avoided) - therefore the use of
miso, tamari, umeboshi plum, sesame salt and salty pickles must
not be overdone.
Obviously I recommend adopting a macrobiotic dietary practice
as the first step to be taken to allow for the body to rid itself
of the symptoms of any condition. In addition it is crucial to
do the regimen of ginger compresses on the abdomen as described
in the page on The Ginger Compress.
As for external treatments to ease any irritation and inflammation,
itchiness etc., I recommend using Brown Rice Bran (the brown rice
bran - called nuka in Japanese- may be obtained from natural food
stores) as follows:
Take one cup of brown rice bran and wrap it up in a cheese cloth
or cotton cloth bag to make a sack of the brown rice bran. Take
a 1 quart pot and fill it with water (tap water is okay) and bring
to a boil. After switching the heat off and letting the water
stop boiling place the bag of brown rice bran in the pot. Let
it steep in the hot water until a yellowish liquid begins to seep
out of the bag. It is now ready to use.
Lift the bag out of the pot, squeeze the excess liquid back into
the pot, and rub the bag of brown rice on the areas of skin affected
with psoriasis. This can be done two to three times a day. Also,
it can be used in a bath to which is also added one pound of any
kind of salt.
I am taking a look at breast cancer this month because of the
interest which is being generated by it as a result of the US
Post Office bringing out a stamp to 'increase awareness' of this
condition in the general population.
From a macrobiotic perspective the breasts are, like any sexual
organ, ruled by the kidneys, so the remarks I made about the kidneys
with reference to prostate cancer also apply here. Also, in my
experience of counseling thousands of women over the past decade
it has been my observation that when any woman has female organ
problems, be they of the ovaries, fallopian tubes, uterus or breasts
they also have what I call 'Chronic Intestinal Stagnation'(CIS),
a condition I will describe at a later date; and conversely, if
they have CIS, they always have problems with the female organs.
It is a remarkable fact that most women seem to accept as normal
that every month when they undergo menstruation that this is invariably
marked by discomfort, sometimes mild but most often extreme, including
cramps, nausea, irritability and depression. This is actually
abnormal. A healthy woman's menstruation will occur regularly
every 28 days or so, take approximately three days, with mild
spotting in the first few hours, a light and even flow of menses
over the next twenty four to thirty six hours followed by a drying
up period before the episode is over, and be an occurrence of
such mildness as to be comparable to having to go and urinate.
The fact that this is not the normal experience of most women
once they reach puberty means the condition of the urogenital
system is already beginning to deteriorate at an early age.
It is obvious, from a macrobiotic perspective, what the cause
of these problems are and so if a woman wishes to have these unpleasant
monthly episodes cease then it is necessary to go on a macrobiotic
dietary program, avoiding all (and especially) dairy food, spices,
cold foods, supplements, animal fat and high protein foods entirely,
including ANY AND ALL SOYBEAN PRODUCTS INCLUDING TOFU, SOY MILK
AND OTHER SOY PRODUCTS except miso, tamari and natural soy sauce.
The condition I call CIS is a condition of the small and large
intestines and is treated with the ginger compress. However, instead
of doing the ginger compress on the kidneys, it is done on the
abdomen, using the towels to cover the area from the sternum to
the pelvic bone and from one hip bone to the other so the entire
soft belly of the abdomen is treated. Follow the instructions
I give in the page on the Ginger Compress,
but do the treatment lying on your back.
In the case of a woman wishing to treat specifically female organ
problems like breast cancer, then do the ginger compress on the
abdomen twice a week. In addition, a home treatment called the
Daikon Bath( which is called the universal home remedy for all
female organ conditions) should be done twice a week, the treatment
regimen being a total of thirty two ginger compresses and thirty
two daikon baths over a period of 16-20 weeks. These treatments
are absolutely to no avail if they are not also accompanied by
a change to a macrobiotic dietary practice.
The Daikon Bath.
Items: One Gallon container with a lid.
The dried leaves of four bunches of daikon greens.
If you cannot obtain daikon greens, then use either turnip greens
or comfrey greens- in all cases the greens must be hung to dry
in a place sheltered from direct sunlight until the leaves turn
crisp and dry before using them. It is possible the grocery store
from which you obtain your vegetables sells daikon radishes; if
they do, ask them if the daikon are delivered to the store with
their leaves still attached. If they are, then ask the store manager
to save a bag for you, and then take them home a dry them by hanging
them up on a piece of string in your garage or attic or another
suitable place in the shade.
One generous handful of any kind of seasalt or rock salt.
Instructions:
The treatment has to be done at night before going to bed. Once
you enter the bath to do the treatment then you must go to bed
immediately after getting out of the bath.
Place half a gallon of water in the container along with the four
bunches of dried daikon leaves(or half a bag), bring to a boil
and let simmer for half an hour. Then add the generous handful
of seasalt or rock salt. Meanwhile run a hot bath, so that you
can either lie in it so your body is covered up to the neck, or
you can sit in the bath with the water level up your navel, the
upper part of your body wrapped in a towel to keep it warm. Then
pour the salty daikon water into the bath through a strainer or
sieve to keep the leaves out of the bath. The leaves are later
discarded.
Get in the bath, with the water as comfortably hot as you can
stand, and soak for 15-20 minutes. Then get out, dry yourself
rapidly, get well covered, e.g., put on a pair of pajamas, a dressing
gown and a scarf on your head, and go to bed.
The activity of the dried daikon leaves, because of the upward
movement of the leaves as they are growing and the shrinking activity
as they are dried means these dynamics are in the water when you
get into the bath. The result is the chi or etheric activity of
the daikon leaves prepared in this manner cuts through the fatty,
mucus deposits in the uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes and breasts
(even if you are not lying in the bath up to your neck) and dissolves
them and then draws them down toward the uterus to be excreted
in the form, usually, of copious vaginal discharge. The heat of
the bath stimulates the overall blood and lymph circulation so
that when you get into the bed well-covered you will eventually
begin to sweat profusely.
Of course, some women begin to sweat on the first occasion of
doing the bath, but more usually it takes several weeks because
most women have a lot of accumulated fat under the skin and this
needs to get dissolved first before real sweating can begin.
The resulting activity of the daikon bath thus brings about, if
and only if accompanied by a change to a macrobiotic diet of cooked
whole grains and vegetables, the following:
A cleansing and tonification of the female organs.
A thorough-going cleansing of the skin, including facial skin,
which is truly remarkable to see(all you models out there, take
note!).
A dissolving and melting away of fat deposits everywhere in the
body.
Therefore it used in all conditions of the breasts, ovaries, fallopian
tubes and uterus/vagina, for helping to lose weight, and as a
tremendous skin cleanser, along with a change to the macrobiotic
dietary program.
Caution.
Do not use the Daikon Bath if you have any heart condition requiring
medication; in this case get on the macrobiotic diet for four
months, then wean yourself off the medication over a period of
four to six weeks, with the guidance of an experienced macrobiotic
practitioner, and then do the daikon bath treatment. (It is remarkable
how quickly the heart heals itself with the macrobiotic dietary
approach.)
This treatment is only for women.
It is wise initially, say for the first three to four weeks of
doing the bath, to not schedule anything for the day after doing
the bath; to begin with you tend to feel somewhat to very tired
the day after doing the bath and it is better to take it easy.
Also, if it happens that the cleansing of the female organs manifests
as vaginal discharge and/or symptoms similar to those which manifest
in urinary tract infections such as burning and itching and the
urge to urinate frequently, DO NOT TAKE ANTIBIOTICS. Instead,
make a douche liquid as follows:
Place the flesh of 6-7 Umeboshi Plums in 1 quart of water and
bring to a boil. Switch the heat off and let cool to body temperature.
Then strain out one cup of the umeboshi liquid and use to douche.
The next day, reheat the water until it reaches body temperature
and douche again with one cup of the strained umeboshi liquid.
Repeat daily until the liquid is gone; then add 3-4 new umeboshi
plums to the ones you have already in the pot, add 1 quart of
water, bring to a boil etc. Do this for ten days, douching once
a day.
Another home remedy specifically for the female organs is to follow
the recipe I gave for Aduki Bean Tea in the section on Prostate
Cancer, but replace the Aduki Beans with Black Soybeans.
Follow-up to the removal of breasts to prevent breast cancer.
A case was reported in one of the local papers about a woman
who had both of her breasts removed, not because she had breast
cancer, but because her grandmother had breast cancer, her mother
had breast cancer and one of her sisters had breast cancer. She
decided to have her breasts removed in order to avoid the possibility
of getting breast cancer, since, as the saying goes, "it
runs in the family" or as she put it "there is obviously
something wrong in the Kingdom of Denmark". This story is
another of the many current illustrations of the sorry state of
modern medicine; if you take this kind of thinking to its logical
conclusion, why not just remove the whole body and you won't have
to worry about getting sick at all!
The fact is that diseases "run in the family" only if
a daughter or son eats the standard modern diet of their parents,
for then they will tend to show up with the same kinds of disease
their parents developed, and at a younger age. If, on the other
hand they change their diet to a macrobiotic diet, then they will
not. In my case, my grandfather on my father's side died of a
heart attack at the age of 75, my father died of a heart attack
at the age of 33, and I have no doubt I would have had a heart
attack before the age of thirty if I had not changed my eating
habits to a macrobiotic approach to eating at the age of 28 (I
am now 53).
Furthermore, when a woman develops breast cancer, has the breast
removed, usually the cancer shows up again later(if no macrobiotic
dietary and other lifestyle changes are made), either in the other
breast, or it goes deeper into the body, to the lungs, liver or
brain. Thus, removing both breasts only guarantees this lady is
not going to develop breast cancer; it certainly does not guarantee
she will not develop cancer.
Now, if you go back to the Introduction of The Alchemycal Pages and ponder the
illustration of the Process of Disease, it will no doubt occur
to you that eating the "meat and sugar" diet is actually
a prescription for developing degenerative disease (and statistics
of disease in the USA confirm this). Thus it would seem logical,
if one wished to reduce one's chances of developing degenerative
illnesses that it would be an intelligent choice to quit eating
the "meat and sugar" diet and replace it with one based
on cooked whole grains and vegetables BEFORE developing any degenerative
illness. In so doing, one is no longer a passive recipient of
taking one's health for granted; rather, you are becoming a co-creator
of your own health, vitality and longevity.