- My story--part 1 by YoungLady
18 y
5,013 9 Messages Shown
Blog: Fasting for Weight Loss & Psoriasis Healing
Hello! Thanks for reading my blog. Hope you are having an excellent day!
Now some background info that will help you understand who I am and why I am doing this fast. It is a lot about me, and it is also the first time I ever put my story in writing and in public. I am doing it both for myself, to help sort out my feelings about myself, and for other people who might relate to my story. This is a very detailed and intimate story, and it is long, because I want to bring to light all the feelings that have been sort of covered up as I have never really told anyone the whole story.
I am 21 and a college student, majoring in Economics. I grew up in an Eastern European country and came to the US in 2004 for college.
Since about 12 years old I've been interested in natural therapies/alternative medicine, and have been reading a lot on the body's power to heal itself. I still have the first book I read on the subject--a book on raw food as the ideal diet, by an unknown author, but extremely well written. I can still picture myself even after 9 years in the book store, picking it up and reading it :) It was the beginning of what will probably be a lifetime journey of learning and discovery.
So over the course of 9 years I have acumulated quite a lot of knowledge about the many natural therapies/prevention methods/healthy living methods (raw diets, positive thinking, fasting, vitamins&minerals, urinotherapy, juicing, etc etc.) I have also read a lot about human physiology, and am especially interested in hormones and the way their delicate balance affects the human body.
I also developed a strong aversion to doctors (except surgeons..) and drugs. I believe, based on extensive reading (especially Dr. Mercola's articles), that drugs are only a method to cover up the effects of a certain disequilibrium in the body, and that as long as this cause is not corrected, the effects will continue to manifest regardless of the amount of drugs given to the person. I always use an analogy I found in that first natural healing book I read at 12 and that has stuck in my mind: being sick is like being in a bathtub and drowning because the faucet is on and water keeps pouring into the bathtub, and you are managing to keep your head above the water by using a teaspoon to throw water out. As long as you don't turn the faucet off, the water level will get higher and higher until you are no longer able to keep your nose above it by using your spoon. The spoon is the drugs, and the faucet is the cause that needs to be corrected.
I don't often discuss what I know with others, except with my family, because in our current society and culture (especially in my age group) people are reluctant to learn about these kinds of things and prefer to think of doctors as magicians able to cure anything. So, I am greateful for the internet, and for curezone!
Now, the reason why I became interested in natural healing at such a young age was that I have always had a minor skin condition: small bumps on my upper arms and on my thighs, as well as some on my face. My mother tells me I was not born with them, and that they appeared when I was 6-9 months old. I can only think that they were caused by either vaccinations, or an allergy to a certain food.
I still have those bumps, and even though they are not very visible (except on my thighs), they can be felt and because of that they caused me a lot of grief, especially when I was younger and used to cry because my skin was not "normal" like other kids'. I went to a few doctors between the ages of 8 and 12, but they were not able to either identify the cause of the bumps or to tell me how to cure them. That was pretty much my only experience with the "medical establishment", other than the annual tonsillitis I used to get in the winter between the ages of 6 and 11. My mother would take me to the family doctor, a very nice lady who was also a family friend. She would give me antibiotics and something for the fever. When I was 9 or 10 I read an article about how fever is the body's natural mechanism of killing germs, and ever since then I refused to take anything for fever during those tonsillitis bouts. Fortunately, at around 12 years old I stopped having them.
Back to psoriasis. A few months ago I noticed that the mild dandruff I have had for a few years now was beginning to get worse. And I realized that I had psoriasis--the same condition that my father developed 10 years ago, a condition that often runs in the family (although my dad's mom, my grandma, doesn't know any family member with psoriasis). I now realize that my psoriasis has been developing for at least 5 years. My skin has always been a bit dry, and I attributed it to the same unknown condition that caused the bumps (sorry I don't have a more scientific name for them, but like I said no doctor was able to diagnose them). I started noticing that for a few years now during winter my hands would get really dry, but I never thought much of it and assumed it was all due to my "weird" skin condition.
During that time I watched my dear father's psoriasis get worse and worse every year. It started with dandruff and slowly extended to his elbows, knees, and back. I researched a lot on alternative psoriasis therapies, but never managed to convince him that he might be healed. All the doctors he talked to told him that it's a "genetic" condition triggered by stress (it was indeed triggered by a stressful event in his life), and that it CANNOT be healed, only kept under control. I did manage to convince him to reduce his meat consumption and eat more raw vegetables. 2-3 years ago I read about a woman who fasted 14 days and healed her psoriasis. I remember being frustrated because even after reading this testimony, my dad would still not try it, even though he kept saying he would do anything to heal. I also remember having quite a few heated arguments with him about psoriasis--I kept insisting that it can be healed if only he would try some of these natural therapies, and he kept insisting that all those "excellent" doctors told him what he eats doesn't make any difference and except PUVA, skin lotions, and certain drugs (highly toxic ones!) there is nothing he could do.
If only those doctors knew how many lives they ruin with those few sentences, robbing people of their hope and optimism, which are often the very things that can help them heal themselves...I am still working on releasing the negative energy I developed towards them, because I still hold them responsible for my dad losing any hope of ever curing himself of psoriasis. One's mindset makes such a ahuge difference with this disease, that although I realise my father could have chosen to not believe the doctors and keep his hope up, he had no logical reason not to believe "well-educated and well-informed doctors". My father is a software engineer, thus a very logical person, and to him my suggestion that the doctors are wrong and that he might indeed heal himself is completely illogical.
I even remember thinking, after those heated arguments with my dad, wishing I too had psoriasis, just so I could show him that it COULD be healed and that those doctors were wrong. (These thoughts, in retrospect, proved to be quite ironic because they came true, and they were actually true even then when I was thinking them, although I didn't know it because my psoriasis was only starting to manifest.)
It was devastating to me emotionally to witness the quiet desperation of my dad. Even as I am writing this, tears stream on my face. He is a good and sensitive man, and is suffering terribly because of this disease.
I now realize that my dry hands during winter were the first sign of psoriasis developing. Now that the signs are a bit more obvious (the dandruff has gotten worse, and has the obvious characteristics of psoriasis), my hands got much drier this winter than in the previous 4-5 years.
End of part 1...to be continued in another post (part 2)
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YoungLady
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- Re: Bumps on arms and legs and face by emkay
18 y
2,840
Hey There,
I just wanted to shed light on some of those bumps things. My daughter is 6 years old and has the same thing. It is genetic and your mom or dad somewhere in your lineage has it. It is a very common condition called Keratosis Pilaris. It is due to an over production of keratin in hair follicles. If you google it you'll find hundreds of articles about it. The unfortunate thing is that there is nothing you can do about it. Scrubbing with a loofah and moisturizing heavily is about the only thing you can do to minimize the look and feel of the bumps. Some people use salicylic acid creams, but as you can imagine it is not good for you and is also temporary. The second you stop, they will return. I myself had the same thing and you will likely eventually stop getting them...I did at about 25 years old, but there isn't any guarantee. I know this is disheartening, but I wanted to be clear that this won't resolve based on eating differently. It is just one of those silly skin problems that have plagued so many, that no one has found a remedy for. Sun can help too ie. short term tanning during the winter months when the problem seems to flare up. Hope this sheds some light on your problem.
Good Luck
Leanna
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emkay
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- Re: Bumps on arms and legs and face by YoungLady
18 y
2,566
Thanks for the info Leanna!
I have actually noticed them too on some people's arms, but they are a bit redder, and seem smaller...mine are *slightly* larger than what I have seen on other people, and skin colored which makes them almost invisible. I still wonder what this genetic cause might be, a defect in the digestive system or what...
Hope they do go away like your did :)
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YoungLady
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- Re: Bumps on arms and legs and face by RawGirl
18 y
2,914
I have found --- in my own experience --- an OPPOSITE result of the statement "this won't resolve based on eating differently" .... so I will share that it is this simple:
** Eat mainly cooked food = skin bumps, and yes, no amount of loofah or dry skin brusing will permanently remove them
** Eat mainly raw (living) food = NO BUMPS, permanent recovery, baby smooth skin (and they only show up again when I start eating cooked food)
Of course, doctors know nothing about the living food diet, so they can only say "genetic" or "incurable" and prescribe corisone creams, etc.
I've had these bumps since a small child .... they only disappeared when my diet improved significantly and my diet was largely fresh fruit and fresh veggies ..... As the skin is the major organ of elimination, it makes sense to me that my body was clogged with something that was getting stuck in the skin .... could it be undigested cooked food and animal fats?
I wish I knew about this earlier ---- I've been very self conscious about the skin bumps, especially as a teenager, avoiding sleeveless tops, etc.
Nature knows best --- perhaps what is called "uncurable" and "genetic" can be miraculously reversed when we go back to the live food diet ..... note that all other mammals eat uncooked food, and only man, who cooks his food, suffers from the endless list of "diseases" that may be simply a result of our straying from that path.
Kids love smoothies, so why not put this to a test for the youngsters who exhibit this condition? Start their day with a fruit smoothy packed with superfoods (instead of cereal and milk), and another smoothy or two each day instead of normal snacks. Sneak in some leafy greens, raw chocolate (cacao) and they will never know they are missing out .... and the reward is beautiful skin. I swear by my Vitamix ..... it helps me be a sneaky mom and sneak the good stuff in. My 12 yo son juices fresh oranges each morning and then adds superfoods and frozen fruit to concoct his own drinks.
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RawGirl
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- Re: Bumps on arms and legs and face by YoungLady
18 y
2,686
Thanks RawGirl! This is very encouraging. It has aways been my belief that the bumps, even though probably inherited from a parent, are influenced by eating.
Could you tell me more about your success--i.e. what you used to eat, how you noticed that raw food made the bumps go away, exactly what your diet is like (100% raw fruits&veggies, or something else as well i.e. raw egg yolks, or fish oil, etc.), how long it took you to heal...It would be great if you had some before and after pictures, I would look at them every day for motivation! I am also curious about how your bumps were, and where you had them--I have seen them in other people and they are always small and red, but mine are mostly skin colored and sometimes bigger, actually they change very often, they may be very small in the morning and then get bigger in the afternoon. As for the location, they are mostly on my upper arms, thighs, and jaw (biggest on the thighs, and smallest on the face), but I also have some (very few) on my lower arms and belly.
Thanks again for the info, I feel very encouraged :)
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YoungLady
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- Re: Bumps on arms and legs and face by RawGirl
18 y
2,944
Here is what I did:
1) Transistion to the Raw Food Diet --- it took me about 2 years to get to 50-80% ... Now I am striving for 100%
2) Add superfood nutrition - Nature's First Food, Blue Green Algae, Raw Cacao, etc. to ensure you are getting all the essential minerals your skin needs. Add this to smoothies. Here is a link to this product if you are interested. I've been using it for several years, and make my son take it too (in smoothies) to ensure we get all our nutrition, despite my fasting and his cooked food diet:
http://www.rawfood.com/cgi-bin/order/index.cgi?id=562919465358&d=single&item_...
3) Fast regularly .... 1-2 days per week on liquified foods ---- to give the body a chance to eliminate, and do longer fasts if possible.
4) Skin brush daily .... great first thing upon arising ... the Yerba Buena brush is the best one I've found. also do this before each bath or shower. Put on some music and scrub away for 5 minutes and dance. I have dry brushes and wet brushes that I use in the shower. I really scrub myself pretty hard, since I've had this problem for so long, and my persistance has paid off. A small face brush is also available for purchase.
5) Add Virgin Coconut Oil to your diet ... I take 1-2 tsps a day ..... a natural candida fighter and it pulls out the "bad fats". I am thinking that this is related to the bump problem, but this is just a hunch. You can also put this on your skin, fresh out of the shower. Just hold a chunk in your hands for a moment to melt, and put on face and entire body. It feels great, is much better than any other moisturizer.
6) Add probiotics (these are in Nature's First Food, too)
7) Add digestive enzymes, especially if you eat any cooked food. If I slip and eat cooked, I take a big spoonful of enzymes, or I am asking for trouble!
8) Take hot Epsom Salt Baths --- I put in a lb at each bath and turn it on superhot, and lay a wet hand towel on my chest to keep it warm, and meditate .... this will also help pull toxins out.
All of these steps I think have been linked to my velvety-soft skin, which gets even softer during a long fast. That shows me the condition is linked to stuff coming out of my skin when I am not fasting.
THINK SMOOTH SKIN .... DRINK SMOOTHIES with Superfoods added that FEED your skin (silica, etc.)
Hope this helps.
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RawGirl
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- Re: Bumps on arms and legs and face by YoungLady
18 y
2,891
Thank you so much for the detailed plan! I already have virgin coconut oil, but do not tak eit regularly, I will definitely do that now.
I'm also pretty sure I have a candida problem, so that needs to be addressed.
The only other question I have is, would certain animal products be ok? Such as raw egg yolks, or fish oil/cod liver oil.
Thanks again!
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YoungLady
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- Re: Bumps on arms and legs and face by RawGirl
18 y
3,461
Re animal products, that is entirely up to you.
You could muscle test to see if you really need it and it benefits you.
I haven't experimented with raw egg yolks or fish oils, but you can get the Omega 3 and 6 by mixing your vegan sources of fats.
As for myself, when I crave animal protein and animal fats, I have been able to connect that I am really craving good vegan fats (virgin coconut oi (VCO), hempseed, etc.) and minerals that are available in greens...and that when I resort to cooked animal sources for this craving, afterwards I feel "dirty and greasy" (digestion sluggish, skin greasy).
Anytime I was eating cooked fats (in animal proteins), this showed up in my skin.
My favorite drink in the Vitamix uses 1/2 package of pre-washed organic spinach (3-4 oz), the water from one young coconut, 1 tsp VCO, 1-2 heaping T of raw cacao powder (from rawfood.com), stevia to sweeten, ice and orangainc peppermint oil = the best chocolate shake ever that feeds the need for a massive chocolate fix and also cleanses and provides essential greens. The raw chocolate is an amazing food.
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RawGirl
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- Re: My story--part 1 by senorita_786
15 y
3,263
| hi, your blog has inspired me to create one as well..i might even try a water fast. I share many things in common with you such as the psoriasis and hypothyroidism..maybe the fast will help me =] nice blog.
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senorita_786
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