It begins today

I have moderate to severe flexural psoriasis as well as psoriatic arthritis. I am dying of this disease.

While it is certainly true that most people who have psoriasis do not die of it directly, they do eventually succumb to the side effects of the treatment. Aside from oncologists, dermatologists are the most aggressive and dangerous medical doctors in the industry. I should know. I have been to see many of them. I recently went to the University of North Carolina Hospital's dermatology clinic and visited the head of the department. This experience was not encouraging.

The man's name was Dr. Lowell Goldsmith. He has many letters after his name, including MD. Dr. Goldsmith examined me and told me that "So far you have been very lucky." (Strange comment considering that I am constantly in significant pain and discomfort.) He told me we would begin my course of treatment with a topical cream called Protopic 1%. If that did not work, then we would move on to more aggressive treatments.

When I asked what that might include, I was told the following:

• Tamoxaphen
• Methotrexate
• Enbrel
• Prednisone

You get the idea. Basically, among the most dangerous drugs on the planet.

I tried the Protopic. It had no effect whatsoever. I have researched the drugs which Dr. Goldsmith described. Eventually, you die from the side effects of these drugs. They work by blocking the action of the immune system, effectively shutting it down. In the process, the suppressor mechanism of the immune system which prevents cancerous cells from spreading is also stopped. Thus, cancer is a high risk side effect of the long-term use of these drugs.

Once, many years ago, I visited another dermatologist who prescribed Prednisone to me for treating my psoriasis. It worked beautifully. I took it for several months. During that period, I had gorgeous, clear skin and no discomfort. My prescription ran out. I returned to this doctor for a refill. He refused. He said I was "done" with that drug. Eventually, it would stop working anyway. And in the process, my bones would soften, I would develop cancer, and eventually I would die.

Thus, I learned the hard truth about this disease through these interactions with the medical industry:

1. You cannot cure psoriasis with conventional medicine. You can only treat the symptoms.
2. The symptomatic treatment is so risky, that calling it a "risk" is kind of silly. Effectively, it's a slow form of suicide.
3. As the disease progresses, you become progressively more uncomfortable. The pain and deformity of the disease becomes unbearable. Eventually, you will do anything to stop the pain and disfigurement from the disease. Thus, in desperation you submit to the drugs prescribed by the medical industry. You take the drugs, and eventually you die.

Hence my statement above: I have moderate to severe flexural psoriasis with psoriatic arthritis. I am dying of this disease.

I have spent a lot of my time researching the disease. In the process, I have probably learned about as much about psoriasis as the typical medical doctor. I have also been trying to fix myself using various alternative means. I have tried barley green, Shaklee, Mannatech Ambrotose, XanGo Juice, Natures Sunshine herbal treatments, Garden of Life supplements, and so forth.

I obtained some symptomatic relief from some of these products. Others had no effect at all. All of them over promised and under delivered on what they said that they would do for me. They were all quite expensive. I have spent tens of thousands of dollars for these products, and I am still pretty damn sick.

I have a friend named Ray. He turned me on to a man named Joel Fuhrman. Dr. Fuhrman is a medical doctor who has become a critic of the standard medical establishment, as well as our food industry. He prescribes a strict, vegan diet which is low in fat and high in fresh green vegetables. He has stated in his books (of which I have read two) that this diet will begin to reverse psoriasis in six weeks. He also addresses many of the other chronic diseases plaguing mankind which he ascribes to our high-fat, high-sugar, processed food diet.

Dr. Fuhrman also attacks the supplement and alternative treatments industry. He states that attempting to buy health in a bottle is a fool's errand. You cannot continue to eat a high-fat, high-sugar, processed food diet and counteract the effects with supplements. It simply doesn't work.

I must admit that this message resonates with me. The one thing I noticed through the years: If I simply stop eating entirely, my symptoms begin to rapidly subside. This argues that it is not a deficiency that is causing my disease. Rather, something I am eating is triggering the issue. Given that, Dr. Fuhrman certainly makes more sense than anyone else I have read or heard in the past few years.

One other thing which validates Dr. Fuhrman for me: He is not trying to sell me anything. His prescription is for things you get in the produce section of the grocery store (especially a health-oriented grocery store). Thus, he is not pushing a supplement program, juice, glyconutrient, or anything like that. He simply wants you to eat a very, very healthy diet, and engage in other healthy habits. As Dr. Fuhrman states in his book, which I read today:

"Superior health is not free: It must be earned through healthy living."

So, as the title to this post states, it begins today. I have effectively eliminated all animal products from my diet. I will subsist for the next six weeks on only plant-based, whole food. I will consume two large salads each and every day. They will not be drenched with a high-fat refined oil dressing either. I will not consume dairy. Nor will I consume meat, fish or poultry. Nothing that is not a whole, natural plant based product will pass my lips for the next six weeks.

In this blog I will keep you updated on my progress. I will regularly report what I weigh, what I have eaten, and how I feel. This will be my journal for reporting on the experiment that is my life, my disease, and, hopefully, my cure.

I presently weigh 258.9 pounds according to my bathroom scale. My waist is 52 inches at the navel.

I have a large, completely inflamed psoriasis lesion in the navel region. It is approximately three inches in diameter. It is a mess. The skin is red, inflamed and raised significantly. There are silvery scales flaking off of it. It is oozing blood.

I have a similar lesion in the area of my crotch, but it is much larger. The perineum is completely involved. I also have a large, painful lesion under my left arm, which is oozing pus. My ears have lesions on the backs of them where the ear meets the head. There are also active lesions inside the ear canal. I also have fairly large lesions in the creases of my nostrils. My left eyelid fold is also involved, and very inflamed and painful.

I am beginning to have lesions in non-flexural areas of my body. (Normally, flexural psoriasis only affects areas where there are folds in the body.) For example, my forehead is very rough to the touch right now, as is the tip of my nose.

Arthritis wise, my hands are pretty painful, especially the index finger of my right hand. I cannot completely make a fist with that hand, and bending the index finger is particularly painful. I have pain and stiffness in my mid back. My left ankle is sore and painful when I move it. My neck is stiff and sore. And I have a low level headache.

I am starting here. Believe it or not, as bad as that sounds, I am actually feeling a bit better than I have in the past few months. Over the years, I have also developed a remarkable ability to function in life while in pain and discomfort. I guess I had to.

Diet wise, upon rising I ate half a banana, six strawberries, a few blue berries, several chunks of fresh pineapple, and half a kiwi. I have now consumed an entire pear and a cup of Yerba Mate herbal tea. I am roasting an acorn squash for lunch, which will be accompanied by a large salad. I then intend to go to the gym and work out.

I will report back here later on my progress and how I am feeling.