Approximately one million people in Great Britain suffer from this skin disorder - and I'm one of them. I do not have an extreme case of psoriasis, but one that is irritating and occasionally disfiguring.

I read a great opinion on this subject and wondered if I should bother to put in my two-pennies worth; I decided to do so because I have almost vanquished this inconvenient problem from my life, not by clinical means but by natural ones.

There are at least five different forms of psoriasis: Psoriasis annularis, palmaris, diffusa, punctate and Universalis. All of these are recurrent diseases that result in itchy inflammation, plaques of silvery scales and, quite often, lesions. Mainstream medicine has never decided on an underlying cause of psoriasis, although it seems to be understood that stress, liver problems, fungal infections and metabolism are some how involved.

My psoriasis (universalis) is inherited, but began (as so many's do) with a bout of stress when I was at university. I suffer from a build up of scales on my scalp, my arms and legs, and occasionally my face (this is of course the hardest to bear, as many people like to stare at oddities).

Clinical treatments for psoriasis are numerous and often expensive (if not on pocket, then on your health). The starting point for most patients is coal tar, (available in many forms, the most popular being the shampoo Polytar). The next treatment on the list is cortisone, which will thin your skin incredibly quickly, leaving it fragile and usually dry. The third suggestion given by most doctors is to buy a sun bed (as I said, expensive treatment!), but this is usually offered as an additional option to be used with either one or both of the above prescriptions.

I followed this course of treatment for a few years; The psoriasis died down for a while, but even the doctors say that the effects of tar and cortisone are only temporary, and so my psoriasis came back,
and worse than before.

While I was pregnant my psoriasis got even more severe, and it was then that I decided that I would look into natural remedies for my condition.

I know of a lot of people who sing the praises of acupuncture: Having a small aversion to needles, I did not go down that path, so I can't really write about it.

I started with homeopathy, the practice of treating like with like:

Homeopathy offers quite a few reasons for the origins of psoriasis, but a good homeopath will always insist on a personal consultation before they will give you a diagnosis. The underlying general treatment will be diet: The main dietary guidelines are:

*Avoid *
pork
chocolate
cheese
eggs
cows milk
butter
yogurt
processed foods
white flour, white sugar and other such refined substances
cakes
biscuits
bread
coffee
citrus fruit
red wine
excess alcohol
malt vinegar
yeast extracts
smoked or pickled food
animal fats

*Allowed*
raw vegetables (except tomatoes and peppers) onions, leeks and potatoes are beneficial
fish
fruit (except citrus) grapes and grape juice are recommended
pulse and whole grains
chicken (not too often)

Other general advice:
zinc supplements (or for external treatment try Sudocrem)
vitamin D
vitamin B
kelp
evening primrose oil
cod liver oil
raw cucumber pieces externally, juice internally
raw potato juice internally
Dead Sea mineral salts
hay flower baths
Austrian mud baths
the herbal preparation symphosan
viola tricolor
echinacea ointment

I would also recommend Kava-Kava for the treatment of stress, if you feel that this is an underlying problem of your psoriasis.

I found my treatment by homeopathy useful (75% of my psoriasis disappeared), but I continued searching for a definitive cure.

It is excepted that the sun
is beneficial to this disorder (hence the usage of vitamin D), and another form of therapy is sun-ray therapy. This is a treatment I considered but never used. For further information I suggest you contact the Alternative Psoriasis Centre in London.

I then read a report in a newspaper about the ongoing research into psoriasis being fungal based and an off-shoot of yeast infections. After buying a couple of books and reading the symptoms, I diagnosed myself as having candida albicans. This is a condition where the natural yeast in your body (in the digestive system), are no longer confined and become an infestation. Symptoms are: Depression, anxiety, acne, digestive problems, allergies, migraines, cystitis, thrush and other fungal infections.

The causes of candida are numerous: Use of antibiotics, contraceptive pill, steroids, diabetes, sugar and yeast based foods.

The solution to this infestation is again a diet; Main dos and donts are as previous for the general homeopathic diet, plus a few notable differences. With the regime I followed, I removed all fungus and yeast related substances from my diet. Therefore:

*Avoid*
mushrooms in any shape of form.
all multi vitamins unless they state that they are yeast free
vitamin B-complex unless stated they are yeast free
brewer's yeast
fruit (to begin with)
all alcohol
all meat except chicken and fish
all cheeses
all malted products
all vinegars
all foods containing monosodium glutamate (that means no more Chinese take-aways)
soya sauce
raw egg white
fried foods
black tea
antibiotics unless really necessary

Supplement your diet, otherwise you may be missing some vital vitamins and minerals:

Garlic capsules or fresh garlic (all of the onion family are useful for getting your immune system back on line),
vitamin C (with bioflavonoids)
vitamin B6
vitamin B12
folic acid
calcium
se
lenium
zinc
magnesium
vitamin E
vitamin A
vitamin F (evening primrose oil)

The best aid to ridding your body of this problem is lactobacillus acidophilus; This can be found in Yakult and other such products available at the supermarket. They are rather expensive though, so a more economical approach is to by the tablets from a health shop;
Most lines provide them but I found Solgar?s non-dairy Acidophilus plus (suitable for vegans - not that I an one), the most efficient (remember to keep them in the fridge).

Once you feel you have mastered the situation and the symptoms are disappearing, then try to eat more garlic, onions, leeks etc. to boost your immune system.

If you feel that the problem has abated, then reintroduce foods that have been out of your diet, slowly and one by one, to see if you have a reaction to them.

I kept to this diet for a good year. Yes, it was very hard, but like most things, when you see the benefits, you stick to it. My psoriasis has completely disappeared and I continue to supplement my diet with acidophilus plus to keep everything under control. I hope that this opinion is useful for fellow sufferers and I wish you all luck if you choose to try solving your psoriasis in this way.