10 Myths of Fighting Psoriasis With Alternative Medicine

Psoriasis can be cured using natural or alternative medicine if you want. The problem is that there is so much junk “alternative science” that people can not get the right information and struggle with their psoriasis for years until they improve if ever.

1. pH is the key

Myth and fake cure:
Acidity of body is the cause of all diseases.
Alkaline water, apple cider vinegar, lemon, sodium bicarbonate, calcium carbonate, potassium and magnesium salts, etc…

Explanation:
What actually do they mean by “acidity”?

Acidic blood is a myth.
Acidic stomach? Most people have low stomach acid. And stomach should be acidic.
Acidic intestines? Actually lower pH in the intestines helps the liver via lowering the ammonia production by bacteria.
Acidic lymph? Lymph goes into the blood so kidneys are filtering it constantly.

Bad blood flow causes bad lymph flow and that leads to weak detoxification and insufficient nourishing of the tissues.

Possible solution:
Acidic cells? Maybe! I would rather call the cells – toxic. We need to detoxify the cells. Good fats – omega 3 – are the first step in healing. Cells need to have good fats in order to build strong and flexible cell wall as well as to isolate mitochondria. Then it goes all always just to correct the deficiencies and drink enough of fluids and exercise.

2. Liver flush

Myth and fake cure:
Magnesium, apple juice and a lot of olive oil is the treatment for gallstones and stuck liver. This “recipe” may differ but the point is to drink apple juice (malic acid) in order to soften the hard gallstones, take magnesium in order to relax the muscles in bile ducts and drink about 8-20 fl. oz (250-600ml) of oil to force the liver and gallbladder “flush” the bile along the gallstones and liver stones into the small intestine.

Then after a few hours you should see the gallstones in your stool.

Explanation:
No those “stones” are not the stones. Those are the formations of the ingredients you ingested in order to do “liver flush”. All the liver do after you ingest the huge amount of oil is releasing the bile. That’s why those “fake gallstones” are green. Real gallstones are usually not green because bacteria decompose the bile quickly (in a few hours) and it turns dark brown.

Possible solution:
Lecithin, bile acids or artichoke, omega 3 fatty acids, milk thistle, NAC. Those are the supplements and nutrients for the healthy liver. There is no one day cure for liver problems. Liver needs some time to be rebuilt in order to work correctly and any liver flush is capable of doing that.

3. Hydrocolon therapy

Myth and fake cure:
Hydrocolon therapy will clean up the colon, detoxify the body and restore health.

Explanation:
It is funny that people undergoing the hydrocolon therapy are often the same who swear by probiotics. They take the probiotics to restore the healthy intestinal flora and avoid the antibiotics (what is good) because they wipe out the beneficial bacteria from the gut.

But they should know that flooding the colon with water for 30-60 minutes a few times per year does the similar imbalance in the colon. If it was only so easy to bring back the health like undergoing some hydrocolon therapy. Colon microbiome composition is very important factor in health but hydrocolon therapy is unlikely to correct it.

Possible solution:
The best way to clean the colon is to eat fiber rich foods that naturally clean the small and large intestine of plaque.

Note: Coffee enemas are something different than hydrocolon therapy but in my opinion there are way more convenient ways how to achieve the same results without coffee enemas. Taking the bile acids or artichoke tea will support your bile flow the more convenient way.

4. Very high dose supplements

Myth and fake cure:
If one capsule doesn’t work you need 3 capsules daily. This aspect is very popular mostly in those who focus their interest on active form of folic acid, niacin, B6 or zinc. The standard folic acid supplement contains 400mcg per capsule and it is the amount that has usually very good effects. However many people say they (need to) take 2 000 – 5 000 mcg of folic acid daily to feel the effects.

Explanation:
Taking very high doses of any supplement may lead and usually do to imbalance of many processes and may cause or mimic the deficiency of other important nutrients. I am not saying that there aren’t some people who may really need high doses of some nutrient because of they unique genetic variation but most of those who take very high doses of some vitamin or other nutrient are still not in full health. That’s why it’s questionable if that very high dosage is really the most important thing they should address.

In many cases it is some another nutritional deficiency and toxicity (leaky gut, SIBO, root canal teeth, fungal infection, heavy metals,…) that holds the brakes down and slows the critical metabolic processes down. Overloading the body with high doses of vitamins and other nutrients may improve the symptoms a little but will never fully resolve the problem.

There are the differences in each vitamin and other nutrients regarding the dosages above the recommended daily intake. Some of the vitamins needs to be taken in higher amounts to have some substantial effects and some (like folic acid) usually bring the substantial results even at lower dosages.

Vitamin D3 according to scientific papers is safe to take short-term for up to 30 000 IU per day (50x more than RDA) even though it is a fat-soluble compound. Vitamin C is another popular vitamin that many people take at dosages well above the recommended daily intake. Vitamin B12 is very critical nutrient and even doctors give patients the shots of 1 000 mcg of B12 what is well over 300x more than recommended daily allowance.

Absorption and assimilation of vitamins and other nutrients play a huge role so some people may feel great taking the same dosage as the other who feel sick and develop toxicity symptoms.

Possible solution:
Desiccated liver is the best way to supplement all the vitamins that might not be discovered yet. Liver is nutrient rich organ so eating it daily in supplemental form may do wonders.

5. Leaky gut

Myth and fake cure:
Inflamed small intestine allows the undigested food protein to leak into the blood. The cross-reactivity between those proteins and body tissues may cause various autoimmune diseases. Wheat is blamed as one of the top causes of leaky gut. That’s why gluten-free diet, SCD diet, paleo diet, glutamine, probiotics, digestive enzymes,etc… are recommended as solution that should heal leaky gut.

Explanation:
Diet is important but alone it is often not enough to resolve the health problems.

Yes, leaky gut like state of small intestine does exist. Yes, cross-reactivity may occur. Yes, wheat or gluten can cause small intestine inflammation. Yes, gluten-free diet may cure people of various conditions.

However, most diseases are not caused by wheat or gluten. Most people can eat wheat and gluten. The cross-reactivity is statistically very rare (in real life practically impossible) so we should start looking for the real causes of immune system activation.

Endotoxins are what should be taken care of in the first place. Bile acids production and bile flow is essential for proper endotoxins breakdown in the small intestine. Endotoxins are parts of the cell-wall of some bacteria and cause massive inflammation in the body. This is a fact and nobody seems to be bothered by this.

Blaming various foods for the health problems in hundreds of millions of people is ridiculous. If we listen to all those “experts” that recommend not to eat sugar (fruits), meat (fish), grains (rice, wheat, oats), starches (potatoes), fats what would we end up with? Some low-fat seeds, grass and leafs…?

Possible solution:
It is more important to eliminate the toxins from the body (mycotoxins, heavy metals and chemicals), eat food without additives, pesticides and herbicides rather than eliminate the foods.

Our bodies are able to produce the enzymes to break down the disaccharides and polysaccharides. So why would we need to eliminate completely starches from our diets? Diets like SCD or completely monosaccharide based diet may be very helpful in the beginning of the healing but keep in mind that eating starches is not the cause of disease.

Not digesting starches is the cause…

Bacteria and fungi thrive on that undigested starches in our small intestine and colon.

And we’re back with our Autonomic Nervous System and sympathetic or parasympathetic dominance. Stressful situations switch us to sympathetic state and that’s why our shut down digestion is in the very beginning the start of the disease we may end up with even years later.

6. Adrenal Fatigue

Myth and fake cure:
Emotional stress causes adrenal glands to produce cortisol, adrenaline and noradrenaline for long time and the adrenals eventually get tired. The supposed result is the low cortisol and that is blamed for all those “adrenal fatigue” symptoms like tiredness, muscle weakness, depression, low libido, fatigue, anxiety, etc…

Explanation:
Adrenal fatigue does not exist just like there is no stomach fatigue or pancreas fatigue in those who have bad digestion. Stomach doesn’t produce stomach acid mostly because it doesn’t receive the signals from Parasympathetic part of the Autonomic Nervous System. Not because of some form of fatigue.

Adrenal fatigue is also just adrenal dysfunction, dysregulation or imbalance caused by stressful situations, inflammation, deficiencies or toxicity.

Let’s talk about tobacco smoking and nicotine. Most people start smoking cigarettes not because of perceived stress but they just want to try smoking. However nicotine in tobacco affects the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAchRs) progressively in the body and slowly altering the Autonomic Nervous System and its function day by day relies on nicotine supplies more and more. The cells get reprogrammed to keep on going well with nicotine as agonist of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors and any sudden shortage of nicotine supply may cause stress, anxiety, depression, sweating, brain fog, etc…

In most cases the symptoms of “adrenal fatigue” like brain fog, fatigue, low stress handling threshold are often caused by inflamed small intestine, hyperammonemia and endotoxins leaking into the blood. Endotoxins cause massive inflammation including the hypercoagulation what leads to tissue hypoxia and underperforming organs.

Possible solution:
We need to bring the Autonomic Nervous System back to the balance. First we have to avoid stressful situations in our lifestyle, then remove any neurotoxins including the nicotine which is a potent Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors agonist.

Adaptogenic or cholinergic herbal products like Schizandra, Rhodiola, Galantamine, Huperzine A, Licorice, etc… may greatly help to enhance stress coping abilities.

Omega 3 fatty acids, vitamin D3, B-complex and lecithin are TOP supplements for supporting the proper stress response.

More information about adrenal fatigue you can find in this post.

7. Candida

Myth and fake cure:
White thrush on tongue, brain fog, bloating, fatigue, bad breath and many other symptoms are caused by Candida albicans overgrowth. Anti-candida diet without sugar and fruits will cure Candida overgrowth.

Explanation:
Candida albicans infections do exist and may cause even death but the symptoms listed above are not strictly related to overgrowth of this yeast. White plaques on the tongue are not just because of some yeast and surely that thrush is not composed of yeast cells only.

Anaerobic and aerobic bacteria, yeasts, polysaccharides, glycoproteins and minerals all are commonly present in dental plaque on teeth and tongue. [1,2]

Even those who take antifungal drugs and are on anti-candida diet for months still have white coating on their tongues.

Coating is caused by yeasts and bacteria, composed from polysaccharides, proteins and minerals. Immune system, antibacterial proteins and enzymes are responsible for protection of tongue epithelium and oral cavity. Vitamin K helps draw the free calcium from the places where it doesn’t belong so bacteria end up with less material to build the dental plaque/biofilm.

Possible solution:
Nutritious diet without processed foods full of additives is the priority. Omega 3, B-complex (B12 and folate) and lecithin are the supplements needed for proper building of cell membranes and mitochondria, energy production in the cells and provide the raw material for nervous system.

Neem, coconut oil, oregano oil with other essential oils may greatly help fighting off the Candida and other yeasts and fungi. It is not just Candida albicans. Actually Candida albicans even though one of the most ubiquitous yeasts it is not the worst enemy we face.

Aspergillus species, Stachybotrys sp., Penicillinum sp., Fusarium sp. and many other fungi attack our bodies every day. Supressing our immune system and killing the symbiotic bacteria with antibiotics significantly supports the yeast, fungi and molds in our bodies.

8. Vitamin C as panacea

Myth and fake cure:
Vitamin C as a strong antioxidant that we can’t produce in our bodies cure many chronic diseases – cancer – when taken in huge doses and intravenously.

Explanation:
Vitamin C is an essential nutrient and deficiency leads to scurvy. Yes, we should take generally more vitamin C than we eat in standard diets today, it is also a proven fact. However, thinking that high-dose vitamin C therapy even intravenous therapy will ultimately cure cancer or other chronic illness is a lie.

Just think about the glutathione – a master antioxidant our body produces from three amino acids: L-Cysteine, L-Glutamic acid and glycine. Do you think that huge intravenous doses of glutathione would ultimately cure any disease? No. They may help but not cure.

Body is just a bunch of biochemical reactions (nutrients, toxins, enzymes, proteins,…) and bunch of instructions (genes). There must be a balance in biochemical reactions in order to create a balanced state of the body (health). Taking high doses of some good nutrient like vitamin C can’t cure diseases because there may be too much toxins and too little other nutrients for that particular set of instructions (genes).

Possible solution:
I think that most people should do well when taking 2.0 – 5.0 grams of vitamin C daily. Even if we ate 20 lbs of  the most nutritious fruits and vegetables daily they would provide us still with less than 5 grams of vitamin C.

Always keep in mind that everything in the body is connected so taking too much of a good thing does nothing (good) because the other nutrients and mostly our genes can not keep up with that tempo and we can’t catalyze the biochemical reactions indefinitely.

9. Food allergies

Myth and fake cure:
Food allergy test results say that I am allergic to many foods. Not eating those foods will cure my disease.

Explanation:
If that allergy is to something like lactose or gluten then avoiding the foods with any of those allergens may do wonders. However, if one is allergic (according to test results) to wheat, dairy, citruses, grapes, watermelon, walnuts, brazil nuts, potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, peanuts, beans, lentils, apples, pears, plums, raspberries, celery, carrots, etc…

…then what is the underlying problem?

Not eating all those foods is probably not an answer. (I am talking here about the subclinical allergies that does not cause life-threatening allergic reactions like anaphylactic shock of course.)

The problem is probably not healthy small intestine that may leak the undigested food proteins that shouldn’t be present in the blood in the first place. Healing the small intestine should be priority in any chronic disease.

Another cause of allergies (also seasonal allergies) are fungi and their mycotoxins. They are found in our food supply, water damaged buildings, air conditioning units, dust, soil and the spores will grow everywhere where condensation of water occurs.

Possible solution:
Start eating the simple foods like rice or potatoes as main sources of energy (something that you can tolerate). Supplement the omega 3 and protein (Whey Protein Isolate) for rebuilding the small intestine. Take bile acids or artichoke for bile flow support. And check with your doctor for possible fungal infections.

Oregano oil is safe natural antifungal remedy.

10. Water fast

Myth and fake cure:
Fasting is one of the best ways to cure chronic illnesses and to regenerate the body.

Explanation:
Diseased body have ultimately higher needs for nutrients than healthy body. Why would anybody go on long-term water fast and not supplying even the smallest amounts of critical nutrients and carbohydrates for energy production?

Just talk about the vitamin B1 (thiamine) – it is extremely important for nervous system and deficiency ultimately causes very severe symptoms and death. Its stores in the body are low and symptoms of shortage may appear in 2 or 3 weeks without adequate intake. Without any food during the water fast even bacteria in colon have nothing to ferment so overall intake of this vitamin is practically non-existent.

Possible solution:
Taking the supplements is the easiest way how to effectively supply the missing nutrients – omega 3 fatty acids, protein for amino acids, minerals and vitamins. Chronic illness place a huge burden on nutrient stores so I would say that 100% water fast is not the best idea to cure any illness.

I would rather eat just organic raw foods with additional supplements like B-complex, whey protein isolate, desiccated liver powder, wild salmon oil, some omega 6 fatty acids source, lecithin and drink enough water. This way you can significantly reduce the risk of some nutritional deficiencies caused by depletion of reserves present in the body.

Water fast may be good but I would supplement critical nutrients in supplemental form even during the water fast.

References:
1) Ritsuko Hori, Michiko Sato, Shoji Kohno and Etsuro Hoshino. Tongue Microflora in Edentulous Geriatric Denture-Wearers. Microbial Ecology in Health and Disease 1999; 11: 89–95

2) C I Hoover, E Newbrun, G Mettraux, and H Graf. Microflora and chemical composition of dental plaque from subjects with hereditary fructose intolerance. Infect Immun. 1980 Jun; 28(3): 853–859.