On Sat, 28 Mar 1998, Hans Kylberg wrote:

> My father has psoriasis (for at  least 15 years). I have been talking to him
> that it might be an idea to at least try to avoid grains and milk for some
> time to see what happens. The other day he phoned me, telling that he had
> read an article by a psoriasis researcher that there are connections
> between psoriasis and celiacy.

I suffer from occasional bouts of psoriasis.  There are many
theories as to its cause, and it seems that some interventions
work well for some people, but nothing works well for everybody.
I used to be on a support list for psoriasis sufferers, and it
seemed that certain foods were common, but by no means universal,
triggers.

For a large number, beef triggers flare-ups of psoriasis, even in
small amounts.  A seemingly equally large number get a reaction
from tomatoes (I seem to be in the latter category).  For a
substantial number, citrus fruits aggravate the condition.  For
others, it is nightshade vegetables in general.  A good number
find various grains to be problematic.  In fact, the list of
foods that aggravate psoriasis in *some* people is very long.
I'm just mentioning some of the common ones.

Things that help to alleviate psoriasis: Sunlight is often
helpful.  My own psoriasis tends to disappear in the summer.
During the winter, vitamin D supplementation helps to control it,
as well as avoiding trigger foods.  Many people find that foods
rich in tryptophan, such as turkey and milk, help to alleviate
the symptoms.

There is some evidence that psoriasis is caused by a genetic
response to polyamines in the gut.  These are incompletely
digested proteins.  But *which* proteins are incompletely
digested varies from person to person.  It would be great is a
paleodiet could cure psoriasis, and it might be very helpful for
some people.  Others will unfortunately find that it makes the
condition worse.  Still, it could be a good place to start.

I'm sure I have other trigger foods than tomatoes, but I haven't
yet identified them.  The only way to find out is to do extensive
experimentation with elimination diets, and I have not had the
patience to do this.

Todd Moody
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