Psoriasis advice

[Paulio Antonio]

Hello good peoples,

I am a past member who was diagnosed with Rheumatoid and Ankylosing spondylitis arthritis’s and 100% cured by a combination of low dose antibiotics together with diet change and will be forever grateful to this site and the specialists that treated me.

Anyways… My mum has recently been diagnosed with Psoriasis and I was just looking for any feedback about this condition and the use of antibiotics, she only* has the skin problems (*her words).

Thanks for any help.

[Maz]

Hi Paulio and welcome back! We’d love to have your remission story posted on the main site, if you have a minute to jot a few lines about your AP journey! Just click here and fill out the easy form to submit it:

Tell Us Your Story

I have wondered about your question, because quite a few people with PsA didn’t develop their arthritis first, but struggled with psoriasis for some years prior. This isn’t to say that all psoriasis patients will eventually develop PsA, of course, just that I wondered if perhaps there is a secondary bug(s) that triggers psoriasis and it various forms (e.g., guttate, palmo-plantar, and plaque forms). What I found was quite a bit of published research on the connection of strep and psoriasis. Interesting, too, that there are studies demonstrating regression of psoriasis with tonsillectomy, which could suggest that the tonsils harbor chronic strep infections that lead to the etiopathogenesis of psoriasis. The following is just a sampling of studies, but am sure you can find more by running online searches.

Throat infections are associated with exacerbation in a substantial proportion of patients with chronic plaque psoriasis

HLA-Cw*0602 associates with a twofold higher prevalence of positive streptococcal throat swab at the onset of psoriasis: a case control study.

Tonsillectomy as a Treatment for Psoriasis: A Review.

The role of tonsillectomy in psoriasis treatment.

The association of sore throat and psoriasis might be explained by histologically distinctive tonsils and increased expression of skin-homing molecules by tonsil T cells.

Brown used a wide variety of antibiotics – not just the tetracyclines (though these were central to his treatments) – and he did talk about the importance of testing for strep antigens and treating these bugs until strep titers normalized. Strep, of course, requires a different type of antibiotic, so he’d pulse in ampicillin, use IV clindamycin, and macrolide antibiotics, (today azithromycin), for example. In fact, I remember the case of a young teen with juvenile PsA who did remarkably well with rounds of IV clindamycin added to minocycline…but IVs aren’t always available to every patient and might be considered too aggressive for psoriasis alone.

Only a suggestion, as I’m just a fellow patient, but perhaps as a first step she could ask her doc to test her for various forms of strep?

Strep and its various types

[Linda L]

Paulio,
I don’t know any treatment for psoriasis, but I know the product which could help your mum to heal the skin. It is called Sorbact or Cutimed Sorbact. It is a new innovative skin dressing non-medicated and is used instead of chemically active products. It can be used for bacterias, fungi and other reasons. Please note I don’t sell it and I am not involved in advertising it. I think it is a miracle. I had a severe allergy after using band-aid and six doctors didn’t know how to treat it for two weeks. All tests for fungi and bacteria came back negative. The nurses were changing a dressing every day /not using any creams or ointments/ and they put me on a very strong antibiotics /intravenous 4000 mg of Keflex daily/ After two weeks of heavy antibiotics it looked worse and worse. After two weeks an elderly nurse was changing my dressing. She asked a doctor about permission to use Sorbact /only because it is expensive/ The following day a big “wow”! We couldn’t believe it. It was a huge improvement and from that day it started to heal /they used it only twice/ Please read about it on Google. The producers say it cannot cause any allergy to anyone and can be used even for tinea.

RA tried everything: Methotraxate, Arava, Humira. Pneumonia three times. Anemia. Very low iron. Hypothyroidism
AP from April 2014 till August 2015. No luck.
Current medications: Natural thyroid, Mobic, supplements,
vitamins and minerals.
MTHFR heterozygous

[Cathlo]

Hi Paulio,
I have had very minor psorasis since aged 18 (er 30 years ago!). It didn’t bother me but it was there. When I got joint symptoms Doc never really knew if it was beginning of RA or PA (my grandmother had RA) and my RF was slightly raised. Anyway, when i went to a Dr who could help with mynocline etc – he first made me do a strict exclusion diet – (no gluten, dairy, sugar, nightshades and anything acidic such as coffee etc) – within two weeks my psorasis had gone. It was very exciting to realise I could be in control of it – obviously we are all different and worked for me won’t necessarily work for another. I have been on low dose mino for three years – and i have little to no joint or skin symptoms.

2013 Poor gut & low white blood cells. Jan 2014 RA symptoms. Diet - no gluten/dairy/nightshades/sugar. Started AP in Oct 2014. On Mino MTWTF. RA improved but still there. Many supplements.

[Trillium17]

Hello: Eternally grateful for this site. About psoriasis and infections & arthritis… For sure they are linked! For about 10 years before I was diagnosed with Psoriatic Arthritis, besides increasing nightly bouts of tingling painful hands, I also had patches of itchy skin behind ears, was always scratching those… between breasts, on an arm, between buttocks. I remember sinus infections twice a year, then neck stiffness, etc. I also had a baby, a mom dying of cancer, and therefore some stress. Visits to dermatologists never resulted in “psoriasis” but only “eczema” diagnoses. Later on, I would remember that my mom had a lot of that flaking stuff, & her father died of rheumatoid arthritis back in the 1940s. Anyway. I also participated in neighborhood project: clearing english ivy out of a woodland housing a deer population… In 2014, was caring for elderly relative, packing up her former tenant’s rather dirty stuff in boxes. About 30 days later, sudden onset of my first 2 sausage joints…
I have a bkgd in microbiology and toxicology…am neither PhD, or MD, but I can read and think. My first Rheumatologist (pharmacological incompetent; he thought I’d know if Celebrex would work for me within a 3 day trial!! Ha!) injected my sausage joints with cortisone, ignoring pleas for an antibiotic, which I asked for without any knowledge of this site, Dr. Brown or anything. Fool that I was, I let him… and watched two joints deform within 1 week. I remember passionately arguing that cortisone didnt seem the right approach…did we really want to dampen my immune system if I might have an infection?? (Why were we ignoring what was patently obvious to me: an inflammation, probable history of exposore to microbes.) He said antibiotics would be useless, injection would take pain and stiffness away. (Yeah, right. By summer, and for another year, I would not be able to walk without hellish pain. Until I had a carpal tunnel surgery on right hand, could not sleep much.)
Well, I still don’t have very much skin involvement. I truly believe my “psoriasis diagnosis” is just a fiction… Truth is: I have a milder to moderately painful infectious arthritis in hands and feet, some spine perhaps, but for medical convenience they “code” it as psoriatic. For those patches, my PCP has been most useful. (no longer see Rheum #2) She gave me “Boericke & Tafel’s Psoriaflora Cream (homeopathic) supposed to contain Berberis aquifolium 10%. For my mild case, it works… when I remember to use it. Bottom line: YES. Skin patches and arthritis down the road? Definite probability… especially in anyone MIDDLE-AGED or older, when hormones dive and immune system less active!!

Just in case you’re curious, this is where I’m at. After couple years on Doxycycline for RF negative HLA positive psoriatic arthritis, decided to stop for awhile. Over summer tried strict elimination diet; have reduced gluten, sugar, dairy quite a bit. Have also had constipation issues, in spite of probiotics and good (paleo type) diet. (Hint: Strongly suggest you check out gutsense.org website.) Since hand pain always there, worsening lately, recently decided to try low dose naltrexone. My PCP had me start at 1.5 mg/day for 2 weeks; had amazing relief in both hands and feet first few days, but :(sadly effect on hands stopped. Placebo effect? Am now at 3 mg/day… Hand pain stronger, so just restarted doxy. Has anyone had any experience using this combo for this reason. What about with PEA?

Psoriatic Arthritis (hands/feet) b4 May 2013; diag Oct, 2013. Family history: GrF 100% disabled & died of RA age 42. Mom prob had PA, had patches of eczemas, undiagnosed, untreated, deformed hands. Me: HLA-B27 Positive; RA factor Neg; ANA negative; CRP & CCP Ab negative; Sed Rate low.

[Maz]

Hi Trillium,

It’s nice to meet you. Hope you don’t mind if I ask a few questions.

You mentioned clearing ivy in an area that was densely-populated with deer. Are you thinking you were exposed to tick-borne infections while clearing the ivy? Ever had this checked?

Is your transdermal estrogen a bio-identical form?

Have you tried a starch and nightshades elimination diet for your PsA?

What made you decide to stop your doxycycline? Have you considered trying minocycline this time around for your AP?

Aside from dietary modifications, have you done any work on healing the potential of leaky gut and/or detoxing?

My understanding is that LDN can take a good long while to fully kick in (a good number of months) for some folks and, similar to AP, there can be some initial herxing. Also, that candida overgrowth can sometimes impede efficacy of LDN (wondering about the gut issues you mentioned). Also, if there is a pre-existent (perhaps undiagnosed) thyroid condition (hypo or hyper), then LDN can have some effects in this regard (e.g. if hypo, LDN can improve function and, if using thyroid hormone replacement, less may be needed over time, but if hyper, it can lead to further hyper symptoms).

Do you get regular thyroid lab monitoring and has your doc checked for any autoimmune thyroid overlaps?

Can you share what you mean by PEA? Is it an acronym for a type of treatment?

Thanks and look fwd to chatting more. Btw, couldn’t agree more the “perfect storm” equation for rheumatic disease triggering, as well as the need to self-advocate and to become informed about one’s own disease and treatment options. You sound like you’ve done lots of research and hope to learn more about what you’ve learned. We are all just patients here and unable to dispense medical advice…just patient-to-patient sharing of personal experiences and there are no hard and fast rules about anything – “whatever works” for any individual has got to be a great thing!

[lynnie_sydney]

Hi Maz

Can you share what you mean by PEA? Is it an acronym for a type of treatment?

PEA (Palmitoylethanolamide),is the supplement Red Lizzy started a thread about see here

PEA is something I’d love to hear some opinions on from those who have tried it. Am thinking of trialing some myself.

Be well! Lynnie

Palindromic RA 30 yrs (Chronic Lyme?)
Mino 2003-2008 100mg MWF - can no longer tolerate any tetracyclines
rotating abx protocol now. From Sep 2018 MWF - a.m. Augmentin Duo 440mg + 150mg Biaxsig (roxithromycin). p.m. Cefaclor (375mg) + Klacid 125mg + LDN 3mg + Annual Clindy IV's
Diet: no gluten, dairy, sulphites, low salicylates
Supps: 600mg N-AC BID, 1000mg Vit C, P5P 40mg, zinc picolinate 60mg, Lithium orotate 20mg, Magnesium Oil, Bio-identical hormones (DHEA + Prog + Estrog)

[Trillium17]

Hi Maz: 1) Yes, when it all began, months after “ivywhacking” work (in own yard and woods btw) my 1st thought was Lyme. I knew zero about arthritis… oddly enough. I was tested, twice? one was PCR found negative.
2) transdermal estrogen is bioidentical. I think it helps some non arthritic symptoms.
3) have never tried minocycline, though… hard enough sell getting doxy rx, plus more poss mini side effects??
4) Thyroid, adrenal also checked out fine
5) I stopped doxy as an experiment. I had also stopped sulfasalazine, which my 2nd rheumatologist had me on b4 he “let” me try doxy… sszn only moderately useful for me. He did a very $$ arthritis monitoring panel once, then last time I was there injected me with methotrexate, pnce was enough. I felt a bit coerced… had 2 or 3 days of feeling anxious, bad dreams, so never went back. Frankly, I felt I was almost at remission. Hands not perfect but better. Besides, the most troubling symptom, my feet, had resolved beautifully. I could walk a lot again. And I felt the person who got me there was ME. With roadback’s info, very frankly

6) alas, I love nightshades, I like tomatoes esp. Eat only reasonable amts potatoes at home. Scratch cook. Elimination diet did help a bit,
7) As to GUT, not sure mine is leaky… but I take probiotics.
8) Two days ago new Primary, best I ever had, retired. She was doing more regular lab work… But I have kept excellent records
9) Lynnie is right. Optipea is what I meant. I ordered some for self. (But husband also recovering from recent open heart surgery, common complication of which is over hydration, drowned lungs… thought it might help him as well.) I have a lot going on. I understand need for patience with LDN. I had to work a bit to get that RX…& those 1st few shining days of pain freedom were so amazing… I was shocked delighted, charmed by them… hope they return. I need my right hand working again very badly.

Many thx Max, Lynnie, Richie, and others. Continue to learn from you all. Will report back on results. 🙂

Psoriatic Arthritis (hands/feet) b4 May 2013; diag Oct, 2013. Family history: GrF 100% disabled & died of RA age 42. Mom prob had PA, had patches of eczemas, undiagnosed, untreated, deformed hands. Me: HLA-B27 Positive; RA factor Neg; ANA negative; CRP & CCP Ab negative; Sed Rate low.

[Author]

Posts