brainstorming for braindamage :-)

this is for braindamage whos been fasting for his Psoriasis which i sure wish i could help.

you most probably know from your research braindamage, that Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory condition and the possible causes are numerous and still not totally understood.

for those who haven't researched it but may have some form of chronic inflammatory condition, there seems be a combination of causes that make up the unique configuration of each sufferer. 1. genetic (and these glitches are now being decoded) 2. not receiving the correct gut flora from mothers milk (enabling inflammatory allergies). 3 excessive Antibiotics which Psoriasis sufferers are usually given. 4 a lifetime of limited food choices resulting in a deficiency of varieties of gut bacteria and on and on... all of these contribute to the making of a malfunctioning immune system, exasperating inflammations that bring on illness, high cholesterol, heart disease and cancer etc. even old age is inflammation.

as we know most of the nutrients we need to build a healthy immune system come wrapped in fiber (which is why we cook some foods) the ones without a tough fiber are the non-carbohydrate foods like diary, beef, chicken, fish, eggs etc. most people can break down vegetable fiber enough to extract the necessary nutrients because they have the correct gut flora and digestive enzymes to do that, but some people can't and too much of their food passes through undigested, compromising their immune system, especially the type of immune system needed to calm down their particular inflammation.

the hardest thing to accept when one wishes to be a vegetarian is that it *may not* be possible for ones particular bio-configurations. some of us are more damaged by this chemical world than others or have inherited a different gut flora. if one is trying to cure an inflammatory condition one needs to drop what hasn't worked (after a sensible amount of time) and try another tack to cool the flaming down.

some of these experiments may be hard to accept even abhorrent as they might require a total turn about, such as extracting the nutrients from fresh raw fibrous foods (primarily greens) *prior to ingestion* using a top quality masticating juicer and reducing ones blood Sugar (also known to exasperate chronic inflammations) by replacing Sugar chain foods (which includes whole grain starches) with high protein low carb foods instead.

one way to keep it in perspective is that one may have a crippled digestive system (a handicap, a challenge) that may need an internal (kind of) wheel chair to keep it (and the colon) mobile, but it sure beats being unable to walk and really stuck in a wheelchair or blind etc.etc.

the best way to find out whether a particular diet has the 'potential' to reduce inflammation before embarking on it, is to join the forums that are discussing their results.

all i know is that when i eat low GI (glycemic index) foods and juice lots of raw dark leafy greens the whole body cools down, heals quicker, sleeps less, has less fluid retention (for my age), less gas, tons more energy, is free of inflammation and skin blemishes. my system can never get that well when i try vegetarianism living primarily on raw fibrous vegetables. and when i do introduce whole grain starches and fruit sugars slowly and separately (even after 3 years of re-adapting) my health and especially bodily comfort is never as good. i sure wish i could eat only beautiful vegetarian foods, but i can't, always have to take a break and gradually i'm finding out why.

my digestive bacteria comes from many generations of danish people who ate yogurts, cheeses, meats and cooked vegetables so when i omit those foods and try to eat only veg i get IBD which weakens my immune system and opens the door to opportunistic infections (more colds etc) and inflammations. when i eat 'similar' to what ancestors ate (but more refined - less fat, juiced greens etc) my stomach is flat gas-less and divinely comfortable all day long.

to find more pieces to the jigsaw puzzle of the immune system one has inherited, find out your ancestry and what your mother's diet consisted of during 'her' childhood and just prior to your birth - and also - whether you received colostrum (first breast milk) which has powerful antibodies that fight allergies (inflammation).

all the best