Finding the Magic Formula

By Leanne Donaldson

2 min read

When I was little, I used to believe in fairies, magic, and pots of gold at the end of every rainbow. Somehow, when we grow up, we lose that sense of wonder and excitement in mystical things. Magic gets explained with slight of hand tricks and that pot of gold never seems to be found. When you live with psoriatic arthritis, finding that magical mix of medications, exercise, and sometimes dumb luck can be just as elusive as that pot of gold.

What is the magic formula for psoriatic arthritis?

With the days of “take this and you will feel better in the morning,” now firmly rooted in the past, it’s time to look forward and accept that there must be a multi-faceted approach to managing psoriatic arthritis. PsA is not a simple disease, it is complex and so must be our approach to managing it. But this begs the question, what is the best mix of meds, diet, movement, and rest?

How do comorbidities complicate things?

Chances are, if you have psoriatic arthritis, you are also managing multiple other diseases. Maybe it is fibromyalgia or rheumatoid arthritis. Or perhaps it is a thyroid condition or endometriosis. Many symptoms, such as back pain or fatigue, overlap and it can be very difficult to sort out what symptoms belong to which disease. Furthermore, complicating things are environmental factors such as weather, stress, and even access to medications.

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How do we find the magic formula?

So when you are juggling all these balls, trying to keep everything in the air without dropping these delicate orbs, how do we find that magical formula? You know the one I’m talking about. The magical formula that gives us more good days than bad. How do we find the perfect mix of everything to give us the best chance for a good day?

I wish the answer was simple. In a perfect world, I could give you a nice, neat 5-step-plan to achieve optimum health with PsA. Wouldn’t that be a great article! But the reality is that you and I both know that it isn’t that simple. We know that as much as we’d like there to be, there really is no such thing as a simple plan for psoriatic arthritis.

So what do we do?

We test, we tweak, and we track. Over and over again we make changes to our meds and monitor our progress. We pray that our doctors are knowledgeable enough to know what symptoms are part of our PsA and what belongs to any number of our other conditions. We up certain dosages and spend hours trying to interpret our bloodwork. All the time trying desperately to find the right mix.

Can I live "well" with psoriatic arthritis?

I used to think that I could “live well” with my psoriatic arthritis. But for me, I don’t think I will ever actually live “well.” But maybe, if I find the magic formula, I might just be able to live better. Better than I am now. Better health, better healing, just... better. That, I can accept.

This article represents the opinions, thoughts, and experiences of the author; none of this content has been paid for by any advertiser. The Psoriatic-Arthritis.com team does not recommend or endorse any products or treatments discussed herein. Learn more about how we maintain editorial integrity here.

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ralphcook Member
The science tells us that the formula for increasing good days over bad is to reduce sugar and alcohol intake and to source your daily protein intake from plant sources only. Meat (both red meat and processed meat - e.g., sausages and burgers), has nothing going for it. Humans evolved as wholly vegetarian creatures until only 10,000 years ago ot so, when we began to eat farmed animals in small amounts. It is said we are vegetarians by evolution but dairy farming emerged only 11,000 years ago so before that most humans were vegan (many probably ate in-season bird and reptile eggs and some insects as well but essentially our ancestors were not eating much, if any meat. Some chimpanzees eat a diet of 95% vegetable matter (leaves, fruit, nuts and some tree bark and twigs). The other 5% comprises meat and insects. The highest meat intake is eaten by males who will eat about 5% of their diet as meat, some females hunt alone for bushbabies and their diets may include up to 5% meat. Low status adults and infant - juvenile chimps of both sexes eat no meat at all. I have been saying this for years on this page and I know many of you in this forum simply disregard my comments on the matter. My suggestion is that you search Google Scholar using terms such as "Psoriatic arthritis" + "diet" + "inflammation", these days there's quite a bit of science on our condition and the science is clear red meat and processed meat, even in small amounts provokes psoriatic arthritis. There are of course other reasons, after successfully controlling my condition as a vegan since 1979, the appearance of Covid in 2020 has really upset the delicate balance I had created since 1995 when I discovered I had PSa and earlier this year I had some mild symptoms of whooping cocgh, the effects of which have left me not knowing how to go forward. Veganism is not a cure for PSa but it has given me decades of reduced symptoms until Covid and Whooping Cough arrived to wreck my hitherto remarkably good record.
1. ralphcook Member
 Hi, an update following my visit to the doctor's surgery on Friday evening. The blood tests results are all good although my sugar levels were a little high. I've only seen this doctor once - a home visit at the end of last summer and for a breathing difficulty (anxiety apparently although I was only anxious because of the breathing difficulty LOL) - so of course I had to run throughmy history with her and comparison between my narrative and the computer record tend to prove a point I have often made, you cannot understand human health and causative agents solely through the employment of technical terminology, the latter is a tool, the experience of the craftsman is what makes the diagnosis and the deeper understanding. Sometimes terminology obstructs the developpment of insights. She looked at my extensive psoriatic cover (all over the back legs, buttocks and back, it curls around my waist and is encroaching on my belly. Two extensive patches on my inner thighs, another large patch on and behind my left knee extending down the lower leg and two patches on my right arm and one on my left wrist! The most I've ever had before was a three inch patch on my lower spine in 2003 and another small patch on my right elbow about ten years ago. She said my current case is mild, no plaques. Surprised, I said it was the worst I'd ever had and was prompted by the attack of Whooping Cough - she was sceptical about that so I gave her a potted history of what occurred every time I was afflicted with even a mild dose of some strange virus (which began when I was a baby). Unfortunately, still sceptical even when I told her that a psoriatic specialist at the main Cardiff hospital had confirmed the probability that my assessment was correct (I am not an expert but I have analysed my health for over 30 years and drawn too many correlations for them to be coincidental). I've been reading the increasing archive of medical research papers (written by scientists), all of which detail how complex psoriatic arthritis is and even how Covid incited the immune system in affected people to attack their bones. But I've had to give up with some doctors or end up making complaints, some seriously do not appreciate patients taking an interest in their condition. At one point she was talking down to me using the most basic language, things that I've known before she attained puberty. In desperation, I finished her sentences for her to try to convey to her that I was not prepared to be treated this way. We parted friendly enough but I will not be seeing her again. Finally, if myu psoriasis outbreak is "mild," I'm fortunate not to be one of those people she was taking about who were suffering badly. Of course, I do not know how other victims fare, although I have over the weekend talked with a friend of mine who has the same problem as me and has psoriatic arthritis as well. We compared notes and after running through it all, I told him that my doctor thought my case was mild, he said his doctor had said the same thing. What are the odds of two random vegans with psoriatic arthritis and cuurrently afflicted by raging psoriasis both being told their cases are mild compared with most others - might there be a common dietary influence here - who knows for sure, but I'm pretty sure. Just before I go, I have had criticism from a few people over the years especially on your forum, to the effect that they have stopped eating meat (or more usually dairy) for x weeks and have gone back to their old diet because there was no improvement. They then refuse to accept my explanation that you can't just dispose of a complex health issue with a few weeks dietary change, I would have thought that a year of strict adhernce to the right kind of diet would be necessary before one can make any valid judgement and if you do improve, the benefits will only be short-lived if you return to your old diet. People don't want to hear that message.
2. christine.laaksonen Community Admin
 Hello again, <inline-mention username="ralphcook" user-id="3306790"/>, and thank you for your update. It sounds like a rather discouraging encounter with the doctor. Sometimes I think that doctors can forget that, while they are the experts in medicine in general, we are the experts in our own bodies and our body's health. I wish she had been more receptive to what you were sharing, but I'm glad that you were able to push and advocate for yourself. It's good you were able to leave on friendly terms, and, given your experience, I certainly don't blame you for feeling you won't be back to see her. I don't personally know much about the official labeling of the stage/degree of psoriasis, it certainly sounds like a large area you're experiencing a flare on, which sounds incredibly frustrating and potentially painful. Have you found anything that is helping you get relief? While I would imagine (given your extensive research on yourself) that you've already tried it all, I did want to share this article from one of our advocates on our psoriasis site about some of her short term psoriasis relief, <a href='https://plaquepsoriasis.com/living/quick-tips-psoriasis-itch-relief' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer ugc'>https://plaquepsoriasis.com/living/quick-tips-psoriasis-itch-relief</a>. It's not necessarily meant to be a long-term way of clearing up the psoriasis, just a way to help get some soothing relief in the moment. Also, while we certainly don't mean for any comment to come across as criticism, we also strive to be a place to meet people where they are and take into account everyone's experience with PsA. So that might mean that many people find treating their PsA without medications, or making dietary changes (as you did), or using other alternative therapies, as the best course of action, while others find prescription medications or treatments work best for them. Despite your well-intentioned information and sharing about what's been so helpful for you, for one reason or another not everyone might be able to make the dietary changes that have worked so well for you. Hopefully we can all appreciate that we value all people here and the various ways they find relief from their PsA. We really appreciate you input and hearing what's been so helpful for you. I am crossing my fingers that your psoriasis begins to clear up and you get some relief! Please, if you have a moment and feel comfortable, let me know how you're doing this week. -- Warmly, Christine (Team Member)
ralphcook Member
Dear Christine, I'm seeing my doctor in an hour and haven't time at present to respond as requested. Hopefully I will be able to add a perspective or two from her as well when I do respond, sometime tomorrow. Thank you for your kind and empathetic words, they are much appreciated and very different from my experiences on Facebook which generally begin with "you (Ralph Cook) are an idiot and end with unrepeatable language LOL. The price of being a person who conducts proper University-style research and attempts to relay what the experts are saying which tends to conflict with popular but often erroneous notions on the topic that interest me. Regards Ralph
1. christine.laaksonen Community Admin
 <inline-mention username="ralphcook" user-id="3306790"/> I'm so sorry I missed this initial message. I see that you have since replied about your doctor appointment and I will be sure to respond that comment above. That being said, I'm sorry you've had some unkind encounters on Facebook. Unfortunately, social media can be filled with trolls sharing unrepeatable language. Of course, that's not to say there can't also be some positives that come out of social media, and I do understand any desire to share what you've researched. -- Warmly, Christine (Team Member)