Psoriasis

I wrote to you once before and had always hoped you would use my idea but have never seen it in your uses.
 I had horrible feet. I love to go barefoot and over the years my skin under my feet and especially the heels became rough, dry and cracked. Deep cracks.  My Aunt first bought me Purple Emu as a X-mas gift, along with other creams to try on my feet. I used some of the other creams but was skeptical about Emu oil.  Avon, Dr. Scholl's, True Blue Spa, Bath and Body Works nothing worked.  Finally I tried the Emu oil.  Within weeks I noticed a difference in my skin it was smooth to the touch. I continued to us the oil and within a few months the cracks were gone.

My boyfriend has psoriasis on his elbows.  I let him try Emu oil and it helped clear his dry patches. He liked it so much that he stole the bottle from me.
dilynn0704

A visitor to our ranch showed us his psoriasis spots. We applied Emu oil to most of them and watched them turn from gray crusts to smooth pink flat spots right before our eyes! He left with a large amount of our oil, and his psoriasis is getting better ever day!
Peggy and Glenn G., Camas Valley, Oregon

Psoriasis - Jackie's Story
by Myra Charleston

"My neck looked so bad a starving vampire wouldn't have bit it!"  Jackie Roper's sense of humor helps her deal with psoriasis as much as clipping her nails. Jackie suffers from psoriasis vulgaris, the most common type of psoriasis.  In her case, the flaking is usually confined to her scalp, but occasionally works it's way down her neck to her back and chest.  In November of 1998, she was at her wit's end with this chronic disease.
 
Psoriasis causes skin cell reproduction to accelerate. A normal skin cell takes about a month to mature.  For those with psoriasis, this process takes only 3 or 4 days.  These skin cells are poorly developed and push their way up to the skin surface faster than the old cells can be shed.  Consequently, the skin cells pile up and form raised, scaly "plaques" that may itch and leave skin below red and inflamed.   At least 2% of the population world wide has some form of psoriasis. Of these, 60% report no itching, 20% report itching during flare-ups and 20% report constant itching. Jackie falls into the middle group. 

"I thought at first it was just dandruff." She recalled, "I used dandruff shampoos just about every night, no good."  Finally she saw a doctor who diagnosed psoriasis.  Aside from the physical discomfort, Jackie also endures occasionally embarrassing moments because of the disease.   Grocery shopping, visits to her daughter's school, even going out to dinner or a movie can draw stares if the psoriasis has progressed past her hair line.
 
After ten years, Jackie has run the gamut of home remedies to calm the itching. This includes having her husband wrap her yogurt slathered head in cling wrap, applying ice cubes to her neck and bathing in everything from Epson salts to corn meal.   She recalls with a chuckle the afternoon her 10 year old daughter and her friends caught her wearing an oatmeal "cap". She heard one girl whisper to her daughter "Your mom has oatmeal on her head!" Her daughter nonchalantly replied "Yeah, she does stuff like that." 

Although there is no scientific evidence that diet plays a role, there has been enough hearsay evidence to cause Jackie to try changing her diet to try to ease the outbreaks.  She eliminated tomatoes for a while, but finds that eating the low acid yellow tomatoes does not aggravate her psoriasis.  "It makes for unusual looking lasagna" she quips.  She also reduced her consumption of beef and pork.  "It made an obvious difference, but I was constantly craving something to eat!   I snacked my way to 200 pounds!"  In November she started eating emu meat instead of beef.  Her cravings were satisfied, she has begun to lose weight, and most importantly, the itching has not been as bad. 

At the same time, a girlfriend suggested she try emu oil for her skin.  The oil gave temporary relief of the itching, but required frequent applications.   She discovered by accident that there were emu oil shampoos, conditioners, cleansing bars and lotions available.  "Once I started using the (emu oil) shampoo and conditioner, my scalp started clearing up.  I use a emu oil bath bar now instead of the medicated bar I used before and use emu oil lotions after my bath." 

Jackie reports that after three months of using emu oil based skin care products, her neck completely cleared up.   She has been using the products for nearly five months and reports that while the scalp is an ongoing battle, it no longer itches.  "Most of it (the psoriasis) is gone, just two small patches are left up near the top of my head. 

I am NEVER giving this stuff up!"

Please remember that this information is not meant to substitute for a consultation with your physician, or another health care professional. Speak with your doctor if you have questions about primary care, or about any medical problem. 

Pustular Psoriasis - Kathy's Story

Stay at home mom Kathy thought at first that the break outs on her hands were the result of excessive detergent use.  With three children, one still in diapers, to take care of and a house to keep clean, it was an easy enough mistake to make.   When the condition worsened and she was unable to find relief from home remedies or over the counter creams, she made an appointment with a dermatologist.  The diagnosis was Pustular psoriasis.   

Kathy tells us that the cycle of blistering, drying out, peeling, cracking and bleeding sometimes occurred twice a week.  “It's very painful the palms itch and burn and they are raw and tender.”  Kathy reports “Pustular psoriasis runs through a cycle and you think you’re getting better but it starts all over again.”  She went on to say that the simplest tasks became a burden.  Rubber gloves became a necessity.  Giving herself a shampoo, bathing her toddler or doing general housework became literally a pain to accomplish.

”I had tried various home remedies and ultimately was prescribed Cortisone cream with white cotton gloves from a Dermatologist.  The gloves were constantly stained with dabs of blood from the dryer areas.”  Unfortunately, the condition just seemed to worsen - at one point Kathy’s children asked her not to touch or rub their skin because...."your hands hurt me Mommy".  “It was just awful,” Kathy said.  “One night after being very disgusted with my Dermatologist I decided to surf the Web for any information regarding Psoriasis and what I found by chance was an article on  Emu’s Zine.  I was able to contact Nettie Bunton of Purple Emu.  When Nettie sent me her samples and I started to use them......well that first night I felt like a gift had arrived from heaven.”

Day 1

EMU OIL - W/OUT THE PSORI CREAM (cream had not arrived yet)

After 1st application the itchiness was instantly relieved.  The dry flakes disappeared they were "soaked up" by the oil.  After a hot shower I oiled up and put on cotton gloves - the itchiness stopped but the skin is still raw and very tender.  First night in months that I didn't awaken to clawing at the palms of my hands.

Day 2
EMU OIL -W/OUT CREAM
Applying four times a day. Will sleep with gloves again.  The itchiness has subsided drastically and the tenderness has eased up somewhat.  Still red and inflamed.  Not as raw. My kids, husband, Parents and in-laws all say my hands look much better.  They can’t believe the difference.  The peeling and flaking are much better.  I'm very excited.

Day 3 -
EMU OIL W/OUT CREAM
Applying about  3 - 4 times a day.   Less cracking, seems to be peeling a bit more.

Day 4

EMU OIL W/OUT CREAM
Applied 3 -4 times.   Still dry, not as itchy, The "Palm reading Lines' are very cracked looking (Deep)  I see fewer blisters forming.  Not as tender.  I hope that this is not part of the pattern (psoriasis has a cycle - that it repeats constantly)

Day 5

EMU OIL W/OUT CREAM

Still 4 times a day.  Feeling better.  Less itching Still flaking and cracking,  Not as tender.

Day 6

EMU OIL AND PSORI CREAM II

The cream is very soothing,  I don't know if it's in my head but my hands feel smoother.  Not as cracked as they've been

END OF WEEK TWO

Using the combo of the oil and cream I feel that I am definitely seeing and feeling results.  One comment I must make is that the Psori Cream although wonderful, when there is an open crack or blister, the cream burns very much and causes discomfort, unlike the oil. 

END OF WEEK THREE

This was a bad week there were a lot of blisters and peeling and cracking but it seems somewhat more tolerable using the products.

END OF WEEK FOUR

I suppose that the cycle had to work it's way through my system one more time.  After last week, they are very raw again, but not any where near as raw as before using the products.  I also developed a small patch on my knee.  Which seems to be clearing up rapidly from the products.

MONTH TWO

Using the products pretty faithfully, cracking not as deep, peeling is slowly subsiding and I'm really just suffering from tenderness and redness.  I do forget to apply four times a day sometimes and do see that the dryness becomes worsened.  I'm definitely seeing results and am very satisfied.

MONTH THREE
I can now touch my children without complaints.  My two year old doesn't try to kiss the boo boo's on my hands any more and I can even (not to get to personal) touch my husband lovingly again without the use of white cotton gloves !! 

Emu oil has truly made a difference in my life.  It also helped me with terrible calluses on my feet.  I think I'm hooked for good.  I've had to replenish with Nettie once so far and I'm sure I'll be doing that again.  My hands now just look a little dry and rough but that is a far cry from November, December January and Feb. and March. 

Note from Nettie Bunton of Purple Emu:  “There is no known cure for any type of psoriasis to date.  All we can hope to do is treat the symptoms and make life easier for those suffering from psoriasis or eczema.  Whenever you have an outbreak, it is best to treat it immediately and steadily until it is cleared up.”