Mrs. Amparo Camargo Ongkiatco, 51 years old lady from Philippines, is a housewife and having psoriasis for more than 30 years. She is an active member of our Facebook group- Psoriasis Self Management. She has added me to her Facebook friend list and we used to chat sometimes. Yesterday, she shared her amazing story of psoriasis healing with me on Facebook chat. When I read her story, I can’t agree anymore to that. Her story is exactly the essence of our blog. She has understood the concept of holistic healing/management of psoriasis so well.
I know that you are so excited to read her story. Hence, without delaying any more, here goes her story- in her own words:
I got psoriasis at the age of 18 and I am 51 years old now. During all these years, I tried so many creams and medicines, but not of much use. Every time, I would try a new medicine, it would be quite effective initially and then gradually, its effectiveness would decrease. Due to prolonged use of these medicines, I got urinary tract infection also. I got married long time back and I got a lovely and supportive husband who accepted me and my psoriasis. But, there would be times when he would be sad to see me struggling with my psoriasis and unfortunately, he couldn’t do anything to help me. He would arrange creams and other medicines from various countries like Canada, Norway and Middle East, but they would give me only short term temporary relief.
When I saw the link for an article of this blog on Facebook, I was deeply attracted to this blog. The concept of self management of psoriasis really touched me because after all those years of struggle, I understood it very clearly that there is no once for ever cure of psoriasis and I need to look for various ideas to manage it somehow. Also, due to that urinary tract infection, I was desperately looking for some options which I can use for long term without much side effects.
Accepting the Psoriasis
I got a loving husband. He always supported me. I never felt comfortable with my skin problem, but, it was amazing to see that he accepted me with my psoriasis. He never complained about my skin. When I read the article about accepting the psoriasis, I really found it so true. It was an eye opener for me.  Acceptance is the first step towards psoriasis, so true it is. Gradually, I started to talk openly about my skin issue with my husband and then with other people. I would tell them about my restricted diet and healthy lifestyle and all of them would motivate me and help me in maintaining this diet and lifestyle so that I can heal my skin. Without admitting my skin problem, it was not possible for me to stick to my diet and lifestyle. I am a foodie and I love spicy junk foods and meat. Hence, if I was attending a marriage party and I was not going to eat red meat or white bread preparations, then it was mandatory for me to tell my friends about my skin problem and my diet so that they don’t force me anymore to eat those unhealthy but delicious foods.
Be disciplined with your diet and lifestyle
Discipline is the key. Try to stick to your diet and lifestyle. Tell your near and dear ones about your treatment and they would co-operate. But, don’t over do. You should not worry too much about your diet and lifestyle. Worrying too much can actually harm you rather than heal you because it would make you stressed.
What is helping me
- A good diet, mostly fruits and vegetables
- Cucumber and carrot juice
- I eat fish quite frequently
- Very little artificial refined sugar and almost no junk food
- Physical workout (exercise), three times a week. I love Zumba (a dance fitness program)
- I apply coconut oil in my scalp
- I eat brown and red rice for my meals
- No late night sleep
- Try not to worry too much about psoriasis
- To keep myself busy in things that I like to do
- To avoid any type of illness and cold and flu.
- To avoid constipation and indigestion
- To drink at least 8 glasses of water everyday
How this holistic healing concept is helping me
I am not psoriasis free. But, there is a significant reduction in itching. Also, psoriasis is not spreading to newer areas like before. I can say that my psoriasis is under control.
Menstrual periods are my psoriasis triggers. But, now, during menstrual periods, I don’t feel those attacks of intense itching. Not precisely, but I do feel that my psoriasis is slowly reducing.
Message to fellow people having Psoriasis
As I mentioned earlier, I am not psoriasis free. But, I have found a way to manage my psoriasis. And, I have a confidence that gradually, my skin condition will keep on improving if I continue this journey of psoriasis healing.
No matter how good food supplement or medicine you take, if you don’t make changes in your diet and lifestyle, your improvement will only be temporary. Also, if you really want a sustainable improvement in your skin and your life, accept your skin. Stop hiding or denying your problem. It is of no use. Accept your skin, share your feeling with your dear ones, make changes in your diet and lifestyle. You will get good results, sooner or later. Don’t expect overnight results, also don’t expect miraculous results. We have to accept the reality that there is no cure for psoriasis, but we can manage it quite well.
I am really overwhelmed to share this amazing real life story. Thank you very Much Mrs. Amparo for allowing me to share your story here. This is also a way of accepting your psoriasis when you share experiences and feelings on a global platform like the Internet. It needs a lot of courage also. You are an inspiration to all of us.
If you want to contact Mrs. Amparo, you can join our Facebook group or you can email her at- amparo_ongkiatco@yahoo.com
Useful Links:
Book Summary- Psoriasis healing from Inside out
Best Alkaline water recipe for psoriasis healing
Congratulations …this is a wonderful story and I relate to it totally!!!