Is your skin feeling dry, itchy, or uncomfortably cracked?  Therapies that utilize functional medicine from Toronto can be beneficial for treating psoriasis. In particular, targeting the source of skin issues can help alleviate symptoms and manage future flare-ups.

Psoriasis is a common condition that affects all ages, races, and genders. It’s influenced by an overactive immune system that drives new skin cells to grow in a span of 3-4 days instead of over a month. This can lead to irritated skin that can obstruct your quality of life and daily functioning. Thus, integrating treatment options can support comfort levels, especially for avoiding future infections.  

For this blog post, our Toronto functional medicine clinic lists an overview of this condition, how diet affects it, and details about meeting our clinicians for personalized treatment options. 

What is psoriasis? 

• • Psoriasis is a chronic health condition that involves inflamed, scratchy, flaky rashes, scales, and plaques on the skin. It’s also known as an autoimmune condition because white blood cells end up attacking healthy skin cells, mistakenly assuming skin cells to be ‘intruders’. Psoriasis is related to other autoimmune diseases, too, including psoriatic arthritis. 
  • Rashes and plaques can form on any area of the body, but these lesions may be exacerbated around the fingers, toes, palms, low back, genitals, feet, scalp, face, and elbows. 
  • Comorbidities are defined as the formation of other health issues that occur while another condition is present; this all happens within one body. There are potential comorbidities related to psoriasis, and these include IBD (inflammatory bowel disease), obesity, mental health conditions, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome. 
  • Psoriasis is hereditary, though it can be aggravated by environmental factors, such as frequent exposures to cold weather, not getting enough sunlight, injuries and infections to the skin, quick cessation of corticosteroid medications, and substance overindulgences (i.e. alcohol, smoking). 

There are several ways to manage this condition, especially with functional medicine therapies. One way to reduce inflammation is to alter your diet, which has shown to help calm down skin discomforts. You may check our functional medicine insights about TUDCA which may also help with inflammation.

Understanding the link between psoriasis and diet

The gut and skin are intertwined by a relationship called the gut-skin axis. The gut has a vital role in regulating inflammation in the body, and excessive inflammation levels can manifest as psoriatic flare-ups; this notion has been acknowledged by medical journals: “Intestinal barrier dysfunction and subclinical gut inflammation can be observed in psoriasis patients, and thus, this leads to the postulation that gut dysbiosis is associated with psoriasis,” reports a Biomedicine article.

Obviously, food directly affects gastrointestinal health. Eating or refraining from certain foods may naturally target chronic inflammation, especially for reducing the severity of rashes. So, consider these tips for managing psoriasis with diet: 

• • Consider getting tested for food sensitivities: Functional lab tests can help identify which foods may be provoking sensitivity reactions in your body. At our clinic, we offer food sensitivity testing, including IgG and IgA panels. Ongoing exposure to sensitive foods can heighten inflammation and may contribute to the development of leaky gut.
  • Cut out inflammatory foods: Cut out the foods you’re sensitive to or stop eating certain foods that naturally enhance inflammation. One study showed that drinking alcohol and excessively eating sugars, tomatoes, dairy and gluten may trigger psoriasis flareups. You may want to cut down your intake of red meat, too, as it can worsen psoriasis.
  • Eat nutrient-rich foods with anti-inflammatory functions: Try adding these foods to your meals: probiotic-rich items (i.e. yogurt, miso); antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables (i.e. berries, leafy greens); and fish and nuts for skin-healthy omega-3 fatty acids. 

Understanding diet’s role in psoriasis can help you make healthy lifestyle decisions. So, consider this your calling to upgrade your wellness! Let’s introduce you to complementary strategies to target skin concerns, digestive issues, hormones (estrogen dominance), and more. 

Meet a Toronto functional medicine practitioner today

What’s the root cause of your sleep issues, itchy skin, or body aches? Find out with our personalized approach to wellness. By adhering to the integrative functional medicine model, our clinicians have extensive experience treating health issues, including autoimmune and chronic conditions.

To get a comprehensive treatment plan designed by one of our clinicians, you’ll be asked to follow this process:  

• • Attend an initial consultation between yourself and one of your practitioners. 
  • If requested, get suitable lab tests completed. (We offer a plethora of functional medicine testing, and the results are used to modify treatments with your needs.)
  • Then, a treatment plan is presented to you, which may include a wide range of adapted modalities, such as Western medicine, acupuncture, botanical medicine, IV therapy, naturopathic medicine and homeopathic medicine. 

The functional medicine model is useful for alleviating the source of chronic symptoms, as well as helping to promote disease prevention. We also provide additional education to patients about their conditions, how their prescribed treatments work, and the importance of lifestyle modifications. When patients are aware of how their bodily functions work, they can increase their chances of adhering to therapies and reaching health goals. We understand that seeking health support can be overwhelming – at the Toronto Functional Medicine Centre, your comfort matters to us. Please let us know how we can customize your clinical experience!

Our integrative medicine strategies can target enhancements for skin conditions, including psoriasis, acne, and more. Call us now to book your initial appointment for functional medicine in our Toronto practice. 

Disclaimer: The information in this article is designed for educational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for informed medical advice or care. This information should not be used to diagnose or treat any health problems or illnesses without consulting a doctor. You should always consult with a health care practitioner before relying on any information in this article or on this website. Never delay or disregard seeking professional medical advice from your doctor or other qualified healthcare provider because of information you have read from the Toronto Functional Medicine Centre website or other affiliate media. 

References

Afifi, L., Danesh, M.J., Lee, K.M. et al. Dietary Behaviors in Psoriasis: Patient-Reported Outcomes from a U.S. National Survey. Dermatol Ther (Heidelb) 7, 227–242 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13555-017-0183-4

Garbicz, J., Całyniuk, B., Górski, M., Buczkowska, M., Piecuch, M., Kulik, A., & Rozentryt, P. (2021). Nutritional Therapy in Persons Suffering from Psoriasis. Nutrients, 14(1), 119. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14010119

Humbert P, Bidet A, Treffel P, Drobacheff C, Agache P. Intestinal permeability in patients with psoriasis. J Dermatol Sci. 1991 Jul;2(4):324-6. doi: 10.1016/0923-1811(91)90057-5. PMID: 1911568.

Kanda N, Hoashi T, Saeki H. Nutrition and Psoriasis. Int J Mol Sci. 2020 Jul 29;21(15):5405. doi: 10.3390/ijms21155405. PMID: 32751360; PMCID: PMC7432353.

Kim, W. B., Jerome, D., & Yeung, J. (2017). Diagnosis and management of psoriasis. Canadian Family Physician, 63(4), 278. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5389757/

Man AM, Orăsan MS, Hoteiuc OA, Olănescu-Vaida-Voevod MC, Mocan T. Inflammation and Psoriasis: A Comprehensive Review. Int J Mol Sci. 2023 Nov 8;24(22):16095. doi: 10.3390/ijms242216095. PMID: 38003284; PMCID: PMC10671208.

Phan C, Touvier M, Kesse-Guyot E, Adjibade M, Hercberg S, Wolkenstein P, Chosidow O, Ezzedine K, Sbidian E. Association Between Mediterranean Anti-inflammatory Dietary Profile and Severity of Psoriasis: Results From the NutriNet-Santé Cohort. JAMA Dermatol. 2018 Sep 1;154(9):1017-1024. doi: 10.1001/jamadermatol.2018.2127. PMID: 30046840; PMCID: PMC6143029.

“Psoriasis” from Penn Medicine, the Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania, reviewed July 1, 2022, viewed on December 6, 2024. 

Thye, A. Y., Bah, Y., Law, J. W., Tan, L. T., He, Y., Wong, S., Thurairajasingam, S., Chan, K., Lee, L., & Letchumanan, V. (2022). Gut–Skin Axis: Unravelling the Connection between the Gut Microbiome and Psoriasis. Biomedicines, 10(5), 1037. https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines10051037