Discovering Diet

I am 40 years old. I have had psoriasis for 13 years and psoritic arthritis for 5 years. It is not what I would term bad...yet, but my symptoms are progressing (rather, they were until I started implemeting some of the dietry ideas last year). My father had psoriasis and his condition was what I would term bad. One of my brothers has it as do aunts and and uncles on both sides of my family. Genetically then, I am predisposed. So then are my children, which is one of the main reasons why, in 2008, I decided to start looking for a natural method of alleviating my symptoms. If it works for me, then I can pass the knowledge onto my boys, should they too develop the symptoms one day.
My psoriasis first appeared in 1997 after an illness, which is so often the case I believe. I kept it quiet. Only my partner knew as it first appeared in my anus. It was very uncomfortable but fortunately treatable with a steroid ointment. It then spread to my groin, again treatable with ointment. Apparently I was lucky to find an ointment that worked. When nail and psoriatic arthritis reared its ugly head in 2005 I began to worry. Early 2008, psoriasis appeared on my scalp and quickly spread. The psoriasis in my groin area also progressed to a point where I really could not continue without some medical intervention. I had clear memories of my father's encounters with conventional medical treatments and I saw no good in them whatsoever. I decided to investigate natural treatments.
My first port of call was Jan de Vries. He has a clinic in Edinburgh once a month with a huge number of clients to see in that day. He spends 5 minutes with each client and prescribes £30-50 worth of herbal remedies. I quickly tired of the man, unsure of his motives. Meanwhile, I trawled the internet and chanced (or maybe not) upon Pagano’s Healing Psoriasis book. The basis for the Pagano regime is diet. On a fundamental level, this chimes with my psyche. A lot of alternative treatments I struggle to come to terms with as I guess I have a scientific mind that needs logical solutions. I spent a month or so reading the book in detail and absorbing the general concepts behind the diet. On January 2nd 2009, I began the experiment.