Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Outbreak

I've made an interesting discovery regarding my psoriasis.  I think.  Here's the story:

While I was working at camp, I ate a half a bag of Twizzlers.  This is kind of a camp tradition of mine.  I'm doing a job that requires me to sit and stare at a computer for hours on end.  It only makes sense to reward myself with Twizzlers after each segment of work.

So, on Saturday, I ate like a half pound of Twizzlers.

And, by evening I had like 20 new psoriasis spots and my scalp was going crazy with itching and flaking.  I'm not even exaggerating.  I also felt agitated and nervous.  For no reason.

A  couple of years ago, my camp pal Cara told me she had to give up Red Dye 40 because of migraines.  No more Twizzlers for her.

Hmmmm, I thought.  No other dietary changes except for a Twizzlers binge and the biggest outbreak of psoriasis since I first got infested in April?

Sure enough, I Googled the heath effects of red dye, and I realized that products containing this poison are probably not great for psoriasis.  In fact, Red Dye 40 probably has the following health effects:It causes hyperactivity, anxiety, cancer, allergies, skin and eye irritations (duh), and maybe reproductive health issues.  Other countries have outlawed Red Dye 40, but here in the US, it's still widely used.

And it's probably causing some of my goddamned psoriasis.  I'm eliminating food dyes from my diet, probably.  A doctor I know also sent me a list eight other foods lepers should not eat.  It includes alcohol, red meat, and, cheese and condiments.

We'll see where this leads.

2 comments:

LH said...

I enjoy the odd Twizzler so I'm glad I don't have psoriasis. I think you may need to have some wine and cheese from time to time.
Maybe with me? ASAP!

KC said...

I am giving up the dyes because I can't bear to give up the other things. We'll be drinking wine and having cheese. Should I get my ticket for LOTUS?