Dr. Nicole Sundene, NMD
Author of "The Hormonal Acne Diet"
Psoriasis is one of the most challenging dermatology conditions I can successfully treat. But it does require quite the team approach between doctor and patient as we will discuss today with Pamela.
Pamela had the absolute worst case of psoriasis I have ever seen in my twenty five years of experience working in conventional and Naturopathic dermatology. Ironically, Pamela was also my very first official patient after I graduated from Bastyr University. I remember thinking at the time, “Really God, you couldn’t have sent me an easy case of acne for my very first patient without a supervising doctor?"
The patches of psoriasis all over her body had become so bad that they began connecting together into giant inflamed sections with little to no normal skin surrounding the inflamed areas. When the psoriasis began to spread to her scalp and face she panicked and sought me out as her Naturopathic Doctor.
I was truly feeling overwhelmed, shocked, and somewhat horrified by the severity of her psoriasis, and I thought to myself, “she needs to get to a dermatologist immediately.”
Pamela could just see the look on my face and said, "I have already tried everything."
The truth was, Pamela had already been to a dozen different dermatologists over the past 30 years of battling her psoriasis. The only thing that seemed to help her, was a very expensive cream that cost $400 per month, unfortunately, her insurance was not paying for the cream.
Even worse, the psoriasis that began on her elbows and knees, began to spread to her arms, legs, and the rest of her body.
It was getting so bad Pamela now needed two prescriptions of the $400 cream every month, and she could no longer afford to keep up with this expense. Pamela mentioned, she just wanted to take her grandchildren to the community pool in her neighborhood and swim “without feeling like a leper.” (she and I both know that psoriasis is not contagious, however, other people swimming don’t know this.)
When the psoriasis began to spread to her scalp, ears and then her face, she contacted me for help. We began my "Hormonal Acne Diet" as it is anti-inflammatory, removes common food triggers for psoriasis, and helps balance hormones which is why women oftentimes develop psoriasis with perimenopause and menopause.
After hearing Pamela tell me about everything she had tried in conventional dermatology that did not work, I realized we truly had nothing to lose by trying a naturopathic solution. I knew from my eight years of working in traditional dermatology, that naturopathy would not harm her. I knew from years working for the hormone doctor that balancing hormones can reduce inflammation as can improving nutrition.
But I also knew it would take a lot of work on Pamela's end with changing her nutrition. So I made it clear to Pamela that nothing I could do for her psoriasis was going to change overnight, and she would need to stay committed, to giving this a solid 3 months to see improvement. Pamela agreed and said she had no other choice but to try Naturopathy.
Pamela's hormones came back imbalanced. She was low in both progesterone and cortisol which explained the sudden spike in inflammation to me. I treated her hormone imbalance and we agreed to follow up at 12 weeks and reassess her plan.
A few weeks before her 12 week follow-up, Pamela called to cancel her appointment.
I immediately panicked at the beginning of her voicemail message, I worried that something had gone wrong. But as I listened, she told me “I am completely better now, and I don’t have the slightest itch while on your nutrition program. My skin is glowing and I have never looked or felt better! I love my new diet, and don’t even want to learn how to moderate it at this point but, I just wanted to thank you for everything you have done for me."
Pamela went on to say, "I am actually in my bathing suit right now, and headed to take my grandchildren swimming at the pool, and be the fun Grandma I always wanted to be with them. I could not have done this without you.”
She also mentioned that her homemade psoriasis medicine costs her only $10 a month to make and that she doesn’t even need to use it anymore as long as she follows her naturopathic diet plan and results of her Food Sensitivity Test. When women's hormones change such as in menopause and hypothyroidism that can also cause the skin to become more dry and susceptible to psoriasis.
If you need a caring Naturopathic Doctor I would be glad to help. To treat yourself to a Naturopathic visit simply pop over to my SCHEDULE page, so you can be my next Dermatology success story! Nothing makes me happier than helping women feel good in their skin!
If you or your child are not sure if you can be successful with Naturopathy please read my post on "How to Be Successful with Naturopathic Medicine" and at least get started with my complete Dermatology Mind-Body-Spirit Program "The Hormonal Acne Diet" so we are feeding your skin the proper nutrients it needs to be healthy and glowing as well as identifying potential trigger foods, eliminating them, and working to remove all inflammatory foods from the diet.
So that is how I help my psoriasis patients as a Naturopathic Hormone Doctor in a nutshell. If you are excited to make nutrition changes then we will work well together as a team to execute your Holistic Dermatology Glow Up!
Dr. Nicole Sundene, NMD
(480) 837-0900
Dr. Sundene is a Naturopathic Doctor in Scottsdale, Arizona, and is considered a Female Hormone Expert in Women's Health and Bioidentical Hormones. She specializes in Holistic Women's Health for Menopause, Thyroid, Hashimotos, PMS, Perimenopause, Autoimmune, Postpartum Depression, Chronic Fatigue, Depression, Anxiety, Food Allergies, Digestion, Dermatology , Acne, Psoriasis, Eczema and Adrenal Hormonal Conditions. In 1999 she began working for a Hormone Doctor prior to starting Naturopathic Medical School. With over 23 years of experience in both Prescription and Natural women's health and hormones, she presents to women the best-integrated health solutions for their Chronic Disease. She has been an Herbalist for over 28 years and enjoys teaching women how to use herbs to balance their hormones, nutrition and optimize their health. Dr. Sundene relies on blood testing for her hormone metrics. The hormone testing is covered per the patient's insurance plan and conducted at certain points in the woman's menstrual cycle. To learn more about Hormone Testing for Women Visit: Bioidentical Hormones. Follow Dr. Sundene on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook for more tips on Women's Health, Female Hormones, and Naturopathy!
