Business Insight presented by Arlington Dermatology Is eating pizza bad for my psoriasis? We often get questions like the title above. Further, patients say that they eliminated some food, and their skin became better. It is hard to imagine what we have not heard yet. But the truth is that a piece of pizza occasionally is not making your psoriasis worse. The problem is much deeper. Our immune system is a complicated matter. Not only does it consist of millions of cells, responsible for many different actions in the body. It also gets influenced by multiple external factors, like air, water, and the environment. It seems like the more developed we are as a society; we experience more of real-life medical problems related to our immune system. It can be since medical science knows more about it, but also due to the fact that our external environment has become more 'artificial' and it causes changes in our bodies. There are many immune system disorders, like psoriasis, that show through the skin. Eczema is another frequent one. Our immune systems are sensitive to many elements of real life. Gluten allergy or sensitivity is the most common. If your diet is full of gluten and you have sensitivity to it, you will feel it through your digestive system, skin, brain, and more. It all depends on the level of sensitivity and allergic reactions. There are children who develop asthma and sometimes it takes years to understand that it might have been caused by dust or an animal in the house. Identifying your 'triggers' is very difficult and can be misleading. But pizza does not cause psoriasis. It is the system of over-reactive proteins in your immune system that get misdirected and make you sick. There are some factors that can help your psoriasis though. Proper level of Vitamin D is one of them. Correlations are scientifically proven and obvious. By the way, Vitamin D has many more systemic correlations and should be checked on a regular basis, especially for patients in the areas lacking sun exposure. Vit D is produced naturally in our bones through a healthy level of frequent sun exposure. Thus, people in the Midwest, after winter months, may experience a lot of deficiencies. Supplementing it daily is the smart thing to do. The elimination of highly processed food, full of preservatives is another thing you can do. It may take a little bit of time to cook, but eating whole food, not processed, can help not only with your psoriasis, but with your general health. And finally, modern medicine discovered and developed many new medicines that help clear your skin and prevent new psoriasis flaring. Most of the new drugs are very effective and have no negative influence on other systems, making the treatments safe. They also help stop psoriatic arthritis, which is a 'spin off' in 30% of patients with psoriasis and often became a primary problem due to joint pain. The bottom line is that a good pizza will not make you sick, but healthy eating on a regular basis will make you feel better. In all aspects of your body and mind. And if you need medication to make it more effective, have a good discussion with your doctor about which treatment will fit you the best. Michael Bukhalo, MD Arlington Dermatology 5301 Keystone Court Rolling Meadows, IL 60008 Tel. 847 392 5440 | www.arlingtondermatology.net Business Insight presented by Arlington Dermatology Is eating pizza bad for my psoriasis ? We often get questions like the title above . Further , patients say that they eliminated some food , and their skin became better . It is hard to imagine what we have not heard yet . But the truth is that a piece of pizza occasionally is not making your psoriasis worse . The problem is much deeper . Our immune system is a complicated matter . Not only does it consist of millions of cells , responsible for many different actions in the body . It also gets influenced by multiple external factors , like air , water , and the environment . It seems like the more developed we are as a society ; we experience more of real - life medical problems related to our immune system . It can be since medical science knows more about it , but also due to the fact that our external environment has become more ' artificial ' and it causes changes in our bodies . There are many immune system disorders , like psoriasis , that show through the skin . Eczema is another frequent one . Our immune systems are sensitive to many elements of real life . Gluten allergy or sensitivity is the most common . If your diet is full of gluten and you have sensitivity to it , you will feel it through your digestive system , skin , brain , and more . It all depends on the level of sensitivity and allergic reactions . There are children who develop asthma and sometimes it takes years to understand that it might have been caused by dust or an animal in the house . Identifying your ' triggers ' is very difficult and can be misleading . But pizza does not cause psoriasis . It is the system of over - reactive proteins in your immune system that get misdirected and make you sick . There are some factors that can help your psoriasis though . Proper level of Vitamin D is one of them . Correlations are scientifically proven and obvious . By the way , Vitamin D has many more systemic correlations and should be checked on a regular basis , especially for patients in the areas lacking sun exposure . Vit D is produced naturally in our bones through a healthy level of frequent sun exposure . Thus , people in the Midwest , after winter months , may experience a lot of deficiencies . Supplementing it daily is the smart thing to do . The elimination of highly processed food , full of preservatives is another thing you can do . It may take a little bit of time to cook , but eating whole food , not processed , can help not only with your psoriasis , but with your general health . And finally , modern medicine discovered and developed many new medicines that help clear your skin and prevent new psoriasis flaring . Most of the new drugs are very effective and have no negative influence on other systems , making the treatments safe . They also help stop psoriatic arthritis , which is a ' spin off ' in 30 % of patients with psoriasis and often became a primary problem due to joint pain . The bottom line is that a good pizza will not make you sick , but healthy eating on a regular basis will make you feel better . In all aspects of your body and mind . And if you need medication to make it more effective , have a good discussion with your doctor about which treatment will fit you the best . Michael Bukhalo , MD Arlington Dermatology 5301 Keystone Court Rolling Meadows , IL 60008 Tel . 847 392 5440 | www.arlingtondermatology.net