Psoriasis is a genetic condition that is triggered by inflammation in the body, stress, vitamin deficiencies, autoimmune disorders, sensitivities to foods, and other environmental triggers.  Psoriasis is not contagious, but there is no cure and is a lifelong condition.  Treating psoriasis can be a process of trial and error, pairing lifestyle and diet changes with prescription and over the counter medications, vitamins and supplements.

There have been mixed reviews about whether or not vitamin C can trigger a psoriasis outbreak, or actually make it better.  If you’re researching psoriasis treatment, you’ve probably come across sites that say vitamin C can worsen symptoms, and others that say to make sure you get plenty of vitamin C in your diet.  Hopefully we can clear up some of the misinformation out there and help you to understand how vitamin C can or hurt when you’re treating your psoriasis.

First, we’ll discuss how vitamin C got this bad reputation for making symptoms worse.  Psoriasis is essentially a malfunction of the immune system.  T cells are triggered by different substances, foods, or vitamin deficiencies and cause inflammation paired with an overproduction of cells on the skin.  They can also trigger arthritis in some people.  Foods containing vitamin C, such as citrus fruits and tomatoes, are also high in acids that can worsen symptoms in some people.  Additionally, most vitamin C supplements are not buffered and very acidic, which can also cause flare ups.  Other foods that have a high acid content and can also cause inflammation are coffee, red meat, and dairy products.  You can cut out acidic foods and add them back into your diet, one at a time, to see which ones you may be sensitive to.

It is the acid in vitamin C rich foods and supplements that have led many people to believe that vitamin C can worsen psoriasis.  However, vitamin C itself has many benefits for treating not only the symptoms and severity of psoriasis, but the underlying causes of it as well.

Start treatment at the root cause of psoriasis; immune system malfunction.  Vitamin C helps to calm the immune system by helping it respond appropriately to disease.  When a disease, like psoriasis, is present, cells are essentially “misinformed” about their function and role in the body.  They produce a cascade of free radicals that heighten the awareness of the immune system, basically aggravating it.

In the presence of chemicals or foods that you may be sensitive to, the immune system attacks with more vigor than is necessary, causing an autoimmune response.  The immune system attacks the skin and joints causing inflammation, a quick production of extra cells, pain, arthritis, and severe itching.  Vitamin C flushes free radicals from the body and in turn, keeps the immune system from overreacting or attacking the wrong parts of your body.

Vitamin C also treats inflammation, controls the production of histamines that cause itching, and blocks histamine receptors, improving much of the discomfort that is experienced when psoriasis flares up.  Talk with your doctor when you use vitamins and supplements to treat psoriasis.  You can purchase discount vitamins online to decrease the cost of long-term supplementation.  To avoid the acid that is present in most vitamin C products, choose a buffered form of the best vitamin C, like a high quality vitamin C powder, so that you don’t inadvertently cause symptoms to worsen.