My personal path to remission

Healing Autoimmune Disease Naturally: The Six Steps That Took Me Into Remission

When I was diagnosed with palmoplantar pustulosis, I was given treatment options but no meaningful explanation for why my immune system had become so dysregulated. I decided to investigate the wider picture. These six changes stopped the cycle of new outbreaks and have supported more than fifteen years of remission.

More than fifteen years in remission

6 Practical steps

1. Hidden infections 2. Identify triggers 3. Support your gut 4. Supplements 5. Movement 6. Stress

Where my journey began

When I was diagnosed with PPP, I was offered medications to suppress the inflammation. What I was not given was an explanation for why the inflammation had become chronic in the first place.

I did not want to spend the rest of my life managing each new outbreak without first exploring what might be keeping my immune system activated. I began looking at food, digestive health, nutrient status, infections, stress, sleep and the cumulative load on my body.

I made a deliberate decision to change those foundations before beginning systemic medication. Within approximately three months, the cycle of new pustules stopped. More than fifteen years later, I remain in remission and have not experienced another full outbreak.

What remission taught me

My recovery changed what I believed was possible. The skin, gut, nervous system, immune system, hormones and nutritional status do not operate as isolated parts. For me, improving the conditions surrounding my health changed the course of the disease.

Why I looked deeper

I wanted more than symptom suppression.

The treatments I was offered focused on reducing immune activity. My central question was different: what had pushed my immune system into a state of persistent activation, and which parts of that picture were still within my influence?

I stopped viewing the pustules as an isolated skin problem. I began looking at the connections between my diet, gut health, repeated antibiotic use, nutrient status, stress and the way my body had been functioning before PPP appeared.

This was not passive hope. It was a structured process of removing possible triggers, supporting recovery, observing changes and keeping the practices that moved my health in the right direction. That process became the beginning of remission.

The six steps

The six foundations that changed the course of my disease

These steps were not six unrelated wellness tips. Together they reduced the burden on my body, helped me identify what was working against my recovery and created the conditions in which my skin could finally heal.

Step 1

Investigate hidden infections

I did not understand this part of the picture at the beginning. Through later research, I came to see how recurring bacterial, fungal or viral infections, repeated antibiotics and microbiome disruption can become important pieces of a much larger pattern.

If infections, yeast problems, sinus symptoms, digestive issues or repeated antibiotic courses keep returning, do not view every episode as unrelated. Record the pattern, investigate it properly and consider how it may connect with the rest of your health.

Recurring throat infections Yeast overgrowth Sinus problems Digestive symptoms Frequent antibiotics

Step 2

Identify your personal triggers

For me, food was one of the most powerful tools I had. Within the first few weeks of changing my diet, I began noticing that the inflammation was less intense and my skin healed more effectively between outbreaks.

Gluten became one of my clearest personal triggers. I also removed refined sugar, processed food, dairy, alcohol, fast food and heavily refined vegetable oils while I observed how my body responded.

The aim is not lifelong restriction. It is to create enough calm to see clearly, identify the foods that affect you and then build the broadest diet your body genuinely tolerates.

Step 3

Support your gut

Gut health became a central part of my recovery. I focused on simple, nutrient-dense foods and began rebuilding the conditions needed for digestion, absorption and a more balanced immune response.

What I added

• Unprocessed meat, chicken and fish
• Dark leafy greens
• Colourful vegetables and berries
• Healthy fats
• Fermented foods, when tolerated
• Prebiotic and nutrient-rich foods

What I removed

• Gluten
• Refined sugar
• Processed food
• Dairy before later testing it
• Alcohol and fast food
• Heavily refined vegetable oils

My changes were gradual. I did not wake up one morning suddenly healed, but over several months my digestion and general health improved, and my skin began to follow.

Step 4

Supplement strategically

Supplements became useful once the foundations were in place. I used them strategically to support nutrient status, skin repair, stress regulation and the gut microbiome rather than treating them as a substitute for changing the conditions that were keeping me unwell.

What I used

• Vitamin D3
• Vitamin K2
• Zinc
• Magnesium
• A multi-strain probiotic

How I approached them

I chose supplements for a clear reason and assessed them as part of the wider picture. The goal was never to collect more products. It was to correct likely gaps and strengthen the foundations I was already building.

Step 5

Move your body

Daily walks and yoga helped me manage stress while supporting my physical and emotional wellbeing. Movement did not need to mean intense exercise.

Walking Light strength training Yoga Stretching Swimming Cycling

Movement should support the body, not punish it. Gentle, consistent activity can be enough to begin with.

Step 6

Address stress directly

Stress was one of my most consistent triggers. Eventually, I understood that managing it was not an optional extra. It was part of my recovery.

Walking outdoors Yoga and stretching Mindfulness Clearer boundaries Seven to nine hours of sleep Permission to slow down

Reducing stress did not mean removing every problem from my life. It meant changing how constantly activated my body felt in response to those problems.

Lessons from trial and error

What did not work for me

Overly restrictive diets

Very restrictive elimination diets left me feeling undernourished and more stressed. A healing diet still needs to provide enough energy and nutrients.

Remedies without a clear purpose

Adding more supplements and remedies did not replace the need to work on food, gut health, movement, sleep and stress.

My recovery timeline

Progress was gradual, not instant

Weeks 1 to 4

I made the main dietary changes and noticed reduced inflammation.

Weeks 5 to 6

The outbreaks became less frequent and healing improved.

Month 2

I saw significant improvement and longer periods of stability.

From month 3

What felt like genuine remission began to take hold.

15+ years later

I remain in remission without another full outbreak.

Your symptoms are not random noise. They can become information.

The approach that changed my health was not one supplement or one perfect diet. It was learning to recognise the connected patterns, changing the factors within my reach and staying consistent long enough for my body to respond.

Explore the full approach

Go deeper with Why Your Body Turned Against You

This six-part framework is at the heart of the book. I explore the research behind gut health, infections, food triggers, nutrient status, stress and immune activation, and show how to begin applying those connections to your own history.

Explore the book Browse PPP resources

Use this information thoughtfully: Let it help you ask better questions, recognise patterns and make more informed choices. Do not stop prescribed medication without discussing it with the person who prescribed it, and seek appropriate care for new or worsening symptoms.