I Am the Psoriasis Alchemist: Turning Autoimmune Disease into a Path of Transformation
- nakedgutnutrition
- Mar 21
- 5 min read
After traveling the world with two backpacks, I met a part of me I never knew existed. It was one of the greatest times of my life. My husband and I met new people—not just any people, but those who shared a similar mindset. I painted the world in all its beauty from the moment I woke up until I went to bed. I was in heaven. I had no responsibilities except to live fully in each moment, absorb new cultures, and experience the world in all its richness.
Then, after 2.5 years of being a global trotter, we returned to the States. Little did I know, psoriasis was waiting for me—such a party pooper. Life had a funny way of reminding me that no matter how carefree my travels had been, there were things within my body that needed to be addressed. Psoriasis was my body’s way of telling me something wasn’t quite right.
The First Flare-Up: A Wake-Up Call
I had my first flare-up when I moved to the States from Korea in my early twenties. At the time, it was manageable and went away quickly with steroid cream. I think my body was resilient enough to overcome whatever was happening inside—the war my body was fighting. However, the peace didn’t last forever.
I vividly remember the day after my first CrossFit class. I had sore skin, and I brushed it off as a sign of a good workout. But it turned out to be a psoriasis patch. Ever since, this party pooper refused to leave my body. While I went into remission for several years, the question always lingered in my mind—why did it come back?
No doctor’s visit could provide an answer. And so, I had to dig into myself to understand what was going on. After exhausting myself with Googled health information and trying countless band-aid solutions, I was done. I became sick of the fact that nothing worked for my body.
Turning the Struggle Into an Opportunity
That’s when I made a decision that would change my life forever: I became a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner. Looking back, I can confidently say it was one of the best investments I’ve ever made. Initially, I heavily relied on numbers from functional testing and the elimination diet, along with supplements. While this approach somewhat helped, I still had to deal with psoriasis.
What I didn’t realize back then was that the body and mind are deeply connected. As an Occupational Therapy Practitioner, I should’ve known this, but it was something I had learned in school, not something I had truly internalized in my own life. It wasn’t until I started learning more about how my body works that I began to understand the role of stress in my health.
I noticed that my legs were the first part of my body to react when I was under stress. They felt like jelly. I realized I was a shallow breather, often holding my breath when I was stressed. Time restraints were my biggest stressor. I also didn’t understand people who were into gardening—who knew? But I quickly discovered that I actually had a love for it myself.
I began to notice patterns in my behavior. My brain worked in black and white—either I went all in, like CrossFit, or I didn’t do it at all. I didn’t leave room for grey areas, and I didn’t know how to manage stress in a healthy way. But psoriasis was teaching me valuable lessons. It forced me to listen to my body and pay attention to my mind. It has changed my perspectives in life.
Psoriasis: A Pesky Tenant
Psoriasis is like a pesky tenant who doesn’t pay rent. But trust me, I have solid plans to evict her soon. This journey has been transformative, and I no longer see psoriasis as something I need to fight. Instead, I see it as a guide—a tool that helped me realize the importance of balance in my life.
I used to cringe when people talked about the importance of the mind-body-spirit connection, but now I get it. If you're like I was and you dismiss the significance of this connection because it sounds woo-woo, think of it as regulating the nervous system. For me, it helped to focus on practicing parasympathetic lifestyle habits because they felt more "science-based." Just name it differently.
It’s helped me realize that healing doesn’t just come from supplements or diets; it comes from taking care of the whole person: mind, body, and spirit. Through personalized nutrition, functional testing, stress management, and regulating my nervous system, I’ve learned how to truly live in balance.
Finding Balance: A New Path to Healing
I began creating balance in my life—between work and personal time, how to handle stress, and how to build healthier habits for when I was stressed. I learned how to say no—even to my family—and respect and love myself in ways I had never done before. I have freed myself from boxes I put myself in.
This journey has been a transformative one. Through learning how my body reacts to stress, creating a more balanced routine, and deeply connecting to myself, I’ve been able to reduce my psoriasis flare-ups and feel more at peace. It hasn’t been perfect, but it’s been progress.
From Psoriasis Victim to Psoriasis Alchemist
Today, I proudly call myself a Psoriasis Alchemist because I’ve turned my struggle into a source of wisdom and strength. I help others who are battling autoimmune conditions like psoriasis by guiding them through a holistic and functional approach to health that includes functional nutrition, functional testing, and personalized wellness strategies.
My questions for you:
What’s your biggest stressor?
Have you taken a moment to study where your stress manifests in your body?
What stress relief actions do you practice?
Have you ever thought about how autoimmune diseases can be a tool to change your life?
If you’re living with psoriasis or another autoimmune disease, I want you to know you don’t have to go through this alone. Together, we can dig deep to uncover what’s really going on in your body and create a plan that brings you back to your true self.
Psoriasis may have been my struggle, but now it’s my story of transformation. And I’m here to help you turn your own autoimmune disease into an opportunity to rediscover who you truly are.
To your health and happiness,
Healing Heajung l Psoriasis Alchemist
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