Psoriasis & Psoriatic Arthritis

Psoriasis is an autoimmune condition in which the immune system attacks the skin, producing plaques, scales, and inflamed patches that can persist for decades despite creams, light therapy, and expensive immunosuppressive drugs. Across carnivore and ancestral-diet communities, a pattern has emerged: patients who removed most or all plant foods—especially grains, seed oils, and sugar—report remission of symptoms that dermatologists had called incurable.

Patient stories

One man lived with severe psoriasis for twenty years, never seeing it clear. After adopting a carnivore diet—eliminating grains, dairy, processed foods, and plant matter—he began to improve. As Dr. Anthony Chaffee noted, "it seems like it takes about six to nine months when there's a severe illness" like psoriasis. The man's skin eventually cleared.

Phil Escott had psoriatic arthritis that drove him to try carnivore. For the first six to eight months, he could tolerate nothing outside of beef and lamb; chicken, pork, dairy, and eggs all triggered flares. Presumably, Dr. Chaffee observed, "when his leaky gut started healing and had that bit of barrier protection he could tolerate a bit more of these sorts of things." Escott's arthritis went into remission.

Stephen Lashbrook suffered from both severe psoriasis and arthritis for thirty years. He tried the medications his doctors prescribed, managing symptoms but never addressing the root cause. After switching to a carnivore diet, his psoriasis cleared. He now runs a carnivore healing retreat to share what worked for him.

Michael, a man in his early thirties, developed psoriasis and was told to manage it with medication. Three months after eliminating grains and adopting a low-carbohydrate, meat-based diet, his psoriasis disappeared. His doctor, alarmed by his cholesterol rising to 470, warned him he might die. He felt better than he ever had. "My psoriasis I think is gone," he told her. His IBS, depression, and brain fog had also resolved.

The pattern

The patients converge on a diet that eliminates grains—especially wheat contaminated with glyphosate—dairy, seed oils, processed sugar, and in many cases all plant foods. They add ruminant meats, fatty fish, eggs when tolerated, and animal fats like tallow. Several clinicians invoke leaky gut as a mechanism: grains and lectins damage the intestinal barrier, allowing bacterial fragments and food proteins into the bloodstream, which triggers autoimmune reactions. Dr. Chaffee explained that "when you stop eating a lot of this stuff your leaky gut can heal," and antibodies decline. Topical tallow is also reported to calm inflamed skin. The timeline for remission ranges from three to nine months for severe cases.

What the doctors say

Dr. Chaffee has "definitely seen many cases on Dave Mack's channel of people that were suffering with severe psoriasis," some for two decades. He believes the condition is linked to gut inflammation and molecular mimicry. Dr. Loveless, who himself had psoriasis for decades, emphasizes sun exposure for vitamin D3, removal of gluten and dairy, and what he calls "the psoriasis eating plan"—a synthesis of low-lectin, low-FODMAP principles designed to reduce gut stress. Dr. Shawn Baker notes that "a lot of those dietary recommendations…are often all accomplished by a carnivore diet," and he has seen "countless" cases of psoriasis put into complete remission, typically within three to six months.

These are case reports, not randomized trials, and individual responses vary—Michaela Peterson still flares with pork or fruit after years on carnivore, while Phil Escott eventually reintroduced some foods. But the convergent pattern is striking: patients who removed inflammatory foods, healed their guts, and ate nutrient-dense animal products often saw decades-old psoriasis disappear. For those failed by conventional treatment, the dietary signal is worth knowing.