How Cannabidiol Helped My Psoriasis
A Conversation with Stephanie Koffler
I first met Stephanie when she came by to talk with me about Hempfinest Pain Salve and see if the cannabidiol and other natural ingredients in it might work for her psoriasis. We had an intimate conversation and she took a jar of Hempfinest home with her to try it on her skin. We had no idea if it would help, but thought if it didn’t help it certainly would not hurt. A few weeks later I found out that she was having positive results and a couple of months later I asked her if I could interview her to hear the whole story. This is her story in its purest form.
Stephanie, will you tell us about what it’s like having psoriasis and taking care of yourself?
“I feel like as a woman it's really hard to love yourself and be comfortable with your body as it is."
I feel like as a woman it's really hard to love yourself and be comfortable with your body as it is. Having psoriasis has been a painful challenge. Waking up every morning with a red itchy, really ugly rash makes it even more difficult. There’s a saying that if you draw one line, you're more likely to draw a second line. I feel like that’s what happened when I came and talked to you in your kitchen.
I think it was probably the first time where I actually felt like I was in a safe place to say what I shared with you; that, coupled with telling you about my experience with my skin. and then having you give me something was life changing.
When I got home and first used Hempfinest pain salve, it started working immediately. It kept my skin moisturized so I stopped itching, the pain stopped and it kept working all day. With this, something shifted dramatically. The conversation, getting the product and having it work was my first line.
When did you find out you had psoriasis?
It was maybe eight years ago when I first started showing signs of my psoriasis. I was waitressing at the Seafood Peddler in Sausalito. The uniform was all black, and in a restaurant it's not kosher to be touching your face and your hair, but I did. I didn't even notice I was doing it. For months and months I'd be scratching my head, and my scalp flaking onto my all-black uniform, Oh my God!”
Then it went from my scalp to my eyebrows and my ears, and moved on to my joints, elbows and knees. I think I went about 6 months just trying to ignore it. I was really young, and I just wasn't mindful about my body or how to pay attention to my body.
Finally, I met up with my mom to tell her what was going on with me, and before I barely got a sentence out she said, “Oh my God its psoriasis!”
Psoriasis is genetic and can remain dormant until it is triggered by diet or stress. There's no cure for psoriasis flare-ups. Symptoms usually start between 16-34 years old. I was the exact age (17) as my mother was when she got it. My mom took me to a drug store and purchased the things she had used when she would get flare ups. One of them was a special shampoo called T-gel, as in Tar Gel. It smelled really bad but it helped with my scalp. As far as far as topical creams went, I dabbled with some old expired tubes that my mom had and that my neighbors gave me for their rosacea and eczema. Most of them were full of steroids. I used the creams and ointments, but the problem is, you have to use a very large quantities, multiple times a day to get relief. Frequent use of steroids causes the skin to get thin and tear. I could see how my skin was thinning and it was burning. It was too painful, so I stopped using the steroids and just lived with the redness, itching and bleeding.
What do you need to be aware of with psoriasis?
When you think about skin diseases, it comes down to every detail of self care from your laundry detergent, dryer sheets and the fabrics you choose. When people offer me sunscreen, lotion, makeup and jewelry I have to look at the ingredients to not worry. If I can't pronounce it I'm not putting it on my body. I don't know if you could tell, but I was not leaving my house. I was in such a little shell, and just feeling really bad for myself, really, really bad. I went home to try it and when it worked for me, plus the smell was so good and it felt so good, it was just amazing.
I also used to work at the Cheesecake Factory and there you wear starched, all-white uniforms. Psoriasis is an autoimmune disease, so what's happening is that my skin cells are producing at such a rapid rate my body can’t shed them fast enough. There is constant flaky, itchy, redness which means it matters what fabrics rub up against my skin. If I bumped my knee against something I instantly started to bleed. The white uniforms were rough and made me even more self-conscious. I was always looking for something that would make it better because I was really miserable. I was bleeding all the time, especially during my sleep. I would itch and wake up to what looked like a massacre in the sheets. Places you would not imagine having discomfort, like in your ears, between your toes, and in your private areas. I think the biggest thing for me to remember is that there is no cure for psoriasis. The only option I have is to control it.
Did you try any modern cures for psoriasis?
The last thing I tried was the beds with UVB light, which is supposed to help a lot. The morning when I saw you I woke up to what looked like somebody had taken a red Sharpie and covered me with dots. I took Benadryl and thought it wasn’t the psoriasis because it wasn't dry or patchy, but my doctor confirmed that it was.
Maybe it had to get bad enough for me to want to make some changes. I think what it took was for me to just grow up and realize that my body was telling me I was not doing a good job taking care of myself.
Fast forward to now, where I have taken additional steps towards improving my health. There were so many things I knew I should do, but I just wasn’t ready to do them. I feel like getting relief from the constant pain of the psoriasis gave me the motivation to try and stick with it. That’s when it occurred to me that maybe I could take additional steps towards improving my health and they might work too. I was finally able to cut out gluten, sugar and caffeine after realizing a lot of what I put into my body was reflected by what was happening on the outside. I stopped putting on makeup every single day, even though I had red dots on my face.
Is your psoriasis under control?
Right now, I have my psoriasis concentrated to just my knees and my elbows. When I put Hempfinest Pain Salve on I can put it on just once in the morning and it keeps it keeps the area moisturized for the entire day.
That’s significant to me because I have tried everything over the years and been unable to achieve the same effect with jojoba oil, coconut oil, creams or lotions. Things I thought would be really moisturizing didn’t work at all. Hempfinest pain salve is the perfect balance; thick enough to wear as a moisturizer but not so heavy as to prevent your skin from breathing. And I love the smell. There are so many products out there that don’t smell good and don't absorb into my skin and leave nasty residue on my clothes and my couch.
This is what it looked like when I started using the product and then just a week later.
How are you feeling about your psoriasis and well-being now?
It’s really cool to find something that I can just put on be comfortable and maintain nice looking skin for the day. Obviously moisturizing helps the skin look good, but it also makes fabric sitting on top of it more comfortable too. I am no longer afraid that I'm putting on my body is going to harm the inside of my body. There are no side effects. After eight years of trying to get this under control that alone is a huge relief.
It wasn't like one morning I woke up and the dots were gone, but now I can wear tank tops. It's summertime and I can put on a swimsuit and a pair of shorts and not look at myself in the mirror and cry before I leave the house.
While I am not happy that I have psoriasis I feel like that's what I needed to take my health to the next level. I know it sounds so cheesy but it's so much more than just a product for me. It’s become a marker for me taking big steps to empower myself and my life.