This Is How Psoriasis Changed This 23YO Girl's Perspective Towards Life! - Infano Women's Health | Lifestyle

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I’ve known Navya* since childhood — let’s just say that she is my partner in crime. But what I didn’t know about were her struggles and the mental sanity that she was losing over a crippling disease called psoriasis!

Yes, a crippling disease! A disease that doesn’t only depredate your skin but also take a dig on your mental health. A very crippled and devilish disease which has no cure.

So, it started around the rise of 2017 — a tiny patch on her private parts which she initially ignored — when it began to grow, she thought it was some sort of vaginal infection, which gradually reached her thighs. On showing to the doctor, it was found that it’s psoriasis — something she had no idea of.

“I still remember how much my parents got worried after knowing this. It was not just the disease that hampered them but the fact that the entire extended family won’t spare their daughter after they get to know this,” Navya sighs.

Navya belongs to that part of the country where women are measured as per their colour tone. Oh, wait, isn’t this what happens in the entire country?! But yes, she belongs to a very broadminded family but a very orthodox ‘khandaan’. So the bottom line is, beauty mattered to them. The flesh of the body was more considerable to them than the cerebrum.

“I realized how much external beauty mattered to people — which psoriasis ruined in my case,” Navya continues. “When my doctor told me that it’s not curable, I felt the literal meaning of ‘main thehra raha zameen chalne lagi’. But did I have any option? Not really! I did everything — from homoeopathy to allopathy, ayurveda, yoga, what not! — knocked every door, be it the medical science or the spiritual path. But my life was going no less than Ekta Kapoor’s daily soap.”

“I told my brother and boyfriend. They listened — to every word of mine and just said, ‘does it really matter?’ And there had been no turning back ever since,” I love how Navya’s eyes get brightened when she smiles.

It was not easy for her. Of course, who likes to see huge patches on their private parts and other areas of the body? But she was determined — not because the ‘external’ beauty mattered to her but the fact that she was not able to wear her favourite LBD. Afterall, log kya kahenge!

She changed her diet completely, which eventually transformed her. A quick recap of what she went through —

Mild and simple meals without oil or spices
Full sleeves clothes every time on stepping out
No shorts/ dresses
And, a very few people were aware of her condition.

It matters when people don’t know about your condition. “Every time I went to birthday parties or family functions, I couldn’t eat my favourite food, and everybody used to ponder about me. And I was lean enough to say that I was on a diet. That’s when ‘these very few people’ came to my rescue. They used to cover me up with bizarre and funny excuses, and I loved the way they stood for me every time,” Navya tells me.

Well, I don’t know what’s wrong with these relatives! Mine pestered me to lose some weight while hers were harassing her to gain some kilos.

Navya went for two ayurvedic treatments — virechan and vaman — and a massage prior that. These processes help the body in getting toxic out of it — via poop in virechan and via puke in vaman. This was followed by a strict diet and a healthy lifestyle. However, PCOS befriended her to make it worse.

“I used to have sudden mental breakdowns, but I always pacified myself, believing that there were a lot of people suffering more than me. My doctor always said that I’ve comparatively fewer patches than a lot of women, but duh, these were enough to kill my self-esteem. At times, I used to itch my scalp so much that blood would come out of it. Awful, I know,” Navya continues with her tale.

She was more worried about her relatives’ reactions than her desire to eat cheese. But she kept fighting against the evil duo of PCOS & psoriasis. She continued her workout and yoga and tried not to stress out much.

“I owe it to these people, my parents, brother and boyfriend who endured my mood swings so seamlessly. It’s been more than three years now and I just have two patches on my body. All I am doing now is keeping up with my diet and routine,” Navya continues with a brief of the diet she followed.

Minimized salt and sugar — it triggers the itching and results in bleeding
Included rock salt in her diet
Removed dairy products
Kept moisturizing her skin during winters — coconut oil is best
Ate only green veggies and no junk/ outside food — once in a month would be okay
Exercised a lot — meditation is recommended.

Though only two patches are visible on her body now, Navya believes a steady diet helped her a lot. She convinced herself that she would get rid of those patches, no matter how long it takes. Her diet and workout sessions eventually helped her to get rid of PCOS as well.

In the end, she smiles and says, “kuch toh log kahenge, logo ka kaam hai kehna! I won’t say not to take stress because I know you will but do not forget to meditate. Keep your hopes high. Psoriasis is a part of you; you are not a part of psoriasis.”

To know more about psoriasis, you can inbox us on Facebook/ Instagram or tweet us with #NavyaKiKahani, and we will get you as many details as possible.

*Name changed as per requests.
Images: Provided by Navya.

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We are living in a time where people are doing unconventional jobs — turning their hobby into a passion and working for causes they really care for! And women are no different — from sports to hospitality, military, dance, photography or what not — women are setting new boundaries. On the eve of World Photography Day, here are a few of the Indian female photographers who are shaking up our perspectives on India.

Arati Kumar Rao

An environmental photographer, Arati is on an infinite journey to tell the hidden stories of South Asia’s rivers that are worsening due to human activities, slowly but drastically. She tries to seize a glimpse of the violence inflicted on the people living on the riverbanks in her photographs. A lot of those people are denied basic human rights in the name of development.

She spends her time in field research and portrays a lived experience which is immeasurably impacted by the negative impact humans have on the environment. She hopes that people will pay attention to her work, the symptoms and real causes for these deteriorations happening in our valuable ecosystems and communities.

Karen Dias

A photojournalist and documentary photographer, Karen has a special interest in issues concerning indigenous communities, women, and the environment. She is a self-taught photographer who believes that it’s a beautiful way of telling a story.

“In early February, on a cold winter’s evening, hundreds of bodybuilders from across the country gathered in Chandigarh to compete in the 8th Federation Cup in the Senior National Men’s and Women’s Bodybuilding Championship. Only eight of those bodybuilders were women. While it’s been rare to see Indian women pursue professional bodybuilding, the numbers are slowly rising, and many are competing, and winning titles, internationally,” she recalls this click of hers.

Cheena Kapoor

A photojournalist who has spent time with women involved in commercial surrogacy and young female drug addicts, Cheena loves exploring the streets of India’s red-light districts and the corridors of mental asylums in India. She tries to present their lived experiences, with humility and respect, to the outer world who otherwise, she believes would have never got a glimpse of this world.

“I got the opportunity to visit the Indian Naval Academy in Kozhikode, Kerala, in March 2018, to document 12 lady cadets who were training alongside 1,200 male cadets. These ‘women with anchors’ have chosen a career not many would dare pursue. I learned that the only option for women, who have a Bachelor’s degree in engineering and wish to serve in the Indian Navy, is a six-month course at the academy, where gender lines have been blurred,” shares Cheena while talking about this photo.

Saumya Khandelwal

A photographer always on the lookout for stories of lives behind closed doors, Saumya finds an unaccountable joy in discovering deeper layers of people and cultures through her lens. She captures the stories of girls who live without a sense of escape or alternative and hope that her work will compel others to support child welfare.

“Gender equality begins with educating a girl child. In rural India, it takes a lot of courage for parents to provide and continue the education of their daughters, given the high rates of child marriage and sexual abuse. But only if more girls continue to make it to school, they will become better mothers, who will raise better families. This will allow their daughters to have brighter futures,” Saumya said.

Anushree Fadnavis

A photojournalist who finds joy in unexpected simple stories, Anushree believes that every picture has a story — the more you observe it, the more it tells you.

“Growing up, I had always been told that I should behave a certain way because I am a girl. Aren’t we girls always taught to respect the “male gaze”? “Sit properly!” “Cover your knees!” “Don’t wear that revealing top” “Come home by 7 PM!” These were some of the diktats that I had to adhere to, while my cousin brothers never had such rules. When I saw this lady sleeping contentedly in a public space, I had this rushing sense of comfort. What a beautiful, liberating space the ladies compartment is where we, women, can just be ourselves. Public space is for everyone, and I believe that one need not act to gratify others. This image is not about breaking stereotypes but having the same rights as everyone,” Anushree shares her emotion while clicking this picture.

Paromita Chatterjee

A photographer who believes that every artist has got some responsibilities, Paromita firstly realized this when she documented the Lok Sabha elections in Varanasi when she was young. She went on photographing a woman who had lost her children to malnutrition due to an epidemic in the village. She got to learn how those villagers pinned their hope for aid on people in the media with this experience.

She understood power dynamics that come from capturing suffering. Inspired by Robert Capa’s statement, “If your pictures aren’t good enough, you’re not close enough,” Paromita tries to get as close as possible to her subjects in an attempt to promote social change.

Rathika Ramasamy

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A wildlife photographer, Rathika hails from a village called Venkatachalapuram near Theni which is in Southern India. She loves to connect with the drama and colours of nature and loves doing bird photography. She walks with her camera through the national parks, forests, secluded areas and tries to grab every possible moment in her clicks.

Her style shows her passion and dedication to her work. Her work has also been praised and featured at several national and international platforms. She also takes wildlife photography workshops and hopes to change the perspective of the world towards wildlife welfare — one click at a time.

And the list is vast and amazing. And since I know I’ve missed many names here, please tag your favourite photographer diva who is all determined to change the people’s perspectives with her work. #WorldPhotographyDay