The 2 Year Itch

Update - almost two years later... a lot has changed - including almost nothing at all.

I've reached a very strong self-diagnosing conclusion that I have psioriasis in my ears. A revelation, really, since I thought it was eczema originally. However my sister-in-law, who is an NP, noted that genetically it would be extremely unlikely I would have eczema, since my mother has psioriasis. Bugger. What can I do about it? Pretty much -nada. Here's what I've tried -

Olive Oil
Hemp Oil
Tea Tree Oil
All Kinds of Oils
Gold Bond 
"Lotion ad Nauseum" 
Neosporin
Ear "Serums" (off Amazon)
Juice Fast (10 days)
Veganism
Vegetarianism

Nothing works - - - - - except, Cortisone.

ugh, Steroids! But, they repress the inflammatory effects of the condition.

However, there appear to be severe side effects - not to mention the "addiction" that comes with an effective repression of the condision.

My sister has been using topical steroids (and oral) for decades, and has developed a serious skin condition called RSS - Red Skin Syndrome. Google it. It will freak you out. She's now attempting to "detox" and is preparing for a long, painful battle. Symptoms of RSS include itchy, burning, bright red skin that can cover most of your body. It's horrible watching her go through this - and she's advised me to drop the topical cortisone since the danger of RSS outweights the benefits of repressing the psioriasis symptoms.  

:/ May just be something I have to deal with for the rest of whatever I've got left.

Immunological issues are pre-disposed to genetics. For example, my brother has rheumatoid arthritis, and my mother has psioriasis. My daughter has asthma, and I had it as a kid. My sister had severe asthma, and then an unknown skin condition most of her life. My mother and brother have recently started taking immunological suppressant shots, and both have seen their symptoms magically disappear. However, one has to ask - is taking a largely unproven, immuno-suppressant drug safe in the long term? Sure, they feel great now, but I hate taking anything unnatural (if I can help it).

What else is there.. I guess that's my update. Life goes on, you figure some crap out, while you continue to encounter fork after fork in the road. Since relief may be found in the immuno-suppresant injection (nevermind the prohibitive cost) - perhaps I'll have another update in the future called - 

"To inject, or not to inject?"

Just saying "no" - for now. My gramps used to say, "it can always get worse" - and he's right, so I really can't complain.