Richard Marsh

‘Soratinex has been the answers to my prayers’

Richard Marsh, 68, a retired paramedic from Eastbourne, East Sussex

Before I joined the ambulance service, I was in the police. In 1975, I started doing night shifts and that’s when my psoriasis began to develop - I think it was the unsociable hours. They cause stress and, of course, stress is bad for psoriasis.

It first appeared on my scalp. It wasn’t too bad at first but then it appeared on my knees and quite badly on my arms. Eventually, I had it on my legs, bottom and middle of my back, too, and I had the symptoms for about 50 years.

I started going to doctors and getting cortisone - you name it, I’ve been on it. All the steroids, light treatment, everything, but nothing really helped.

I found that going on holiday in the sea and the sunshine helped, but it came back in winter. Where it was embarrassing was work. As a paramedic I was seeing patients every day in A&E and we had short sleeved shirts, even in the winter, and my arms used to get really bad.

During the summer, my arms were exposed. Work colleagues picked up on it, some with sympathy, but others were a bit negative. Patients were more sympathetic than some of my crewmates!

I tried to ignore it but I got to a stage where I was really depressed and run down. It got embarrassing. I love swimming and wearing shorts but when you went out in the summer you were exposed and I suffered from low self-esteem. I thought I would have it forever because it is hereditary and my mum had it and my older brother has it.

I was put on Methotrexate [a chemotherapy and immune immunosuppressant] and Humira [an immunosuppressant] for three years but they affected my kidneys so I was taken off them. After that, I was feeling pretty low. I am a strong Christian and I do believe in the power of prayer. My friends and my church were praying for me.

Then, one, evening my wife, Helen, was looking on the Internet and she found Soratinex and it had very good reviews.

At first, I just said, ‘No, I’m not buying it; I’ve had enough’. But she persuaded me to go for a small set. I tested it on my legs, the gel, cream and oil. Within a week the plaques had started to disappear and I was left with reddish skin. I just continued using the cream and within a month I thought this was really doing something. Helen was absolutely gobsmacked. She couldn’t believe how good my skin was and now I’m pretty much clear.

I still get flare-ups but I just use Soratinex and that gets rid of them.

I thought it was expensive at first, but the main cost is at the beginning when you get clear (and I believe the course of Humira I was on cost the NHS £4,000!). After that, it’s just maintenance and that works out quite economical. I tried one treatment in the Eighties that was based on some kind of banana skin extract - I was on that for years. When I think of all the things I’ve spent money on that didn't work, this is money well spent.

I have recommended and bought this for other people I know with psoriasis. My daughter, Lucy, had a friend with chronic psoriasis all over her body. We bought her some Soratinex to try and gave it to her and within two weeks she texted Lucy to say she was over the moon. It was gone and she had her confidence back. And there’s an elderly guy I know through the church and I bought him some Soratinex, and he said he has had amazing results, too.

Given that Helen and I had been praying for something that could help me, we have often said that Soratinex was the answer to our prayers.