Over 8 million Americans battle psoriasis, a thorny autoimmune disorder. These unfortunate souls have to face patches of sore, itchy, or inflamed skin. You might be familiar with this if your elbows or knees bear witness to this discomfort. Psoriasis arises when skin cells multiply like rabbits, causing a scaly buildup. Lacking any cure, medication, creams, and odd UV light exposures are typically used to keep it at bay.

But wait – could biting into an apple or nibbling on some kale actually fend off those pesky scales? Perhaps, if the Pagano diet is to be believed. But is this just another diet baked in bogus claims or does it hold some true merit?

Hold your horses, we'll get there. But first, let's understand what this diet actually is. Pagano, not the Marco Polo of diets, but a chiropractor, authored this diet in his book "Healing Psoriasis" back in 2008. He states psoriasis springs from a leaky gut syndrome – think of your guts as a sieve, leaking toxins causing your body to erupt with psoriasis. Intriguing, but not scientifically bulletproof.

The Pagano diet does advocate munching on healthier staples, like non-citrus fruits, vegetables, certain fish, poultry and moderate helpings of brown or wild rice. It doesn't pull punches with red meats and all things fried and sugary, advocating removing these from your meals. However, the diet's claim that such foods contribute to 'leaky gut', thus causing psoriasis, seems as flaky as the skin it claims to fight.

Despite these potential overstated claims, adopting it might not necessarily damage your health. It promotes a reduction in processed foods, a recommendation even die-hard carnivores can appreciate. However, if you are thinking of flirting with this diet, it is critical to remember that complete exclusion of food groups can lead to feeling deprived and may potentially trigger disordered eating habits.

While science has yet to deliver a firm up or down vote on the effectiveness of the Pagano diet for treating psoriasis, it is clear about one thing; maintaining a balanced diet and achieving weight loss, specifically for those overweight, is the dietry plan receiving all the upvotes. Clearly, food can have an influence. But whether that influence extends to curing psoriasis? Now, that's still up for debate. And until that debate gets settled, perhaps it's best to continue relying on your trusty dermatologist for psoriasis treatments.