MTHFR Myths, Psoriasis, Panic Attacks & Poop Shoes | Ask Me Anything

The episode opens with a listener describing her husband’s stubborn, itchy, scaly skin on his ankles and belt line—worse in summer, better in winter, and shared by several of his coworkers who also work with concrete. Dr. Will Cole and his co-host Andrea use this question to unpack the difference between a purely inflammatory skin condition and an autoimmune one, then walk through the layered root causes and practical interventions for psoriasis.

Psoriasis as a case of cellular confusion

Dr. Cole explains that psoriasis is an autoimmune condition where the immune system loses recognition of self and attacks skin cells. This is not just inflammation—it is a specific mechanism called molecular mimicry, where the immune system confuses its own tissue for a threat. He frames this as “cellular confusion,” a term he and Dr. Josh Axe use in their book Heal Your Cells. The DNA code for each cell is correct, but epigenetic “static”—from inflammatory foods, environmental toxins, chronic stress, unresolved trauma, or biotoxins like mold and viruses—scratches the record, so to speak, and the cell no longer functions properly. The job environment matters deeply here: concrete work exposes the husband to dust, sweat, heat, and possibly chemical irritants, all trapped against the skin by protective clothing. But not everyone in that job develops psoriasis, which points to an underlyin