Like you, I was diagnosed with PsA in May of this year and I have been struggling to get up to speed with all of the information available out there regarding PsA. A little history - I have had scalp psoriasis since I was 8 years old. It started out the size of a quarter and now covers the lower half of my scalp. Until recently, the itching and flaking were really more annoyances than anything else, and other than using coal tar (MG217) shampoo, I didn't do much else for it (the shampoo helped a little with the itching but not much else). My husband is a retired landscaper, and we have a number of very large flowerbeds in our yard that require extensive weeding, so when I am not working on my research, I am out in the yard weeding. About a year or two ago I started noticing that it was getting harder and harder to pull weeds because my hands were stiff and painful. I also noticed some swelling in the distal finger joints.
In May during a routine appointment my dermatologist told me that my stiff and painful joints were probably due to PsA and he referred me to a rheumatologist. The rheumatologist did a workup and confirmed the diagnosis. She prescribed methotrexate (MTX). I decided to get a 2nd opinion and the second rheumatologist agreed with the diagnosis and the treatment plan. I started low dose MTX (7.5 mg/wk + 1 mg folic acid/day) 4 weeks ago. So far I have not noticed any improvement in the symptoms, and maybe even a slight worsening in both the psoriasis and the PsA. However, that is not unexpected since 7.5 mg is not really considered therapeutic. This morning I had a follow up appointment with my rheumatologist and she increased the MTX to 15 mg starting with the next dose, which will be Friday.
Like you, at 54 I take offense when folks start telling me about their grandparent's arthritis. I have always been very active (mountain climbing, hiking, etc.) and I work hard to stay fit - for years prior to the onset of symptoms I was gluten free and a vegan. I think it is so important to maintain a healthy lifestyle, including plenty of physical activity and a healthy diet, and I think it complements the benefits that may be obtained by modern medical interventions. Like lamb, I'd be willing to [think about licking frog slime], but for the majority of us, I don't think we are going to find a solution in the form of the so-called "natural remedies" that are out there in untold numbers.
There are some who say that their PsA disappeared after making dietary changes, but being a gluten free vegan didn't prevent it in my case, and it didn't help with my psoriasis either. My sister told me that there was a Dr. Oz segment that aired last week that involved a child with juvenile arthritis and the mother claimed that she made some dietary changes (an anti-inflammatory diet I believe) and it resulted in eliminating all of his symptoms. However, what she did not emphasize as much is that he was also taking methotrexate at the same time. So, was it the diet, the MTX, or both? At this point, we don't know, and until we do, I am going to try both.
It's never a bad idea to have a healthy diet, and the anti-inflammatory diet emphasizes no refined or processed foods and plenty of fruits and vegetables. It also eliminates many of the common inflammatory culprits like grains, nightshades, alcohol and caffeine, so it certainly can't hurt and might even help improve your overall health which is always a good thing. I have been following it since May, and as I said earlier I haven't seen any improvement in my P or PsA symptoms, but I have had a noticeable improvement in some gut symptoms that have plagued me nearly all of my life.
Good luck with your search and keep us posted on what you find.