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Category Archives: Psoriasis

Psoriasis: MedlinePlus – National Library of Medicine

Psoriasis is a skin disease that causes itchy or sore patches of thick, red skin with silvery scales. You usually get the patches on your elbows, knees, scalp, back, face, palms and feet, but they can show up on other parts of your body. Some people who have psoriasis also get a form of arthritis called psoriatic arthritis.

A problem with your immune system causes psoriasis. In a process called cell turnover, skin cells that grow deep in your skin rise to the surface. Normally, this takes a month. In psoriasis, it happens in just days because your cells rise too fast.

Psoriasis can be hard to diagnose because it can look like other skin diseases. Your doctor might need to look at a small skin sample under a microscope.

Psoriasis can last a long time, even a lifetime. Symptoms come and go. Things that make them worse include

Psoriasis usually occurs in adults. It sometimes runs in families. Treatments include creams, medicines, and light therapy.

NIH: National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases

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Psoriasis | University of Maryland Medical Center

Introduction

Psoriasis is a common skin condition where people have a buildup of rough, dry, dead skin cells. They look like raised, reddish-pink areas covered with silvery scales and red borders.

Psoriasis usually occurs on the scalp, elbows, knees, groin, and lower back. It is a long-lasting or chronic disease that "comes and goes," and may show up as a few spots, or involve large areas. It is not contagious. You can't spread it from one part of your body to another, or from person to person.

More than 6 million people in the United States have psoriasis. You can develop psoriasis at any age, though it tends to come on during adolescence and old age. It usually comes on gradually, in both men and women. Doctors think psoriasis may be an inherited disease that can be triggered by emotional stress.

Most cases are not painful, although severe ones can be. About 5% of people with psoriasis also get psoriatic arthritis, a serious condition that involves painful and swollen joints.

The following are symptoms of psoriasis:

Researchers don't know what causes psoriasis. They do know that people who have it make more skin cells than normal. A faulty immune system seems to be involved. In people with psoriasis, T-cells (a kind of white blood cell) mistakenly attack skin cells. The new skin cells move to the outer layer of the skin too quickly, where they build up and form thick patches.

There seems to be a genetic component. You are more likely to develop psoriasis if a close relative also has the condition. Several underlying factors may trigger the condition or flare ups, including:

Your doctor will examine your skin and ask questions about your physical and emotional health. You may need a blood test to check levels of calcium, zinc, and certain other elements, and a skin biopsy to confirm the diagnosis.

Your doctor may suggest one or several different treatment options, including:

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Home Remedies for Psoriasis – Treatment & Cure – Natural …

Psoriasis is one of the most chronic skin diseases that are characterized by thick, red, silvery, scaled patches on the skin. It can also be defined as an inflammatory skin condition. It affects both sexes and usually appears in the age of 15-30 years. It is rarely found in infants and elderly people. It is not contagious and is caused by faulty signals in the immune system. There are five types of psoriasis and they are:

The hot Epsom salts bath has been proven valuable in the treatment of psoriasis. Application of olive oil after the Epsom salt bath is also effective and also one of the effective home remedies for psoriasis.

Regular seawater baths and application of seawater over the affected parts once a day is highly beneficial. This is one of the best psoriasis remedy.

Bitter gourd is a valuable home remedy for psoriasis. Take a cup of fresh juice of this vegetable, mixed with a teaspoon of limejuice on an empty stomach daily for four to six months. This is a good diet for psoriasis.

The use of mudpacks is also beneficial for the psoriasis. They absorb and remove the toxins from the affected areas.

Cabbage leaves can be used in the form of compresses. They can be applied on the affected area after removing the thick veins and washing them thoroughly. This is also one of the effective home remedies for psoriasis.

Sunlight is the best and natural remedy for psoriasis.

Vitamin E therapy has been found effective in the psoriasis treatment. A daily dose of 200-800 I.U is recommended as they reduce itching of the area.

Lecithin is also considered as a remarkable remedy for the psoriasis treatment.

Psoriasis cure - 6-9 lecithin capsules in a day are recommended.

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Itchy bumps on elbows psoriasis or eczema? – Dermatology …

Since my last posts, I've had improvement with my foot.I've made several changes to my diet which have changed my overall feeling of well being as well.There's still some other things with the lower GI, but we'll figure them out soon enough.One step at a time, and a little trial and error.

Things I have done that have given me some health improvement.

I significantly cut back on junk food such as snack cakes, candy (especially chocolate it's a double whammy food allergy nut & made with dairy), chips.

I cut out as much food made with/from nuts as possible.No more peanut butter, almond milk, walnut chips, etc.

I've known I was lactose intolerant for a long time, but pizza is pretty hard to resist, as is chocolate.

I reduced my caffeine intake by at least 50%, and increased my water intake.

I avoid foods that contain hydrogenated, and exotic oils such as palm kernel (again a kinda a nut), and seed oils such as cottonseed, sesame, and sunflower.

I also increased my fiber intake to help push out some of the rotting food that was stagnating in my body.

I've attempted to take a more positive outlook, and removed as many stressors from my life as possible.I talk to people more, and I try to smile even when I don't feel like it.Stress will exasperate any condition.

Visualization of my body's own healing powers helps me cope with the pain too.When it gets tough, I picture my white blood cells riding around in police cars, or driving tanks, or other such silly 'non-sense' to arrest/ward off the bad cells.I also visualize damaged parts being repaired, and my personal mantra of healing is the keep telling my body "poisons out".

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CDC – Psoriasis Home Page – Psoriasis

What is psoriasis?

Psoriasis is a chronic autoimmune skin disease that speeds up the growth cycle of skin cells.

Psoriasis causes patches of thick red skin and silvery scales. Patches are typically found on the elbows, knees, scalp, lower back, face, palms, and soles of feet, but can affect other places (fingernails, toenails, and mouth). The most common type of psoriasis is called plaque psoriasis. Psoriatic arthritis is an inflammatory type of arthritis that eventually occurs in 10% to 20% of people with psoriasis. It is different from more common types of arthritis (such as osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis) and is thought to be related to the underlying problem of psoriasis. Psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis are sometimes considered together as psoriatic disease.

Anyone can get psoriasis. It occurs mostly in adults, but children can also get it. Men and women seem to have equal risk.

Psoriasis is not contagious. This means you cannot get psoriasis from contact (e.g., touching skin patches) with someone who has it.

Psoriasis is an autoimmune disease, meaning that part of the bodys own immune system becomes overactive and attacks normal tissues in the body.

Psoriasis often has a typical appearance that a primary care doctor can recognize, but it can be confused with other skin diseases (like eczema), so a dermatologist (skin doctor) is often the best doctor to diagnose it. The treatment of psoriasis usually depends on how much skin is affected, how bad the disease is (e.g., having many or painful skin patches), or the location (especially the face). Treatments range from creams and ointments applied to the affected areas to ultraviolet light therapy to drugs (such as methotrexate). Many people who have psoriasis also have serious health conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, and depression.

Psoriatic arthritis has many of the same symptoms as other types of arthritis, so a rheumatologist (arthritis doctor) is often the best doctor to diagnose it. The treatment of psoriatic arthritis usually involves the use of drugs (such as methotrexate).

Psoriatic disease (when a person has psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis) may be treated with drugs (such as methotrexate) or a combination of drugs and creams or ointments.

Efforts to address psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis have typically focused on studying and treating individual patients and on clinical and biomedical research. In 2010, CDC worked with experts in psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, and public health to develop a public health perspective that considers how these conditions affect the entire population. The resulting report is Developing and Addressing the Public Health Agenda for Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis (Agenda)[PDF - 380.44KB]. You can read a short article about the agenda in The American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

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Psoriasis Pictures – Psoriasis Symptoms, Treatment, Cures

There is no substitute for visiting a doctor or dermatologist for help in getting a diagnosis and receiving treatment advice for psoriasis. However, because there are a large number of treatments which are considered effective, some of which are quite simple and inexpensive, many individuals can also find success in treating their psoriasis on their own. How? By informing themselves about the variety of available treatments and then treating themselves through a careful trial-and-error approach. Though there is still no simple cure for all psoriasis, many can find relief and partial or even total clearing of their skin by exploring available treatment options.

In this section describing the treatment of psoriasis, we will briefly review only some of the more popular and effective treatments, some of which involve using prescription or over-the-counter drugs and others which are more natural. However, before describing these treatments lets briefly review what causes psoriasis.

Psoriasis is commonly understood to be a disorder of the immune system, and is called an auto-immune disorder. In psoriasis ones own immune system, and in particular, ones T-helper cells, mistakenly attacks ones own skin cells. Most psoriasis treatments focus on addressing this immune response, either by suppressing the immune system, by removing the source or a link of the immune response, or by treating the symptoms on the skin. Ok, now lets get on to a brief review of some of the more common treatments.

Biologics- Biologics are a new class of drugs for treating more severe cases of psoriasis, and include Amevive, Enbrel, Humira, Remicade, and now Stelara, among others. Amevive works by blocking the T-cell immune response, and Enbrel, Humira, and Remicade work by blocking another key factor in the immune response, which is called TNF-alpha. Stelara, the most recent to be approved, works by blocking the activation of some of the interleukin chains in the immune response. The biologics have given hope to many with moderate to severe psoriasis who were not previously helped by other treatments, however biologics also have a higher risk of sometimes serious side effects, such as infections. Other drawbacks are that the biologics usually have to be administered by injection or infusion, do not work for everybody, are very expensive, and the symptoms of psoriasis usually return after treatment ends.

Coal Tar- An old and common form of treatment used to control mild cases of psoriasis, coal toar is used in shampoos and creams. Though coal tar can reduce itching and inflammation for some people, it is only moderately effective, is messy, can irritate the skin and in high concentrations can be toxic and possibly carcinogenic.

Coconut Oil- Coconut oil has been receiving more attention recently as a treatment for psoriasis sufferers, both as a dietary supplement and as a skin ointment. Coconut oil contains high levels of lauric acid, which is known to help destroy candida in the intestinal tract, thereby healing one of the possible underlying causes of psoriasis. Coconut oil has also been shown to reduce inflammation, both when taken as a nutritional supplement or when applied to the skin.

Cyclosporin- Cyclosporin is an immunosuppressant and is effective at reducing psoriatic symptoms because it reduces and suppresses the immune system For the same reason, however, cyclosporin comes with a higher risk of side-effects and is usually only prescribed for more severe cases of psoriasis.

Diet Modification- Modifying ones diet can often be the most effective form of controlling psoriasis. Why? There is increasing evidence that byproducts from food may be the triggers for the immune response which causes psoriasis. Some researchers have proposed that leaky gut syndrome (also called intestinal hyperpermeability) may be responsible for the leaking of food-based agents from the intestinal tract into the bloodstream. Thus, diet modification may help by not only removing the food triggers from ones system, but also by helping to heal ones intestinal tract, perhaps by combatting an overgrowth of candida, which is one possible cause of leaky gut syndrome. Those that are serious about controlling their psoriasis and that want to do so with minimal cost and risk of side-effects from medications should explore the research available on controlling psoriasis through modifying ones diet. Some common food triggers include dairy products, highly acidic foods, fermented foods, alcohol, sugars, nuts, wheat, gluten, nightshades, and many others; however, it is important to recognize that different people may have different food triggers- one needs to experiment for oneself. Also, in addition to removing certain items, many have benefitted from adding other items to their diet, such as cocounut oil, fish oil and other omega 3s, folic acid, zinc, antioxidants, Vitamin D and probiotics.

Dithralin (Anthralin) Dithralin is a synthetic form of an extract from the bark of the South American araroba tree. It is often quite effective, and works by blocking cell proliferation. It often takes a while to start working and can stain and irritate the skin. Dovonex and other Vitamin D analogues- Dovonex, the brand name for calcipotriene, is the most well known and widely used form of the Vitamin D analogues which are used to treat psoriasis. Others are Vectical and tacalcitol. Dovonex is a synthetic form of Vitamin D3, and works by inhibiting skin cell growth and proliferation. Many people report good results with Dovonex, and the known side effects are minimal, however, it can take a number of weeks before seeing results and some people report minimal clearing. Recently, the Vitamin D analogues have also sometimes been formulated to include hydrocortisone.

Methotrexate- Like cyclosporin, methotrexate is a systemic medication with more potentially serious side effects, but which can also offer relief for more serious cases of psoriasis as well as severe cases of psoriatic arthritis. Methotrexate works by inhibiting cell growth, and was originally approved for use as a chemotherapeutic treatment for cancer. The most serious potential side-effect of taking methotrexate is liver damage, and its use must be monitored by medical professionals.

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