Psoriasis

What To Do about Psoriasis?

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin condition that can affect widespread areas of skin. It is in the "papulosquamous" category, which refers to the scaly raised bumps and patches. The potential to develop psoriasis is genetically based, but also depends on environmental, stress, and possibly dietary factors. The disease often starts in childhood. Psoriasis can be particularly severe in the scalp, flexor surfaces of the arms and legs, and in the genital areas. It involves thickening of some layers of the skin, and thick layers of scale. The nails are often pitted or deformed, and it is sometimes associated with a form of arthritis, and with elevated uric acid in the blood, which can lead to gout.

Conventional medical treatments can be as simple as daily application of various creams, ointments and shampoo's, or as complex as systemic cancer chemotherapy drugs and newer immunomodulating drugs. High potency immunosuppressive and anti-inflammatory drugs are sometimes used, although systemic steroids are used much less than in the past. Sometimes topical and oral therapies combined with ultraviolet light exposure are used.

Functional metabolic medicine offers concepts and therapeutic approaches that I have found very useful. One of these involves diet modification and supplementation, which are aimed at reducing the production of inflammatory mediators in the body, while stimulating the production of inflammation modulators. Most of the chemicals that we use to produce inflammation, which is a necessary component of all tissue healing, are made from the basic units of fats, called fatty acids. The types we call "omega-6" are used to make these inflammatory chemicals. We find these fatty acids in red meat and butter fat. Every process in the body has a balancing process. Thus, we make anti-inflammatory chemicals. These are made from the types of fatty acids we call "omega-3" and sometimes "omega-9". Some of these are synthesized in the body, and some are from cold water fish, flax seed, legumes, nuts, seeds, and olive oil. You can imagine already that changing the diet to reduce the intake of red meat and butter fat, and increasing the intake of cold water fish, beans, seeds, nuts, and olive oil might make a difference in an inflammatory condition such as psoriasis—and I have found that it often does. We also find that reduction of sugar, trans fats and alcohol help. The addition of anti-inflammatory supplements, such as fish oil concentrates, oil of evening primrose, vitamin E, curcumin, conezyme Q-10, and vitamin D can be very helpful.

Also along the lines of diet--food sensitivities. I have often found that milk or wheat play a role, especially in children, although any regularly ingested food type can be implicated. Suspect foods are worth eliminating for 3 week periods, followed by challenging with the eliminated foods one at a time at 72 hour intervals, and observing the skin for flare-ups.

Psoriasis is associated with an imbalanced inflammatory system, which can be effectively addressed by energy balancing and harmonizing therapies, such as acupuncture, Shiatzu, homeopathy, and Energy Medicine. One or more of these therapies can be very useful in the total plan of care.

Psoriasis is an extremely variable condition, both between and within individual people. Thus, the treatment approaches must be varied and personalized.