DIET AND FITNESS:
Psoriasis --Top 10 Natural Remedies
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June 25, 2010
By Katrina Devine, Contributing Columnist
How many people do you know that have psoriasis? I would
bet that it is more than you think. Psoriasis is a hidden
burden. Buying a dress without sleeves or a skirt above the
knee is unthinkable for some suffers. The embarrassment of
people staring or asking questions is too much.
A study completed at the Department of Dermatology,
University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, Dallas in
2004 noted that psoriasis affects 2% of the population of the
US. That adds up to nearly 6 million Americans. The National
Institutes of Health place the number at 7.5 million.
What is psoriasis?
According to the National Institutes of Health, psoriasis can
be defined as a skin disease that causes red, itchy or sore
patches of red skin or silvery scales. Psoriasis is caused by
skin cells that are normally deep inside your tissue rising to
the surface too quickly.
The FDA defines severe psoriasis as when the disease effects
20% or more of a sufferer’s body surface area.
Although there is no known cure for psoriasis, we have culled
research studies and personal stories to find the following 10
ways to help psoriasis symptoms naturally:
Top 10 Natural Remedies for Psoriasis
1. Sunlight Can Help Psoriasis: A study led by JB Nissen of the
Department of Dermatology, Marselisborg Hospital, Aarhus,
Denmark in 1998 studied ten patients with psoriasis for 4
weeks. They found exposure to the UVA rays of the sun
helped to alleviate the appearance of lesions on the skin of all
the patients involved. Again, 100% of all the patients with
psoriasis were improved after sun exposure.
There are treatments available, provided by medical
professionals, that simulate the suns rays but natural sunlight
can also be beneficial. You should still take the same
precautions in intense sun exposure and consult your doctor
if you are taking any medications as they can cause light
sensitivity.
2. Coal tar: This is one of the oldest treatments of psoriasis
and other skin conditions. It can be found in various creams,
ointments and shampoos. A study conducted by the Skin
Therapy Research Unit, St John's Institute of Dermatology, St
Thomas' Hospital, London and the Department of Public
Health Sciences, King's College, London in 2008 found that
using a cream or application that had just 1% coal tar for 8
weeks saw an improvement of 53.9% in the symptoms.
3. Dead Sea Salt Can Cure Psoriasis?: In particular salt from
the Dead Sea has been found to be the most effective. A
study led by Sima Halvey at the Department of Dermatology.
Soroka Medical Center, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion
University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel in 2006 studied
30 patients with psoriasis covering less than 15% of their
body. They found that those who bathed in Dead Sea salt for
20 minutes everyday for 3 weeks found a 34.8% reduction in
their symptoms.
They also found that common salt was effective also. The
patients followed the same procedure and found a 27.5%
reduction in their symptoms.
4. Mud Packs: Another naturally occurring substance that can
help is mineral enriched mud. A study completed at the Scuola
di Specializzazione in Idrologia Medica, Napoli, Italy in 2005
tested 30 people with psoriasis. They treated 15 of the
patients with mud packs enhanced with the mineral make up
chlorinate-sulphurous-bicarbonate for 12 days. They treated
the other 15 patients with generic drugs used in the
treatment of psoriasis traditionally. They found that the
difference in the improvement from the mud bath was only
1% less than the effect found from the generic drugs.
5. Ichthyotherapy: This is a relatively new therapy and can be
difficult to find in certain parts of the world. It involves
special fish known as the Doctor Fish of Kangal or Garra rufa
fish. The fish eat dead human skin leaving the live skin intact.
A study conducted by the Medical University of Vienna,
Austria in 2006 found that the 67 patients in their trail who
had the treatment performed found that there was a 71%
reduction in their symptoms. In addition to this when the
patients relapsed the symptoms were less severe than the
outbreak previous to the treatment.
6. Omega-3: Another fish-related treatment is the well known
nutrients found in fish oils. A study led by Peter Mayser, MD
at Charles University, Prague in 1998 studied 83 patients for
2 weeks. They were given omega-3 supplements and found
that patients had at least a 50% reduction in their symptoms.
The study linked the results to the effect omega-3 has on the
immune system. Although the exact causes of psoriasis are
not known it is widely believed to be related to the immune
system.
7. Acupuncture: A study led by SJ Liao at the New York
University Dental College, New York in 1992 tested 61
patients with psoriasis. They all underwent acupuncture
treatment an average of 9 times. Over half of the respondents
said that they had almost complete clearance of skin lesions
and one quarter said that they had half clearance of skin
lesions.
This treatment is in doubt however as a study conducted by
the Department of Dermatology, Linköping University,
Sweden in 1997 tested two groups of patients with psoriasis
and got some interesting results. The patients under went
twice weekly acupuncture treatments for 10 weeks. They
were separated into a placebo group and a real group. The
real group found a 13.5% difference in severity but the
placebo group who were receiving ‘sham’ acupuncture found
a 25% difference in severity.
8. Homeopathy as a Cure for Psoriasis: Some patients find
relief in contacting a practitioner of homeopathic medicine. A
study conducted by the Institute for Social Medicine,
Epidemiology and Health Economics, Charité University
Medical Center, Berlin, Germany in 2008 studied 82 patients
for 2 years. They found that those who had the most severe
cases of psoriasis found the greatest effect. They also found
that the patient’s quality of life improved.
The study concluded that homeopathy was a viable option for
those with the most severe psoriasis who had already tried
conventional medicine.
9.Oregon-grape: This is a shrub naturally growing in the
United States. It is normally rubbed on the skin. A study led
by Wayne P. Gulliver at the Memorial University and Newlab
Clinical Research Inc., St John's, Newfoundland, Canada
tested patients using Mahonia aquifolium (common name
Oregon-grape). It was a self reported study and 84% of the
39 patients who used Oregon-grape for 12 weeks rated the
treatment as ‘excellent’. 63% of the patients reported that
they found the Oregon-grape to be equally effective as their
more traditional treatment. This led the scientists to conclude
that Oregon-grape is an effective treatment for psoriasis.
10. Zinc Relieves Psoriasis: A study conducted at the
Department of Dermatology, Hadassah University Hospital, Ein
Kerem, Israel in 1990 found that zinc had the potential to
reduce the inflammation of psoriasis. Therefore zinc
supplement are useful as a way to relieve symptoms but may
not be useful in making the body surface area effected reduce
in size.
Always consult your doctor if you are receiving any other
treatments as the above mentioned options may interfere
with it.
Many suffers have also found psoriasis support groups
helpful to deal with their quality of life issues.
You're just getting started. Learn more about the relationship
between your diet and your risk for other diseases and
conditions: How to Lose Weight After Menopause/Best
Breakfast to Fight Arthritis/ Health Dangers of Milk / Lose
Weight by Lowering Thermostat / Lose Belly Fat After the
Baby/ Foods That Shrink Your Waist/ Drinking Cold Water
Burns Calories / Six Pack Abs-A Guided Tour /Top 10 Foods
That Fight Anemia / How Much Is Too Much Salt? /Sugar-The
Disease Connection / Are Diet Sodas Bad for Your Health? /
Ideal Breakfast for Diabetics / Ideal Breakfast for Arthritis
/Healing Foods Links / Foods That Shrink Your Waist /
Foods That Lower Cholesterol/ VLDL-The Other Cholesterol/
Foods That Reduce Blood Pressure
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