Plaque Psoriasis

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Taking Steps Toward a Natural Recovery from Psoriasis

Friday, October 30th, 2009

Psoriasis is a highly unpredictable condition, so much so that it is an elusive target for even the strongest modern medications. The malleable nature of this disease has led many to develop their personal health to fight it off rather than experiment with any other potentially harmful drugs. Natural remedies also tend to be much less expensive than prescription drugs.

Some non-strenuous exercises such as yoga, walking and general stretching can help to loosen up the joints, get the blood flowing, strengthen the immune system and promote mental health, all of which are useful for fighting off every kind of psoriasis.

Supplements such as vitamins A, C and D as well as fish oil and folic acid are also known psoriasis killers. In the case of vitamin and mineral supplements, however, keeping a balance is more important than loading up upon one thing or another. Some supplements can have adverse effects when combined with other medications, so proceed with caution (and consult your doctor of course).

Baths treated with either minerals/salts or a small amount of bleach has been shown to bring about significant improvements in plaque psoriasis. Bleach, it is believed, kills bacteria and infection, thus reducing the chances of psoriasis outbreaks (which are instigated by any kind of infection or irritation).

The most famous mineral bath in the world is probably the Dead Sea, where psoriatics come from around the world to soak up the super-salty water and therapeutic mud. If you get the chance to visit the Dead Sea, you probably should also soak up some of those gentler sun-rays, as this has also proven to help battle off psoriasis. Both UVA and UVB rays have been attributed to significant improvements for people with psoriasis, especially when combined wither other treatments.

Changing your diet can help you recover fully from psoriasis as well. Generally, it is better to consume less red meat, pork, caffeine and alcohol. On the other hand, it is better to eat more fruit, veggies and anything that isn’t process or loaded with preservatives.

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Selsun Blue with Menthol – Product Review

Monday, October 19th, 2009

selsun blue menthol

Selsun Blue is designed primarily to treat itchiness (pruritus) and flaking caused by seborrheic dermatitis of the scalp. Since scalp pruritus is the main symptom I experience on a regular basis and since psoriasis is similar to seborrheic dermatitis, I decided to give Selsun Blue with Menthol a try.

The most effective type of T/Gel I have found to treat my psoriasis has been T/Gel Stubborn Itch Control, which contains coal tar (2%) and menthol. The soothing effect of menthol is effective at suppressing pruritus flares-ups on my scalp in addition to the the longer term medicinal effects of coal tar. In the case of this particular kind of Selsun Blue, the active ingredients are selenium sulfide (1%) and menthol. While coal tar suppresses skin cell proliferation, selenium sulfide is primarily an antifungal compound — it kills the fungus (malassezia) that feeds on the skin’s natural oils, leading to itchiness and dandruff. Selenium sulfide has also been proven to suppress keratinocyte proliferation (excessive skin cell production), which leads to the itchiness and scaling characteristic of psoriasis vulgaris (plaque psoriasis).

Observations:

Selsun Blue with Menthol had less of an immediate effect on my scalp than T/Gel with menthol, but as of now, about 2 hours after applying this shampoo, my scalp feels quite at ease. I have not felt the need to scratch for at least an hour now. With the help of the residual menthol, my scalp feels as “normal” ore as free from pruritus as it ever does. This is encouraging for me since, as I said, my main symptom is an itchy scalp. In addition to being bothersome and distracting, scratching all day is causing a lot of damage to my scalp, which is leading to accelerated hair loss.

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There are some other advantages to using Selsun Blue that may lead me to switch over to this product over T/Gel:

Coal tar is a suspected carcinogen over long periods of exposure. Experts might claim that I would have to soak my entire body in pure coal tar all day for a year to be at risk of developing cancer… but this argument doesn’t really put my mind ease. Soaking my scalp with a diluted coal tar solution on a regular basis is comparable, so why risk it? Also, petroleum based products across the board do not have a great reputation for promoting physical health (from consumables to topical ointments to gasoline). If crude oil splashed onto your skin would your impulse be to quickly wash it off or would you allow it soak in for a while?
Selsun Blue with menthol is significantly less expensive than T/Gel with menthol. While T/Gel is about $7.00 for 4 ounces (at my local grocery store), Selsun Blue is about $9.00 for 11 ounces. That’s about half as much, ounce for ounce.
Selsun Blue with menthol doesn’t smell as bad as T/Gel with menthol. For a person who is not accustomed to the smell of coal tar shampoos, the aroma can be suffocating. This particular kind of Selsun Blue smells like a combination of menthol, Irish Spring soap and sunscreen.

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Natural Psoriasis Remedies: Olive Oil

Monday, October 12th, 2009

Olive oil has developed a reputation for being an effective treatment for mild cases of plaque psoriasis. It can be massaged directly onto affected areas of the skin (including the scalp) to relieve dryness and irritation as well as to facilitate healing.

Ways to administer olive oil that I have heard include rubbing light amounts of it on the skin (elbows and knees for example), adding it to regular bathwater and/or leaving it on the scalp overnight (in which case a shower cap would be needed to keep it from running all over one’s pillow).

Interesting: Ancient Egyptians used olive oil as a skin treatment over 4,000 years ago.

Generally, keeping one’s skin clean and moist is a great way to encourage the body’s natural resistance to psoriasis. Olive oil is both clean and moisturizing, and represents a huge part of the skin care industry.

Olive oil is reported to have antioxidant properties (vitamin E), which would be of use in the case of psoriasis, since free-radicals have been linked to psoriasis outbreaks.

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What is Anthralin (Dithranol)?

Saturday, October 10th, 2009

Anthralin (dithranol) is a synthetic compound used to control excessive skin cell creation, which is the main characteristic of plaque psoriasis. It is modeled after a natural extract found in Andira Araroba, a type of tree that grows abundantly in South America.

It is believed that is interacts with skin cells to reduce DNA-synthesis, which in turn prevents skin cell proliferation.

Anthralin is a powerful irritant and thus should not be applied to skin that is broken or to skin-folds. It is recommended that it only remain on the surface of the skin for up to 30 minutest to start. After confirming that it does not irritate the skin too much, anthralin solutions with varying degrees of potency can can be left on the skin for up to an hour before it needs to be washed off.

Anthralin comes in the form of cream, paste or ointment and is marketed under a variety of different brand names including Drithocreme, Anthra-Derm and Micanol.

Although Anthralin doesn’t start clearing psoriasis lesions as quickly as some other steroid-based alternatives, it tends to have farther reaching preventative effect on the skin once it does start taking effect. There also tends to be less of a risk of severe break both during and after suspending use.

Anthralin-based medications such as Dritho-Scalp are yellowish creams that have a tendency to stain the skin, hair or clothing that comes in contact with it.

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