Psoriasis Treatment
A key factor in dealing with psoriasis does appear to be managing the way you react to stressful or irritating situations. Indeed, one health practitioner who is reluctant to do any nutritional therapy unless the person with psoriasis is first willing to confront and deal with stress or unresolved emotional issues.
Evaluating stress levels and looking for ways to reduce these or to cope with them better is important in any case, but particularly in a chronic condition such as psoriasis. This may take the form of dealing with an issue directly, talking to a therapist, doing a personal development or stress management course, or taking up t'ai chi or yoga whichever course of action feels most appropriate for you. Other therapies such as reflexology or aromatherapy, when carried out by a qualified practitioner, can also be very relaxing.
Traditional medical treatment usually involves using emollients to moisturise the skin, or coal tar preparations which are messy and smelly. Harsher chemicals such as dithranol are relatively effective. But they are also \messy, can stain the skin and harm normal skin, and are too strong to be used on the face, groin or armpits. Other treatments include salicylic acid, retinoids, steroids and vitamin D. While these can all be very helpful, they are not without side-effects, such as severe skin irritation; and ultimately, they do not get to the cause of the problem. More radical treatments, using powerful drugs such as methotrexate, help stop cell growth, but these are quite toxic and affect all cells in the body.
Ultraviolet light therapy is a very useful treatment for people with psoriasis (although in a very few cases it can make it worse). Substances such as psoralens, which increase the skin's sensitivity to light, are often used in conjunction with light therapy. Because of the risk of skin cancer with ultraviolet exposure, this only tends to be used as a last resort and has to be carefully monitored.
Natural sunlight and bathing in the sea can be very helpful. Indeed, visiting the sunny shores and waters of the Dead Sea is a popular therapy for people with psoriasis, if rather expensive. A cheaper alternative is to put a kilogram of Epsom salts and 500 g of salt in a warm bath, or even one of the Dead Sea products. You may also want to look for alternatives to cortisone creams such as glycyrrhetinic acid (made from licorice) which can be just as effective, or camomile or cayenne pepper extract (capsaicin).
As with many skin problems, there seems to be a significant link between gut health and psoriasis. External treatments will never cure the condition until the internal cause is dealt with. Balancing the mechanisms which control skin cell division appears to be vital, and these mechanisms can only function properly when the digestive tract is working well. If the lining of the intestines is not healthy - due to constipation, poor digestion, food allergies or whatever toxins can get into the body and affect the skin.