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WHAT CAUSES PSORIASIS? |
Quite frankly in my opinion, no one knows the cause of psoriasis. I have heard it stated that psoriasis is inherited - I have suffered from psoriasis for over 30 years but not a single member of my family, going back to my great grand parents on both sides, has had psoriasis as far as I know. Certainly not any my children. I have read about many factors which trigger psoriasis - stress, alcohol, smoking, diet, contact with chemicals - and so many things to avoid, among them swimming. Who would think that swimming could trigger psoriasis. The cause of psoriasis is thought to be connected to the autoimmune system and a certain type of white blood cell called T-cells which stimulate the reproduction of skin cells. The result is that skin cells grow much faster than normal - this basically is what psoriasis is. What triggers this is unknown, and the reason why one patch of skin is affected with psoriasis while the skin beside it is clear, is also unknown. There are many claims on the internet from people who profess to have discovered the cause of psoriasis, and hence a psoriasis cure, but I do not believe them. Anyone with a cure for psoriasis would not be selling it for a few bucks on the internet. They would very rapidly become multi millionaires! Psoriasis causes enough mental stress and anguish in sufferers without them being given false hope. |
TREATMENT There is no known psoriasis cure, as I have stated, in spite of claims to the contrary. The psoriasis treatments available are all designed to alleviate the symptoms. Basically, there are three types of treatment: Topical - creams, ointments, emoluments and bath soaks such as dead sea salts. They can help alleviate the symptoms of psoriasis, and have certainly helped keep my psoriasis controlledto an acceptable level. Photo - Ultraviolet light treatment. Normally use if topical psoriasis treatments are inefeective. Systemic - medicines taken internally. These psoriasis treatments should be used only as a last resort. I have always steered clear of systemic treatments, and I have suffered from all forms of psoriasis except the guttate form. The problem with systemic psoriasis treatments such as pimecrolimus and tacrolimus is that they are immunosuppressors and can have unpleasant side effects. I believe that Entanercept has not been tested for long enough as a treatment for psoriasis to determine its side effects. Efalizumab is a biologically engineered treatment for psoriasis, injected into the body, which kills the reactive T-cells which cause the skin cells to multiply too quickly. This seems drastic to me, and quite frankly I would rather not use these intrusive chemicals for psoriasis until a lot more is known about them. However, they may be more attractive to those with very severe psoriasis which in certain circumstances can be life-threatening. Of the topical psoriasis treatments, I have found coal tar to be smelly and of no use to me whatsoever. It also made my skin itch very severely, so that I had to use antihistamine drugs in conjunction with the coal tar - I would rather have the psoriasis! All in all an unpleasant experience which had no effect on my psoriasis. I have tried corticosteroids with partial success. However, my very first encounter with psoriasis was a small patch on my left arm. I was unsure what it was and mentioned it to my doctor while I was attending his surgery on another matter. He didn't mention psoriasis, but gave me some cream which I rubbed well in and the patch disappeared fairly rapidly. The cream was a steroidal psoriasis treatment. About a week or so after I stopped using my whole body broke out in initially small spots which rapidly grew until over half my skin area was affected with what I was later informed was psoriasis. The photographs of my psoriasis were used for training purposes! I got relief from Dead Sea Salts but always had to return to steroids for more lasting effects. The problem with steroids is that their effect on the psoriasis reduces the longer you use them, and can cause a flare-up of psoriasis symptoms when you stop. Finally I discovered calcipotriol, also called calcipotriene, under the trade name Dovonex. This is form of vitamin D which reverses the proliferation of skin cells. I was a bit wary of it at first since I suffered from kidney stones when I was younger due to hypercalcaemia, one of the contra-indications of calipotriol. However, I decided the benefits of reduced psoriasis symptoms were worth the chance, and while I do not recommend anyone else with hypercalcaemia (excess calcium in the blood which forms insoluble calcium oxalate and urate), I have suffered from no side effects after two years of use. My psoriasis, however, has pratically disappeared. Dovonex. Remember that name if you have psoriasis- it changed my life. If you haven't tried it yet ask your doctor for it. It is available on prescription only and was developed spicifically as a psoriasis treatment. Don't believe the instructions that you should see a difference in 2 -3 weeks. It took 6 weeks for me, but then clear areas started to appear in the middle of large affected patches of psoriasis. Eventually, after about 6 months, the transformation was so great that I could wear t-shirts once more, and swim in public for the first time in over 25 years. Psoriasis is unsightly, and stopped from doing these things. I am now using it about twice weekly to maintain the reduction in my psoriasis symptoms rather than twice daily and have it on repeat prescription. So, that is my recommended psoriasis treatment. However, what is an effective psoriasis treatment for one person may have no effect on another. I still use salts in my bath and other emoluments occasionally just in case the psoriasis flares up again, but Dovonex changed my life. It's a pity I can't sell it to you as a psoriasis treatment on this site. However, I can offer you this product from Natural Remedies which is an excellent product for natural control of psoriasis. It is a mixture of herbs taken internally in tablet form. Click on the link to read more about it. Skin Dr. is not designed specifically for psoriasis, but helps maintain a natural internal chemical balance. Since it does have an effect on psoriasis symptoms, perhaps chemical balance is one cause of psoriasis itself. |
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