Archive for the ‘Psoriasis’ Category
The Different Types of Arthritis – Part 1
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Use these facial skincare treatments you can achieve real progress in combating your facial skin. Having dry skin can be difficult to deal with, but easy once you know how.
Arthritis is the inflammation of the joints. There are more than 100 different types of disorders. They primarily affect the skeletal muscles, bones, ligaments, tendons, and joints in both males and females of all ages. Some disorders are more likely to occur at a particular time of life or to affect one gender more than the other. These disorders not only limit mobility and affect the activities of daily living but also result in subtle systemic effects that lead to organ failure and death.
The different types of arthritis are grouped under different classifications:
1. Diffuse connective tissue diseases
a. Rheumatoid arthritis: Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disorder that causes the immune system to attack the joints, skin and vital organs of the body.
b. Juvenile arthritis: Rheumatoid arthritis in children is called Juvenile arthritis. There are more than 300,000 children diagnosed with juvenile arthritis in the United States.
c. Scleroderma: Scleroderma is a localized, systemic sclerosis affecting the connective tissue of the skin, blood vessels, muscles, and internal organs.
d. Lupus erythematosus: Lupus erythematosus is also a chronic autoimmune disease. Discoid, systemic and drug related are their types.
e. Polymyositis: Polymyositis is a rare connective tissue disease that affects the muscles closest to the body, that is the shoulders and the hips.
f. Sjogren’s syndrome: Sjogren’s syndrome is an autoimmune disease affecting certain glands in our body. Eg: lacrymal gland, salivary gland.
g. Overlap syndromes: Overlap syndrome is a combination of two or more autoimmune diseases described above.
Polymyalgia, rheumatica and erythema nodosum are a few other minor autoimmune connective tissue diseases.
2. Arthritis associated with spondylitis (Spondyloarthropathies)
a. Alkylosing spondylitis: Alkylosing spondylitis is also called as rheumatoid spondylitis. It is the inflammation of the joints in the spine.
b. Reiter’s syndrome: Reiter’s syndrome is one form of reactive arthritis, which involves the inflammation within and around the joints, and particularly where ligaments and tendons attach to bones.
c. Psoriatic arthritis: Psoriatic arthritis is associated with psoriasis, the skin and the joints are inflammed.
d. Arthritis associated with inflammatory bowel disease.
3. Osteoarthritis: Osteoarthritis is also known as osteoarthrosis, or degenerative joint disease. They are of two types, they are primary and secondary.
4.
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Who Gets Psoriasis? 4.5 Million Adults!
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By using these facial skincare treatments you can gain real progress in battling your skin problems. Having aging skin can be challenging to deal with, but easy once you know how.
Psoriasis is an immune-mediated disease which affects the skin and joints. When it affects the skin it commonly appears as red scaly elevated patches called plaques. Psoriasis plaques frequently occur on the elbows and knees, but can affect any area of skin including the scalp and genital area.
Psoriasis can vary in severity, from minor localized patches to extensive or even complete skin coverage. Fingernails and toenails are often affected (psoriatic nail dystrophy). Psoriasis can also cause inflammation of the joints. This is known as psoriatic arthritis.
Who Gets Psoriasis?
More than 4.5 million adults in the United States have been diagnosed with psoriasis, and approximately 150,000 new cases are diagnosed each year. An estimated 20% have moderate to severe psoriasis.
Is Psoriasis Gender Biased?
Psoriasis occurs about equally in males and females. Recent studies show that there may be an ethnic link. It seems that psoriasis is most common in Caucasians and slightly less common in African Americans. Worldwide, psoriasis is most common in Scandinavia and other parts of northern Europe. It appears to be far less common among Asians and is rare in Native Americans.
There also is a genetic component associated with psoriasis. Approximately one-third of people who develop psoriasis have at least one family member with the condition.
Research shows that the signs and symptoms of psoriasis usually appear between 15 and 35 years of age. About 75% develop psoriasis before age 40. However, it is possible to develop psoriasis at any age. After age 40, a peak onset period occurs between 50 and 60 years of age.
Childhood Psoriasis
About 1 in 10 people develop psoriasis during childhood, and psoriasis can begin in infancy. The earlier the psoriasis appears, the more likely it is to be widespread and recurrent.
There is growing emphasis on quality of life research in all of medicine, and psoriasis impacts on every dimension of health-related quality of life. In my patient population, many of my patients are spending an hour a day taking care of their psoriasis and are using numerous treatments. Psoriasis treatment is costly, financially and psycologically.
Psoriatic Arthritis
Psoriatic arthritis develops in roughly one million people across the United States, and 5% to 10% experience some disability. Psoriatic arthritis usually first appears between 30 and 50 years of age, often months to years after skin lesions first occur.
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Psoriasis: Living Well and Healthy
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Use these beauty tips you can gain real progress in combating your skin problems. Having dry skin can be difficult to deal with, but it's not impossible.
Psoriasis is a non-contagious, lifelong skin disease. According to the National Institutes of Health, as many as 7.5 million Americans have psoriasis.
There are five types of psoriasis.
#1-Plaque psoriasis – Most common form of the disease
#2-Guttate psoriasis – Appears as small red spots on the skin
#3-Inverse psoriasis – Occurs in armpits, groin and skin folds
#4-Pustular psoriasis – White blisters surrounded by red skin
#5-Erythrodermic psoriasis – Intense redness over large areas
Plaque psoriasis appears as raised, red patches or lesions covered with a silvery white buildup of dead skin cells, called scale. Psoriasis can occur on any part of the body such as the scalp, the face, the hands and even the nails.
Treatment Overview
At this time there is no cure for Psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. There are many different types of treatment that can reduce, or nearly stop, the symptoms of psoriasis. No single treatment works for everyone and some people use a combination of treatments.
Here are five tips for treating the symptoms of psoriasis (see our disclaimer at the bottom of this article).
TIP#1—Caring for your Scalp
For my dry and tight scalp I use Alberto VO5 Oasis shampoo and conditioner. It takes care of the psoriasis on my scalp, leaving it well moisturized that I don’t have to put mineral oil on my scalp overnight. It also minimizes psoriasis scalp flakes.
TIP#2—Dealing with Itching
Today, out of desperation, I tried Lanacane on my hands right after a Narrow Band Light treatment. A couple of hours passed. The rest of my guttate psoriasis drove me wild! My hands?? Not at all!! I then bathed in the Aveeno Oatmeal bath mix. and applied, to my wet body, Burts Bees Apricot Kernel Baby Oil. But, most of all, I was super impressed with the Lanacane. It worked for me. I am just newly diagnosed and had no clue this itching could be so severe. Gayle, WA
TIP#3—Herbs and Dietary Supplements
I have had guttate psoriasis for 34 years and it always fluctuates between being good and bad based on stress, weather, etc… I have gone through years of creams, light treatments and avoidance altogether until a friend told me about Omega 3-6-9 gel caps with flax, borage and fish oil. My skin has improved markedly and I no longer treat myself with UVB light treatments on a regular basis!
TIP#4—Homemade oatmeal bath
I grind about 3/4 of a cup of regular dry oatmeal in a blender, then pour it into a clean knee-high nylon stocking. Run bath water through the stocking. When you’re done filling the tub, knot the stocking at the top and use the remains for a “loofah.” This helps keep my skin soft. I follow with Aveeno moisturizing oil lotion.
TIP#5—Scale Removal Tips and Products
I saw how well my son’s cradle cap treatment worked on his scalp, I decided to try it on my face and ears. It worked like a charm! It is Gentle Naturals cradle cap treatment by Oragel. It has a pleasant scent, and is moisturizing as well. I apply it about 1/2 hour before my shower and use a washcloth to gently massage the skin.
Source: National Psoriasis Foundation/USA
Although there is no cure for psoriasis, there are treatments that can reduce, or nearly stop, the symptoms of psoriasis. Work with your doctor, read articles about psoriasis, and join a support group. Soon — You will be Living Well With Psoriasis.
Disclaimer: The information presented is only for discussion. Check with your doctor before beginning any new treatment. And always make sure your doctor is aware of any natural or herbal product (including vitamins and supplements) you are using, as some may interact with prescription medications. Results and personal experiences will vary from person to person.
Copyright (C) 2007 Wayne McDonald
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Common Psoriasis Treatments
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By using these facial skincare treatments you can make real progress in combating your skin complaints. Having aging skin can be difficult to deal with, but it's not impossible.
Psoriasis is a chronic, non contagious but believed to be non curable skin condition which over four million Americans suffer from. This chronic condition can flare up or go into remission at almost any time, and while remissions can last for months or years, the actual cause of the problem is not yet fully known. Most psoriasis sufferers have flare ups most often when their body is subjected to certain triggers. Common triggers which can cause a psoriasis flare up include excess stress, injury or severe trauma of some sort, and severe sicknesses or other diseases.
The skin plaques caused by psoriasis are thought to be a result of an over reactive immune system. Instead of producing new skin cells about once each month like a healthy body does, psoriasis sufferers get new skin generated every three to five days. This creates a pile up on the surface, because the existing skin cells do not have enough time to die off and shed before the new skin cells arrive.
Modern medical science and research approaches psoriasis treatments with the idea of controlling or reducing the external symptoms created by the disease. You see, when psoriasis flares up, extra skin piles up on the surface of the body in the form of thick scaley, flaky patches known as psoriasis plaques. These plaques are most often found on the elbows, knees or scalp, but they can occur anywhere on the body including the hands, feet, face and genitals.
Sometimes psoriasis plaques are just thick and scaley, but often they are reddened and can be itchy as well. So most psoriasis treatments prescribed by doctors are designed to try and reduce redness, relieve itching, and thin or soften the psoriasis skin plaques.
The first psoriasis treatments tried are known as topical treatments, and these are creams, ointments and salves which are rubbed onto the plaques directly. Prescription creams often contain coal tar, retinoic acid, and Vitamin D derivatives. Some prescription psoriasis topical treatments also contain steroids or other medications which are designed to try and suppress the rate of new skin growth too.
Herbal psoriasis treatments also include topical creams, ointments, salves or bath soaks which can help relieve some of the more problematic symptoms of psoriasis. These often include aloe vera to help soften the skin plaques, oatmeal baths which can also soften the skin and help it flake off more, and herbs which are known to be excellent skin healers such as chickweed and comfrey.
Herbal specialists also feel that proper psoriasis treatments must also include internal treatments as well as external. Since psoriasis is caused by an imbalance or problem with the body’s immune system, natural psoriasis treatments often include a regime of correcting vitamin deficiencies, improving dietary habits, and doing a colon cleanse or body detox too.
Natural psoriasis treatments include correcting vitamin deficiencies, because psoriasis sufferers often have problems using certain vitamins in their body such as D and A. Changing the dietary habits is also quite useful, because this psoriasis treatment focuses on getting more fiber and healthy vegetables and fruit into the body regularly. The third psoriasis treatment involves cleaning the colon or doing a body detox, because these treatments help rid the body of excess toxins, poisons, and wastes that have accumulated over the years and could be contributing to the psoriasis condition.
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The Plaque of Psoriasis
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Implementing these beauty tips you can make real progress in combating your facial skin. Having dry skin can be challenging to deal with, but easy once you know how.
Do you have scaly pink or red patches on the knees, elbows, chest, nails, lower back and scalp? Are they slightly raised with red borders and covered with large white or silvery scales? Do they itch and do you also have arthritis? If you said yes, you probably have psoriasis a common skin disorder that affects both men and women.
Psoriasis usually appears in late childhood or young adulthood. Its cause is unknown but it may be an autoimmune disorder, that is, a disease in which the immune system produces antibodies that attack the body’s own tissues.
The red patches that accompany the disease are produced when skin cells multiply about 10 times faster than they should. Though psoriasis is neither contagious nor dangerous, the red patches have disfigured millions of people. Worrying about them, however, won’t help since periods of emotional stress can trigger the disease and make things worse. Other factors associated with psoriasis are rheumatoid arthritis, injury, a viral or bacterial infection, cold climates and a family history of the disease.
Normally, new cells take about a month to move from the lowest skin layer where they’re produced, to the outermost layer where they die and flake off. With psoriasis, the entire life cycle takes only days. As a result, cells build up rapidly, forming thick silvery scales and itchy, dry, red patches that are sometimes painful, according to the Mayo Clinic.
At present, there is no cure for psoriasis. Neither can the disease be prevented so your doctor may try several treatments before he or she arrives at one that can keep your skin clean and control the disease.
Psoriasis is a persistent, long-lasting (chronic) disease. You may have periods when your psoriasis symptoms improve or go into remission alternating with times your psoriasis becomes worse. For some people, psoriasis is just a nuisance. For others, it’s disabling, especially when associated with arthritis. No cure exists, but psoriasis treatments may offer significant relief. And self-care measures, such as using a nonprescription cortisone cream and exposing your skin to small amounts of ultraviolet light, can improve your psoriasis symptoms, said the Mayo Clinic.
Treatments include topical corticosteroids, coal or tar lotions, anthralin and in severe cases, PUVA treatment. This is short for psoralens and ultraviolet A light therapy which slows down the abnormal production of skin cells responsible for the disease. The anti-cancer drug methotrexate also slows down skin cell reproduction and works well for stubborn cases of psoriasis. But it has serious side effects and should be used carefully.
“Whatever treatment is used, it’s important to keep the skin clean and avoid irritating soaps and skin products,” said Kurt Butler and Dr. Lynn Rayner of the John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii in The Best Medicine.
Since obesity is also a risk factor in psoriasis, it pays to maintain a healthy weight. You can do this with the help of Phenocal – a safe, natural, and effective weight loss supplement that boosts your metabolism, suppresses your appetite, reduces food cravings, and increases energy levels to keep you in shape.
