Psoriasis is a disorder which is characterized by rapid multiplication of skin cells on the skin s surface. These extra skin cells develop into silvery scales, which are often dry and itchy. It may also lead to formation of painful red patches on the skin. This disorder might produce symptoms, which flare up and reduce periodically. There is no cure for psoriasis; treatments however can make the symptoms manageable. 


Symptoms
The symptoms of psoriasis include red patches on the skin and scaly and dry skin. The red patches might be itchy and one might often experience a burning sensation around the area. The joints in your body may also become stiff and swollen. 


Causes
The exact cause of psoriasis has not been ascertained. The accepted theory is that psoriasis occurs when the immune system attacks the healthy skin cells. There is a type of white blood cell called the  T cell , whose function is to combat harmful virus or bacteria in the body. With Psoriasis or any other autoimmune disorder, these T cells start attacking the healthy (skin) cells. 


Overactive  T Cells  may trigger other responses in the body, thus, leading to excess production of skin cells and white blood cells. The excess cells move to the skin surface and end up causing the red painful patches.


Treatment options to manage psoriasis
Although there s no cure for psoriasis as such, the symptoms can be controlled. The treatment options for psoriasis are:
1. Topical treatments: Topical treatments involve application of creams and lotions. They have been mentioned below:
I. Corticosteroids: Corticosteroid creams or lotions reduce the excess skin cell production, thus, reducing inflammation. They are generally not used as a long term treatment as they cause skin thinning.
II. Vitamin D analogues: A synthetic form of Vitamin D, it helps in slowing down skin cell growth. 
III. Salicylic acid: This treatment is used to reduce scaling on the skin, caused due to psoriasis. It is usually administered along with other medications.


2. Light therapy: Light therapy involves using sunlight or artificial light to reduce inflammation and scaling. It helps in reducing the activity of T cells in the body. 


3. Oral medications
In case of severe symptoms, oral medications are prescribed. Medications such methotrexate helps in reducing the excess production of skin cells. Cyclosporine is a drug that is used to suppress the erroneous immune system response. 

Psoriasis - 3 Easy Ways You Can Get them Treated

Psoriasis is a condition in which rapidly multiplying skin cells cause the area affected to become rough, scaly and itchy. The affected area becomes red and sometimes painful and while the disease can t be cured, it can be managed by limiting the rapidly multiplying cells. The immune system is thought to be compromised in psoriasis which leads to Infection by opportunistic bacteria such as streptococcus. 

Till very recently, psoriasis was thought to be idiopathic, but studies show emotional imbalance or triggers such as cold and infections might lead to activating an inherently present gene. Even though it is usually limited to the skin, it can affect the joints and nails too. This autoimmune disorder occurs in patches where the scaly formation might become irksome, especially if it is in uncommon areas such as the mouth and genitalia. Psoriasis is also thought to be a result of alcoholism or medication such as lithium which is used to treat epilepsy or bipolar disorder.

Common homeopathic remedies
When treating psoriasis, homeopathy is a trove of invaluable resources and treatment options. Medication is customised for the patient after taking into account their personal medical history.
Homeopathy acts by trying to manage the root cause of psoriasis which is an immunocompromised state of being. The added advantage of homeopathy in treatment is the lack of side effects.

Here are some of the most feasible treatments for treating psoriasis with homeopathy:

Kalium Bromatum: It is the first line of treatment in a lot of cases of psoriasis, especially when the red patches are covered with silver scales. It is also used in syphilitic psoriasis.
Kalium Arsenicosum: It is an effective treatment for psoriasis that develops on the back and the arms.
Sulphur: It is best suited for skinny people or those who tend to be forgetful.
Calendula: It helps soothe and provide temporary pain relief for affected areas, especially if they are inflamed, but it doesn t address the underlying cause of the disease and hence doesn t treat it.
Kalium Sulphuricum: It is best used for papular psoriasis, especially when sebaceous secretions are also involved.
Arsenic Album: It is used for cases of psoriasis which improve on the application of warmth on the affected areas.

Psoriasis - 6 Homeopathic Treatments For it!

Psoriasis is a durable autoimmune disease defined by patches of irregular skin. These patches of skin are usually scaly, red and itchy. Its symptoms vary greatly in severity, the coverage might be small and focused or it could spread all over the body.

Types
There are mainly five types of psoriasis:
1. Plaque- also called psoriasis vulgaris, is the most common kind of psoriasis (90% of cases). It affects the skin behind the forearms, over the navel, shins and scalp, usually presenting itself in red patches with white- colored scales over it.
2. Guttate- has lesions that are drop-shaped.
3. Inverse- red patches show up in the folds of your skin.
4. Pustular- pus-filled blisters form. They are non-infectious.
5. Erythrodermic- the rash spreads wider. In some people, even fingernails and toenails get affected as pits may form on them or their colour may change.

Causes
Anything from emotional trauma and stress to streptococcal infection can cause psoriasis. Sometimes you might carry predisposition for psoriasis in your genes and stress may aggravate it. Environmental factors may also lead to psoriasis. And then again defects in the immune system may also be the underlying cause. Even after thirty years of research, the exact cause for psoriasis remains a mystery. There is no age limit to psoriasis. It can show up from anywhere between infancy to old age.

Symptoms
Common symptoms include
1. Pink or red scaly bumps that are smaller in size, but become plaques later, show up on the skin. Although these scales can show up anywhere, they are mostly common on sites where there is much friction, abrasion or scratching.
2. Small pinpoint depressions or pits might show up on toenails and fingernails. Distal onycholysis, which refers to large brown/yellow divisions on the nails, shows up as well.
3. Sore throat may follow if it is guttate psoriasis.

Treatment
Psoriasis is not curable. But its symptoms can be managed with steroid creams, ultraviolet creams, vitamin d3 creams and with medicines that act as immunosuppressants. Creams alone can help control symptoms in 75% of patients with psoriasis.

All About Psoriasis

The skin is the largest external organ as well as the largest organ in general in the human body. There are many types of skin diseases that can afflict your body and they may appear anywhere. Ayurveda is a potent weapon which can be used to treat many skin diseases effectively. The natural remedies of Ayurveda are being increasingly adopted throughout the world. Let's take a look at a few of the skin diseases that can be easily cured by Ayurveda.

Eczema - one of the most common types of skin diseases, eczema is characterized by the reactions that the skin has. These reactions can manifest themselves in many forms. The most common reaction is swelling of the skin with redness. Other forms may also develop blisters, cracking of the skin, scaling or papules.

Scaly rashes - scientifically known as papulosquamous eruptions, scaly rashes are usually the result of itching which in itself is a reaction to some internal or external factors. These rashes can be mild to severely painful depending on what had caused them. Some factors behind these may be eczema, reaction to drugs, psoriasis and others.

Urticaria - these rashes differ from other ones as they persist for a short period of time and usually result in swellings on the skin. These swellings may be very sensitive and itchy. Some common examples of urticaria are nettle rashes and hives that may develop due to an external factor such as bug bites.

Psoriasis - Ayurveda has great treatments for this disease as its incidence within the population is quite high. This is a non-infectious skin condition where inflammation occurs in the affected parts of the skin and reddish scales form on the body. This problem is usually attributed to excessive cells within the body.

Pruritus or itching - another very common skin affliction which can be caused by a variety of factors, it can be a reaction to something external or be caused by internal issues that may be developing. Mostly caused by the reaction of external nerve endings they may become very painful if over stimulated.

Ayurveda has many remedies for all of the ailments mentioned above along with many other skin disorders and has gained popularity as it completely natural and devoid of side effects encountered with conventional medicine.

Common Skin Diseases That Ayurveda Can Easily Cure

5 things that worsen your psoriasis

Psoriasis is one of the most chronic and long lasting diseases relating to the skin. Under this condition, the infected skin cells multiply 10 times faster than the normal rate. During this disease, the normal skin tends to get covered by a layer of dead skin cells, not allowing the skin to breathe. The top five things that can worsen your psoriasis are listed below.

Alcohol

There is a direct link between your drinking habits and your skin health. Drinking, in general, tends to cause harm to the overall body. Skin being no exception also gets affected adversely by alcohol consumption. If you have psoriasis, then you should immediately consult your dermatologist so that he/she can assign you a daily limit for your alcohol consumption in a manner that it does not worsen the condition of your skin.

Infections

Psoriasis also gets worsened by common infections like an earache, bronchitis, strep throat infection, and such others. It is highly recommended for you to consult your doctor if you have anybody infections along with psoriasis. So the doctor will be able to tell you the risk of the infection and how to go about managing it.

Stress

Stress has been known generally to affect the skin in an adverse manner. Stress can cause your body to have a greater incidence of inflammation on your skin which further affects your skin disease. Your doctor can help you out with the ways to manage your stress so that it does not cause any further damage to your skin.

Weather changes

Medical researchers have proved that psoriasis tends to grow in colder and drier conditions. It has reportedly been observed that people having psoriasis have smoother skin during summers than during winters.

Cuts and bruises

If there are any kinds of breakouts or irregularities in your skin, then it would further worsen your psoriasis. Your cut skin may lead to a flare which is known as the Koebner phenomenon in medical terminology.



5 Things That Worsen Your Psoriasis

Psoriasis is a chronic skin disease where the skin cells form a mass of scales. These patches of skin are dry, red and itchy. It is an autoimmune disease which usually occurs on the skin of the back, scalp, palms, knees, elbows and around the fingernails and toenails, but some people have the diseased patches of skin all over the body. The patches may also crack, flake and bleed. The condition has no definite cure but the symptoms can be treated and managed.

Causes of psoriasis

The following factors are proven to have contributed to cases of psoriasis:

1. Genetics
More than 32% of the cases of psoriasis have been linked to genes. In case of identical twins, if one twin has the disease, the other has a 70% chance of getting it too. There are several genes associated with the disease and most of these genes are related to the immune system. T cells (lymphocytes which affect cell specific immunity) can also cause psoriasis.

2. Hiv
Human immuno-deficiency virus adversely affects the immune system and increases susceptibility of all kinds of infections and diseases. Hiv-positive individuals have been found to have an increased risk of psoriasis than hiv-negative people.

3. Other diseases
Diseases like strep throat, chronic infections, skin infections and stress may be responsible for the condition. Other factors like obesity, alcoholism, skin dryness and smoking can also lead to psoriasis.

4. Medication
Anti-malarial, anti-inflammatory and blood pressure medicines can cause psoriasis as a side effect. The disease is also an effect of withdrawal from topical steroid creams and other steroid-based medication.

Symptoms of psoriasis

The symptoms of psoriasis may vary from patient to patient. However, if more than two of the following signs are seen, it is likely that psoriasis is the causative condition:

1. A whitish and silvery mass of scales surrounded by red patches of stinging, itchy skin
2. The appearance of blisters or rashes on the dry scaly skin and also along the nails
3. Bumps on the folded skin like back of the knees, armpits etc.
4. Diseased patches of skin can crack, peel and bleed
5. A sharp and localized pain in the joints accompanied by stiffness
6. Soreness in the throat
7. Tiny depressions in the nails or large brown patches under the nails
8. Swelling and tenderness of the limbs
9. Dental plaque
10. Muscle pain due to the swollen bands of connective tissue


Causes and Symptoms of Psoriasis

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