Nutritional Curcumin is a Treatment For Psoriasis

Nutritional curcumin is a treatment for psoriasis and other skin conditions especially inflammatory skin conditions. Coming from the bulbous roots of the Curcuma Longa plant this spice holds the key to effective treatment of many body conditions.

Ancient usage

For thousands of years this spice has been used by the Indians and Chinese. It has been used for dying clothes and more importantly it has been used as part of their medicine to treat all kinds of illnesses. It was and in some places still is used as an antiseptic and disinfectant for the skin against blood poisoning from cuts etc. as it speeds up the wound healing process apart of which is to remodel damaged skin.

Anti inflammatory

One of its major characteristics that this phytochemcial has is its anti inflammatory properties. These properties are so potent that they are equally as strong as taking NSAID's that the doctor gives out. They have a major distinct advantage though they don't have the nasty side effects that allopathic drugs have.

It is this quality as well as others that make nutritional curcumin very useful in treating psoriasis and other painful conditions like boils and acne as it also is a good analgesic, pain killer, and so it is useful for any painful complaint.

Supplement

Since last year, when a friend introduced me to an amazing nutritional supplement that contains nutritional curcumin as well as over 70 other life enhancing plant ingredients, I have been taking it regularly and the immediate benefits that I have noticed about myself is increased energy, clearer skin and the peace of mind knowing that I am giving my body the best possible protection that I can.

Psoriasis and Symptoms

Psoriasis is a chronic, non-contagious, recurrent skin condition that affects the skin and joints, with the scalp being a common site. It is more likely to occur in dry skin rather than oily, well-moisturised skin and it can cause hair to be dry and brittle. Red scaly patches of inflammation appear and there is excessive skin production. The skin rapidly accumulates in certain areas forming dry, well-defined lesions of silvery white scales with underlying bleeding points. Although the causes are largely unknown it is thought that genetic factors involved. However, there are certain things which can aggravate the condition, including:

• Emotional stress
• Excessive alcohol consumption
• Smoking

Since the causes are unknown it can be difficult to treat this condition and the treatments are often based on trial and error. The first treatment that is usually tried is medicated ointments, known as topical treatments. The ointments applied directly to the skin help reduce any inflammation and soften and remove the plaques of scaling.

These treatments can irritate normal skin, be time consuming and awkward to apply as well as stain clothing and have a strong odor. Bath solutions and moisturizers can also be used to soothe the skin and reduce dryness. The second treatment that is normally tried is exposing the skin to UV light which is called phototherapy. The third and final treatment is to take medication internally as pills or injections, which is known as systemic treatment.

The most common form of psoriasis is "Plaque psoriasis", there are also other forms of psoriasis such as; Flexural, Guttate, Pustular, Nail, Psoriatic Arthritis, Erythrodermic.

Psoriasis - A General Overview

Psoriasis is a skin disease that is more likely to affect people with fair skin complexion. It remains to be fully understood as to why Asian and African origin are less predisposed to it compare to Caucasian. Psoriasis is a chronic skin disease with no permanent cure available as of today.

Genetic and hereditary factors seem to contribute to the triggering of Psoriasis. This skin disease usually runs in the family and affects both men and women alike. Psoriasis usually affects adults between the ages of fifteen to thirty five years of age.

Patches of red scaly skin usually appear on the armpit, elbow, leg, scalp, face and at times even as far as private parts of the body such as the chest, breast and genitalia region. Psoriasis is not contagious and cannot be contracted through physical skin contacts such as touch.

There are at least five different types of Psoriasis and blood test analysis can readily reveal and confirm if a person is suffering from it. Blood test can reveal the type of antibody generated by the body immune system in response to the different type of Psoriasis affecting a patient.

Psoriasis occurs when a person's skin replaces itself too quickly. This might occur if the persons immune system is compromised and faulty biological immune system signals causes the skin cells to grow quickly and uncontrollably.

Medical research conducted by a team from the University Of Michigan indicates the presence of a specific gene, designated 'PORS1' and scientists believed this gene contributes to the triggering of skin inflammation leading to Psoriasis outbreak.

Further research is needed to map out the genetic determinants of Psoriasis and with the knowledge acquired it is hope that doctors and medical scientists can someday develop better treatments to not only treat the symptoms but in addition to that a universal permanent cure for all those suffering from it.

Psoriasis can be quite difficult to cope with, both from physical and psychological aspects. The self-esteemed of a person could be deeply affected due to disfigurement caused by this skin disease, more so if it affects visible parts of the body such as the face. The pain and itch associated with it could be quite traumatic and unbearable at times.

Psoriasis is usually not a life threatening disease and does not require long-term hospitalization treatment. There are exceptional isolated severe cases whereby the skin starts to lose its protective functions and as such is unable to prevent bacteria and other substances from entering the body.

Various factors could trigger the outbreak and worsen the condition of Psoriasis. These include severe stress, hormone imbalance and poor detoxification of the body. Prolong exposure to pollutants and chemicals such as heavy metals, pesticides, uncontrolled intake of drugs such as beta-blockers, smoking and drinking exacerbates and worsen the condition of Psoriasis.

Vitamin and mineral deficiencies such as zinc, selenium, chromium, vitamin A, B and E could worsen the condition of Psoriasis. It is important to maintain good health with strong immune body system to keep this skin disease at bay.

There are various medical treatments available to alleviate the pain and itch associated with Psoriasis. Doctors normally prescribed treatments based on the severity, the conditions and the type of Psoriasis that the patient is suffering from. Patients with suppressed immune system may experienced more severe painful symptoms and as such it is not surprising that doctors may recommend holistic treatments that involves the combinations of topical, laser light and other form of antibiotics treatments.

What is Psoriasis and What Does it Look Like?

Psoriasis is a persistent autoimmune skin disease which is not contagious. Psoriasis affects both the skin and the joints of the individual who is affected by the disease. Psoriasis normally causes the skin of the individual to become red and scaly. Normally, these outbreaks are only in patches. These patches caused by psoriasis are called psoriatic plaques. Psoriatic plaques are patches of skin where the skin has become inflamed and there has been an excessive amount of skin production. The skin produced by the body accumulates at these patches and has a white appearance. The patches occur commonly on the skin around elbows and knees. However, many individuals also report outbreaks on their scalp and their genital region. Psoriasis is different from eczema in the aspect that it is more likely to be located on the extensor point of the joint.

Psoriasis is a persistent condition, but the severity of psoriasis can vary from each individual. Some individuals report mild psoriasis with just a few small patches, while others report severe cases of psoriasis where their whole body or most of their body is affected by the skin disease. The exact cause of psoriasis is unknown. The common belief behind the origin of psoriasis is that the skin disease is a genetic disease.

Types of psoriasis

• Plaque psoriasis: plaque psoriasis is the most general type of the skin disease. Plaque psoriasis is responsible for about eighty five percent of all cases of psoriasis. This type of psoriasis normally appears as elevated inflamed regions of skin that are covered with white flaky skin.
• Flexural psoriasis: flexural psoriasis appears as a smooth patch of inflamed skin. Most commonly flexural psoriasis occurs in the bends of the skin. Flexural psoriasis is irritated by perspiration and friction.
• Guttate psoriasis: Guttate psoriasis appears as small round patches. These patches appear over larger areas of the body such as; arms, legs, core section, and scalp.
• Pustular psoriasis: Pustular psoriasis appears as elevated sores that look like blisters because they are filled with pus. Normally these occur on the hands and feet, or wide spread over a larger area.
• Nail psoriasis: Nail psoriasis causes an alteration in the appearance of finger nails and toe nails. These alterations can be discoloration, ridges in the nail, thickening of the skin under the nail, loose nails, nail crumbling, and pitting of the nails.
• Erythrodermic psoriasis: Erythrodermic psoriasis is the broad area of inflammation of the skin. This normally occurs over most of the body. Severe dryness, redness, itching, swelling, and pain may occur.

Symptoms of psoriasis

The symptoms of psoriasis are pretty general. The most common symptoms of psoriasis are areas of skin that appear to be red, inflamed, dry, and flaky skin. Normally the skin on this rash looking area appears as a white or silver color. Some individuals report not only having redness, inflammation, dryness, and flaky skin but also having itchy skin, and slight pain or irritation. These symptoms are normally the only symptoms needed to detect psoriasis. A diagnosis of the skin disease known as psoriasis is generally based on a visual appearance of the skin. Doctors have no need to run tests or other procedures on an individual to determine whether or not they have psoriasis. In some cases, a physician may perform a skin biopsy or pluck a sample of the flaky skin in order to confirm his suspicion about psoriasis.

The treatments for psoriasis

Every individual who is affected by the skin disease known as psoriasis is different. Because every individual is different and because there are various different types of psoriasis the treatments for psoriasis are not always the same. This is why physicians and/or dermatologists perform numerous different trial treatments to see which treatment the patient responds best to. Doctors and dermatologists perform these trials to find the treatment most appropriate and most effective for the patient. Treatment decisions are based on type of psoriasis, the general location, severity, extent, patient's age, sex, quality of life, and objections about particular treatments all play a role in the treatment plan.

As of 2008, the Federal Drug Administration or FDA introduced three new treatments that they had approved for psoriasis treatment:

• Taclonex Scalp: Taclonex scalp is a topical ointment for individuals looking to treat scalp psoriasis.
• Xtrac Velocity Excimer Laser System: This treatment produces a high level of ultra violet light used to treat moderate to severe cases of psoriasis.
• Adalimumab: This is a biological drug treatment formulated to treat severe cases of psoriasis.

Doctors and dermatologists also use antibiotics in some cases. Generally, antibiotics are not utilized to treat psoriasis but antibiotics are used to fight infection in psoriasis patients.

There are numerous different topical treatments that are suggested by physicians and dermatologists to treat psoriasis. Bath treatments and moisturizers are some of the most common treatments suggested by doctors to treat psoriasis. This is because these bath treatments and moisturizers help calm the patches, reduce redness, and reduce dryness. Ointments that are applied directly to the affected area help reduce irritation, inflammation, remove skin build up, and increase the overall appearance of the affected area.

There are some disadvantages of topical treatments for treating psoriasis. If an individual uses a topical treatment for their psoriasis over a prolonged or extended amount of time, the medication in the topical treatment can cause irritation to normal skin. These topical medications can also have strong odors or stain clothing among numerous other things.

Phototherapy is a treatment often used to psoriasis treatment. Individuals who are exposed to sunlight without burning improve the condition of their psoriasis. This is why phototherapy was created. Phototherapy provides psoriasis patients with exposure to ultra violet rays for a certain amount of time in order to improve their psoriasis.

Photochemotherapy is a procedure used to treat psoriasis in which psoralen and ultraviolet A phototherapy are combined. This procedure is commonly referred to as the PUVA treatment. The psoralen is administered by topical or oral ingestion while the individual also undergoes ultraviolet therapy in order to improve their psoriasis. Individuals who have undergone the PUVA treatment report symptoms of nausea, fatigue, migraines or headaches, or skin irritation. Long term patients of this treatment have been known to develop squamous cell carcinoma.

How to prevent psoriasis

Unfortunately, there is no cure for psoriasis that will keep it from occurring again. However, there are numerous precautions you can take in order to help lower the severity of your psoriasis and to improve the overall condition. These precautions will not eliminate your psoriasis; however, they will help alleviate the pain, irritation, severity, inflammation, among other symptoms.

There are numerous factors that are known to cause flare ups in psoriasis. Some of these factors include; stress, excessive alcohol consumption, and smoking. You can improve your psoriasis if you can avoid becoming overly stressed or being stressed out frequently. The frequent consumption of alcohol is also proven to aggravate psoriasis so it is suggested that you limit your alcohol consumption to a low amount or eliminate alcohol consumption altogether. Smoking can also cause a flare in your psoriasis. It is recommended that you cut back on smoking, or if you can, quit smoking altogether. If you can limit these factors, or eliminate most of them the severity of your psoriasis is bound to improve.

There are several other precautions you can take. Individuals with psoriasis should avoid prolonged exposure to extreme heat, and avoid becoming sun burnt. This may cause your psoriasis to become irritated. You should also continue any treatments that your doctor has suggested. Avoid using topical treatments too often. However, you should use your topical ointments on a regular basis. Another great way to improve your psoriasis is to begin taking oatmeal bath treatments. Oatmeal bath treatments are great for any skin irritation because the oatmeal soothes the skin. It will reduce redness, itching, dryness, irritation, and inflammation. You should also keep your skin moisturized. You should apply an intensive moisturizing lotion each day in order to keep your skin full of moisture. If your skin becomes dry your psoriasis will worsen. Avoid using powders, perfumes, harsh soaps, or exposing your skin to harsh chemicals such as cleaning supplies.

Powders dry out the skin, so it is important to avoid using any powder. Try to keep your skin as moisturized as possible. You should also avoid perfumes around your psoriasis outbreaks because they can cause irritation and strip natural oils from the skin. Harsh soaps and detergents should also be avoided because they can cause irritation. Begin using soaps and detergents that have moisturizing agents and allergen controls. These will help moisturize your skin and prevent any irritation. When you are cleaning, it is important to avoid exposing affected skin to the cleaning chemicals and agents. This can irritate your skin, strip natural oils from your skin, and cause severe dryness of your skin.