- Psoriasis is an inflammatory skin condition. It is not contagious. Symptoms include red scaly patches on skin, itchiness and flaking of the skin. The areas most commonly affected are the scalp, elbows and knees, but psoriasis can occur anywhere on the body. There is no cure for psoriasis, but symptoms can be kept under control with the correct treatment. ⠀ - In is not uncommon for a person with psoriasis to experience sore and inflamed joints at the same time of a skin flare up. This is called psoriatic arthritis. ⠀ - Psoriasis is an autoimmune condition; meaning that, psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis are actually caused by an overactive immune system. A common question I get asked about auto immune disease is “how can your immune system, which is built to keep you healthy, be the cause of illness?” The explanation can be found in the name itself. Autoimmunity occurs when a persons immune system launches an inflammatory response against their own body. ⠀ Can Natural therapies assist with psoriasis? ⠀ - There are many alternative therapies that can assist with the management of auto immune disease, ranging from diet, lifestyle, vitamin and mineral therapy, internal and external herbal interventions and more. ⠀ - Diet and nutrition play a large role in controlling or exacerbating inflammation. Making sure you are avoiding inflammatory foods can have a big impact alone on psoriasis. These types of foods include gluten, dairy, red meat, alcohol, processed foods, refined sugars,night shades and eggs. ⠀ - On the contrary, many foods have an anti-inflammatory response and can have a positive affect on bringing inflammation down in the body, these foods include berries, leafy green vegetables, salmon, sardines and herbs and spices such as ginger, thyme, turmeric, sage. ⠀ The type of supplements recommended for patients with psoriasis depend on the patient themselves and their specific triggers. For example, if a patient is experiencing high levels of stress, we may work on normalizing the stress response in the body whilst also working to effectively reduce inflammation via diet and supplementation
For more information on tailored treatments, please contact me on mjanewellness@gmail.com
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