What you can do to treat psoriasis

Although not life-threatening, psoriasis can be very painful and disfiguring. It's a persistent skin disease that flares up and subsides in cycles. Psoriasis can't be prevented and there's no known cure, but taking nutritional and herbal supplements may help to control it.

What It Is
Characterized by raised, inflamed, red patches that are usually covered with whitish or silvery scales, psoriasis is a non-contagious chronic skin condition. It typically emerges between the ages of 10 and 30, although it can occur at any time. In most people, the rash is confined to the scalp, elbows, knees, lower back or buttocks. Fingernails and toenails can become yellow or pitted. Though flare-ups are unsightly, most cases are not itchy or particularly painful. However, about 15% of people with psoriasis have such a severe, widespread rash that they suffer great discomfort and may be unable to perform daily activities. In about 5% of cases, joint pain and swelling rather like the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis develop.

What Causes It
The rash itself occurs because skin cells replicate much faster than normal. Skin cells originate in the deep layers of the skin and usually take about 28 days to come to the surface, where they are sloughed off. In areas affected by psoriasis, however, this process takes only eight days. Because these new cells accumulate so quickly, they never have a chance to mature and cannot be shed. As a result, the skin becomes red and inflamed and develops overlapping, white, scaly patches.

No one knows why skin growth is accelerated in areas where psoriasis lesions form. Because one in three psoriasis sufferers has a family history of the disorder, some experts think there is a genetic link. Certain stimuli - alcohol, stress, sunburn, cold temperatures, dry air, skin injury, throat infection and some medications — may also trigger the onset of psoriasis or worsen existing lesions.

Symptoms

• Patches of raised, inflamed red skin with white, flaking scales.
• Itching.
• Loosened, pitted or discolored fingernails or toenails.
• Cracked or blistered skin, with pain in severe cases.
• Joint pain and stiffness.

When to Call a Doctor

• If home treatments fail to control the rash.
• If the rash spreads or emerges in new areas.
• If a widespread rash develops, with or without fatigue, fever, or joint pain - call a doctor immediately.
• Reminder: If you have a medical condition, talk to your doctor before taking supplements.

How Supplements Can Help
All the supplements described here may help to control flare-ups of psoriasis, and can be taken in combination. Most people experience improvement in about a month. Found in fish oils and flaxseed oil, the omega-3 essential fatty acids block the action of arachidonic acid, a substance made by the body that causes inflammation. (Indeed, low levels of omega-3s are common in people with psoriasis.) The nutritional supplements grape seed extract and alpha-lipoic acid are powerful antioxidants that may prevent damage to skin cells. Both contain flavonoids, which reduce inflammation.

Vitamin A is necessary for maintaining healthy skin and nails and zinc promotes healing. (The extra copper is important because long-term zinc use interferes with copper absorption.) Milk thistle, a herb with anti-inflammatory properties, may control the rash and slow the proliferation of abnormal skin cells. For outbreaks, apply a fumaric acid cream (available in health-food stores) to skin lesions three times a day to reduce their size and provide relief from pain and itching.

What Else You Can Do

• Get some sun. Just 15-30 minutes of sunlight a day may improve psoriasis lesions in three to six weeks. (But stay out of the sun between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. to avoid the risk of sunburn.)
• Use a humidifier in the winter. Dry indoor air may cause lesions.
• Apply moisturizer all over your body - and especially to lesions - to prevent dry skin and reduce itching. Aloe Vera gel is a good choice.
• Eat oily fish often. (Good choices include fresh mackerel, sardines, tuna, salmon and herring.) Or take fish oils in capsule form.

Latest Findings
Difficulty in expressing anger may trigger the onset of psoriasis, according to a recent study at the University of Michigan. Researchers took psychological profiles of 137 people and found that those who buried their anger were more likely to develop psoriasis before the age of 40. Anger and stress may also be linked to flare-ups in people who already have the disease.