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Psoriasis Home
Treatments
There are several things that
you can do to assist your condition. By empowering yourself to
take control of your condition, there is an opportunity of
effectively treating it.
Nails
More than a quarter of all
patients with psoriasis experience nail changes associated with
their finger and toe nails.
Firstly, keep them well trimmed. For those who do not have the
fungal problems with the nails there are still benefits. As
psoriasis can be such an itchy condition, there is almost a
compulsion to scratch at times. Short nails carry less risk of
spreading, aggravating or infecting the condition. In addition
to using Psoria ointment to help ease the itch (and hence reduce
the need to scratch), it is suggested that the nails be scrubbed
with a nail brush and disinfectant to reduce the likelihood of
bacterial infection. A tea tree oil solution is excellent for
this purpose.
Secondly, for patients with a nail psoriasis infection, treat
the condition by keeping the nails trimmed, keeping them from
becoming brittle and wear comfortable footwear to reduce rubbing
that may irritate the condition. In order to prevent them from
becoming brittle, it may be necessary to file down any
thickening of the nail and to apply a nail cream to keep them
healthy.
Adopt a program of reducing the risk of creating a fungal
problem for your feet by:
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Wearing comfortable shoes (tight fitting shoes are more likely
to rub and to create a ‘close atmosphere’ around your feet).
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Perhaps changing your socks during the day to a fresh pair
of socks during periods of humid weather.
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Bathing your feet at the end of the day. The aim should be
to allow your feet the maximum amount of time that is
possible for your feet to ‘breathe’. If possible spend time
around home in very comfortable open style footwear. |
Sunlight
Most psoriasis patients
experience an improvement in their condition with the longer
days of summer and the increased amount of vitamin D
manufactured in the body from sunshine. Caution - we do not
advocate that patients should expose themselves to an excessive
amount of sun exposure as sunburn (together with the risk of
skin cancer) may result.
The benefits of sunlight and vitamin D in improving psoriasis
are well known. Vitamin D is contained in very few foods, and
the body relies on adequate sunlight to generate its own vitamin
D stores. As discussed in the October 2002 Scientific American,
the further one lives away from the equator the greater the risk
of not receiving enough vitamin D, particularly during the
winter months.
If you live, for example, in a latitude of 35 degrees, then this
period of less than adequate sunlight exposure may last only for
a couple of months during winter. For those living in latitudes
of 50 degrees or more this may be as high as 8-10 months per
year.
In the absence of a warm climate a psoriasis ointment with a
Vitamin D component can be extremely beneficial to patients
during periods where their exposure to sunshine is reduced.
Salt water therapy
There are many examples of the
benefits of salt water being beneficial for psoriasis patients.
There is not the need to travel to the Dead Sea for the benefits
as sea salt baths can also assist, as can bathing in the sea.
Often the benefits of bathing in the sea are increased by the
exposure to sunshine while at the beach. Many health food stores
have sea salt bath salts available for patients to use at home.
Improving your mental health
There is a need in any psoriasis
treatment program to consider the mental aspects of the
condition. There is a great deal of stress in most people’s
lives and this is a major trigger of psoriasis (average onset 27
years of age).
Part of our psoriasis management plan discusses the need to
reduce stress or at least to cope with it through a
program of relaxation and/or exercise. The sight, on a daily
basis, of psoriasis lesions can lead to an increased amount of
worry about the condition and may lead to a reduction in one’s
self esteem. By taking control of one’s condition, and
understanding the causes and treatments available, it is
possible to reduce the stress and anxiety associated with the
condition.
For further information on psoriasis management, download our
free
information sheet.
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