Psoriasis- one of the most common and
mysterious skin disease. The name "psoriasis" comes from the Greek word "psoriasis", which means itching, scabies.
"Devil's Rose"- this is how diseases characterized by peeling of the skin are referred to in old age.
At the time of Hippocrates, the term "psora" was introduced, the term was used to denote a group of skin diseases accompanied by crusting, dryness and itching.
The famous Greek physician Claudius Galen, at the beginning of our era, was the first to use the term "psoriasis" to refer to scaly skin changes with severe itching, but the disease has nothing to do with psoriasis.
In the past, psoriasis was equivalent to leprosy, scabies and vitiligo, and people suffering from the disease were required to wear special coats, rings or bells.
In the early 19th century, English physician Willlen and his students distinguished between psoriasis and leprosy.
In the future, the science of dermatology is enriched with new information about the causes of the disease (metabolic disorders, immunological changes in the body, viral nature, environmental stress, genetic predisposition, etc. ), but the exact cause of the disease remains a mystery.
Throughout the existence of the Earth, 5. 5 billion people fell ill with psoriasis.
It is believed that psoriasis is a "sign of God" for people with special artistic talents.
Among people suffering from psoriasis, there are many successful and great personalities, for example, Benjamin Franklin, Henry Ford, Winston Churchill, John Rockefeller
Black people suffer from psoriasis more rarely than whites. Drinking green tea reduces the risk of psoriasis. The risk of developing psoriasis in women who smoke is 78% higher than among non -smokers. Often, during pregnancy, psoriasis goes away without treatment. World War II, the number of patients with psoriasis. In September 2009, a fashion show was held for the first time in the United States specifically for psoriasis patients.
In the entire history of mankind, there has not been a single case of psoriasis transfer from a sick person to a healthy person, even with a blood transfusion.
The cause of the disease
Psoriasis is considered a multifactorial disease. This means that psoriasis appears suddenly, incidentally in certain circumstances. Despite years of research, scientists have not yet been able to find out the exact cause of the development of this disease, but there are many hypotheses.
- heredity (although the presence of someone with psoriasis in the family does not always mean that her offspring will be ill);
- nervous stress (especially during adolescence) provokes an increase in disease;
- nutrition (abuse of fats, salty foods, citrus fruits, chocolate, directly related to the onset of psoriasis);
- weakened immunity - long -term drug therapy, frequent colds, other diseases that lower immunity, affect skin condition, provoke the development of psoriasis;
- vitamin and mineral deficiencies;
- violation of metabolic processes.
And many more "Everyone has their own psoriasis for their own reasons. "
Symptoms of the disease
People under the age of 30, regardless of gender, are most susceptible to the disease. The first symptom of the disease is a small scattered reddish or pink nodule, covered with silvery white scales on it, when scraped underneath, a reddish surface with small prominent droplets of blood ("blood dew") exposed. As psoriasis progresses, nodules grow, merging with each other, covering the growing surface of the skin. The patient feels a constant itching in the affected area, combs it, and after intensive scratching, forms a psoriatic "plaque" - a thick, thickened, irritated area of skin.
Areas of psoriasis on the skin are endless, but often the elbows, knees, extensor surfaces of the arms and legs, and scalp are affected. Sometimes the disease fully recovers, then suddenly returns, sometimes the patient's condition improves (more often in the summer), sometimes worsens (more often in the winter), in general, it is unpredictable.
Psoriasis does not make a person physically disabled, but gives a strong blow to the patient’s psyche, so that he is unable to communicate with others.
If you have psoriasis. . .
- Make sure the rash is actually psoriasis.
- Don't panic.
- Try to analyze the occurrence before the onset of the disease, in the future it will help you to prevent the occurrence of recurrent inflammation.
- Self -medication is dangerous!
- Don’t be fooled by expensive treatments, every psoriasis has its own method of treatment.
- Do not investigate the disease, get rid of anxiety, adjust to good results. Your attitude is the first helper in the victory of this disease.
Forms of psoriasis
Scalp psoriasis. Pale pink scaly patches are clearly visible on the scalp, and hair never falls out (hair loss in a limited area of skin indicates another condition, such as ringworm).
Nail psoriasis(psoriatic onychodystrophy). Fingernails and toenails are affected. It is characterized by discoloration of the nail plate and nail layer, the appearance of dots, spots, transverse lines, thickening of the skin under the nail, thickening and stratification of the plate, to the complete loss of the nail plate.
Palmar-plantar psoriasis. Papules appear on the surface of the palms and soles of the feet, usually combined with nail psoriasis (to distinguish it from fungal diseases).
Intestinal psoriasis.It is characterized by the appearance on the skin of the patient a large number of small circles raised on the surface of healthy skin, red or purple (to purple), very dry, the shape of which is similar to droplets, tears or small dots. It occurs mainly in the thighs.
Exudative psoriasis.The scales on the surface of the papule acquire a yellow color, become layered, fused. When such papules are scraped, the bright, moist pink surface of the skin will be exposed.
Pustular psoriasis.Small blisters with purulent contents appear on various parts of the skin, the general condition of the patient worsens, and the body temperature rises.
Psoriatic erythroderma.Defeat on a large area of skin (sometimes on the entire surface of the body), the inflammation is pronounced, the skin color is bright pink, the patient feels a strong itching, unbearable and deterioration of the general condition.
Arthropathic psoriasis.Not only the skin is affected, but also small joints (hands, feet). While moving, pain appears in the joints, the joints are limited in movement, edematous.
Isomphoric psoriasis or Koebner's phenomenon.This form of the disease develops at the site of physical injury to the skin (scratches, surgical wounds, sunburn).
Psoriasis plaque.At the onset of the disease, red, clearly limited, scaly papules appear, which merge during the development of the disease, forming a stable round or oval plaque with a dark red color.
Inverted (intertriginous) psoriasis.An unusual form that occurs under the mammary glands and in the groin area. The plaque is fine, red, with clear borders and superficial mascara.
Erythrodermic psoriasis.Severe form, red skin surface, pain, the patient has a high fever, chills.
Complications of psoriasis
Psoriasis- this is not just a skin disease, it is clear that psoriasis is a systemic disease that affects not only the skin, but almost all body systems, therefore, against the background of psoriasis in humans, the following disorders occur:
- psoriatic arthritis;
- nail plate deterioration;
- damage to the mucous membranes (mouth, gastrointestinal tract, urethra, bladder, etc. );
- eye damage;
- violations in the liver;
- organic disorders of the central nervous system;
- heart damage (myocarditis, myocardial dystrophy, etc. );
- amyotrophy;
- lymphadenopathy.
Characteristics of psoriasis in children
As a rule, psoriasis in children develops at the age of 4-8 years, its appearance is often associated with infectious diseases (tonsillitis, chickenpox, etc. ), stress, skin trauma, etc. It manifests itself on the scalp, as well as the skin of the face and groin area. The most common in childhood are tear forms and exudative forms of psoriasis.
Psoriasis treatment
Since it is very difficult to identify the cause of this disease, it is also difficult to identify a recipe to combat psoriasis. The disease is very individual and the approach to treatment should be individualized.
Diet.In most cases, dietary advice is enough to stop the progression of psoriasis. It is necessary to exclude foods that are usually considered allergens - citrus fruits, chocolate, eggs, honey, peppers, strawberries. It is best to limit the intake of sour, spicy foods, fatty foods (oil, lard), alcohol.
Fortress agent.Need to take multivitamin preparations, a method to strengthen the immune system, relieve nervous stress.
Puvotherapy.The use of special therapeutic agents on the skin, followed by activation by irradiation with ultraviolet radiation.
Cryotherapy.Placement in cells with very low temperatures.
Bioresonance therapy.Exposure to weak electromagnetic vibrations.
Ozone therapy.Use of gas treatment, and ozone cosmetics.
Hirudotherapy.The use of medical leeches.
Spa treatments.This type of treatment is carried out without aggravating the disease, in the summer-spring with great caution, because sometimes climate change can, conversely, be able to provoke the disease. For psoriasis, Dead Sea (Israel), Baku, etc. sanatoriums are recommended.
External treatment(ointments, creams, etc. ).
Systemic treatment(tablets, injections, etc. ).
Photo chemotherapy.Exposure to ultraviolet rays directly on the affected skin area is done using a special device that only emits rays to the right spot without touching healthy skin (which is important in the treatment of limited forms of psoriasis, e. g. , nail psoriasis treatment).
Traditional treatment methods.Based on the therapeutic effect of medicinal herbs (celandine, Kalanchoe, eucalyptus, honey, kombucha, etc. ).
Phytotherapy.Treatment with medicinal ingredients.
Hypnotherapy.Hypnosis treatment.
Acupuncture.Restores the physical and mental condition of patients with psoriasis.
Homeopathy.
Treatment of psoriasis with folk remedies.
Today, you can easily find many articles on the treatment of psoriasis with folk remedies, there are really many remedies for such treatment, we will display some of them.
The results are quite good, giving the use of internal ingredients such as chicory, dandelion, parsley. For treatment, the soil roots of this plant are used, which are harvested in the spring or autumn themselves or purchased at the pharmacy.
Dill is good for psoriasis. It is very useful to eat it in the available form, and it is better to grind the seeds in a coffee grinder. In the morning you can prepare a decoction of dill seeds: pour boiling water over two tablespoons of dill seeds (0, 5 l), insist for an hour, and then drink the resulting decoction thirty minutes before meals, 3-4 times a day.
Cleansing the liver and intestines can also help relieve psoriasis. The easiest way to clean is with pumpkin seeds, which you need to eat one glass a day for a month, as well as a tablespoon of corn oil twice a day.
The use of coniferous baths, daily, for about half an hour, will help cleanse the skin. It is very easy to prepare the broth: at the bottom of a large pot or bucket you need to put spruce twigs, add celandine leaves to them, pour all this with water, bring to a boil and evaporate on very low heat for 20 minutes. Then add the broth for 2-3 hours and pour into the prepared bath. The water temperature should be 37-38 degrees.
For the preparation of the bath, you can use other ingredients: mint, motherwort, chamomile, valerian, lemon balm, oregano, cumin seeds, hops.
For the treatment of psoriasis, you can also use sea buckthorn oil, both externally and internally.
The most popular psoriasis questions and answers.
Is psoriasis contagious?
Psoriasis is not contagious, however, many studies confirm this. The presence of some family members with psoriasis is explained by the possibility of hereditary disease transmission.
What is the guarantee of treatment?
There is no question of guarantees, just a stable forgiveness.
What is the average cost of treatment?
It is impossible to calculate the cost of treatment due to individual treatment methods and treatment duration.
How is the diagnosis made?
Visual examination and scraping of fungal infections, to detect the corresponding pathology.
How does alcohol affect psoriasis patients?
Alcohol, because of its toxicity, has a detrimental effect on the whole body as a whole, what can we say about skin changes.
In most patients with alcohol abuse, there is a loss of season according to psoriasis and fragility. The clinical course of the disease becomes more severe.
Therefore, people with psoriasis are not encouraged to drink alcoholic beverages even in small amounts.
How do stressful conditions affect psoriasis?
The human nervous system is associated with brain activity. The brain controls all bodily functions, organs of intelligence and emotions of a person. It has been proven that in people with negative emotions, the amount of adrenaline in the blood increases, this causes damage to the nervous system, and, therefore, all internal organs. Thus, during stressful situations, 56. 6% of patients experience worsening illness.
If you have psoriasis, how likely are you to get psoriasis?
1. 2% of patients with psoriasis have no sick relatives. 5% of patients had a sick relative. If one of the twins has psoriasis, the other has psoriasis in 16% of cases, provided one of the parents is ill. If both parents and one of the twins are sick, the other has psoriasis in 50% of cases, and if the twins are the same - in 73%.
Practical advice for patients with psoriasis
- Wear loose, breathable clothing.
- Protect your skin, avoid mechanical irritation.
- Don't dress too hot.
- Avoid contact with cleaning agents and caustic solvents if possible.
- For body care, only mild soaps are allowed, so that the skin is not acidic.
- The bath or shower you take should not be hot and long. It is best to take a hot to moderate shower.
- Try not to rub yourself with a rag while washing and use a towel when drying.
- Control your emotions.
- Communication with other patients can be an added help.
- Exercising will help improve the condition, yoga is strongly encouraged.
- A balanced diet and a healthy intestinal microflora will improve the condition of your skin.
Recovery of patients with psoriasis
Patient rehabilitation includes the following activities:
- elimination of major treatment side effects.
- stabilization of metabolic processes in the body.
- treatment of concomitant diseases.
- increase the body's resistance to factors that cause deterioration.
For a stable remission, you may need to radically change your lifestyle, work, in some cases even change your place of residence (relocation to rural, ecologically clean areas often maintain a stable remission). The support of relatives and friends is very important, communication with people with similar illnesses will help overcome joint difficulties.
Life according to Hufeland
Well-known German therapist-physician Christoph Wilhelm Hufeland once said: "Among the life-shortening influences, fear, sadness, despair, melancholy, cowardice, envy, hatred occupy a dominant place. There is no doubt that you can fall ill from the idea. disease, why not imagine yourself healthy to heal? "Perhaps these beautiful words will enter your life and help you overcome the disease. Live according to Hufeland!