Treat The ‘Psoriasis Itch’ Holistically With Homeopathy

Psoriasis has a bigger impact on the quality of life of the patients than it has on their skin. In many places, you might have noticed a board at the swimming pool that says, “People with skin diseases should not enter.” Just imagine how embarrassing such things would be for the patients suffering from skin disorders. It adversely impacts their emotional health. Children are most affected. It is often traumatic for a child to go through such unpleasant experiences and extremely difficult for the parents to explain their children why they have been asked to stay away from water. The flaking, smell, itching only adds to their discomfort. Many patients feel embarrassed in social gatherings. They often tend to isolate themselves.

Psoriasis being a visible disease can also affect relationships in a number of ways. People shy away from dating if they suffer from poor body-image issues. Genital psoriasis can have a significant impact on sex and intimacy. It can interfere with a romantic relationship, though it usually does not interfere with sexual function. People affected with psoriasis are twice as likely to become depressed as compared to the rest of the population. About 5-10% people with psoriasis develop psoriatic arthritis. Working with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis can be challenging. You may need to take time off for doctor appointments or ask for changes at your work place.

Thus, there are several situations that may bother psoriasis patients, which also need to be managed and dealt with patiently, along with lesions. Itching, stress, disfigurement of the affected parts, social life, marriage, etc., often become areas of grave concern for the sufferer. So the treatment for psoriasis needs to address these emotional concerns as well. Homeopathy, scores over any other form of medicine when it comes to such holistic treatment. It being a mind body medicine, it addresses the emotional and mental concerns of the patient along with the physical symptoms.

How does psoriasis occur?

Our skin is made up of layers and skin cells that undergo a cycle of 28 days. This means the cells which are formed in the lower layer gradually move upwards and appear on the surface after 28 days to be shed. However, in psoriasis, the cells start growing very rapidly, without waiting for the older cells to shed, which leads to a build-up of a thick layer of cells, leading to the thickening of the skin, and red patches with scaling in the affected area.

So, what is it that causes this? Psoriasis is an auto-immune condition where body’s immune system mistakenly attacks the body’s own skin cells. This results in a rapid growth of cells, leading to psoriasis. The triggers for this auto-immune response are not well understood.

About 40% people with psoriasis have family members with psoriasis. However, there are also cases of psoriasis that occur without any family history. Thus, there is no guarantee that a person will develop psoriasis just because of a positive family history.

Most individuals affected by the disorder point out that their problem first appeared after experiencing a stressful situation, thereby suggesting that stress is one of most common triggers of psoriasis. Other causes include skin injury, and severe sore throat. However, what triggers psoriasis is not universal to all. What may cause psoriasis in one individual may not cause the disorder in another.

Psoriasis symptoms

Psoriasis is unique in most cases. The symptoms may vary from person to person in terms of the location, spread, severity and duration of the lesions. However, few or all of the following features can be seen in most cases:

• Red, thickened patches/lesions (called plaques) on the skin – these may vary from small rain-drop-sized lesions to large ones covering an extensive area
• The lesions are covered with silvery scales
• Itching is common and there may be a burning sensation after scratching
• Excessive dryness on the palms and the soles may cause cracked skin and bleeding
• Deformity in nails can be seen in certain cases. There may be discoloration and nails may crumble or detach from the nail-bed
• There may be swelling and stiffening of joints.

The common areas affected by psoriasis are the lower back, knees, elbows, ankles, hands, feet and scalp. Psoriasis can vary in intensity from mild to extremely debilitating cases. The disease can progress to affect other areas of the body, apart from those mentioned above. It can also spread to the nails and joints. In several cases, there are phases when the symptoms worsen (relapse) and periods when the condition is spontaneously resolved (remission).

Treating psoriasis with homeopathy

Research-based evidence suggests that homeopathy can successfully treat psoriasis. A study published in the Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology has shown that homeopathy can reduce the symptoms of psoriasis and improve the quality of life, without side-effects.

The homeopathic remedies address the body at the level of immunity, and gently restore the deviation back to normalcy. They help to control the further progress of the disease.

Homeopathy not only treats psoriasis effectively but also strengthens overall immunity of a person. The success of treatment for psoriasis depends on the duration and severity of the illness. Recent-onset cases and milder cases respond faster as compared to longer duration and extensively spread psoriasis.