Psoriasis Treatment: Natural Therapies Work The Best And Worst

By Guneet Bhatia

One of the bad things associated with psoriasis treatment available today is that they are time and money intensive. It is hard for people living with this lifelong condition to manage the symptoms associated with it, which often includes painful, itchy, thick scales and red patches.
Each year, millions of Americans spend a good amount of money in the form of direct and indirect health care costs for psoriasis treatment. Some of these treatment forms include the use of non-steroidal or steroidal topical creams, medications and light therapy. While these treatments help reduce the severity of the red, itchy patches, most of them are costly and time consuming.

On the other hand, there are several alternative therapies in the form of natural products with a potential to act as an effective psoriasis treatment. A majority of people tend to stick of natural therapy for the treatment of their condition. However, they have little or no knowledge about what ingredients tend to work the best and what all ingredients can actually worsen their situation.

Here are some treatment options considered by psoriasis sufferers to help relieve the symptoms. While some of them soothes the skin, the others should be used with extreme caution.

Capsaicin: Capsaicin is used as an ingredient to make food spicy. A study conducted in 1986 revealed that daily application of an ointment or topical cream containing capsaicin can help reduce the severity of redness and itchy patches within a period of six weeks. Capsaicin has been associated with an overall reduction in scaling, redness and inflammation of the skin due to psoriasis.

Tea Tree Oil: Tea tree oil has antiseptic qualities and is often used as an ingredient to treat fungal infections and acne. However, when applied undiluted, tea tree oil can result in extreme burning sensation and irritation, which might worsen the symptoms for a psoriasis patient.

Aloe Vera: While it helps treat sunburn and ulcerative colitis, aloe vera is not as effective as other options for treating the itchiness and burning associated with the condition. A number of psoriasis patients opt for aloe as an alternative therapy, but a study conducted in 2005 showed that aloe is not better than a placebo in reducing the severity of the symptoms.

Turmeric: Turmeric helps reduce the severity of flare-ups in psoriasis patients. In addition to being an anti-inflammatory ingredient in nature, this orange-colored spice prevents skin agitation and other exacerbated symptoms due to flare-ups.

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