Diet Tips To Alleviate Psoriasis Symptoms

From 5newsonline

People with psoriasis have to make many adjustments in how they live, but experts are now providing some daily tips for those who have to deal with it.
Psoriasis is frustrating to sufferers and medical researchers alike.
Sufferers have skin cells that multiply much more rapidly than normal, and causes red plaques covered in white scales.
According to the national psoriasis foundation, about two to three percent of the population suffers from the skin disease.
Registered dieticians said that a better diet can help with the condition.
Here's the foods that they say psoriasis patients should avoid:

Highly processed foods

Foods with high amounts for sugar, especially added sugars

Foods with heavy amounts of processed fats

For dietitians, if you're taking away foods from someone's diet for psoriasis, make sure you're putting whole quality foods in its place.
For example, if you're cutting back or eliminating dairy from your diet, replace it with calcium-rich non-processed foods like almonds or green veggies.
By following tips like this, dietitians think life could be a little easier for those who have psoriasis.

http://5newsonline.com/2016/05/27/diet-tips-to-alleviate-psoriasis-symptoms/

Dieticians say a better diet can help with psoriasis

By Jeremy Roth

(CNN) – Psoriasis, it’s frustrating to sufferers and medical researchers alike. Sufferers have skin then that multiply much more rapidly than normal and cause red plaques covered in white scales.
According to the National Psoriasis Foundation, about two to three percent of the population suffers from the skin disease. Registered dietitians say a better diet can help with the condition.
Here’s the foods they say psoriasis patients should avoid:

• Highly processed foods
• Foods with high amounts of sugar, especially added sugars
• Foods with heavy amounts of processed fats

For dietitians, if you’re taking away foods from someone’s diet for psoriasis make sure you’re putting whole quality foods in its place.
For example if you’re cutting back or eliminating dairy from your diet replace it with calcium rich non-processed foods like almonds or green veggies.
By following tips like this dietitians think life could be a little easier for those who have psoriasis.

http://wwlp.com/2016/05/26/tips-to-help-with-psoriasis/

Lights, Camera, Awareness! Filmmakers Turn the Camera on Psoriasis

From celgene.com

For a long time, Élodie Laurent loved nothing more than baking for the people who visited her French café. But that joy was taken away by something out of her control—psoriasis.
She has the obvious physical symptoms of the disease, including the red, scaly patches on her face and arms. But a closer look into her day-to-day life reveals the emotional and psychological toll that this immune-inflammatory disease has taken on her: she is self-conscious about her appearance, imagines her disease to be much worse than it is and actively avoids family and friends. Having been forced to give up her job as a pastry chef, she lives a solitary and isolated existence in London.
Although Élodie is a fictional character—the protagonist of the new short film Millefeuille (A Thousand Leaves)—her story is inspired by psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis patients around the world. The movie was produced following extensive research in this space to raise awareness of the sometimes hidden burden of psoriasis.
Typically, when filmmakers set out to educate on a topic close to their hearts, they lean toward a documentary style. But here, they instead set out to make a short drama, aiming to attract a wider audience and a patient community who may have given up hope that life with psoriasis could be different.
“It’s been a really fascinating process doing this,” the film’s director Alistair Clayton said. “It’s not something I’ve seen done before.”
Over 100 million people worldwide—including some 14 million Europeans—have psoriasis. Beyond skin effects, up to 30 percent of people living with psoriasis are likely to develop psoriatic arthritis, which can lead to painful swollen joints and a loss of physical functioning. The toll of the disease is often hidden from the public; patients like Élodie wear sleeves and hats to strategically cover their skin lesions and hide from friends and family when their psoriasis flares. Hard-to-manage symptoms like itching can often become hugely burdensome for some patients as we see in the film.
“Millefeuille is an accurate portrayal of the experiences that commonly affect those living with psoriasis,” said Nikhil Yawalkar, a dermatologist at the University Hospital Bern in Switzerland who served as a consultant on the film. “Many people with psoriasis isolate themselves because of such a deep sense of shame, embarrassment and low self-esteem, and Élodie’s experience is reflective of this.”
Indeed, 88 percent of psoriasis patients said their condition affected their emotional well-being according to surveys conducted by the National Psoriasis Foundation between 2003 and 2011. Most psoriasis patients said they experienced anger, frustration and helplessness due to their disease.

 

 

But the film also portrays the hope that remains for people living with psoriasis. When Élodie befriends Holly, an outgoing young neighbor, she finds understanding and acceptance and discovers that Holly is a ‘millefeuille’ herself—deep, sweet, with many layers. Holly helps Élodie rediscover her passion for baking and place in the world.
“It’s fabulous to see psoriasis getting this type of creative exposure,” Christine Janus, CEO of the International Alliance of Dermatology Patient Organisations, said. “Most people love cinema and a good story, and we’re delighted to see a story that shows us the value of looking beyond the disease and seeing the person.”
The film, produced through a collaboration between Celgene, Bedrock Multimedia and Turtle Canyon Films, launches today, along with a new Instagram campaign called #BakeADifference, which includes a baking competition inspired by Elodie’s passion for baking. Visit @Millefeuille.Movie on Instagram to find out more.

http://www.celgene.com/filmmakers-turn-camera-psoriasis/

No Showers, Baths And Makeup For 30 Days? Jill Provost Says It Cured Acne And Scalp Psoriasis

By Paula Mooney

The thought of going without a shower or bath for 30 days is certainly off-putting to many people, but that’s exactly what a couple of beauty writers did — and now their story is going viral. Jill Provost is the editor-in-chief at Total Beauty.com, and her article — titled “Here’s What Happens When You Stop Showering for a Month (See the Pictures)” — is making the rounds online. Jill enlisted the help of her assistant, and together, the two of them went 30 days without the luxury of a soapy shower, a relaxing foamy bath — and they even eschewed swimming pools, hot tubs, and beauty products.

 

It was all in the name of using a product called Mother Dirt AO+ Mist, which claims that the good bacteria it helps to foster on the skin can make miraculous changes. The customer reviews for the product are certainly glowing, with lots of buzz about the start-up. Tanya Lewis of Business Insider used Mother Dirt also and wasn’t sure if it was worth nearly 50 bucks per bottle, but had good things to say about it anyway.

The spray is a probiotic one that claims to put back all the good bacteria that can get washed away from excessive scrubbing and cleanliness.

Provost’s editorial assistant Jessica joined her on the quest to go 30 days without bathing and showering — but using Mother Dirt two times per day, in lieu of other bodily cleaning methods. Rinsing with water was allowed every three days. Deodorants, lotions, and wipes weren’t allowed — not even lip balm.
Jill and Jessica went without makeup, and before long, their co-workers began to notice their stench by the second or third day. With Jill being a person who sweats a lot and Jessica being a person who wasn’t going to give up her high-intensity daily workouts, their natural scents were soon so strong that Jessica’s colleague could smell her from around the corner when she wore a tank top. More like a “stank top,” as the women might write, as Jill wrote of her odor — a cross between a skunk and a dinner loaded with onions.
The experiment even affected Jill’s marriage, with her husband expressing his desire for a little hanky-panky, but also the desire for the study to end well before 30 days.
Greasy hair and smelly armpits were counteracted by the eventual effect that the no-showering, no-bathing rule had upon acne and scalp psoriasis. Although Jill’s scalp peeled to the point at which it made her coworker gag, her scalp did improve during the experiment.

Jessica experienced cystic acne exploding over her face to the point where she put ice bags on her face, but eventually, her skin cleared up and looked better than it had in a long time.
In the end, the women learned they didn’t look all that bad without makeup, but their reactions to the 30-day experiment differed. Whereas Jill kept up her minimalist showering routine — only showering every few days or so when the experiment ended — both women delved back into beauty products. After all, their jobs require them to be surrounded by new cosmetics and beauty products to try all the time.
Some of the funniest observations during the 30-day experiment prove how differently men and women can think about cleanliness as it related to sex. Jill observed that firsthand.

“During a recent get-together, I tell my friends what I’m up to. ‘Committing to a month without showering also means committing to a month without sex,’ says my girlfriend. In unison, the men in the room reply, ‘Why?'”
“So I really shouldn’t have been surprised when, two days later, as I walk into the house covered in dirt from doing yard work all day, my husband tries to get frisky with me. And it should come as no surprise to the women reading this that I decline.”

Whereas the women were still allowed to wash their hands for safety’s sake, their experiment of going without showers and baths taught plenty. The biggest lessons were that you don’t need soap to stay clean, and going without so many showers resulted in soft feet and less acne, eventually.

“My psoriasis is magically gone — no more shedding, flaking or itching. Jessica’s skin looks better than it has in months — not a single blemish. She’s worried that going back to beauty products will make her clear skin revolt. I fear my psoriasis will flare up again.”

http://www.inquisitr.com/3102717/no-showers-baths-and-makeup-for-30-days-jill-provost-says-it-cured-acne-and-scalp-psoriasis/

What it's like to live with psoriasis

From Irish Examiner

It took decades for Caroline Irwin to find an effective treatment for her psoriasis, which she has had since childhood. She tells Ailin Quinlan about living with the condition.

CAROLINE Irwin was just nine years old when it started.
There was no apparent cause, or at least, none that her doctor could see for the thick, scaly, itchy crust which formed on her scalp and gradually inched its way down over her forehead.
The horrified child applied the creams he gave her and grew a fringe to cover the ugly condition which, the doctor explained, was psoriasis, a chronic inflammatory skin disease.
“There was no treatment back then apart from the steroid creams,” recalls the 56-year-old from Ballyfoyle in Co Kilkenny.
The ointments worked to an extent, but were difficult to apply properly and, she recalls, there was no information or advice to be had about the condition, which gradually worsened as the years passed.
By the time she was 18, the thick itchy combination of silvery scales and dry red patches which are a hallmark of plaque psoriasis, covered 80% of the teenager’s body.
“It was terribly uncomfortable, itching and bleeding. I was always scratching my skin and shedding skin flakes,” she recalls.
Asked to rate the discomfort level on a scale of one to 10 she jokes that psoriasis rates an 11.
“I was always scratching, shedding skin, and moisturising.”
The disease has had a huge effect on her life. Caroline never learned to swim out of fear of what people might think of her unsightly skin, exposed as it would be in a swimsuit.
She avoided trying on clothes in changing rooms as scales would flake off on the garments, and rarely stayed in hotels as the sheets were left covered in flakes of skin and spots of blood.
Psoriasis even affected her ability to get work as a teenager.
“I got a two-week trial in a deli and was doing well. I was wearing long sleeves but the management decided that staff would have to wear short sleeves.
“They saw my arms and I ended up not getting the job.”
Not surprisingly, depression can be a side-effect of the disease, and the condition certainly got to Caroline at times, she recalls: “You’d end up feeling quite low,” she says, adding that the emotional and psychological effects of the disease can be very negative.
“I’ve met people who are afraid to go outside the door with it, and people who were almost suicidal because of it.
“You spend your life covering up with long sleeves, long dresses and long pants. You learn to camouflage it as much as possible.”
She was admitted to hospital on three occasions with the condition.
Each time the treatment cleared the condition but within three or four weeks, the problem always returned.
During her late 20s and early 30s Caroline lived in Holland, and was treated there, for several years.
“I got similar treatment to what was on offer in Ireland at the time but none of the beneficial effects lasted long term.
“I was quite depressed about it at that stage,” recalls Caroline, whose three adult children have all had mild cases of the condition.
It wasn’t until she was in her early 40s that Caroline — now director of the Irish Skin Foundation which represents people with eczema, skin cancer, psoriasis, and other skin problems — managed to find a treatment that really worked.
“I’m currently on a series of injections which I have been having for 12 years and the psoriasis is almost gone. The injections work very well and I can dress normally,” she says, pointing out that last year the World Health Organisation recognised psoriasis as a chronic illness.
“Anyone with psoriasis has a higher risk of heart disease, type two diabetes, and obesity so we really need to view this condition as more serious than just a skin disease.”
Caroline welcomes the fact that an Irish-made treatment for mild to moderate plaque psoriasis this month becomes available in pharmacies without prescription.
Dovonex Psoriasis Ointment, which has been available on prescription only for the past 24 years, works by slowing down the production of skin cells, which in turn helps to flatten and clear psoriasis plaques.
A once-a-day treatment, it’s popular with psoriasis patients because it doesn’t contain steroids, which means that long-term, it won’t damage the skin.
It will now be both easier and cheaper to buy (about €25 compared to €35 on prescription) because patients will no longer require a prescription for it.
Medical card holders will not be affected by the change, as Dovonex will still be available on prescription and therefore covered by the card.

Things you may not know about psoriasis

• It’s a chronic, inflammatory skin disease.
• It has no known cause.
• It affects the life cycle of skin cells, causing cells to build up rapidly on the surface of the skin and form thick, silvery scales as well as dry red patches that can be itchy or painful.
• Psoriasis affects the skin of the scalp, elbows, and knees and may appear as small flattened bumps, thick plaques of raised skin, pink dry skin, or big flakes of dry skin.
• There is believed to be a genetic predisposition to developing it.
• Psoriasis is not contagious.
• Its intensity can vary at times, so that patients can have periods of clear skin.
• Although medication can control it, it is currently incurable.

http://www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/features/what-its-like-to-live-with-psoriasis-399632.html

 

‘Second skin’ may treat eczema, psoriasis and offer relief from wrinkles

By Luis Georg

Scientists at Harvard and MIT have developed a ‘second skin’ that can give you the elasticity of youth. The research paper published in the journal Nature Materials has unveiled that the ‘second skin’ that will give wrinkle-free skin has been made using chemicals considered safe by the Food and Drug Administration.
Pilot studies have been carried out on 170 subjects. The invisible film can be soaked with sunscreen and you do not need to be worried about sweat or water washing it away. Researchers said that the invisible skin can be used to treat eczema, psoriasis and other skin conditions by covering dry itchy patches with a film that moistens and soothes.
It is a two-step process. Firstly, a polymer, a clear liquid, is applied. Its chains are not very strong therefore in the next step is to apply a product that links them together. Researchers have mentioned that by altering the chemistry of the chains, the researchers can alter the properties of the second skin, depending on how it has to be used.
To cite an example, a more permeable skin could be used for under-eye bags and a less permeable one might hold a medication in place. The idea for second skin originated more than a decade ago when Dr. R. Rox Anderson, a professor of dermatology at Harvard Medical School was approached by Living Proof.
“A lot of what happens when we age and skin starts wrinkling and sagging is loss of elastic recoil. When we move skin, it doesn’t snap back to what it used to be”, said Anderson.
Dr. Anderson discussed what would be required for second skin. He said that it has to be nearly invisible and the skin should be able to breathe through it. It should be strong enough and elastic. Dr. Robert Langer, founder of Living Proof, said that they made hundreds of polymers. A number of tests were carried out.
"The high-tech solution dries to form youthful-looking human-like skin. Tests show it can banish bags under the eyes and wrinkles and stop real skin drying out. Scientists also hope to use it to boost eczema treatment by loading it with medicine that can be in constant contact with the body," according to a news report published by The Sun.
Experts at the renowned Massachusetts Institute of Technology spent ten years coming up with the artificial “second skin”. Mimicking human skin has proved difficult in the past. A synthetic version needs to be strong, breathable and able to repel moisture as well as keep it in.
According to a report in "name of CBS NEWS by Mary Elizabeth Dallas, "MIT researchers may have discovered a fountain of youth for skin -- at least a very temporary one. The researchers have developed a "second skin" that could be used to smooth wrinkles, protect skin from damage, or administer medications to treat skin conditions, such as eczema. But, right now, the product only does its job for about a day."

"Creating a material that behaves like skin is very difficult," said one of the study's authors, Barbara Gilchrest, a dermatologist at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. "Many people have tried to do this, and the materials that have been available up until this have not had the properties of being flexible, comfortable, nonirritating, and able to conform to the movement of the skin and return to its original shape."
A report published in NY Times informed, "Scientists at Harvard and M. I. T. have discovered that it is not fantasy at all. Reporting on Monday in the journal Nature Materials on pilot studies with
170 subjects, the researchers said a “second skin” composed of commonly used chemicals deemed safe by the Food and Drug Administration can accomplish that — and in small studies of it, so far no one has reported irritation or allergic reactions."
Undereye bags are just the start. You can soak the film with sunscreen and protect yourself without worrying about sweat or water washing it away, researchers said. They expect it can be used to treat eczema, psoriasis and other skin conditions by covering dry itchy patches with a film that moistens and soothes.

http://perfscience.com/content/2143883-second-skin-may-treat-eczema-psoriasis-and-offer-relief-wrinkles

Not just a skin condition

Psoriasis may affect the individual on various levels, not only physically but also psychologically, emotionally and socially. Medical student Rebekah Camilleri points out the different manifestations of psoriasis and says that although there is no treatment that will make it go away forever, the condition can be controlled.

Knowingly or not, many of us have encountered someone who suffers from psoriasis. It can affect everyone, irrelevant of age, gender, ethnicity or social background. Indeed, psoriasis is found worldwide. Statistics show that one to three per cent of the world’s population suffer from the skin condition.
Psoriasis not only presents itself physically –it often affects the individual psychologically, emotionally and socially.
According to nurses at the Phototherapy Clinic at the Dermatology Department at Sir Paul Boffa Hospital, a large proportion of patients seeking treatment often have a negative body image.
Many sufferers seek to cover up psoriatic plaques to avoid stares and questions. Social stigma can be so debilitating that they may avoid crowds or even going out. In some people, psoriasis may also negatively affect intimate relationships.
Many patients understandably complain of numerous misconceptions regarding this skin condition, especially regarding contagiousness. The misconception that psoriasis is contagious sometimes prevents affected individuals from attending gyms, swimming pools and hairdressers, among others. In actual fact, psoriasis is not contagious at all.

The condition may appear in many ways but the commonest form is referred to as psoriasis vulgaris. Sufferers have plaque-like scaly patches on the skin, which may be itchy and inflamed, usually on the back, elbows, knees and scalp, although they can occur anywhere on the skin.
Other types of psoriasis include flexural or inverse psoriasis – that typically presents itself in folding areas, such as behind the ears, in the groin and underneath female breasts – and palmoplantar psoriasis, that affects the palms and the soles.
Affected nails may also show changes, e.g. pitting, thickening or lifting off from the underlying nail bed.
Our skin acts as a physical barrier against the outside environment. Cellular defences in the skin maintain a very delicate balance of activation and inactivation to deal with security breaches. In psoriasis, however, this balance is lost and the skin’s defence mechanisms are abnormally over-activated. Overactivation of the immune system can result in inadvertent damage to the body’s own cells.
In psoriasis, activated T cells (a type of white blood cell) migrate to the skin and induce inflammation. This quickens the growth rate of skin cells that multiply up to 10 times faster than normal. Whereas normally it would take roughly 50 days for skin cells to be born, die, reach the surface and be shed off, in psoriatic skin plaques it only takes three to seven days.
Thus, dead skin cannot slough off quickly enough and builds up in thick scaly red plaques. This longlasting pro-inflammatory state may also affect other areas of the body. Indeed, it is estimated that about a third of psoriasis sufferers also experience inflammation of the joints (psoriatic arthritis). Psoriasis has also been correlated with cardiovascular disease.
The causes of psoriasis are most likely multi - factorial – dependent on genetic and environmental factors. Triggers of psoriasis include psychological stress, a bacterial sore throat, changes in weather, skin injuries and sunburn.
Some types of prescriptive drugs may also exacerbate psoriasis. Many patients with psoriasis note that their psoriasis clears in summer due to the immunosuppressive effect of sunlight.
Psoriatic plaques can be managed and reduced slowly using anti-inflammatory creams and ointments as prescribed by a physician. Coal-tar shampoos can also be helpful for plaques in the scalp.
More extensive psoriasis can be managed by phototherapy as is done at the Phototherapy Clinic, where skin is exposed to narrowband UVB light two to three times a week, for several weeks or months.
This usually leads to complete clearing of the exposed skin.
Other treatment options include immunosuppressive tablets. For those patients whose psoriasis is not well controlled with these tablets or with photo - therapy, newer, more expensive treatment in the form of injections or infusions may be prescribed. The results are usually successful.
It is important for patients suffering from psoriasis to know that, although there is no treatment that will make it go away forever, there are many treatment options that will provide excellent control of their skin condition.
It is also indeed crucial that psoriasis sufferers, especially teenagers, get social reassurance and support from family, friends and the community.

Factbox

■ Psoriasis is an immune-mediated, inflammatory condition.
■ Psoriasis affects nearly three per cent of the world’s population.
■ It is not contagious: it cannot be spread from one person to another.
■ It affects both females and males of all ages, genders and ethnicities.
■ People who get psoriasis exhibit a wide range of symptoms that vary in severity.
■ Psoriasis may be physically painful. Inflamed lesions can crack open and bleed. Itching may be a constant problem. On the other hand, psoriasis may not be painful or debilitating at all.
■ There are various treatments to manage the symptoms but no one treatment is effective for everyone.
■ Psoriasis goes through cycles: sometimes better, at other times worse.
■ People need support to help them cope with living with psoriasis.
■ It is important that people who have psoriasis understand that it is a medical problem and seek medical advice.

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20160505/health-fitness/not-just-a-skin-condition.611049

Chronic Skin Disease Psoriasis Linked to Obesity and Diabetes

By Hira Bashir

New research, which involved twin pairs, reveals that inflammatory skin disease is associated with obesity and type 2 diabetes
Psoriasis is a chronic skin disease characterized by itchy, rough, red patches. The disease is persistent and long-lasting and typically affects knees, elbows, palms and sole of the feet. But a new research reveals an astonishing fact about the disease.
Danish researchers have found that the chronic skin condition is linked to obesity and type 2 diabetes. Though, the finding is not entirely new and many previous researches have shown a connection between the three conditions in the past but the new research adds more evidence to support the theory.
For the study, researchers have examined health records from more than 33,000 twins, of whom 4.2% were suffering from psoriasis, 1.4% had diabetes while 6.3% of the subjects were obese with a body mass index of 30 to 34. On average, BMI was 24.5.
Researchers have found that those who were diabetic, the prevalence of psoriasis was 7.6% compared to 4.1% among individuals without diabetes. The BMI of those individuals was also high who had both diabetes and psoriasis. The higher BMI increased the risk of obesity too.
There were 720 twin pairs where one had psoriasis and the other did not. Twins with psoriasis had higher BMI and a higher prevalence of diabetes compared to those who do not have the skin disease.
In the study, researchers have considered many key factors such as age, sex and smoking but they believe that similar genetic makeup could be an underlying factor behind the existence of three conditions.
“Psoriasis is a complex disorder,” said lead researcher Dr. Ann Sophie Lonnberg from the University of Copenhagen. “The genetic background of the disease and its much comorbidities (co-existing conditions) have not yet been fully uncovered.”
“The reason psoriasis and obesity are associated is not only due to a common lifestyle, but they are also associated due to common genes. It is important to treat psoriasis and obesity and diabetes, since they are risk factors for heart disease and could have serious effects on overall health.”

http://www.i4u.com/2016/05/109518/chronic-skin-disease-psoriasis-linked-obesity-and-diabetes