Psoriasis Research

Psoriasis is one of those niggling skin conditions that can effectively be managed with a good and well planned psoriasis diet. Note that the condition can manifest itself as mild, moderate, or severe and depending on the severity, you can experience a myriad of symptoms, some which are very painful. Because this is a genetic condition, and because there is no medication yet in the market to help get rid of the disease, many people believe that fighting psoriasis from the inside out using an effective diet is the best way to approach and handle the skin disorder.

Psoriasis Diet

 The best diet for this skin disorder should be one that is gluten-free, rich in fruits, vegetables, and proteins. The reason why you need to avoid gluten is because it has proven to be an effective treatment for anti-glidadin conditions which manufactures antibodies in reaction to gluten, in addition to its symptoms like skin breakouts or dermatitis herpetiformis. The pustules found in these skin breakouts tend to resemble those found in psoriasis.

The presence of these antibodies in people suffering from psoriasis is what justifies the efficacy of a gluten-free diet when seeking to combat and control this lifelong condition. There are also studies that have shown that the condition can significantly improve when one strictly follows a gluten-free diet. A psoriasis variant, known as palmo-plantar pustulosis, has also responded positively to gluten free a psoriasis diet.

Like most other skin conditions, having a well balanced diet characterized by fresh veggies and fruits, healthy low-fat protein, olive oil, and sufficient amounts of fiber has always been recommended as the best diet for psoriasis. A diet approach to psoriasis is also about avoiding specific foods that are believed to trigger the flare up of psoriasis symptoms. Refined and over-processed carbohydrates and excessive consumption of red meat can make your condition unmanageable, and can interfere with prescription medication used to control the symptoms associated with the disorder.

A dietary change is also about avoiding alcoholic and caffeinated beverages. These are beverages that can significantly compromise on your body’s ability to fight disease causing organisms, and if you are genetically predisposed to psoriasis, you might be increasing your chances of getting or worsening the disease.

Psoriasis Diet : Water is Important

Water is life, or so the saying goes. Taking the recommended 8 glasses of water every day is a surefire way to control your psoriasis condition. By ensuring you remain hydrated all throughout the day; your body will be able to flush out harmful toxins more effectively. Toxins get out of the body through different organs, the skin being one of them. Taking sufficient amounts of water on a daily basis will mean that the flushing out of toxins through the skin will be done efficiently, especially because the elasticity of the skin will be enhanced by sufficient amounts of water.

With that being said, it is to be mentioned that a psoriasis diet does not in any way treat the disease, it only helps curb the often unbearable symptoms that come with the disease. Being a lifelong condition, it means that the symptoms can show their ugly face when you least expect them to. By ensuring that you are having a balanced gluten free diet all through, you will be able to, at the very least, control the severity of the symptoms.

Psoriasis arthritis, otherwise referred to as psoriatic arthritis, is a chronic inflammation of the skin (read psoriasis), and chronic inflammation of the joints in the body (read arthritis). Approximately 10% of all people suffering from the psoriasis skin disease condition suffer from psoriatic arthritis. The general skin disorder if often characterized by red, scaly, and itchy patches in the skin, mostly on the knees, elbows, navel, genitalia, and the scalp. The psoriasis arthritic condition will affect the ankles, knees and joints.

The good news is that many people will experience psoriasis arthritis when they are in the mid 40s to 50s. Having said that, it is important to mention that these two different conditions will not appear at the same time. Many people will have the skin disorder appear first and then followed by the symptoms of arthritis or vice versa. It isn’t uncommon to find someone having symptoms of either psoriasis or arthritis for up to 20 years, before the symptoms of the accompanying condition show their ugly face.

Psoriasis Arthritis: Life threatening

The onset of the symptoms of the accompanying condition would always come with lots of pain and severity of the existing symptoms. It will be characterized by the inflammation of body tissues in addition to the already inflamed skin and joints, including the eyes, spine, kidneys, and heart. Needless to mention, if urgent measures are not taken at the onset of the symptoms, psoriasis arthritis can be a life-threatening condition.

The main cause of this condition is still at large, but scientists and doctors believe that the HLA-B27 gene, and other gene markers, could be responsible for the onset of these unbearable symptoms. There is also the risk factor associated with sudden changes in the body’s immune system, or a compromised immune system altogether.

Symptoms of psoriatic arthritis, including the above-mentioned of joints and skin inflammation include ridges or pitting in the nails, and acne in the face. Stiff and painful joints, pain in the back and stiffness and pain in the chest are also a common occurrence among people suffering from psoriasis arthritis. The good news is that inflammation will often attack only a few joints at a time, and the stiffness and pain is normally worse in the morning and during cold weather conditions, such as during the cold winter months.

It is also to be mentioned that despite the co-relation between these two conditions, their symptoms are treated differently. The skin disorder psoriasis symptoms are often treated using corticosteroid injections, oral medication, topical applications, and biologic injections or light therapy in severe manifestation of the symptoms. Arthritis on the other hand is treated using anti-inflammatory medication. The good news is that when the symptoms of one condition improve, often the other condition’s symptoms will improve as well.

Psoriasis Arthritis can be managed

The condition tends to worsen with time as one age. Because there is no known cause of the condition, and because there lacks a specific treatment for psoriasis arthritis, doctors always recommend a change in lifestyle, avoiding alcoholic and caffeinated beverages, eating  a well balanced, gluten-free psoriasis diet, and regular exercise.