Managing Psoriasis Is Not Rocket Science

By Nina Jensen

Your health is a direct reflection of your lifestyle now. If your psoriasis suddenly becomes worse, it is possible that your current lifestyle is affecting how your body is able to balance and heal itself.
Ask yourself: 'am I treating my body and mind right with the way I live?'
Maybe you need to lessen the stress on your body that has been brought about by a bad lifestyle.

• Smoking is bad for anybody, but it is even worse when you are a psoriasis sufferer!
• What are you eating? Diet plays a very important role in keeping psoriasis at bay. No more fast food, but slow food instead, cooked by yourself at home. One of the fastest ways that you can clean up your tissues and cells is by eating whole, natural foods. Lean, organic meats are a must, but you must also start eating more vegetables and fruits. You don't have to eat raw vegetables; cook them anyway you like (but less oil, please) and make them an integral part of your daily diet.
• What are you drinking? Avoid soda's and alcohol! Drink herbal teas instead, and a lots of water of course...
• Sleep has a large bearing on your psoriasis, because less sleep means more stress on the body. Get at least six hours of sleep every night, and don't settle for less.
• What are you doing about stress? That's another well-known trigger that can cause more itchy flare-ups. Stress should not stick to you. You have to get rid of it. You can't always avoid the stressors, but you can always do something to relief the stress. Find a method to unstress that works for you and make that a routine in your daily program.

So it really bottles down to choosing a steady and stable lifestyle.
Maybe that sounds boring? Think about what you gain instead!
It's like stopping with smoking. It becomes easier when you focus on the benefits of not smoking! And after a while you get so used to it, that you can't even imagine lighting up a cigarette...
That is more or less the same with adjusting your life to psoriasis.
It simply takes effort, discipline and dedication.
If you want to keep the flare-ups down to a minimum, you will simply have to follow this path of discipline, there is no way around it, because there are no miracle cures available. Not yet anyway!
Finally this, using prescription drugs is no long term solution either. Of course you have to do what the doctor tells you to do, and certain drugs can be absolutely necessary at a particular moment, but you have to be careful if you keep taking those drugs for a longer period of time. The side affects are real!
Nina Jensen is a writer who specializes in health and beauty tips. You can check out her latest website at Best Psoriasis Natural Cure [http://www.bestpsoriasisnaturalcure.com], where she provides advise on how to treat psoriasis, including a Cure For Guttate Psoriasis [http://www.bestpsoriasisnaturalcure.com/cure-for-guttate-psoriasis.html], and much, much more...
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Nina_Jensen/1717535
http://EzineArticles.com/?Managing-Psoriasis-Is-Not-Rocket-Science&id=8058847

The Best Stress Relief for Psoriasis - Laughter!

By Joseph Hood

Stress does happen and as we know it can greatly affect us emotionally and physically. It is one of the most important triggers for psoriasis and psoriasis flare-ups.
The first thing we need to do is recognize the negative stress factors in our lives and how much time and energy we spend each day worrying or dealing with them. When you are aware of the sources of stress in your life, you need to increase your relaxation time. Remember, it is all about balance!
Become Posriasis Free For Life
Given the fact that most of us spend most of the day sitting at our jobs, we need to learn to relax our bodies. Proper relaxation is often ignored. We can recharge our bodies by following a few of these simple tips:
1. Breathing Exercises
Oxygenating the blood in our body will relax our muscles. Do deep breathing exercises by breathing deeply through your nose ad exhaling through your mouth. This can be accomplished in as little as 30 seconds or as much as 30 minutes. For added stress relief, visualize the tension and stress leaving your body with each breath.
2. Progressive Relaxation
Tense up all of the muscle groups in your body and then relax them. You can start with your face and neck and work your way down the muscle groups of your body: shoulders, arms, chest, back, abdominals, etc. Each muscle group can be tensed for about 10 seconds and then completely relaxed for 10 seconds.
3. Eat Smart and Exercise
Avoid excessive caffeine and refined sugars. These can cause severe spikes in blood sugar and leave you feeling jittery.
Exercise is the best-known, scientifically proven way to significantly reduce stress. It is a good distraction from our daily tasks and stresses. Exercise releases endorphins that help boost our mood. A healthy body can handle stress much better.
4. Relax Your Mind
Avoid negativity. Make the most out of every situation. When things are not going well, step back and look at the bigger picture. There are always setbacks on the path to achieving larger goals.
Use positive self-talk. Repeat short, powerful statements to yourself throughout the day (like "I am calm and can cope with this situation"). These positive and believable statements can train your subconscious and have a powerful impact on your outlook.
5. HAVE FUN AND LAUGH!
Relax! Enjoy! Manage your time and engage in activities you love to do whether it is listening to music, writing or playing video games.
Laughter really is the best medicine! A good laugh has multiple health benefits from relieving stress and pain to strengthening your immune system.
Did you know the following?
A good laugh relieves stress and leaves your muscles relaxed for up to 45 minutes
When laughing there is a 27% increase of beta-endorphines, the brain chemicals that boost happiness and fight depression.
Watching a funny movie you can boost your immune system activity by 26.5%.
Laughing causes a 39% reduction in the stress hormone cortisol.
People who laugh are less likely to develop persistent health conditions such as psoriasis.
The following tips will help you to stay happy and healthy:
Smile - Like laughter, it is an infectious happy expression.
Be Thankful - Always recognize the good things in life and find humor in your day.
Focus on the Funny - Talk about funny things that have happened to you, your friends or family. It gives everyone a chance to laugh together.
Laugh off Setbacks - If you are stuck in a bad situation, look for the humor in it and look ahead.
For more information on Psoriasis Cure: [http://www.psoriasiscuretreatment.com]
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Joseph_Hood/1772525
http://EzineArticles.com/?The-Best-Stress-Relief-for-Psoriasis---Laughter!&id=8182472

Calm Down Your Nerves To Cure Your Psoriasis Problem

By Chris J Stephen

Skin difficulties appear in almost all individuals, but only certain critical problems will develop into a recurring ailment. Chronic skin ailment is always uncomfortable because it may possibly influence your day-to-day routine apart from creating a lot of emotional turmoil. Psoriasis is generally a genetic problem and it occurs when the newly produced skin cells mature four times faster causing flaked skin. This faster cell multiplication pushes skin layers towards the exterior very quickly resulting in redness and cracks on surface. In addition, flaking of the skin may also be noticed in many cases. This state is known as psoriasis. Although psoriasis could be treated medically, there isn't any recognized lasting cure for this problem. You will find many natural ways to deal with psoriasis. The natural cures can help you to avoid psoriasis outbreaks and treat existing condition.
The first step to natural care of psoriasis is to identify the triggering reason for the condition. Psoriasis, even though a genetic condition, is almost always triggered by exterior physical factors. These issues encourage cell multiplication resulting in visible flaky skin. By knowing the aspects that instigate psoriasis, you can find out methods to avoid the outbreak of this condition. Panic is found out as being one of the key reasons for psoriasis. Keeping away from stress as often as possible will keep the psoriasis skin problem in check.
Psoriasis patients should also take note of their total health. Your body should be healthy and well balanced at all times. To start with, you might want to include raw vegetables and fresh fruits to your daily diet to make a balanced meal every time you eat. You furthermore may need to drink plenty of water to keep your system hydrated. When you support the body from the inside, you will notice the outcome outside. To be able to prevent psoriasis, make sure you keep the body nourished and hydrated at all times.
Skin specialists always recommend you to lead a strain free life if you are experiencing skin problems. Whenever you are stressed, you have to deal with psoriasis outburst. In the present scenario, it is inconceivable for most of us to forget about stress. Nevertheless, finding options to deal with tension can result in good skin condition. Instead of fighting stress, you should figure out how to live with it by spending time for soothing meditation and getting to know breathing techniques to hold your body calm. This will definitely enable you to avoid psoriasis outbreaks and perhaps if an outbreak happens, you are able to quickly treat it having a healthy body and mind.
Chris is an IT consultant who has been in the industry for more than 20 years. While IT has been his passion, a bigger passion has been reading and writing. Over the last 2 years he has been publishing articles on various subjects.
Interest in Psoriasis started since a relative was diagnosed with it. Most articles posted relate to all research done. He hopes that he can share this with other psoriasis sufferers. Please visit [http://managepsoriasis.com] to learn more about psoriasis management.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Chris_J_Stephen/790406
http://EzineArticles.com/?Calm-Down-Your-Nerves-To-Cure-Your-Psoriasis-Problem&id=6162650

How to Treat Psoriasis at Home - 7 Simple Tips for Psoriasis Sufferers

By Steve Keenan

Tip 1: Apply primrose or olive oil or ointments containing tar preparations, salicylic acid and anthralin, to the affected areas two to three times a day and before and after you take a shower or bath in lukewarm water.
If taking a bath, add some Epson Salt, olive oil and/or milk. Fish oil has also been known to work well for some. Again, reapply some oil or sensitive skin moisturizer after bathing.
Tip 2: Try to prevent the skin from drying by using an air humidifier in your room. Use sensitive skin moisturizers and soaps. Perfumes too need to be skin-sensitive.
Tip 3: Cut down on red meat and fatty foods and boost your diet with more nuts which contain oils, chocolate and cranberry fruits. Fish such as tuna, salmon, halibut and snapper are rich in oils and omega fatty acids and are natural remedies for curing psoriasis.
Tip 4: Increase your daily intake folic acid to help speed the process of healing. These can easily be acquired from bran, cereals and broccoli. Fiber rich foods too are also a great way to expedite the healing process.
High levels of fiber can be found in cooked cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage. Pears and guavas are excellent, dried figs and flaxseed are also high in fiber. Cooked peas are especially high, as are most cooked beans.
Tip 5: Avoid processed and junk food as they contain saturated fats, sugars and sodium which all impede digestion and will slow the process of healing psoriasis. Red meat and dairy products should be avoided too, as they contain arachidonic acid, which often causes skin imflammation. Citrus fruits, pickles and spicy food will slow any remission, so avoid those as well.
Tip 6: Since psoriasis stems from the fungus in the digestive tract, an excellent way to free yourself from it forever is to tackle the problem from the inside. Before eating fruits and vegetables, spray them with a 50/50 solution of water and white vinegar and then wash them off cleanly. Also, a daily glass of aloe vera juice can help eliminate the problem considerably.
Try and diversify your daily diet and have some of this one day and something else the next day. This will keep the natural body fluids in good balance.
Tip 7: Last but not least, because psoriasis can often be caused by stress, try to give yourself a stress free time when things get too much. Take light walks or practice a little yoga will help you to relax more.
If you have a more severe psoriasis problem that does not seem to be healing as well or as quickly as you would like, then I recommend taking a look here: [http://freepsoriasis.info]
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Steve_Keenan/1805618
http://EzineArticles.com/?How-to-Treat-Psoriasis-at-Home---7-Simple-Tips-for-Psoriasis-Sufferers&id=8264609

Combat Psoriasis! - Strengthen Your Immune System

By Joseph Hood

Most people believe that psoriasis is a skin condition. However, psoriasis is in fact an inflammatory disease of the immune system. In patients with psoriasis, certain immune cells are activated. These cells overproduce inflammatory proteins, such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF), which cause skin cells to grow too quickly. The skin cells build up causing raised red patches, often with silvery scales known as plaques.
Inflammation is thought of as the body's normal response to injury or infection. However, if the response is too severe or prolonged, then this may become a problem in itself. Inflammation responses are generally regulated by mechanisms in our immune system. If the immune system is working correctly to maintain internal equilibrium, the inflammatory responses will adjust to their normal physiological state. If the immune system misfires, it causes the excess inflammation and accelerated growth of cells.
T-cells (white blood cells) are a type of immune system cell which are very important to the internal process of psoriasis. T-cells naturally patrol throughout the body looking for foreign substances called antigens. These antigens usually come from the outside in to our bodies as bacterium or virus. The invasion of these antigens activates the T-cells, which then initiates an immune response to neutralize the antigen.
In psoriasis, it is not clear what happens, but the activated T-cells end up in the skin. This may be directly related to the genetic predisposition in people who develop psoriasis. The T-cell will recognize and target the antigen on the surface. The specific antigens responsible for psoriasis are not know, but some infections like strep throat are believed to trigger some cases of guttate psoriasis.
If the T-cells are not activated, the immune response and cycle of psoriasis never begins. But if the T-cell does become activated, the immune system response is initiated which includes the release of cytokines. Cytokines are proteins that the immune system uses to communicate messages. The message that cytokines tell the skin is to reproduce and grow at an accelerated rate. Cytokines also set off other reactions including inflammation, and activation of additional T-cells. The end result is a pile up of dead skin cells that have grown too fast and have moved to the surface of the skin as white scale.
So what lies ahead in research knowing that psoriasis is driven by the immune system? Of course there are already the many drugs of choice which suppress the body's immune system. The problem with many of these harsh drugs is that they can cause other health problems and unpleasant symptoms.
Your immune system does a remarkable job of defending you against disease-causing microorganisms. But sometimes it fails. Is it possible to intervene in this process and make your immune system stronger? The idea of boosting your immune system is intriguing. But one must realize that the immune system is precisely that - a system. To function properly it requires a balance and harmony. There is still much research to be done on the complexities and interconnections of the immune response.
But what if it was possible to intervene in this process and make your immune system stronger? What if you improve your diet? Take certain vitamins or herbal preparations? Make other lifestyle changes toward reaching that goal of balance and harmony in the hope of producing a near-perfect immune response?
Many researchers are exploring the effects of diet, exercise, age, psychological stress, herbal supplements, and other factors on the immune response, both in animals and in humans. Some very interesting preliminary results are emerging as researchers still try to understand how the immune system works and how to interpret measurements of the immune function.
But meanwhile, why not adopt some healthy-living strategies and choose a healthy lifestyle.
As we have discussed in some of our other articles, following general good health habits are the single best steps you can take toward keeping your immune system strong and healthy. Every part of your body, including your immune system, functions better when protected from environmental assaults and bolstered by healthy-living strategies such as these:
• If you smoke, quit!
• Improve your diet. Eat a diet high in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, and low in saturated fat.
• Exercise regularly to maintain a healthy weight and control your blood pressure
• Manage your stress.
• Drink alcohol only in moderation.
• Get 7-8 hours of adequate sleep per day.
• Take steps to avoid infection such preventing cuts and wounds and washing your hands frequently. &
bull; Make regular appointments to have medical screening tests for people in your age group and risk category.
In order for your immune system warriors to win the fight, you need good, regular nourishment. If you are one of the many people who do not like vegetables, and you think your diet is not providing all of the nutrients you need then you should consider taking a multiple daily vitamin.
Recommended Vitamins and minerals that have been studied to have a positive effect on the immune system are:
• Vitamin A
• Vitamin B2
• Vitamin B6
• Vitamin C
• Vitamin D
• Vitamin E
• Zinc
• Selenium
Besides our regular intake of healthy foods and vitamins, we should not discount the benefits of herbal preparations. Even though further studies are needed to confirm or disprove the beneficial results that herbal supplements have on the immune system, who is to say that what Grandma took for years and to protects her from illness doesn't work?
Some of the supplements that researchers believe are worth more attention are:
Probiotics. These are good bacteria that can safely reside in your digestive system. There are some researchers, including some at Harvard Medical School, that are finding evidence of a relationship between this "good" bacteria and the immune system. For instance, it is now known that certain bacteria in the gut influence the development of aspects of the immune system, such as correcting deficiencies and increasing the numbers of certain T cells.
When you go shopping, you will find probiotics listed on the labels of dairy products, drinks, cereals, energy bars, and other foods. However, one must be careful not to think that by taking excessive amounts of good bacteria that it will help the immune system even more. Researchers are still trying to find the direct connection between taking these products and improving immune function. It has not been shown whether taking probiotics will replenish the good bacteria that get knocked out along with "bad" bacteria when you take antibiotics.
Echinacea. This is one of the most well-known herbal supplements used as an "immune stimulant," and advertised to be able to prevent or limit the severity of colds. However, it is recommended by most experts not to take echinacea on a long-term basis to prevent colds.
Just be aware that Echinacea can also cause potential side effects for persons with ragweed allergies including cases of anaphylactic shock. Injected echinacea in particular has caused severe reactions.
Garlic. Researchers have seen garlic work against bacteria, viruses, and fungi in laboratory tests. A 2006 research studied the rates for certain cancers and garlic and onion consumption in southern European populations and found an association between the frequency of use of garlic and onions and a lower risk of some common cancers. However, until more is known, it is too early to recommend garlic as a way of treating or preventing infections or controlling cancer.
Ginseng. This herbal supplement is known for its ability to stimulate the immune function. It is still unclear how the root of the ginseng plant works. The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) considers there have not been sufficient high quality large studies performed to support the claims. They are currently involved in supporting research to understand Asian ginseng more fully.
Finally, we will discuss the most important relationship between stress and the immune system. We know stress has a negative effect on our minds and bodies and is a main trigger for psoriasis and other diseases. However, stress is different for everyone and is difficult to define. What may be a stressful situation for one person is not for another.
Therefore, most scientists studying the relationship of stress and immune function do not study a sudden, short-lived stressor. They study frequent and more constant stressors known as chronic stress. These stressors can be caused by relationships with family, friends, co-workers or sustained challenges at work.
Many researchers have reported that stressful situations can reduce various aspects of the cellular immune response. Reports suggest that psychological stress affects the immune system by disrupting communication between the nervous system, the endocrine (hormonal) system, and the immune system. These three systems must work in close coordination and "talk" to one another using natural chemical messages.
Some research teams speculate that long-term chronic stress releases a long-term trickle of stress hormones called glucocorticoids. These hormones affect the thymus, where lymphocytes are produced, and inhibit the production of cytokines and interleukins, which stimulate and coordinate white blood cell activity.
Managing your stress is extremely vital for the proper function of your immune system in order for it to combat your psoriasis and other diseases. So be sure to take time to learn and educate yourself on stress management techniques and you may want to join some forums to learn from others.
Following sections summarize some of the most active areas of research into these topics. In the meantime, general healthy-living strategies are a good way to start giving your immune system the upper hand
Click here for Psoriasis Cure Treatment [http://www.psoriasiscuretreatment.com]
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Joseph_Hood/1772525
http://EzineArticles.com/?Combat-Psoriasis!---Strengthen-Your-Immune-System&id=8266318

How Natural Therapies Control Psoriasis

By Maree Borg

Treating Psoriasis with Natural Therapies
In using natural therapies in your own home you need a pro active approach to treating your Psoriasis. The results are dependent on your own immune system and the commitment you put in to following your treatment plan. In treating psoriasis naturally you should always check with your health professional and do a patch test on a small area of your skin if using ointments or creams of any type. Natural products can have some allergic effects if used on people with sensitive skin types.
Those of you who have battled with Psoriasis know just how debilitating it can be. During my research many sufferer's indicated the problem was not only the actual symptoms of itchiness and redness, it was the flaky skin over clothing and in hair. Embarrassment of this condition meant they did not want to leave their homes, causing social isolation and in some cases depression. In speaking to sufferers, I noticed that many also had ongoing health issues dealing with their immune system.
Psoriasis is an auto immune problem so cleaning your body both inside and out is very important as is understanding the basics of Psoriasis. Psoriasis shows a very strong hereditary factor meaning that it seems to run in families. Not all family members are affected which is applicable to my own circumstances. My husband and the youngest of my sons both have Psoriasis. Fortunately my oldest son has not had any symptoms of this skin condition.
The Very Basics of Skin
The Skin is made up of two layers and in a normal situation over 30 days new skin pushes up from the bottom to the top. In the Psoriasis suffer, this whole process can take only a few days causing a buildup of flaky skin. This skin is then shed again and again causing aggravation and redness. The most common areas of build up are scalp, elbows, knees and knuckles. Sufferers are known in some cases to have near complete body coverage although this does not seem to be all that common.
Five Quick Tips To Get You Started
1. Fish and Flaxseed Oil are full of fatty acids and have many health benefits, one being to help build up the immune system.
2. Cut down on your alcohol consumption which has been found to dry out the skin.
3. Grow your own vegetables to eat. They are much tastier and better for you. If you are not able to do this, make sure you wash your vegetables before cooking.
4. Drink more water to flush impurities out your body.
5. Try to eat more whole foods rather than processed foods.
The aim of this article is to promote an approach to a healthy body and immune system. This approach really does help control Psoriasis and some other Health related problems.
We are what we eat!!!
Take small steps and become Pro active in your recovery...
With many members of my family suffering from Psoriasis, I have spent a great deal of time researching skin conditions and how to treat them naturally.I make a lot of natural skin products myself in my own kitchen at home and share the recipe's with friends, family, and anyone else who would find them beneficial.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Maree_Borg/1827179
http://EzineArticles.com/?How-Natural-Therapies-Control-Psoriasis&id=8319494

Warning! What Looks Like Eczema or Psoriasis on the Breast Could Be Paget's Disease - Breast Cancer

By Philip A Edmonds-Hunt

The rare breast cancer disease - Paget's disease (Paget's disease of the nipple or Mammary Paget's disease) is often confused with the two common skin conditions eczema and psoriasis. All which are very similar, and which often force doctors to send their patients to specialists for correct diagnosis.
However, there are certain detectable differences between both Paget's disease and other skin conditions that many women can look for when self-checking the breasts for cancer. Usually common skin conditions that affect the breasts are nothing to be worried about; however, with Paget's disease, it is different.
1. Eczema - is a relatively common skin complain; although, it is considered a chronic inflammatory condition of the skin that consists of dry skin with red patches, together with an often itchy sensation that tends to provoke the condition to become worse when scratched (eczema rarely affects the nipple).
2. Psoriasis - is similar to eczema, but with patches of raised skin that are usually red in color, together with thick silvery scales (often considered a more hereditary disease [one in every two psoriasis cases is usually hereditary]) that appears on the skin (doctors are still unable to explain what causes it).
3. Paget's disease - can affect both men and women (men in more extreme cases), and is considered a rather deadly form of cancer. Not only is the disease dangerous in itself, but 50% of women who suffer from it are also diagnosed with having one or more breast tumors (ductal carcinoma in-situ, or invasive breast cancer [stages I - III]) within the same breast where the disease is present.
Symptoms - are usually in the form of a red scaly rash that affects the nipple (an extension to the areola [the dark skin circle around the nipple] may often be present too) that may itch or burn. With Paget's disease - malignant cells are usually present in the epidermis (the surface layer of skin) of both the areola, and the nipple (malignant cells may be found either singularly or formed in small groups).
Also an inverted nipple (pulled inwards) together with a nipple discharge are both common signs that a rash is more than just a common skin complaint. However, in comparison with the disease and more common skin complaints, it usually only affects one breast (most skin complains affect the two breasts).
The three main dangers of Paget's disease are as follows:
1. Is because Paget's disease is so similar to both eczema and psoriasis; it may well get mis-diagnosed.
2. It is because of the presence of malignant (cancerous) cells.
3. Around 50% of women sufferers may also be diagnosed with tumors of the breast.
Note: All three of these dangers may result in either a woman losing a breast, or becoming just another statistic of breast cancer fatality. Regular self-checks are seen prudent for early diagnosis of breast cancer. Any doubt (even minor) over anything unusual found: within, on, or around (the nipple area) the breast, being put to rest by an early consultation with either a doctor or health adviser.
Philip is a Freelance Writer, Author, and Owner of Cancer Cry. He was born in Oxfordshire, England; however, today he lives in Mexico where he has been based for many years writing about cancer and other health related issues. If you would like to read more of his articles, check out his blogsite - [http://www.cancercry.com] Thank you for reading Philip's articles!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Philip_A_Edmonds-Hunt/1338260
http://EzineArticles.com/?Warning!-What-Looks-Like-Eczema-or-Psoriasis-on-the-Breast-Could-Be-Pagets-Disease---Breast-Cancer&id=8329160