psoriasis- one of the most common and
mysterious skin diseases. The name "psoriasis" is derived from the Greek word "psoriasis", which means itching, scabies.
"Roses of the Devil"- in old age this was the name given to a disease that is characterized by skin peeling.
At the time of Hippocrates the term "psora" was introduced. This term was used to describe a group of skin diseases associated with flaking, dryness and itching.
The famous Greek doctor Claudius Galen was the first to use the term "psoriasis" at the beginning of our era to describe scaly skin lesions with severe itching, but this disease had nothing to do with psoriasis.
In ancient times, psoriasis was akin to leprosy, scabies, and vitiligo, and people suffering from these diseases had to wear a special suit, rattle, or bell.
At the beginning of the 19th century, the English doctor Willlen and his students made a distinction between psoriasis and leprosy.
In the future, the science of dermatology has been enriched with new information about the causes of the disease (metabolic disorders, immunological changes in the body, viral nature, environmental pollution, genetic predisposition, etc. ), but the exact causes of the disease remain a mystery.
During the entire existence of the earth, 5. 5 billion people developed psoriasis.
It is believed that psoriasis is "God's sign" for people with special artistic gifts.
There are many successful and great people among the people who suffer from psoriasis, such as Benjamin Franklin, Henry Ford, Winston Churchill, John Rockefeller
Blacks are much less likely to suffer from psoriasis than whites. Drinking green tea will reduce your risk of psoriasis. The risk of developing psoriasis is 78% higher in women who smoke than in non-smokers. During pregnancy, psoriasis often goes away without treatment. During World War II, the number of psoriasis patients In September 2009, a fashion show specifically for psoriasis patients was held in the US for the first time.
In all of human history there has not been a single case of psoriasis transmission from a sick person to a healthy person, not even with a blood transfusion.
Causes of the disease
Psoriasis is considered a multifactorial disease.This means that psoriasis occurs suddenly and by accident under certain circumstances. Despite many years of research, scientists have not yet been able to find out the exact causes of the development of the disease, but there are many hypotheses.
- Heredity (although the presence in the family of a person with psoriasis does not always mean that their offspring are sick);
- nervous stress (especially during adolescence) provokes an exacerbation of the disease;
- nutrition (abuse of fatty, salted foods, citrus fruits, chocolate, is directly related to the occurrence of psoriasis);
- weakened immunity - long-term drug therapy, frequent colds, other diseases that lower immunity, adversely affect the condition of the skin and provoke the development of psoriasis;
- Lack of vitamins and minerals;
- Violation of metabolic processes.
And much more "Everyone has their own psoriasis with their own causes. "
Symptoms of the disease
People under the age of 30, regardless of gender, are most susceptible to this disease. The first symptoms of the disease are small, scattered, reddish or pink nodules covered on top with silvery-white scales, beneath which a reddish surface with small blood droplets ("blood dew") is exposed. As psoriasis develops, the nodules grow, fuse together, and cover an increasing surface area of the skin. The patient feels constant itching on the affected areas, combs them and after intensive scratching, psoriatic "plaques" form - areas with dense, thickened, irritated skin.
The areas of psoriasis on the skin are endless, but the most common areas affected are the elbows, knees, extensor surfaces of the arms and legs, and the scalp. Sometimes the disease goes completely back, then suddenly returns, sometimes the patient's condition improves (more often in summer), sometimes worsens (more often in winter), generally pure unpredictability.
Psoriasis does not make a person physically disabled, but it does a devastating blow to the patient's psyche and robs them of adequate communication with others.
If you have psoriasis. .
- Make sure the rash is actually psoriasis.
- No panic.
- Try to analyze the events before the onset of the disease in order to avoid repeated exacerbations in the future.
- Self-medication is dangerous!
- Don't be fooled by the expensive treatment, each psoriasis has its own method of treatment.
- Do not immerse yourself in the disease, drive away fear, be prepared for a favorable outcome. Your posture is the first helper in defeating the disease.
Forms of psoriasis
Psoriasis of the scalp. Well-defined, pale pink, scaly patches appear on the scalp, and hair never falls out (hair loss in a limited area of the skin indicates another condition, such as ringworm).
Psoriasis of the nails(psoriatic onychodystrophy). The nails of the hands and feet are affected. It is characterized by discoloration of the nail plate and the nail bed, the appearance of points, spots, transverse lines, thickening of the skin under the nails, thickening and stratification of the plate, up to and including the complete loss of the nail plates.
Palmar-plantar psoriasis. Papules appear on the surface of the palms of the hands and soles of the feet, usually combined with psoriasis of the nails (to be distinguished from fungal diseases).
Guttate psoriasis.It is characterized by the appearance on the patient's skin of a large number of small circles, raised above the surface of healthy skin, red or purple (to purple), very dry, similar to drops, tears or small dots. It occurs mainly on the thighs.
Exudative psoriasis.The scales on the surface of the papules take on a yellow tint, become multilayered, stick together. Scraping off such a papule exposes the moist, light pink surface of the skin.
Pustular psoriasis.Small vesicles with purulent contents appear on different parts of the skin, the general condition of the patient deteriorates, and body temperature rises.
Psoriatic erythroderma.The defeat of large areas of the skin (sometimes on the entire surface of the body), inflammation is pronounced, the color of the skin is bright pink, the patient feels a strong, unbearable itching and deterioration in the general condition.
Arthropathic psoriasis.Not only the skin is affected, but also small joints (hands, feet). When moving, pain occurs in the joints, the joints are restricted in movement, edematous.
Isomphoric psoriasis or Koebner phenomenon.This form of the disease develops at the site of a physical injury to the skin (scratches, surgical wounds, sunburn).
Plaque psoriasis.At the onset of the disease, red, clearly demarcated, scaly papules appear, which, as the disease progresses, merge and form stable round or oval plaques of dark red color.
Inverse (intertriginous) psoriasis.An unusual shape that occurs under the mammary glands and in the groin area. The plaques are smooth, red, with clear borders and superficial maceration.
Erythrodermic psoriasis.Severe form, the surface of the skin is red, painful, the patient has a high fever, chills.
Complications of psoriasis
psoriasis- This is not just a skin disease, it is clearly clear that psoriasis is a systemic disease that affects not only the skin, but almost all systems of the body, therefore, against the background of psoriasis in humans, the following diseases appear:
- Psoriatic arthritis;
- degeneration of the nail plates;
- Damage to the mucous membranes (mouth, gastrointestinal tract, urethra, bladder, etc. );
- Eye damage;
- injuries in the liver;
- organic disorders of the central nervous system;
- Heart damage (myocarditis, myocardial dystrophy, etc. );
- Amyotrophy;
- Lymphadenopathy.
Features of psoriasis in children
As a rule, psoriasis develops in children aged 4-8 years, its occurrence is often associated with an infectious disease (tonsillitis, chickenpox, etc. ), stress, skin trauma, etc. It mainly manifests itself on the scalp, as well as the skin of the face and groin area. The most common in childhood is the teardrop shape and the exudative form of psoriasis.
Psoriasis treatment
Since it is extremely difficult to identify the cause of the disease, it is also difficult to come up with a single recipe for fighting psoriasis. This disease is very individual and the approach to treatment should be strictly individual.
Diet.In most cases, nutritional advice is enough to stop psoriasis from developing. It is necessary to exclude foods that are traditionally considered allergens - citrus fruits, chocolate, eggs, honey, peppers, strawberries. It is recommended to limit the consumption of acidic, spicy, fatty foods (oil, lard) and alcohol.
Tonics.It is necessary to take multivitamin supplements to strengthen the body's immune system and get rid of nervous stress.
Puvotherapy.Application of special therapeutic agents to the skin with subsequent activation by exposure to ultraviolet radiation
Cryotherapy.Placed in a cell with a very low temperature.
Bioresonance therapy.Exposure to weak electromagnetic vibrations.
Ozone therapy.The use of gas treatments and ozonated cosmetics.
Hirudotherapy.The use of medicinal leeches.
Spa treatment.This type of treatment is carried out with great care in summer-spring without worsening the disease, since sometimes a change in climate can provoke the disease. For psoriasis, the sanatoriums at the Dead Sea (Israel), Baku, etc. are recommended.
External treatment(Ointments, creams, etc. ).
Systemic treatment(Tablets, injections, etc. ).
Photochemotherapy.Irradiation with ultraviolet rays directly on the affected areas of the skin is carried out using special devices that only irradiate the right areas without touching healthy skin (which is important in the treatment of limited forms of psoriasis, for example in the treatment of nail psoriasis).
Traditional methods of treatment.Based on the therapeutic effects of medicinal herbs (celandine, kalanchoe, eucalyptus, honey, kombucha, etc. ).
Phytotherapy.Treatment with medicinal herbs.
Hypnotherapy.Treatment with hypnosis.
Acupuncture.Restores both the physical and mental state of a patient with psoriasis.
Homeopathy.
Treatment of psoriasis with folk remedies.
Today you can easily find many articles about the treatment of psoriasis with folk remedies. There are really many remedies for treatment, we are going to introduce you to some of them.
The use of internal decoctions of herbs such as chicory, dandelion, parsley gives pretty good results. For treatment, ground roots of these plants are used, which are harvested alone in the spring or autumn or bought in a pharmacy.
Dill is good for psoriasis. It is very useful to eat it in any form available, and it is better to grind the seeds in a coffee grinder. In the morning you can prepare a decoction of dill seeds: pour boiling water over two tablespoons of dill seeds (0. 5 l), insist for an hour, and then drink the resulting decoction thirty minutes before meals 3-4 times a day.
Cleansing the liver and intestines can also help relieve psoriasis. The easiest way to clean it is with pumpkin seeds, which you need to eat a glass a day for a month, plus a tablespoon of corn oil twice a day.
Using needle baths every other day, about half an hour, will help cleanse the skin. The preparation of the broth is simple: on the bottom of a large saucepan or bucket you need to put spruce branches, add celandine leaves, pour everything with water, bring to a boil and evaporate on very low heat for 20 minutes. Then let the broth steep for 2-3 hours and pour it into the prepared bath. The water temperature should be 37-38 degrees.
For the preparation of baths, you can use other herbs: mint, feverfew, chamomile, valerian, lemon balm, oregano, caraway, hops.
To treat psoriasis, you can also use sea buckthorn oil both externally and internally.
The most popular psoriasis questions and answers.
Is psoriasis contagious?
In any case, psoriasis is not contagious, as numerous studies confirm. The presence of several family members with psoriasis is explained by the possible hereditary transmission of the disease.
What treatment guarantees are there?
There can be no question of guarantees, only a stable remission is possible.
How much does the treatment cost on average?
A calculation of the treatment costs is hardly possible due to the strictly individual treatment methods and the duration of treatment.
How is the diagnosis carried out?
Visual examination and scraping for a fungal infection to identify accompanying pathology.
How does alcohol affect psoriasis patients?
Alcohol has a detrimental effect on the whole body due to its toxicity, what can be said about the altered skin.
Most alcohol abuse patients experience loss of seasonality and frequent exacerbations as psoriasis progresses. The clinical course of the disease becomes more severe.
Therefore, people with psoriasis are not recommended to drink alcoholic beverages, even in small quantities.
How do stressful situations affect psoriasis?
The human nervous system is linked to the activity of the brain. The brain controls all functions of the body, the organs of intelligence and the emotions of a person. It was found that in people with negative emotions, the amount of adrenaline in the blood increases, which leads to a malfunction of the nervous system and, accordingly, all internal organs. Therefore, 56. 6% of patients experience disease exacerbation under stressful conditions.
If a relative has psoriasis, how likely is it that I will get psoriasis?
1. 2% of patients with psoriasis had no sick relatives 5% of patients had sick relatives. If one of the twins has psoriasis, the other has psoriasis 16% of the time if one parent is sick. If both parents and one of the twins is sick, then another has psoriasis 50% of the time, and if the twins are identical - 73%.
Practical advice for patients with psoriasis
- Wear loose, breathable clothing.
- Protect your skin, avoid mechanical irritation.
- Don't dress too warmly.
- Avoid contact with caustic cleaning agents and solvents as far as possible.
- Only mild soaps that protect the skin's protective acid mantle are allowed for body care.
- The shower or bath you take shouldn't be hot and long. It is best to take a short to moderately warm shower.
- Try not to rub yourself too hard with a washcloth when washing and with a towel when drying.
- Control your emotions.
- Communicating with other patients can also be helpful.
- Exercise helps to improve the condition, yoga is particularly recommended.
- A balanced diet and a healthy intestinal flora improve the condition of your skin.
Rehabilitation of patients with psoriasis
Rehabilitation of patients includes the following activities:
- Elimination of side effects of the main treatment.
- Stabilization of metabolic processes in the body.
- Treatment of comorbidities.
- Increase in the body's resistance to factors that provoke an exacerbation.
For a stable remission you may need to change your lifestyle, your work, possibly communicating with people with the same illness to help you overcome difficulties together.
Life after Hufeland
The important German doctor-therapist Christoph Wilhelm Hufeland once said: "Among the influences that shorten life, fear, sadness, despondency, melancholy, cowardice, envy and hatred take a predominant place. Nobody doubts that the idea of illness can make you sick, why not imagine healthy in order to get healthy? Perhaps these wonderful words will enter your life firmly and help you overcome the disease. Life to Hufeland!