Psoriasis Symptoms Can Be Lessened Over Time with Acupuncture and Positive Lifestyle Changes

Psoriasis can be an embarrassing and painful condition. It’s chronic and quite common. Some sufferers are opting for natural and alternative treatments like acupuncture despite the fact that there are numerous conventional treatments such as drugs and creams, available in the market.

What is Psoriasis?

An autoimmune disease, psoriasis occurs when T cells, cells that help defend the body from foreign substances, attack skin cells that are healthy. This leads to an unhealthy rapid production of new skin cells.

This rapid development of new skin cells, leads to lesions and scaly thick patches on the skin that is difficult to deal. The lesions can be itchy and/or painful, and embarrassing especially when the disease is located on an exposed part of the body.

Several factors can set off a psoriasis flare-up. These can include infections, drugs, consumption of alcohol, smoking, cold weather, and stress. Oral or topical drugs can put the condition under control when a flare-up happens.

Being a chronic disease, people with psoriasis have to deal with it all their life. In certain instances, it can cause additional problems such as the potentially debilitating psoriatic arthritis.

Treatment of Psoriasis Using Acupuncture in Bellingham

A component of TCM or traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture is an ancient healing tradition that works especially in the treatment of painful conditions such as headaches and arthritis. This treatment uses filiform needles that are placed at specified points on the body.

There has been very limited studies done on psoriasis treatment through acupuncture, but some that have been performed prove that the treatment is a worthwhile option. In one study, 62 people suffering from psoriasis, was treated with acupuncture. Some of the patients (25 of them) also exhibited psoriatic arthritis symptoms. All were unsuccessfully treated with conventional treatment. They then underwent with nine sessions of acupuncture on average. About half of the subjects at the end of the study experiences almost or total clearance of their skin lesions with only nine showing limited or no improvement.”

Psoriatic Arthritis and Acupuncture

Springing from psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis is a complication that involves chronic pain in the joints which can impair the function of those joints. Almost all proof of acupuncture’s effectiveness can be found in studies connecting it to the removal of pain. This acupuncture effect has made the treatment more popular among psoriatic arthritis sufferers who are more concerned with the pain associated with this type of arthritis than any other symptoms.

Other Treatment Alternatives

Anecdotal evidences abound that prove acupuncture treatment combined with lifestyle changes (daily baths, daily sunlight, a healthy diet, etc.) can benefit people with psoriasis. One of the greatest benefits of this treatment is that is completely safe to use. Moreover, knowing what triggers your psoriasis flare up can help change your lifestyle in order to reduce the severity of your condition or avoid the disease altogether.

Besides acupuncture and lifestyle changes, the Mayo Clinic recommends that taking omega-3 fish oil supplements or using aloe vera and applying it directly several times a day to your skin several times a day can help relieve inflammation.

The Takeaway

If you have psoriasis, there is nothing you can do but learn how to live with it. When the disease is triggered, learn to manage the flare-ups and treat the symptoms as they arise. A more effective way of dealing with the symptoms is to know what triggers them, what exacerbates your condition, and what relieves it, acupuncture is one viable option, and with multiple treatments, your psoriasis can become less disruptive with time.