# Psoriasis...ugh...



## madness (Dec 6, 2006)

Iâve seen a few posts lately where it sounds like people know what they are talking about concerning psoriasis. Well, Iâm at a loss again! Iâve had psoriasis since I was 6 months old and have never had any period of my life where I was symptom free. The doctors always told me it was a phase and Iâd grow out of it. Well, 27 years later, Iâm still waiting to grow out of it! I have tried nearly every prescription and have had to actually turn away from prescriptions because of the steroid content. I have basically met my life time exposure for it and the docs donât want to use it on my anymore â plus nothing ever worked. I have found things that seemed to work but Iâve never been able to clear my scalp or my knees and I always would end up having a flare up even while under treatment.

So, I now have a new problem. I have psoriasis on my face â including my eyelid! You know how you can get a crack in the corner of your mouth from having really chapped lips? Well, I have those in the corner of my eyes! Ouch! I read that you can even get it on the eyes themselves.

What non-prescription things have you tried that have worked? And Iâm talking about everything here â diet, topicals, voodoo, you name it!


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## GoatLove (Jun 19, 2006)

I don't know about any natural remedies but there is a new drug called Remicade that is suppose to do wonders for those suffering with Psoriasis. It is administered intraveniously at your doctors office. Ask your doctor about it. Good luck!


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## culpeper (Nov 1, 2002)

Psoriasis is an awful thing, and unfortunately there is no cure. I don't need to tell you that you need to be very careful what you put on or near your eyes. I think that will need specialist advice. But for other not-so-sensitive areas:

Wash the area with Blueberry juice. 

Bathe the area with with Elderberry juice. Also good for psoriasis and poison ivy rash.

Boil 1 cup Pineapple with 1 tablespoon dried Rosemary in 1 litre of water and leave to cool. Use as a wash for eczema, psoriasis, nappy rash, prickly heat and other skin rashes. 

Simmer 3-5 Peach leaves in about 2 cups sweetened condensed milk for 25 minutes. Cool, then strain. Use the liquid as a lotion for inflamed or bruised areas, abrasions or sunburn. It also works for rashes, shingles and psoriasis.

Apply fresh Aloe Vera gel to the area.


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## madness (Dec 6, 2006)

I read about Remicade - it's for severe to debilitating psoriasis. I donât have a severe outbreak right now, just a âthis is really annoying meâ outbreak. Iâve managed to keep my skin mostly clear except the scalp, knees and elbows for about 7 years now. Right before that, both of my arms were completely covered and so was most of my back. I was living near a super stinky paper mill and the doc figured that all the toxins in the air was getting to me. Within 2 months of moving, my skin had almost completely cleared. Since then, itâs really not been that bad â itâs just the eyelid thing thatâs bugging me!


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## suzfromWi (Jun 1, 2002)

There are many different types of P. If your doctor told you that you would outgrow it, then you need a new Dr. There is no cure for it yet, and you have to manage it. I have had P for 50 some yrs, and it is not as bad as it once was. I think raging hormones make it much worse. I dont have those anymore...hahahaha. I have a special med just for my face. It is a prescription but it does work good. I also use Bethazone dipronate for my scalp. That works good too. I have heard that fish oils and flax oil helps some also. I take those....Dont wash your face with soap as that is drying. You want to keep your skin moist. Use oils or lotions without perfumes everyday...Good luck with this,


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## hoofinitnorth (Oct 18, 2006)

*madness* - I have always had a bad scalp that flares often and first they thought seb derm then they thought psoriasis and now they think seb derm again.

Can you get in to see a different dermatologist that specializes in psoriasis? Do you have other associated illnesses like arthritis? If so, a rheumatologist may be in order. Are you sure it's psoriasis and not eczema and seborrheic dermatitis? If it's not psoriasis, of course the treatments they want to give you won't work, but that doesn't mean other treatments will either. *sigh* I feel your pain!

Also, have you seen an immunologist to be evaluated for allergies and other diseases like celiac disease or similar issues? Usually a skin problem is a reflection of something else going on in our bodies. Could be your diet, could be allergies, could be lots of things. A good allergist/immunologist should be able to help you ferret it out.

Good luck!


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## madness (Dec 6, 2006)

I can't take any more steroid containing medications or have any more UV treatments, so going to the doctor is not high on my list anymore! My last dermatologist retired last year and I havenât had the focus to try and find another good one.

I donât have psoriatic arthritis, but I swear, every time one of my joints hurt I start to freak out. Iâm a very active person and the idea of having arthritis scares me. But I try to remain calm and the pain goes away (since it is usually due to an injury).

I have been to an immunologist. I do not have any first order allergies, but I have TONS of second order ones. Basically, I donât have a reaction like some one does when they are allergic to peanuts, but my blood does produce antibodies when exposed to 27 different foods. Yes, I said 27 (out of the 50 that they tested). The doc said she had never seen anyone with that many sensitivities. I tried for several months to cut all of those foods out of my diet, but I started having lots of other problems since I was becoming malnourished. The doctor couldnât help me come up with a suitable diet so I abandoned it. That was about 2 years ago. Iâve thought about trying it again with a better plan, but Iâm not sure I can do it! Hereâs a list of all the foods that Iâm sensitive to that I can remember off the top of my head:

Wheat
Rye
Oats
Corn
Dairy
Eggs
Soy
Bananas
Legumes
Rice
Citrus
Mushrooms
Chocolate
Yeast
â¦

There are others that I canât remember now (I have the whole list at home). Being a vegetarian, grains, dairy, eggs and soy are my main sources of protein. And I couldnât eat them on the diet. I got tremendous headaches.


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## blue8ewe (Oct 25, 2006)

The only thing I can recommend is Renew by Melealuca. It has worked like magic for us. Completely healed in a week. Any time we have a flare up we slather it on 2 or 3 times a day and in days its gone. 
If you are interested LMK and I'll give you the info.


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## FeralFemale (Apr 10, 2006)

Try acidopholus (sp?) you know, that friendly bacteria? They have it in capsule form, now. It might help with the food allergies. If you have leakey gut, it could be causing your psoriasis. Also, I have very bad cracked and bleeding dry itchy skin on my hands. I was embarassed to show them in public. This cream worked. It didn't cure it, but I haven't had a crack since I first started using it and I no longer have to hide my hands.

http://www.miracleofaloe.com/prodinfo.asp?number=2012

they also have products for psoraisis. This is the first product that worked and KEPT working. For some reason, stuff works, then my body gets used to it or something and it stops working. Emu oil also helped me, but stopped working after a couple of months. It might work for you.


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## suzfromWi (Jun 1, 2002)

blue8ewe said:


> The only thing I can recommend is Renew by Melealuca. It has worked like magic for us. Completely healed in a week. Any time we have a flare up we slather it on 2 or 3 times a day and in days its gone.
> If you are interested LMK and I'll give you the info.


What is this and how can I get it?


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## hoofinitnorth (Oct 18, 2006)

Can you do immunizations to desensitize your body to the food allergies you're experiencing?


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## LvDemWings (Sep 11, 2005)

The kidling suffers from psoriasis. Here is what works for him. Keeping the area clean and dry but not covered. He does best when he keeps his hair cut short so it can't touch the skin but is struggling now because of a flair up where his hat touches his forehead. The cold dry air of winter causes him more problems than the moist warm air of summer but this may be in part because of his limited sun exposure in the winter. He has had some limited success with rinsing his face in cool water mixed with baking soda and patting the area down with a thick towel that has never seen bleach. I honestly believe that seasonal changes effect the water supply and can make a difference. You may want to consider rinsing your face with different waters and see what works for you. His skin was its clearest in New Jersey where the water was from an underground spring, wasn't chemically treated in any way and was just slightly salty.


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## LizinNH (Feb 2, 2003)

How much water do you drink daily? Try to get at least 1ozof water for every 2lbs of body weight. The water helps eliminate the excess toxins in the body that lend to flare ups. 
While I don't have psoriasis, I do have severe (stressed related) eczema on a 1/4 of body and spreading. I've noticed when i drink enough water the eczema hurts less and heals faster. 
I hope this helps.
Liz in NH


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## tn_junk (Nov 28, 2006)

I have ulcerative colitis (have had for 30+ years), a byproduct of that is that i have outbreaks of psoriasis. Since I started taking Imuran, both my UC and psoriasis have almost totally cleared up. Might talk to your Dr. Mine said that both the UC and the psoriasis are my body trying to reject itself and the Imuran (which was originally an anti rejection medicine for kidney transplants) prevents the rejection.

galump


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## culpeper (Nov 1, 2002)

Melaleuca is Tea Tree oil (sometimes and more properly called Ti-Tree). You should be able to get it at any chemist. Here in Australia, it's easily available from the Personal Care section of any supermarket. It's a wonderful antifungal, but if it works on psoriasis, it's a bonus feature!


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