Posts Tagged ‘illness’
How to Manage the Pain of Shingles
Are you one of the millions of people suffering from the pain of a herpes zoster outbreak? Herpes zoster is the wrath of chickenpox, otherwise known as shingles that affects millions of people in the US every year. Shingles is a painful red rash that turns into blisters that leak a clear fluid when the blister breaks open.
Shingles and chickenpox are caused by the same virus. It generally lies dormant in someone who has had the chickenpox as a child and becomes reactivated when an outside source has weakened the immune system later in life.
Treating Psoriasis the Natural Way
Many people want to find a natural psoriasis treatment that can help them control the disease and relieve the itching and scales. Although some people choose to pursue only natural psoriasis treatments, it is recommended that you work with your doctor to develop an overall plan that includes both natural and traditional treatments.
Natural psoriasis treatment isn’t just about one thing. Rather it is a combination of what topical ointments you use, what you eat, and how you reduce your stress levels. This three way approach is the most effective.
Treating Psoriasis With Home Remedies
When you want to reduce your pain and symptoms, using a home remedy for psoriasis can be both fast and safe. Of course, you’ll always want to talk with your doctor about your treatment options, but these home remedies can be used no matter what medication you are on. These are not meant as a cure, but if you want to lessen the severity of your psoriasis you’ll want to eat a healthy diet, exercise and try to reduce stress.
One home remedy for psoriasis is a psoriasis diet. There isn’t one overall diet for everyone who has psoriasis, but the foods that you eat can affect your condition. The number one thing to remember is to eat healthy. Cut back on meat and dairy–two known triggers–and increase the number of vegetables in your diet. Include either fish or flax in your diet for Omega 3 and Omega 6. These essential fatty acids are vital in the fight against psoriasis. Supplement your diet with fish oil or flax seed oil. Keep a food diary so you’ll know which foods help or hurt your condition.
Reflexology - a Good Treatment for Psoriasis?
An alternative therapy to consider for treatment of psoriasis is reflexology. Psoriasis has no cure and can be a painful condition with lesions that are red, scaly, and inflamed. Although you should work with your doctor and take the prescribed medications, you might want to add reflexology as a complementary therapy to reduce the symptoms of psoriasis.
Reflexology for psoriasis is to be considered a complimentary therapy that can help ease the symptoms. While there is no research showing how reflexology can help people with psoriasis, there is anecdotal evidence that it can be beneficial, especially in reducing stress and outbreaks related to stress. While there may be debate about how reflexology works, everyone can agree that its relaxing effect, similar to that of a massage, can help reduce stress and strengthen the immune system.
Scalp Psoriasis - Can Scalp Psoriasis Be Cured?
Present in more than half the people who suffer from psoriasis, scalp psoriasis is fairly common. Other than the scalp, scalp psoriasis can also be found by the ears, on the forehead, and on the back of the neck. In rare cases, scalp psoriasis is found by itself where psoriasis does not affect any other parts of the body such as the more common locations of the knees and elbows.
Scalp psoriasis symptoms include whitish scales covering red skin patches. The skin frequently itches and will flake off when scratched. Scalp psoriasis can be mild, with fine scaling, or be more severe and result in thick plaques that cover the entire scalp. In severe cases, hair loss is possible.
Treatment Options for Arthritis Psoriasis
Arthritis psoriasis is also called psoriatic arthritis and is a condition in which both the joints and the skin become inflamed. The psoriasis causes the skin to become red, raised, scaly, and patchy. It is estimated that ten percent of people with psoriasis will also develop inflammatory arthritis. This results in a diagnosis of arthritis psoriasis.
In psoriatic arthritis, the arthritis and psoriasis rarely occur at the same time. Psoriasis occurs first for around 80% for most sufferers, while 15% with arthritis psoriasis will experience arthritis symptoms first. Years can pass before the other condition exhibits symptoms.
Important Facts About Guttate Psoriasis
Guttate psoriasis is a rare form of psoriasis that typically appears on the legs, arms, or trunk, though it can occur elsewhere on the body. Guttate psoriasis appears as small red or pink drops on the skin and is finer than the more common plaque psoriasis.
Guttate psoriasis is often triggered by a strep throat infection or a viral infection. The outbreak may occur two to three weeks after the infection. Guttate psoriasis can run in the family, but it is not contagious. While there is no cure for guttate psoriasis, an outbreak can happen only once or may recur.
Psoriasis Scalp: Causes and Treatments
Scalp psoriasis occurs when the skin cells grow too quickly and cause red lesions to appear. It is a common form of psoriasis, affecting about half of the people with psoriasis. It is not confined to the neck, but can be found around the ears, on the forehead, and on the neck. There is no cure, but there are many psoriasis scalp treatments, such as natural treatments, topical steroids, and tar products.
Tar products are good as a mild psoriasis scalp treatment. For scalp psoriasis, tar products are usually in the form of shampoo. You can get them by prescription or over-the-counter. Tar shampoo needs to stay on the scalp for a few minutes before it is rinsed away to be effective. Unfortunately, the strong and unpleasant odor of tar shampoo means it is not the perfect solution. It also has the tendency to stain pillow cases. These, however, may be minor annoyances compared to steroid’s side effects.
Is Shingles Contagious?
Herpes Zoster, also known as Shingles is a viral infection that can develop in anyone who has previously had the chickenpox. People most susceptible to this virus include anyone under prolonged periods of stress, someone with an immune disorder such as HIV/AIDS, a cancer patient undergoing chemotherapy or an organ transplant recipient. The reason an organ transplant patient is more vulnerable to this virus is that the anti rejection medications suppress the immune system in order to avoid rejecting the new organ.
Shingles may start out as a low-grade fever or flu-like symptoms. The fever can be followed by pain or itchy areas on the skin, then a red rash appears within five days. The rash turns into painful blisters that begin to leak a clear fluid that eventually crust over then heals.
Shingles: Is It Contagious?
Shingles, also known as Herpes Zoster is a viral infection commonly found in someone who has previously had the chickenpox. Other people vulnerable to contracting this virus include someone under long periods of stress, a cancer patient undergoing chemotherapy, an organ transplant recipient and someone with an immune disorder such as HIV/AIDS. The reason for vulnerability by an organ transplant patient is that they receive anti-rejection medications which suppress the immune system in order to prevent the new transplanted organ from being rejected by the body.
For many, shingles will begin as a low-grade fever followed by flu-like symptoms and itchy, painful areas on the skin. Within five days of these symptoms a red rash will appear. As the virus progresses, the rash will then become painful blisters that will leak a clear fluid. Finally, the blisters will form a crust and eventually heal, leaving behind the possibility of a scar.
