BEST TREATMENT FOR PSORIASIS IN MADURAI
Psoriasis is a chronic skin condition caused by an overactive immune system. Symptoms include flaking, inflammation, and thick, white, silvery, or red patches of skin.
Types:
- Plaque psoriasis: This is the most common type of psoriasis. It is characterized by raised, red lesions covered with silvery white scales. The scales are caused by a building up of dead skin cells. It may appear on the knees, elbows, scalp, trunk or any other skin surface.
- Guttate psoriasis: It is characterized by numerous small red dots of psoriasis. The lesions may have some scaling. These numerous spots of psoriasis appear over large areas of the body, such as the trunk, limbs, and scalp. It may appear suddenly following a bacterial or viral infection or the administration of drugs like ketoconazole and salicylic acid.
- Inverse psoriasis: This is usually found in the folds of the skin in the armpits, groin, under an overweight stomach or under the breasts. It appears as smooth, red lesions without scaling and may cause irritation due to rubbing and sweating.
- Pustular psoriasis: It is characterized by blisters filled with pus on the skin. The blisters are not infectious. It may be found on the hands and feet or may be spread all over. The skin under and surrounding pustules is red and tender.
- Psoriatic arthritis: About 10% to 30% of the patients with psoriasis may develop a form of arthritis called psoriatic arthritis. This may cause redness and swelling, primarily on the hands, feet, knees, hips, elbows and spine. It may cause stiffness, pain and joint damage.
- Nail psoriasis: produces a variety of changes in the appearance of finger and toe nails. These changes include discoloring under the nail plate, pitting of the nails, lines going across the nails, thickening of the skin under the nail, and the loosening and crumbling of the nail.
- Erythrodermic psoriasis: This involves the widespread inflammation and exfoliation of the skin over most of the body surface. It may be accompanied by severe itching, swelling and pain. It is often the result of an exacerbation of unstable plaque psoriasis, particularly following the abrupt withdrawal of systemic treatment. This form of psoriasis can be fatal, as the extreme inflammation and exfoliation disrupt the body’s ability to regulate temperature and for the skin to perform barrier functions.
Symptoms:
Psoriasis signs and symptoms are different for everyone. Common signs and symptoms include:
- Red patches of skin covered with thick, silvery scales
- Small scaling spots (commonly seen in children)
- Dry, cracked skin that may bleed
- Itching, burning or soreness
- Thickened, pitted or ridged nails
- Swollen and stiff joints
Causes
The cause of psoriasis isn’t fully understood, but it’s thought to be related to an immune system problem with T cells and other white blood cells, called neutrophils, in your body.T cells normally travel through the body to defend against foreign substances, such as viruses or bacteria.But if you have psoriasis, the T cells attack healthy skin cells by mistake, as if to heal a wound or to fight an infection.Overactive T cells also trigger increased production of healthy skin cells, more T cells and other white blood cells, especially neutrophils. These travel into the skin causing redness and sometimes pus in pustular lesions. Dilated blood vessels in psoriasis-affected areas create warmth and redness in the skin lesions.The process becomes an ongoing cycle in which new skin cells move to the outermost layer of skin too quickly — in days rather than weeks. Skin cells build up in thick, scaly patches on the skin’s surface, continuing until treatment stops the cycle.
Traditional View:
Ayurveda believes that impurities in the blood associated with emotional factors are the cause of the disease.Psoriasis is believed to occur due to vitiation of all the three doshas (Vata, Pitta, Kapha) in varying degree. According to Ayurveda, Psoriasis appears due to imbalance of two doshas – Vata and Kapha . Vata and Kapha doshas manifest in the skin and cause accumulation of toxins. These toxins accumulate in deep tissues like rasa (nutrient plasma), rakta (blood), mansa (muscles), and lasika (lymphatic). These toxins cause contamination of deeper tissues, leading to Psoriasis. Ekakusta, kitibha and Sidma are some of the types of Kshudra and Maha Kustas (skin diseases) narrated in Ayurveda closely resemble the classical symptoms of Psoriasis.
In siddha Kalanjagapadai is a dermatological problem mentioned associated with joint disease is equivalent to Psoriasis vulgaris in modern classification of diseases. Kalanjagapadai or Psoriasis is characterized by scaling, redness and thickness with well defined skin patches. It is supposed to be an autoimmune condition characterized by clearance of psoriatic skin lesions and reoccurrence at ill-defined time intervals.
Treatment:
In Traditional medicine purification of blood and tissues is the primary aim in cases of Psoriasis. Toxins are cleansed from the body and the digestion is restored to prevent further accumulation. After that traditionally prepared classical Ayurveda & Siddha medicines are administered to strengthen and tone the tissues to promote complete healing of the skin.
At HARIDRA, our treatment primarily focuses on blood purification and balancing the vitiated Doshas. Management of Psoriasis comprises of:
- Shodhana chikitsa (Detoxification)
- Shamana chikitsa (Palliative) through proper administration of traditionally prepared classical internal medications and external applications
- Rasayana chikitsa (immunomodulation) to strengthen the tissues
- Diet regimens
- Lifestyle changes
Psoriasis is completely curable without any re-occurrence if patient properly follows the medications, diet and life style changes advised by the doctors.