Psoriasis is a common skin condition present in about 10% of the population. This is thought to be an auto-immune condition that is represented as red patches covered by thickened skin, scaly and silver plaques. About 10-30% of people who develop psoriasis, also develop arthritis. Depending on the location of the psoriasis, it can impact self esteem and social anxiety.
Psoriasis is a chronic condition that may result in periods of flare ups and remissions. It is thought to be due to your T-cells, which are your immune cells, to be attacking healthy skin cells which causes fast replacement of the damaged ones. This enters a vicious cycle of attacking the cells and producing more T-cells.
It’s important to understand your body and determine the root cause to your psoriasis in order to be able to manage it best. You are unique, and no two bodies are the same. Therefore, Dr. Tali strives to formulate an individualized treatment based on your health, body and needs, using evidence based natural medicine.
Common symptoms of psoriasis include:
Diagnosis of psoriasis is done through an in-depth medical examination and intake. A biopsy test may be used to confirm it is psoriasis as well as rule out other skin conditions.
Since Psoriasis is an auto-immune disease, it is associated with other conditions due to the inflammation aspect. Such conditions include systemic inflammation, cardiovascular disease, Crohn’s and metabolic syndrome.
Just like for eczema, there are many other links to your skin health such as gut health, hormones, liver health, nutrition and inflammation. If you put a pen on your cheek and keep drawing without lifting your pen, you will eventually reach the gut lining. This is to show that your skin is also a representation of what is going on inside of you, in your digestive organs.
There is no one exact thing proven to cause psoriasis, but rather it may be a combination of the following:
Risk factors include smoking, alcohol and obesity.
Dr. Tali’s natural treatment to psoriasis approach is individualized and tailored to your needs. As you can see, psoriasis has many causes and triggers, therefore it’s important to understand your health history and dig deep into your health. You need a licensed and regulated health care practitioner, such as a Naturopathic Doctor to be able to address the root cause of your eczema, prevent future flare ups and heal the skin. Finding out the root cause to your psoriasis is key, luckily, you found yourself someone who is really curious and will take a deep dive to find it.
Dr. Tali may suggest testing such as Food Sensitivity Testing as it’s important to eliminate all the triggers to your flare ups. Adrenal Hormone Testing may also be suggested based on your individualized case to assess how much stress hormones you are producing. Dr. Tali will go over your house products as well as assess your nutritional status. Individualized treatment is important, as you are unique and no two bodies are the same.
Treatment goals for psoriasis is to always to treat the cause, improve symptoms and flare ups as well as health optimization by implementing a proper individualized treatment. Dr Tali uses evidence based treatment which includes herbal medicine, supplementation, nutrition, acupuncture, diet and lifestyle as part of her naturopathic medical treatment. Her approach to psoriasis isn’t just to optimize your skin health but it’s also to reduce inflammation, reduce stress, heal the gut and educate you about your health and body. The immune aspect is also important to treat when it comes to psoriasis. This is also done to avoid future conditions associated with psoriasis as preventative medicine is key.
With respect to aggravation and flare ups, since it’s hard to avoid daily stressors, its best to make yourself more resilient to them. This is something Dr. Tali strives to do with all of her patients. Especially since research suggests that stress is one of the triggers to your psoriasis flare ups!
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