Psoriasis - Any remedies?

wendyjb

My OH suffers from this, only on his arms, and it will clear up in summertime once he gets some sun to it.

I think hydrocortisone cream helps - but trying to get an appt at the Docs is like trying to win the lottery, and he's not too keen about going on a sunbed.

Has anyone got any remedies to suggest that might help clear it up?

Savvy_Sue

We're not supposed to offer that kind of advice here, and I know what you mean about trying to get to GP, BUT when you do, why not ask for a referral to a skin specialist. DH has eczema and has found the dermatology nurse excellent: she also referred him for light treatment which was very helpful. They (at the light treatment) were adamant that he should not use a sunbed and would not give him any information about the kind of light he was getting, but he ended up nice and brown and the dermatology nurse has promised to try and get him some more info about exactly what was in the light treatment so he can work out if a sunbed would be any help at all.

Som other thoughts: you can buy mild hydrocortisone creams over the counter in the chemist these days. And looking for threads by Ted Hutchinson and someone whose user name I can't remember accurately on the benefits of Vitamin D might be useful!

Kitikat

My mum has psoriasis and I can remember when I was a child she used to say that the only thing that helped her was coal tar baths (or something that sounded very much like coal tar). If I remember correctly it came a in bottle, like a shampoo bottle and I think could be bounght at the chemists. She would put so much in the bath and soaked there, it had a really distinctive smell. The other thing was try not to get so stressed because it really flared up badly if she did.

troll35

I too have psoriasis and find that a sun and sea combination works well in combatting it. I use the Salt body scrub from by the Sanctuary range in Boots (often on 3 for 2 or BOGOF). The salt seems to help and the almond oil leaves your skin lovely and soft (and your bath slippy). Most of the remedies offered by my doctor have had varying degrees of partial success. I often feel like I'm clutching at straws when I try yet another 'alternative cure'. Best thing I can suggest is really keeping the skin well moisturised so that it doesn't itch and the plaques don't get inflamed until you can get a sunny holiday.
My doctor also said that he could only refer me to the dermatologist if the condition got quite bad (I only get a bit on my arms and legs mainly) because the treatments on offer at hospitals are quite drastic.
Many of the coal tar treatments have been withdrawn because of the carcinogenic nature of coal tar.

impy78

oatmeal in a bath relieves the itching just before bed.

macchicken

My dad has it all over him. Euvomate or Euvobase is an over the counter cream that really helps him. Or aqueous cream its a really mild one. I think there is a product called pollytar you can buy for the bath.

Its very much trial and error.

Speak to the pharmisist, they are normally pretty good. Or try health food shops for naturals remedies

good luck

shokadelika

Make sure he is getting enough omega 3 fish oil or cod liver oil and vitamin a d and c

brindles01

Its amazing the information you can get off this site! I too have just developed guttate psoriasis and its driving me crazy. Im off to the docs tom. to ask for a referral to a dermatologist. Ill keep you informed here if I find anything that helps?

Chris_L_5

I recently bought a juicer and I recall seeing information on one site about how daily fresh fruit helped with psoriasis. I don't know how accurate that information is.

ps one of the previous replies mentioned some creams and I think there was a typo I think the creams are Eumovate (prescription based) & Eumobase (over the counter). We use Eumobase for one of our children who has Eczema and it is very helpful because it does not have a alcohol base.

Ted_Hutchinson

[url=http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=16181450&query_hl=15&itool=pubmed_docsum]Diet and psoriasis: experimental data and clinical evidence.[/url]More support for more OMEGA3 and vitamin d.

Sunbathing is needed for optimum health in the British Isles
As this article supports the view that it is virtually impossible to get vit d from sunlight until April you may do well to use a worthwhile amount of Vitamin D3 from Quidco Cashback - Healthy Direct - 21% I think it may be 24% this month. Boosting your vit d levels now with a really useful amount such as 125 tablets 50000iu will improve the speed at which you tan as it will prime your skin.

goldentouch

brindles01 wrote:

Its amazing the information you can get off this site! I too have just developed guttate psoriasis and its driving me crazy. Im off to the docs tom. to ask for a referral to a dermatologist. Ill keep you informed here if I find anything that helps?

Me too! My GP said it was as a result of an untreated throat infection. I had it all over for 8 weeks. I was waking up all through the night. Now I just get 3/4 new spots overnight.

I think it's because I am stressed out of my skull :eek: