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Psoriatic arthritis is a distinct disease, different from rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis- another common type of arthritis- but sharing similar features to each.  The disability and functional impairment in psoriatic arthritis can be as severe as that occurring from rheumatoid arthritis.

Typically, a patient will have had psoriasis for a number of years before the arthritis develops.  A small proportion of patient will develop the arthritis concurrently with the skin disease and an even smaller percentage will develop the skin disease after the joint disease.

Psoriatic arthritis may affect most joints in an oligoarticular pattern, meaning a few scattered joints are affected and the joint inflammation does not have the symmetrical pattern seen in rheumatoid arthritis.  Enthesitis, which is inflammation of the tendons that attach to bone, is common in psoriatic arthritis.  “Sausage digits” – swelling of the fingers and toes so that they look like little sausages is frequent.  Nail changes are also common. These include “pitting” and separation of the nail from the nailbed. Some patients will develop carpal tunnel syndrome because of inflammation in the wrist.  Inflammation of the eyes is a serious complication, as is involvement of the aortic valve of the heart.

Joint deformity is frequent and affects 40% of patients with the disease.  Psoriatic arthritis has a significant impact on quality of life.  The skin disease is a tremendous burden and often leads to depression.

The inflammatory process that causes both the skin disease as well as the joint disease is driven by elevated levels of a substance called tumor necrosis factor, or TNF.

A patient with psoriasis who complains of joint pain, swelling, morning stiffness, and fatigue should raise a high level of suspicion for the diagnosis of psoriatic arthritis.

Laboratory testing will show evidence of inflammation and imaging procedures such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can help confirm the diagnosis.

Treatments that improve the skin disease do not necessarily improve joint symptoms and vice versa.

Treatment goals include symptomatic relief and control of disease progression.

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are helpful for relieving some symptoms.  However the majority of patients with psoriatic arthritis will require a combination of methotrexate and anti-TNF biologic therapy.  Anti-TNF therapies have provided a significant advance in the treatment of both the skin as well the joint disease in patients with psoriatic arthritis.
Dr. Wei (pronounced “way”) is a board-certified rheumatologist and Clinical Director of the nationally respected Arthritis and Osteoporosis Center of Maryland. He is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of  Maryland School of Medicine and has served as a consultant to the Arthritis Branch of the National Institutes of Health. He is a Fellow of the American College of Rheumatology and the American College of Physicians. For more information on arthritis and related conditions, go to: [ http://www.arthritis-treatment-and-relief.com/types-of-arthritis.html ]Types of Arthritis

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Acupuncture, as a therapy, has been practiced in many eastern cultures and societies for thousands of years. It is only recently that this treatment appeared in western countries, with many tradition Chinese herbalists and doctors commencing practices. As a treatment for acne and psoriasis it has been found to be effective in certain clinical settings.

In 1992, the first study was commenced to assess acupunctures benefit as a therapy for a host of skin conditions and allergies. Conducted in mainland China, the study encompassed 61 participants who were typical resistant to the more common treatment protocols. The research group administered controlled acupuncture which was given in nine separate sessions rather than the mainstream treatment options.

Proponents of the study claim that the use of the treatment was a concerted success. More than 50% of the initial test group that was treated with acupuncture experienced remissions in their conditions and in some cases this lead to the condition being cured. Overall, it has been reported that the majority of patients experienced a significant improvement of their conditions and quality of life. This was perplexing, to say the least, to the western medical fraternity.

In acupuncture theory, there are special sections of the body which are referred to as meridians. In eastern medicine, these meridians are known to restore balance and correct energy dispersement throughout the human body. According to their beliefs, by targeting specific meridians, they are able to restore natural function and remove blockages and nervous conditions which lead to a variety of skin allergies.

Further studies have been conducted in western countries, however, the majority of the failed to provide solid quantitative results to prove the case for acupuncture. At this stage, there has been no confirmed evidence to show that acupuncture is a valid treatment for the varied skin conditions that exist.  Having said that, individual cases continue to show improvement and it possibly should not be overlooked as a non-invasive therapy. Some suffers of acne and psoriasis have reported a vast improvement in their symptoms after undergoing the standard acupuncture treatment.

One of the important uses of this acupuncture therapy is its application against psoriatic arthritis. Psoriatic arthritis is an affliction which inflames the bodies’ joints and causes high amount of pain for the unfortunate sufferers. Acupuncture has previously been used to target the pain controlling meridians, successfully.

In and by it’s self acupuncture is likely to be ineffective at treating major disorders. Having said that, it is clear from the years of tradition and the current research studies underway, that it obviously has some success rate. Many western medical practioners are now turning to it as an adjunct to traditional treatment protocols. Therefore, if you suffer from allergies or skin irritations you should discuss the possibility of combining acupuncture with a standard medical treatment.

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There are  many different types of skin diseases, some are contagious and can be passed on to another person by close contact,and then there are the very serious skin conditions such as the skin cancers or melanomas that if left untreated will develop into life threatening conditions.

But here eczema or as it also known as dermatitis, falls into neither of these categories as it  can not be passed on to another person through close contact and under most circumstances is extremely  unlikely to be life threatening unless some virus or other complication were to present itself through broken skin and go on to infect other organs of the body.

 Dermatitis symptoms  include itchy red cracked inflammation of patches of  skin  with an  eruption of small blisters  which may break to give a watery discharge.These skin eruptions can occur on any part of the body,but most often appear on the hands,face,elbows, and knees.

 In some cases there may be a family history of this skin problem occurring.But for other people the formation of an outbreak is often linked to working with some man made chemicals such as solvents, bleach,cleaning fluids or any other similar liquids.This type of eruption falls into the category of contact dermatitis and nickel objects  are also a common trigger for this type of dermatitis.

There are other classifications of dermatitis such as discoid, venous but atopic dermatitis is the most common form.What ever psoriasis treatment,eczema treatments or scalp eczema regime is used it is best to avoid the use of any formulation that contains coal tar ,as this will make the skin more sensitive to sunlight.

Discover new   eczema treatments,   psoriasis treatment and http://www.reygani.com/

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If you have eczema like I do then you will agree once you try these Lush natural skin care products for eczema and psoriasis are second to none! LUSH products for dry, cracked and oozing skin have shown significant improvements in my skin. There are many moisturizers, body bars, bath bombs, lotions etc. that are all organic and made specifically for our dry, crack and oozing skin.

They are green, encourage recycling, sell handmade products, and have a vegan friendly line for the earth lovers. You can sample just about everything and the women who work here have glowing personalities that almost outshine the glittery pink bubble bath

The cost is more than drugs stores but less than salon prices. Try it out

I’m loving the massage bars which are great for extra dry skin because it’s almost like lotion with greater staying power, but not greasy. Make sure you get the reusable tins to put them in to keep cool and dry, otherwise they’ll melt away super quick. My other favorite is the Lemony Flutter cream–it’s a little greasy, but great for chapped winter hands and feet. I also love Lush’s Cream Dream which is light and fast absorbing and the Coconut Body Bar.

Soothe your dry irritated skin and promote its healing by indulging in Lush natural skin care products for eczema and psoriasis today!

I used to work downstairs from Lush and that is what started my addiction. I’ve worked in the beauty/cosmetics industry both in salons and as a make-up artist and truly I will not put any other products on my face or body any more! I highly recommend the Ayesha mask (good for women during that special time each month to help prevent breakouts) and the Mudflatts soap. Lush is reasonably priced considering the quality of their products.

Shani Riviere

To visit Lush, go to: [http://cure-eczema-with-lush-natural-remedy.blogspot.com]

http://cure-eczema-with-lush-natural-remedy.blogspot.com

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The digestive tract is central to health, particularly the intestines. If they are not in top form, lots of things happen in the body that lead to illness and disease. Besides the blood and the lymph, the digestive tract uses a large amount of water. You need approximately two quarts of water just to digest a meal. Water is also lost from the body through urination, defecation, perspiration and respiration. The body will pull water from wherever it can, but if there is not enough, certain troubling symptoms start to appear.

According to Dr. Kenneth Seaton and the book Prostate Health in 90 Days by Larry Clapp, Ph.D. J.D., allergies are not caused by allergens such as pollens, house mites, dust or other such substances. While it is true that these types of things trigger allergic symptoms, the underlying cause is a malfunctioning immune system; “Immunity gone wrong”. And, it is all triggered by a water shortage in the body. When there is an inner drought, the body actives a neurotransmitter called histamine. Histamine has two functions, one is to manage the immune system and the other is to manage the available water supply.

Histamine protects vital organs and body processes by practicing drought management. Histamine activates and we appear to have an allergic response. But what is more subtle, is when our intestines are affected. When there is an intestinal water shortage we become more sensitive to triggers called allergens. We appear to have sensitivities to certain substances which create symptoms in our bodies that make us feel unwell.

The allergen simply triggers an incorrect immune system response. In a sense, the immune system identifies the harmless allergen and tries to kill it. The allergic symptoms many of us are so familiar with, runny noses, watery eyes, itching, etc., are direct signs of our immune systems trying to kill these harmless substances. This type of immunological mayhem cannot be separated from the stress put on our immune systems from infections (in many cases sub-clinical infections). Many auto-immune diseases can be viewed as a severe form of allergy where the immune system attacks its owner. Psoriasis is one of them.

Let me explain. Between eighty and ninety percent of your immune system is in your gut. In simplistic terms, you have an outer mucous layer, a under layer containing zonulin protein and some patches called Payer’s Patches. This area of the intestines must be fully hydrated to function well.

The mucous layer allows the food to slide along the gut and protect the zonulin protein and the Payers Patches. In a dehydration response, the mucous layer partially dries up. When you eat scratchy food or strongly harsh foods, you can also damage the mucous layer. What happens then is the first stage of allergic response. I use the analogy of a tile floor. When the floor is new and shiny, the grouting is all in place, there is no way that the subfloor can get dirty. When the floor is abused, the tiles crack and the grouting starts to fall out, especially when it is dehydrated. The subfloor starts to collect dirt and debris. What happens in the gut is that the subfloor, too gets dirty. This is called leaky gut syndrome and is when allergies and auto-immune problems start. Leaky gut syndrome is when partially digested food leaks into the cellular lining of the intestinal walls. Histamine activates its drought management policy because there is a water shortage and. in addition activates the immune system to kill the invading forces, in this case partially digested food.

In cases of serious allergic reactions, the leaky gut syndrome starts affecting the Payer’s Patches. This is where your immune system starts. These Patches produce B-lymphocytes, one of the first steps in immune response. Through a process of chemical and hormonal signaling these produce monocytes, dendrites then signal the thymus to form T-cells. The T-cells that have the biggest effect on immune disorders are the Natural Killer T-Cells or NKT’s. When the signal goes awry, B-lymphocytes are cranked out of the Payer’s Patches in great numbers which, at the end of the hormonal signaling chain, also crank out NKT’s. Unfortunately, this malfunction creates a situation where the NKT’s seem to ‘think’ that they have to respond to the histamine that has gathered as a result of dehydration. This creates a response that they need to ‘eat’ whatever has caused the histamine response. They begin eating whatever they are close to, in this case, the skin, resulting in psoriasis and other skin disorders.

When the skin is dehydrated, it causes histamine to gather in the spots where dehydration is the worst. The dehydration also activates the immune system which eats away at the layers of skin causing reddening and scaling. The skin attempts to repair itself by speeding up the cycle of cell replacement and the scaling deepens. The itching and scaling breaks down the acid mantle on the skin, which further compromises the immune system. This auto-immune disease started with dehydration and cascaded into skin inflammation. The dehydration response in the body can simply be relieved with clean, healthy water. The healthiest water for the body is alkaline, ionized water. It is split into two streams by an electrolysis unit – one alkaline and the other acidic. The alkaline water relieves the dehydration because it is broken up into little bunches of water molecules.

These smaller bunches can enter the cells more efficiently. It is like me saying to you, “Put this apple in your mouth.” You can’t do it, it doesn’t fit. If you cut the apple up into small pieces, they easily fit into your mouth. Your cells are no different. The body becomes acidic from dehydration, so when you drink lots (at least half your body weigh in ounces)  of alkaline ionized water, the cells become hydrated, the cell function is restored and the histamine response diminishes because it is no longer needed.

To restore the skin’s acid mantle and keep the skin moist, the acidic component of the water is dabbed on the skin where the psoriatic lesions are located. As the skin’s pH is restored and is rehydrated from within, the skin starts growing “normal” cells again and the “eating” frenzy stops. After a while, the skin looks normal again as long as you keep drinking lots of alkaline, ionized water. A few different food choices help too.

Jean Perrins is a retired nurse and an alkaline, ionized water specialist. She has been field testing the effects of structured water on health in her clinic with sometimes astounding results. It is clear that water has an affect on health that we, in the West are just beginning to understand.

 Jean is currently working with a team to develop microbicidal and Free Active Chlorine applications to revolutionize industrial and agricultural methods using Invins-AbleTM electrochemically activated water. She and her team believe that Invins-AbleTM will help eliminate antibiotic and hormone use in food animals and will allow cleaning and chemical services to do more and more processes with this structured water. The economic and environmental savings are astounding. Check out http://www.drinkalkalineionizedwater.com for more articles.

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