Life can be tougher for persons living with psoriasis. The disease impacts a person in various ways – both physically and psychologically. It also impacts not only your life but your loved ones and family’s lives as well. But what’s comforting to know is there are several things that one can try to manage the flare-ups of this auto-immune disease.
- Eat a healthy diet.
There is no research directly relating the effects of diet to psoriasis, but evidence and testimonies show that your diet can have an impact on how well you can respond to treatments. Additionally, what you eat may also trigger flare-ups. A research in 2013 showed that people who are overweight minimized psoriasis flare-ups through proper diet and regular exercise.
That is you can never go wrong if you create a diet plan and stick with it.
Since what you are avoiding are flare-ups, it is best to consume foods that are known to have anti-inflammatory properties. These include:
- Green, leafy vegetables
- Berries, especially cherries
- Fatty fish like sardines and salmon, which are abundant in omega-3 fatty acids
- Herbs and spices like ginger, cumin, sage, and thyme, which are rich in anti-oxidants and have inflammatory properties
- Olive oil
- Seeds and nuts
If you are planning to get omega-3 fatty acid supplements, it is best to consult with a doctor first. But eating the above-mentioned foods will certainly help boost your overall wellness.
How about the food that you need to avoid? Here are some items that you need to stay away from to avoid flare-ups:
- Sugary foods
- Processed foods
- Fatty red meat
- Dairy
Focus on incorporating anti-inflammatory foods in your diet. Couple this with exercise and you will have a healthy and natural combination to prevent the worsening of psoriasis symptoms.
- Avoid stressors.
Most people suffering from psoriasis say that anxiety and stress usually worsen flare-ups. You cannot completely remove all stressors in your life, but you can choose what battles to face or you can change the way you face them. Avoid doing tasks that are too much for you to handle. Only do things that are important to you.
Besides avoiding toxic circumstances or people, also adopt a relaxation method. Learn how to meditate or do yoga exercises. Psoriasis often affects you personally too, so you must learn how to cope with the stress through relaxing activities.
- Moisturize your skin regularly.
Cold weather can trigger flare-ups so the coming months of fall and winter can be tough on people living with psoriasis. Those itchy, dry, silvery-white patches can worsen if your skin is dry. Maintaining your stash of moisturizing creams and lotions is helpful to keep the affected areas from getting dry. Petroleum jelly is usually the most recommended unless your physician prescribes something else. Regularly moisturizing the affected areas can also prevent you from scratching those surfaces, thereby avoiding bleeding or even hair loss (especially if the patches are on your scalp).
- Avoid smoking.
If you quit smoking, it will open various benefits for people living with psoriasis:
- Minimize inflammation
- Reduce flare-ups
- Prolong periods of remissions
If you need help to stop smoking, you can consult support groups, a therapist, or a doctor.
- Minimize alcohol intake.
If you are taking treatments for psoriasis, it is better if you avoid drinking alcohol. Too much of it can hinder the effectiveness of your treatments. Avoiding alcohol altogether may lengthen your remission period, and lessen the risk of having fatty liver complications, liver damage, and psoriatic arthritis.
Instead of drinking alcohol, consider healthy beverages instead. Consider home-made juices or smoothies or if you want to make your drinks simpler, make infused water concoctions.
- Ask a doctor for treatments.
For effective treatments, you should seek the help of a licensed doctor who will give you options.
There are topical treatments like creams and medicated ointments. Topical options reduce the speed of skin cell turnover and regulate immune system response.
Oral drugs, on the other hand, are prescribed for more severe psoriasis symptoms. Meanwhile, biologics are administered through injection.
Biologics disrupt inflammation pathways and are good for serious psoriasis cases. Approved biologics treatments in Canada include adalimumab, ustekinumab, ixekizumab, infliximab, secukinumab, and etanercept.
Light therapy can be another option too. Light therapy uses UV light or natural light to treat psoriasis symptoms.
Most physicians, however, recommend combination therapy, a mix of two or more psoriasis treatments, to find out what method is the most effective for the patient.
If one method does not work for you, there are still other treatment options to manage psoriasis. If you need help to find the proper treatment for you, try to contact an online doctor Canada. Online doctors can help you find treatment methods and advise you on your autoimmune disease.