Psoriatic Arthritis

The goal of every psoriatic arthritis treatment is to control the inflammation of the joins and to control the skin lesions that are found in various parts of the body.  Most natural psoriatic arthritis will attack the skin and the joint issues separately to be as effective as possible.  There are not very many products on the market that will treat both aspects of the disease, so it makes good sense to confront the issues separately.

Here is what one psoriatic arthritis patient had to say about this disease that is really similar to the way that many patients of the disease would describe their pain:

“I’m in my 50′s, but I feel like I am trapped in a 100 year old body with a 20 year old mind”.

Unfortunately, even patients that are on medication will continue to be in pain, discomfort, and the disease may continue to advance, causing the loss of mobility even in young patients. Those who take every effort to really care for themselves and to think outside of the box, instead of pumping their bodies full of medications, will usually find that they can find much more relief so they can continue to enjoy life despite their psoriatic arthritis diagnosis.

The top seven psoriatic arthritis treatments offer hope that one can live with psoriatic arthritis without being in pain.  Of course, patients should talk to their health care provider before implementing these psoriatic arthritis treatment options.  The top seven include:

1. Nutritional supplements
2. Herbal treatments
3. Diet
4. Exercise
5. Acupuncture
6. Topical applications: creams and lotions
7. Heat/cold compression

Nutritional Supplements

Nutritional supplements really can change the lives of those who are currently suffering from psoriatic arthritis.  There are many great products to choose from.  When looking for nutritional supplements, patients should look for ingredients such as boron, magnesium, chondroitin, glucosamine, MSM, and bromelain. It is also a good idea to include Omega 3′s and selenium.  The use of aloe vera can help with the treatment of the psoriasis.

Herbal Treatments

There are many herbs that have been found to be beneficial in the treatment of psoriatic arthritis.  These include Black Cohosh, Bogbean, Celery Seeds, Chapparal, Feverfew, Nettle, Saffron, and Yucca. These herbs are powerful relaxants, good treatments of rheumatism, osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. All of these herbs include anti-inflammatory properties, anti-rheumatic, anti-diuretic or anti-spasmodic and very useful in cases of acne. Some of these herbs are particularly useful for skin conditions of warts and blotches, treatment for pain, and they have the ability to remove or reduce uric and lactic acid build up.  These herbs are not hard to find as they can be found at herbal and natural stores as well as your local health food store.

Diet

We are what we eat, so be very careful about what you choose to consume.  You need to consider the elimination diet, although it is something that will require work.  The elimination diet will consist of recording the foods you eat and taking note of how you feel afterwards. Certain foods can make you feel more comfortable and other food groups will intensify the symptoms of psoriatic arthritis.  Fruits and vegetables should be a main part of the diet of one who has psoriatic arthritis, as should fresh fish should be.

Exercise

Exercise is an important element of psoriatic arthritis treatment because it increases the blood flow throughout the body.  This can help to get blood flowing the areas that are the most painful, which can cleanse toxins and provide relief.  Additionally, exercising with strengthen your muscles so that your joints are free of the burden of carrying all of your weight.  You don’t have to join a gym or start running marathons, simply take a walk every day or even do yard work as this will get the blood flowing.

Acupuncture

Many people have found that acupuncture is a great option for the treatment of psoriatic arthritis. The human body communicates to itself constantly and the brain can receive messages from parts of the body called endorphins. Acupuncture has a way of telling the muscle to send a message to the brain to block the “pain” message which in turn helps reduce pain in your joints.  Even when other treatments are not working, acupuncture can provide much relief.

Topical Creams and Lotions

Many times treatment focuses solely on the arthritic side of the disease when the psoriasis also needs to be treated. Skin care is very important which means you need to keep your skin moist. Adding a humidifier in the home during the dryer months is beneficial as are topical creams and lotions that keep your skin moist.  Some of the more beneficial topical creams and lotions include cocoa butter, lanolin cream, mineral oil, petroleum jelly, aloe vera or baby oil. Those with psoriatic arthritis should be careful to use the most natural soaps and body lotions possible to avoid the aggravation of the disease.

Heat/Cold

Hot/cold therapy can help many people who suffer from psoriatic arthritis. The reason is that heat increases the blood flow to the joints and ice can help to numb the areas that are causing the patient pain. Many physical therapists rely exclusively on heat packs and ice massage before activities and ice afterwards.

Every patient is different and will respond to different treatments.  These seven psoriatic arthritis treatments are a great place to start in the treatment of both aspects of the disease.  All those that suffer should try these simple options, which will give them hope that you can manage the symptoms and perhaps begin to heal your body from the inside, out.

Medicine has come a long way in the last decade, not to mention the advances that it has seen in the last 50 years.  Unfortunately, there are a handful of diseases that modern medicine has not been able to cure.  The issue is that so much of the focus is put into treating the condition rather than treating the root problem.  Natural treatments are often a great option, but when you are considering a condition such as psoriatic arthritis it will push the limits not only of over the counter and prescription medications, but also what natural remedies can do for the human body that is under attack.

Natural treatments can help the common cold, the flu, and a variety of other diseases, but what can you treat an immune system problem with?  Many people will state that you are what you eat, but is this how you can treat psoriatic arthritis?  The fact of the matter is that diet among other things can affect psoriatic arthritis, although there also need to be mental and emotional aspects that are considered in treating the disease.

A diet full of fruits and vegetables is beneficial for the patient suffering from psoriatic arthritis. You should focus on using organic sources of chicken, beef, eggs and fish for your protein. Learn about fats and the truth about saturated fats and cholesterol. Cook in stable fats like butter and lard. Use coconut products such as the oil. It is a good idea to stay away from wheat and diary from your diet as these foods promote inflammation and auto-immune responses in the body.

Stress is known to break down the body and cause a wide variety of diseases.  While the body is able to take on a lot of stress, it will break down after a long period of stress either physically or emotionally, and eventually something has to give. The body can handle the stressors for a while, but long term stress will manifest somewhere in the body. It may result in headaches, poor digestion, a skin rash or an auto-immune disorder.  If you suffer from psoriatic arthritis you need to learn how to deal with your stress in a healthy manner.  Implementing yoga and mediation can be helpful, although yoga may need to be modified due to stress on the joints.  When you learn to do away with stress, it can help to lessen the pain that is caused by the disease.

Nutritional supplements can also help with the treatment of psoriatic arthritis, although you will get the most benefit from the higher quality supplements. All supplements should be purchased through a qualified practitioner who can supply you with practitioner only supplements which are a lot more potent and powerful in the quantity of active ingredients they can provide because they are being used under supervision. Fish oil in high doses can also help with inflammation of the joints.  You may also want to take something that will re-establish flora in the intestines.

Every patient is different and will respond to different things.  Implementing all of the different options will likely yield in some result, although one will need to tailor all of the suggestions to their needs.  Some patients will be more responsive than others, so it really is all about trial and error.

When diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis many patients are given a wealth of information about what they should and shouldn’t do.  What can help and what won’t.  There are a variety of medications that can be taken, but these can all have long term effects that are less than attractive.  With medications not being an option, or a last course of action for many individuals, something has to change.  I decided that if my actions and lifestyle had perhaps caused the disease or contributed to it, I could change these things and change the course of the disease as well.

Hippocrates once said ‘let food be thy medicine’ and in terms of psoriatic arthritis this makes good sense. While diet alone will not cure psoriatic arthritis, there is something to be said for the fact that we are what we eat.  We are also what we do.  If you don’t use it, you’ll lose it, as they say.  In addition to other treatment options, a psoriatic arthritis diet approach can be beneficial. Psoriatic arthritis is classified as an auto-immune disease; the body is hypersensitive and is destroying its own tissue. There is no cure, so why fill your body with medications if food and lifestyle can help.

The best psoriatic arthritis diet will include many live foods, which means consuming fresh food that has not been processed and is no found in a jar, packet, box, and carton or packaged on the shelf. Simply put, eat more fruits and vegetables and cut out items that have a two year shelf life, as these are just full of chemicals that work to preserve the food and that cannot be good for your body. You can get started by consuming salad with all of your meals.  Don’t take anything away from the meal to start, just add the salad in.  Eating junk?  Eat a salad or fruit with it.  This will help you get the food that you need to better your body, and will also allow you to develop new cravings…for healthy food. Over time you will find that you stop craving the bad foods and start craving the live foods.

If you visit a natural or homeopathic doctor you will quickly be told that you should avoid all dairy and wheat, as it is known that there are many issues with these products and the aggravation of immune system disease. What and dairy should be cut out because they are one of the most heavily processed and commercialized food groups today, and this has effective how our bodies cope with them. Also research is showing the actual molecules can cause a lot of issue with the stomach. Whatever the cause, the result is producing inflammation in the body. At first people may freak out a little, because it is possible that every meal of the day contains wheat and diary and you think you are left with nothing to eat. It can be difficult to get used to a diet with out all of these foods, but in time you will find you no longer want or crave them.

A good psoriatic arthritis diet will include plenty of protein. Your main sources of protein are probably going to be beef, chicken or fish, so make sure they are clean and healthy. Make sure they are as natural as possible, meaning hormone and chemical free. Beef should be grass fed, like nature intended and not grain fed. If grain fed the meat loses its balance of essential fats. Chickens can also be grass fed and therefore their meat and eggs will be healthier. Do not buy farmed fish, as they have been treated with a variety of chemicals and hormones. You should focus on having all of your protein be as fresh and as possible.

Diet alone will not cure psoriatic arthritis, as there is no cure.  But diet will change the course of the disease and make it more manageable.  Additionally, you will be healthier than you perhaps ever been because you are cutting out all of the unnecessary elements to your diet.