Alternative Psoriasis Therapy – Stay Off the Prescriptions! Many people are looking for alternative ways to treat their psoriasis. A holistic approach to treating psoriasis has worked for quite a few people! Below are some ideas that you can try to incorporate into your life that may let you get away from prescription meds.
Treat Your Psoriasis With Your Mind and Body Mindfulness Mindfulness is the practice of focusing on the current moment, as it is, with no judgement. Try this in a seated position similar to how you would try to meditate. Focus on what is happening around you. You mind will wander away from the current moment from time to time. When it does, realize that it has wandered away and bring it back to the present. Don’t get mad at yourself if it keeps happening. Just keep bringing it back to the present. Mindfulness is designed to change the body’s natural reaction to conditioned responses. It has been shown to assist in lowering pain and has a calming effect on the body. Psoriasis sufferers can expect to see improvements in pain, itching and stress.
Meditation Meditation is very similar to Mindfulness. With meditation, you focus on your breathing to bring you back to the present. In a seated position, focus on your breath going in and out. If your mind wanders, slowly bring your concentration back to your next breath. If your mind keeps wandering just keep bringing it back with your next breath. As you practice this more and more, you’ll get better at keeping yourself in the moment. Try this 5 minute guided breathing exercise: Meditation has the same effect on psoriasis sufferers as mindfulness. Many people see improvements in pain, less itching, less stress and less breakouts.
Acupressure Acupressure is an Eastern therapy that has been used for thousands of years in China and other Eastern cultures. It is the process of applying pressure to specific parts of the body in order to relieve pain, stress and increase blood flow.
It is essentially acupuncture without the needles and believed to focus the body’s inner energy. Western doctors believe that these pressure points simply release endorphins and other chemicals that occur naturally in the body, but most still believe that it is effective. Sessions last about an hour and it could take several sessions to get the full effects of acupressure.
One of the best parts of acupressure is that there are no real side effects, so feel free to try it if you’re interested. It can only help.
Acupuncture Acupuncture is another Eastern therapy that is similar to acupressure, but uses needles to stimulate various points in the body. Western medicine agrees that acupuncture helps with perceived pain, but they cannot agree if it helps with other types of illnesses. For those of us that have pain from psoriatic arthritis it’s definitely worth a shot. Just be sure that you go to a reputable acupuncture clinic as there is a chance for infection and other side effects if done improperly.
Aromatherapy Aromatherapy is the practice of using the natural oils to enhance psychological and physical wellbeing. As an alternative medicine, aromatherapy is starting to gain traction in the U.S. and other Western countries. It’s believed to assist with pain relief, mood enhancement and increased cognitive function. The stress relief alone can have positive effects on psoriasis.
Spa Therapy Spa therapy is normally associated with with water therapy, but can include mud baths and a wide variety of other treatments.
The combination of minerals and warm water that most often come with spa therapy can help relieve the itching of psoriasis and loosen the plaques that come with psoriasis. Stiff, scarred skin can also benefit from spa therapy.
Massage Massage therapy is a great way to counter the effects of psoriasis.
It relieves stress and osteoarthritis pain. Just the removal of these two things can greatly improve the quality of life for psoriasis sufferers.
Conclusion By trying these alternative psoriasis therapies, you may be able to get away from the prescription medicines and get back to natural ways to relieve your symptoms. Combined with a topical cream designed to counter psoriasis symptoms, you should be able to nearly eliminate your psoriasis symptoms!