Description

Psoriasis is a skin disease that causes a rash with itchy, scaly patches, most commonly on the knees, elbows, trunk and scalp. Psoriasis is thought to be an immune system problem that causes skin cells to grow faster than usual. 

Causes: The cause of psoriasis isn’t fully understood. It’s thought to be an immune system problem where infection-fighting cells attack healthy skin cells by mistake. Triggers for psoriasis include infections, stress and cold. 

Signs and symptoms: The signs and symptoms of this disease vary from person to person. It may be a patchy rash that varies widely in how it looks from person to person, ranging from spots of dandruff-like scaling to major eruptions over much of the body or rashes that vary in colour, tending to be shades of purple with greyscale on brown or black skin and pink or red with the silver scale on white skin etc. Dry, cracked skin that may bleed, and itching, burning or soreness are other symptoms. There are several types of psoriasis, each of which varies in its signs and symptoms. Examples of types of psoriasis are plaque psoriasis, nail psoriasis, guttate psoriasis, inverse psoriasis, pustular psoriasis, and erythrodermic psoriasis. 

Treatment aims to remove scales and stop skin cells from growing so quickly. In the conventional system of medicine symptomatic relief is the main treatment whereas in Ayurveda it combines Diet, Exercise, Lifestyle changes, and Internal as well as external treatment. An Ayurveda practitioner will create a treatment plan based on the symptoms, condition and lifestyle of the patient.  It may include:

• Diet changes
• Herbs
• Massage
• Oils applied to your body
• Enemas or laxatives
• Controlled vomiting
•  Blood cleansing using herbs or bloodletting, which involves draining blood from your body

The main Ayurveda treatment used to treat psoriasis is the Panchakarma therapy.  This treatment will detox and purify the body and will rejuvenate the body cells too.