Searching for a psoriasis remedy can be a long and difficult task.  Psoriasis is a chronic skin condition that can be painful and disfiguring.  It is thought to be auto immune in origin, which means that it is a condition where the body actually attacks its own cells, in this case by producing excessive skin tissue which forms plaques or scaly areas.

It is usually a response of the body to stressors.  These can include but are not limited to psychological stress factors.  Other triggers may be smoking, alcohol, pollutants in the atmosphere, prescription medications or withdrawal of them, and substances in the diet.  Psoriasis may also have a genetic component, in that the tendency to suffer from psoriasis and other auto immune conditions such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis and type 1 diabetes tends to run in families, although not in a predictable way.  However, many people with psoriasis also suffer from arthritis.

Medical treatments for psoriasis tend to focus on soothing the skin.  Topical skin ointments may include vitamin D, coal tar, salicylic acid, vitamin A (retinoids), moisturizers and sometimes, corticosteroids.  Many people do not like to use corticosteroids and there are plenty of creams that avoid them.

Vitamin D is essential to healthy skin.  It can be taken in the form of supplements as well as in skin creams and lotions, but our main usable source comes from sunlight.  An effective psoriasis remedy should include allowing natural light to reach the skin, every day if possible.

Try to ensure that you go outside in daylight for at least a half hour every day.  Be sure not to burn the skin: avoid times of brightest sunlight in summer, but do allow some sun to reach the skin in the morning or late afternoon without using sunblocks.  It may be beneficial to expose the areas affected by psoriasis to the sun when possible.  But even if it is a cloudy winter’s day, too cold for sunbathing, just being outside and allowing natural light to reach your face and hands for a few minutes is important.  At the same time, you can sign up for some UVB or UVA phototherapy to treat the psoriasis.

Finding a psoriasis remedy may also mean looking at your diet.  As we saw earlier, auto immune diseases are often linked to diet and toxins.  Detoxifying your system to improve your digestion and lessen the burden on the kidneys, liver and other organs can often produce an improvement in psoriasis and other similar conditions.

Try to stop smoking and cut out alcohol.  Cut down on processed foods, refined grains and sugar, while increasing your consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables.  Then consider whether you might be allergic to any foods or other substances.  If you have psoriasis you are probably already aware of the possibility of allergy to soaps and home cleaning products.  Take an allergy test with a dermatologist or natural health practitioner, or use a low allergen diet under supervision.  This is a diet where you cut out almost all common food allergens from your diet for 2 weeks, then add them back one by one to check for reactions.

Do not expect overnight results from a natural psoriasis treatment.  Detoxifying the body takes a while.  It is a good idea to take photos or make notes of the extent of your psoriasis once per month so that you have a way of measuring progress.  Any improvement is a bonus and may be a step toward complete recovery when you find a psoriasis remedy, or more likely a combination of remedies, that works for you.