Psoriasis, not just dry skin
Ok, so you might disagree with that. I have plenty of friends who think all you need to do to clear up psoriasis is go to the doctor and get a cream. In a few days or weeks, presto-chango, your skin is back to normal and you never have to worry about it again. Wrong! Oh, I'm not saying that there haven't been a few lucky people out there for whom this was the case, but for most of us psoriasis is a life long struggle to keep our symptoms under control, and, if possible, hidden.
There currently is no cure for psoriasis. That is fact number one in the long trail to destroying the "nothing but nasty dry skin" myth. Psoriasis is a non-contagious, genetic disease that results when faulty signals in the immune system prompt skin cells to regenerate too quickly, causing the build-up of red scaley lesions that crack and bleed. The most common locations are on the elbows, knees, scalp and torso, but it can occur on other areas of the body as well. For many these lesions can itch and be painful.
If you have the lesions, you have what is known as plaque psoriasis, and while it can be nasty looking and vary from mild to much worse, there are even more serious forms of psoriasis.
I would like to urge all of my friends to educate themselves on this disease, by checking out the The National Psoriasis Foundation.
And, for those of you who already deal with this affliction on a daily basis, or have friends who do, you should be aware of the following preliminary finding. Trust me, this is a definite reason to keep yourself as healthy as possible.
Portland, Ore., Oct. 10, 2006—In a study released today in the Journal of the American Medical Association, Joel M. Gelfand, M.D., M.S.C.E., and colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, found that psoriasis patients are at increased risk for heart attack.
There currently is no cure for psoriasis. That is fact number one in the long trail to destroying the "nothing but nasty dry skin" myth. Psoriasis is a non-contagious, genetic disease that results when faulty signals in the immune system prompt skin cells to regenerate too quickly, causing the build-up of red scaley lesions that crack and bleed. The most common locations are on the elbows, knees, scalp and torso, but it can occur on other areas of the body as well. For many these lesions can itch and be painful.
If you have the lesions, you have what is known as plaque psoriasis, and while it can be nasty looking and vary from mild to much worse, there are even more serious forms of psoriasis.
I would like to urge all of my friends to educate themselves on this disease, by checking out the The National Psoriasis Foundation.
And, for those of you who already deal with this affliction on a daily basis, or have friends who do, you should be aware of the following preliminary finding. Trust me, this is a definite reason to keep yourself as healthy as possible.
Portland, Ore., Oct. 10, 2006—In a study released today in the Journal of the American Medical Association, Joel M. Gelfand, M.D., M.S.C.E., and colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, found that psoriasis patients are at increased risk for heart attack.
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