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Arthritis pain? Not Anymore With These Top 7 Psoriatic Arthritis Treatments

The single reason for psoriatic arthritis treatments is to control the inflammation of arthritis in your joints and to control the skin lesions of psoriasis found on various limbs of the body, especially the distal ends of the feet and fingers.

A lot of natural psoriatic arthritis treatments target either the arthritis or the psoriasis. We haven`t found one product that can do both effectively. If you do find a product that can control both, please let us know

Here is what one psoriatic arthritis sufferer had to say about this disease:

“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”.

This person who is on medication will, still feel a great deal of discomfort and a loss of mobility. My question to these people is what exactly are you doing to help yourself? And that usually is the problem, not taking care of yourself.

There is hope and here is is the Top 7 psoriatic arthritis treatments. We highly recommend discussing these options with your doctor.

1. nutritional supplements
2. herbal treatments
3. diet
4. exercise
5. acupuncture
6. topical applications: creams and lotions
7. heat/cold compression

Nutritional Supplements

For the arthritis pain and discomfort you can find several good brands of nutritional supplements that are working really well for these patients. Some ingredients to look for are: boron, magnesium, chondroitin, glucosamine, MSM, and bromelain. It is also a good idea to include Omega 3`s and selenium. I have also heard tremendous testimonials on the use of aloe vera especially on the psoriasis.

Herbal Treatments

Knowing what to employ is critical to your success. Here are a a couple of psoriatic arthritis treatment herbal ingredients. Black Cohosh, Bogbean, Celery Seeds, Chapparal, Feverfew, Nettle, Saffron, and Yucca. These herbs are strong relaxants, good treatments of rheumatism, osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. They include anti-inflammatory properties, anti-rheumatic, anti-diuretic or anti-spasmodic and very useful in causes of acne. Some of these herbs are particularly useful for skin conditions of warts and splotches, treatment for pain, and they have the ability to take away or reduce uric and lactic acid build up. A lot of the herbs listed above can be acquired at your local health food shop.

Diet

The human body is an brilliant machine and if you give it a chance it will cure itself from the inside out. We are what we consume, so be very careful. Likely the most efficient diet you can put yourself on is the Elimination Diet. This diet is a comfortable diet to adopt, however it will require WORK on your part.

The elimination diet is essentially recording the foods we eat and taking note of how you react afterwards. Particular foods might make you feel awful and other food groups will deepen the symptoms of psoriatic arthritis.

Fruits and vegetables can help relieve pain as can certain vitamin groups. I`m sure you read many times over how important fresh water fish can be to arthritic patients.

Exercise

When you step-up your heart rate, blood circulates quickly throughout the body. That way more and more blood can circulate through the established areas that hurt the most. The blood has a purifying effect which can wash away the “bad stuff”.

By exercising you will also tone up the muscle groups that hold your joints and step-down your weight which will take away some of the pressure off your joints. Do not think you have to join a gym to exercise: walking, day-to-day yard activities and chores are wonderful exercises that increase blow flow. Ever wonder why winter time is the worst on your arthritis? Body temperate linked to blow flow might be an answer.

Acupuncture

Another successful option available to you is acupuncture. Some arthritis patients have had great success. The human body transmits to itself constantly and the brain can receive messages from vaious parts of the body called endorphins. Acupuncture can mess with the signals your muscles send to the brain, which in turn will “block” the pain message they receive.

Topical Creams, Lotions

Psoriatic arthritis is a two pronged disease which means you also need to deal with psoriasis. Dried skin is a cause of psoriasis which means you should try very hard to keep your skin moist. Supplying a humidifier in the home during the winter months (summer months depending on whee you live) are extremely beneficial. Topical creams containing certain herbs listed below will help you keep your skin moist.

Many excellent ingredients observed in topical creams and lotions include: cocoa butter, lanolin cream, mineral oil, petroleum jelly, aloe vera or baby oil. Carefully learn the ingredients of anything you apply to your scalp and skin during typical daily cleansing activities. Soaps and anti deodorants to be specific.

Heat/Cold

Heat increases blood flow to your joints and ice has a numbing effect to subdue the pain. Many physical therapists trust solely on heat packs and ice massage before activities and ice afterwards. Don`t be concerned to give this a try before you begin your day.

You just read the top 7 psoriatic arthritis treatments and they render hope to all of us who hurts from this disease. Hold your chin up, remain patient and permit your body to mend itself from the inside out.

Discover why so many people diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis are picking their jaw`s off the floor Top 7 Psoriatic Arthritis Treatments Find breaking news about arthritis treatments at: www.Healthy-Arthritis-Treatments.Com

Psoriasis is a debilitating skin condition that can affect the elbows, knees, scalp, lower back, face and indeed, any part of the body., including the genital area.. It may also affect the fingernails and toenails making them thick and discoloured. The condition is evidenced by red scales and inflammation of the skin which becomes very itchy and distressing.

This occurs when the cells of the skin rise too quickly from their source below the surface of the skin before maturity. There is often a family history of psoriasis. Around thirty percent of sufferers will also experience joint inflammation and this condition is called psoriatic arthritis.

I was in my early twenties when I became aware of a reddening of my elbows and knees. At first, I took little notice but then the scaly patches and the itching began. These then spread to my knuckles, ankles and some small patches on the lower legs. No amount of moisturising lotions or the like seemed to make any difference. Finally, I went to my physician who diagnosed my condition as psoriasis.

I began a regime of applying corticosteroid lotions and creams and using coaltar solutions to the affected parts of my body but even these appeared to have little effect.

At times, I experienced significant physical discomfort. Itching and pain interfered with basic functions, such as sleep. This in turn left me feeling constantly tired and unable to cope with day-to-day chores, thus putting a strain on my family relationships. I began to feel self-conscious about my appearance and had a poor self-image that stemmed from fear of public rejection. Psychological distresses in turn lead to significant depression and social isolation.

Sometimes the condition got worse and then improved so I was then able to identify a number of things that produced flare-ups including infections, stress, and climate changes. There were also certain medications that seemed to trigger outbreaks or worsen existing patches.

The years rolled by and the disease continued to progress until I had large patches of psoriasis on my knuckles, elbows, finger joints, knees, lower legs, feet, and even the webbing of my toes. I also had it in my scalp and covering a large portion of my back. I lived in misery with the constant itching and discomfort.

Around six months ago, I received a phone call from my mother telling me she had just been diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis. Because this condition is genetic and I already had the skin condition, it was important that I see a rheumatologist to be tested. Of course, it was no surprise when I found that I too had psoriatic arthritis.

Blood tests conducted for this condition may rule out other conditions such as gout or rheumatoid arthritis. There is a particular antibody normally present in rheumatoid arthritis that is not present in psoriatic arthritis. These tests will often also show elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate or ESR which measures inflammation. They often show mild anaemia and elevated levels of uric acid.

My rheumatologist prescribed Methotrexate, an immunosuppressive drug. This medication has been used very successfully in the treatment of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. I take a low dose of this drug once weekly.

Methotrexate works by binding to and inhibiting an enzyme involved in the rapid growth of cells, thus slowing down the rate of skin cell growth. It was originally used in the treatment of cancer but was discovered in the 1950s to be effective in the treatment of psoriasis and was eventually approved for use in this condition in the 1970s.

Methotrexate is generally well tolerated in small doses but it does potentially have a number of side effects. For this reason, it is imperative that a patient on this drug follows the instructions of their physician very carefully. People taking this medication need to have regular blood tests to be sure that the body is processing the drug safely and not creating other problems, particularly in the liver.

I have been on Methotrexate now for around four months. During the first six weeks or so, I noticed little reduction in my pain levels although the skin condition did show signs of subsiding. However, in the past couple of months, my need for painkillers has definitely been reduced and the skin condition is almost gone.

My family laugh when they see how excited I get about having knuckles now instead of great patches of scales. I can even go barefoot without the embarrassment of the condition in the webbing of my toes. Some people used to think I had a severe case of tinea and would look at me as though doubting my hygiene habits.

The only downside I have is a feeling of tiredness and the fact that I am prone to infections. This is caused by a reduction in my white blood cell count. However, under careful monitoring by my doctor, these symptoms are reduced by antibiotics when needed and a good multivitamin.

Despite these downsides, my life has greatly improved and continues to do so. I am kept aware of all the possible side effects and regular blood testing keeps my physician and my rheumatologist informed about any concerns. Hopefully, I will be able to live a far better quality of life in the future.

Anne is the owner of http://www.softwaremegastore.net and http://www.annabellescheapies.com and http://www.travellintunes.com and has been involved in internet marketing for several years. She is both a mother and a doting grandmother. She has a wide variety of interests and loves to write.