Psoriatic Arthritis

Psoriatic arthritis most often
follows on from skin and nail psorasis, but sometimes
the reverse may happen.
There are five types of psoriatic arthritis,
one affects the distal phalangeal joints, this type is more
common in males, nails are often pitted, ridged, or lifting
of the nail may occur, onycholysis. Polyarthritis,
although it is similar to rheumatoid arthritis in it's
manifestations, it is sero negative.There is a spondylitic
form which resembles ankylosing spondylitis. Oligoarthritis
which usually affects large joints, and lastly Arthritis
Mutilans which has larger areas of skin psoriasis.
The pathology of Psoriatic arthritis is similar
to rheumatoid arthritis, but there is more fibrosis of joint
tissue.The distal interphalangeal joints of both fingers and
toes are commonly affected, however, there may be involvement
of both large and small joints.

Medical treatment aims to reduce inflammation,
and to control skin lesions.The drugs used to treat psoriatic
arthritis are similar to those for rheumatoid arthritis.NSAIDs,
DMARDS,disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs, and
steroids.
Alternative
Medical Treatment for Psoriatic Arthritis
There needs to be a strong emphasis on diet
which includes Omega-3 oils. All hydrogenated fats, "healthy"
margarines,supermarket cooking oils, take-away-food
all of these fats and fatty foods must
be eliminated from the diet.
Freshly ground flaxseed should be taken
daily, borage oil, blackcurrant seed oil
evening primrose oil, and cod liver
oil,Virgin olive oil ( monosaturated) for cooking and
salads. These oils should form an essential part of the diet
for a person with psoriatic arthritis to help control the
inflammatory response.Everything in moderation of course, if
weight is a problem, then less oil should be taken,
particularly olive oil.
Fresh organic vegetables ,
fruits , nuts and whole grains ( organic
wherever possible) should form part of the daily diet.
Wheatgrass cream rubbed gently into sore itchy
spots will relieve, and wheatgrass taken internally is a
rich source of vitamins and minerals, a most necessary
addition to the diet.
Aromatherapy oils for external
application only:Use evening primrose as the base oil
, and add two to three drops of essential oil to every 10mls of
base oil. Essential oils to reduce inflammation: German
chamomile, lavender, neroli, yarrow, and everlasting.
Herbs: Turmeric, burdock,oregon grape
extract and sarsaparilla all of these could be used to
self treat provided you took only the recommended daily
dose.There are many other herbs which could successfully
treat psoriatic arthritis however, you should visit a herbalist
to obtain the best results, and so avoid any aggravation of
your symptoms.Before you take
herbs of any description, if you are on medication, consult
your doctor first.
Homeopathic treatment for psoriatic
arthritis would be most beneficial, however, you would need to
see a qualified homeopath to have the best outcome .
Read more:
Reiter's syndrome
References:Chandrasoma Parakrama & Taylor
Clive. Concise Pathology first edition published Prentice-Hall
International Inc.1991.
McCance Kathryn L & Huether Sue e,
Pathphysiology, The Biologic Basis for Disease in Adults and
Children. Published The C.V. Mosby Company.1990.
Forbes,Charles & Jackson William. Color Atlas and Text
of Clinical Medicine 2nd edition published Mosby-Wolf 1997.
Chandrasoma Parakrama & Taylor Clive. Concise Pathology
first edition published Prentice-Hall International
Inc.1991.
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