alternative treatments

[bonnie25]

Anyone have any alternative treatments they have used that works? I am trying to conceive and would be open to anything safe. :)

[LynneHella]

Hi Bonnie.

There are a lot of over the counter medicines that can help with P. They are not as strong as the prescription medicines but they are better than nothing. I've used Eucerin cream to help keep the plaques down to a minimum. If you have scalp P, Neutrogena T-Gel Tar Shampoo is good (although it's a bit stinky!;) ).

I'm sure some others could make more suggestions. As with anything, I'm sure you're aware that you should talk to your doctor before using any of this stuff. I don't know if these are safe to use during pregnancy.

Good luck!!!

Lynne

[justice4all]

I have found that Tea Tree Oil has helped on my legs. It smells awful but did help reduce the size of the plaques and also helped reduce itching. I applied it directly on the affected area twice a day for about 3 weeks.

[MikeK]

Here's a link to an earlier thread on this subject: http://www.psoriasis.org/forum/showthread.php?threadid=3404&highlight=Peggy. It was a very interesting discussion and gave me a lot of things to think about.

Hope this helps.

Mike

[airbooster]

Hi alternative meds are OK but beware of the the spammers (snake oil merchants) that occasionaly infest our board promising miracle cures but are really wanting to cure their bottom line. Folks here care about you and thats good. The spammers are usually sniffed out pretty quick and then trust me it a'int pretty. you can trust people like Mikek and Chaim fl they and all these folks with P are only trying to help. Stay clear of Homeopaths they are Trouble. Well enough of my rambling sorry I went so long but I have had P for 58 years and I get on my soapbox every so often cause I have been a victem of the frauds too many times. airbooster:D :D :D

[SouthpawGrammer]

I agree with airbooster...be curious of magic cures!!!

but there are a few alternative things that people on this board have tried and loved

I love LCarb dieting for myself, and tanning. but everyone is different.

have a looksy.....post away!

Paw xxx

[dominski]

Hi Bonnie25,

I had this problem for 3+ years now. I stared using Vitamin E, Flax oil, Virgin Olive Oil and fruits and Vegatables containing Lycopene. It's the approach of building up the Omega 3s in your body. Which supposedly improves skin and immune system

It appears to be having dramatically improved my skin to the point that I have very few symptoms now. I would definately check with a doctor if your expecting though.

John

[tandastone]

Psoriasin Therapeutic Body Wash with Aloe that I buy at Walmart works well at keeping down the flakes and dryness. Also Emu oil has been helping but like everything else.........no true remission. I went through a pregnancy and nursing using what I thought was an over the counter safe med (skin cap) and found out it had the highest doses of steroids known. My pregnancy was fine and I didn't find out about the med until I had nursed for 3 months. I ended up with a sever strep infection from it but my baby was fine.Hope this helps! I am now trying the Psoriasin and also taking Lechtin and eating Tumeric. Who knows????????

[SouthpawGrammer]

Yeah i take Lecithin!!!! religiously!
also Omega 3 oil - multivitamin

and believe or not - i got some P on my hands - and i started taking Enchinea for a few days and it cleared.........no steriods nothing

but i will put that down to being a fluke....

[bonnie25]

Thanks for all the wonderful ideas.
I do have to say I have tried flax oil and omega 3 oils , first capsule form and then liquid. I ingested a few bottles (2 Tbsp. daily) for it seemed like forever. And I didn't really notice any difference. But, maybe I gave up to soon. ???
And I do take a multivitamin.
I am always looking for a healthy way to treat my psoriasis. But, what works for someone doesn't always work for everyone.
And I agree you have to be careful with people with miracle cures. I had a lady email me once saying to drink coralyte water. (she was the spokesperson!) It is water with coral calcium in it. She said her husband had it and it has helped him. It was an expensive product. Needless to say I purchased coral calcium from a local pharmacy and took a few bottles. No improvement but it seemed to help keep me regular. But, I am no longer taking that.
I have heard about noni juice. Does it seem to help anyone? It is about 10.00 a bottle here at our local hi-school pharmacy.
I will keep trying! :)

[cbx]

HI,
just reading through all your interesting replies.
Airbooster---curious about homeopaths...I have no experience with them, but wondered why you say they are Trouble with a capital T??

And can any of you point me to more info on the diet/supplement ideas? I read somewhere on this website that diet in general hasn't been very effective on the whole, but as one of you says...one treatment does not work for all...but it might work for me??

CBX

[airbooster]

Cbx I said that about homeopaths because unlike Holistics who are MD's and treat the whole body I have been to homeopaths and have yet to meet one who was an MD and everyone I went to used Quack methods that did more harm to me than good in fact they did all harm to me and no good. Example I had one fill my body with ozone treating me for a tomur it turns out I didn't even have. Nuff said airbooster:D :D

[DaveW]

bonnie25, if you're trying to get pregnant, your first concern is probably towards what any treatment might do to an unborn child, right?

Unfortunately, at this point in time, "alternative medicine" means "untested medicine," and that's exactly the wrong thing to be looking for when dealing with anything about a pregnancy.

Don't get me wrong: most "mainstream" psoriasis treatments have also not been tested on pregnant women, and will be listed as "pregnancy class C" in the leaflets that come with them. The real problem is that with "alternative" medicine, you really don't know what you're getting, but the people selling the stuff won't tell you that!

Instead, they'll tell you that their product is "all natural" and therefore it is "safe." This is, obviously, an incorrect conclusion since cobra venom is also "all natural," but also extremely dangerous to human beings (even adults, much less fetuses).

Mainstream drug manufacturers are required by law to tell people that their drugs have not been tested on pregnant women, but the people who sell or promote "alternative" medicine are mostly not bound by those laws.

Of course, just because something hasn't been tested on one particular sub-group of patients doesn't mean it'll necessarily do bad things, it just means that if you want your pregnancy to be as uncomplicated as possible, you'll avoid those drugs and/or therapies that haven't shown themselves to be safe for the unborn children (and definitely avoid those that have shown themselves to be dangerous).

So, should you do something like take omega-3 supplements? Aside from the fact that they don't seem to have worked well in your case, they're known to be blood-thinners, which might be a bad thing in case of an emergency with your pregnancy.

Also, were I a woman looking to become pregnant, I would avoid low-carb diets like the plague. Growing fetuses require lots of good energy-providing carbs. In fact, I would avoid any diet which deprives you of any group of foods. More importantly, I would avoid any diet not suggested by my OB/GYN. My wife wanted to get pregnant and lose weight at nearly the same time - her doctor almost laughed at her. Don't make major changes to your diet if you're trying to conceive.

By the way #1: the biggest seller of "coral calcium" has recently come under FDA and FTC fire for making fraudulent claims. "Coral" calcium is many times more expensive than "regular" calcium, and has no more therapeutic benefits than the normal stuff.

By the way #2: homeopathy is Trouble-with-a-capital-T mostly because there are no rigorous medical tests which have shown homeopathic "tinctures" to be anything other than water. Homeopathy is a tremendous waste of money and time. Homeopathy is only legal in the U.S. because (A) a Congressman who was a homeopath got laws friendly to it passed 69 years ago, and (B) most medical experts consider it to be "harmless" (because it is water), so there's not a big cry to get it banned.

By the way #3: most people who claim to be "holistic" doctors are not "holistic" in the real sense of the word, no matter whether they're licensed Medical Doctors or not. I would avoid anyone who claims to be a "holistic" practitioner of any kind of medicine, simply because doctors who really care, and who really have the expertise to treat disease, don't rely on buzzwords like "holistic" to drum up more business.

This is the same reason I avoid buying services from "AAAA Appliance Repair," since the people who can really fix my washing machine don't need to put a bunch of A's at the start of their name to be listed first in the Yellow Pages. Instead, they know their stuff and know that business will come to them through reputation and word-of-mouth, even if they're the last listing under "Appliance Repair."

[bonnie25]

Dave,
Thank you for all your input, it is great advice and agree with it all. I will take it all in consideration. I do not want to harm any baby that I bring into this world. I once had a doctor prescribe me tazarac while I was pregnant! Can you believe that?! I was furious!
I think the safest thing right now for me is lotions, moisturizers and a multivitamin. No steroids. I would much rather have a healthy baby.
In the past when I was at my worst I took methotrexate for 3 mos. and then quit because I was healed. I stayed into remission for awhile and then it slowly came back. But, I have never been as worse as that time, thank God. I had no sickness or side effects from it. It was a godsend. And, I would go on it if I ever got to that point again. But, never if I was trying to have a baby.
I am always looking for things that would work for me because my mother and my brother also have it. Although my mother has it very severely. I figure if I can find something that works for me it might have a good chance for working for them too.
Psoriasis is a learning experience for us all and trying to find out what will work for any person is a mystery. I really hope they find something that will work for everyone soon.
Well, good luck to everyone!:)

[BobO]

Dave I love ya man with every psoriasis cell in my body (take that as a compliment hahaha). Your tremendous diligence with your subject matter allows you to speak the truth loud and clear. God, you don't how much I appreciate you keeping it real for us.

Three Cheers for Dave W. - HIP HIP HOORAY !

[airbooster]

MY ADVICE ON HOMEOPATHS WAS NOT BASED ON RESEARCH IT WAS BASED ONREAL TIME PERSONAL EXPERIENCE WHICH BY THE WAY ALMOST KILLED ME airbooster

[PJ Leary]

Hi Bonnie,

Dave does keep it real. His advice clearly reminds you that "natural" meds are not necessarily safer at all. In fact, mostly the opposite is true.

I have been fortunate in my life to have four healthy childrden, all while having severe p & pa. I respond well to tar and sunlight, and relied on those and moisturizers to see me through.

It is critical to check with your dr about everything you use. Also, Dave's observations concerning diet are right on the money. A healthy balanced diet is critical to the fetal developement. The same is also true for the first five years of life.

The choice to bear children is an important one, especially for those of us with chronic disease. It sounds to me like you are giving it all of the consideration it is due.

Good luck. Don't forget the pre-natal vitamins!;)

[bonnie25]

PJ,
Well, I pray my babies all end up healthy and psoriasis free. I have a 2 yr old and so far so good! I would be devastated if she ever got psoriasis.
And, yes, Dave does have good advice. I have read alot from him lately in other postings.
Good luck everyone!
Bonnie
:D

[bonnie25]

SouthPaw, Tandastone,
What is the lecithin for and does it help?

[jrs]

LECITHIN IS A FAT EMULSIFIER. WHAT IT IF ANYTHING FOR P I CANT ANSWER BUT IT IS SURE GOOD FOR KEEPING YOUR PIPES CLEAN. IT IS ON THE LIST FOR THINGS TO TAKE IN ONE OF THE P DIET BOOKS I READ .

[GitOverIt]

http://curezone.com/forums/m.asp?f=214&i=104

Here's an interesting site for anyone that is interested in "Healthier Choices"

BONNIE: Go to the thread HOME TREATMENTS and read...I posted a link to EFA's...... as far as lecithin granules go I read about it in Dr. Pagano's book "Healing Psoriasis"...it worked great for me but I stopped taking it when I started Noni juice...wanted to see if Noni juice worked without any outside help....

[bonnie25]

Sally,
I was wondering how the noni juice is working for you?
Bonnie:D

[GitOverIt]

If you go to "ALTERNATE TREATMENTS" on the last several pages, (I think) I keep giving updates about noni juice ....we continued that (alternative treatments) thread cause it had so much more info on it than the one you had going.......it was started last spring I think.....any questions just ask in that thread...glad to answer.....