mmm - pepperoni...

[erastes]

I look like a PIZZA. Psoriasis is NOT fun. Not Recommended and I never want this again. I shall be bathing in gallons of coal tar soap from here on in. And it HURTS. And did I mention the pizza look? Any tips from anyone to help with the pain and the big red splotches? And the spreading?

I got "Les Miserables" through ilovefilm yesterday (our version of Netflix) and my first reaction was "WTF?" This was basically because I've got all the Angel series on "high priority" and everything else on low, so why they sent me stuff out of order. Secondly I couldnt remember ordering the musical, as I know I'd hate it - so it was with some relief that I found it wasn't the musical at all, thank gawd, but the Liam Neeson/Geoffrey Rush version.

I enjoyed it - but I think I have to admit that really, Les Miz is unfilmable. There's so much there, behind the dialogue that anyone who hadn't really read the book could never possibly get the depth of Valjean and Javert. Although both men (of course) did a sterling job of their parts, even at the end, I wasn't as convinced by Javert's final decision as ever I was in the book. The book seemed inevitable-the film did not.

Comments

[kittymay.livejournal.com]

Hurm. Never had psoriasis but my best schoolfriend had it badly so I have an idea of how uncomfortable it can make life.

I always found tea tree oil good for all things bad skin related (from still getting crappy spots at 30 years old) so maybe that would work in some form or another?

[erastes.livejournal.com]

This soap has TTO in it, and that helps - so I'll get some proper oil tomorrow too. Thank you!

[iulia_linnea.livejournal.com]

Taking essential oils capsules helps me; the psoriasis doesn't flare up as much when I take them.

[erastes.livejournal.com]

I've had the rash etc for years, but it's never flared up before. this is HORRID.

I'm going to the chemist tomorrow, so I'll have a look into essentials - thanks!

[tammylee.livejournal.com]

Would an oatmeal bath help with the itching?

[erastes.livejournal.com]

I'll try anything!Thanks! I'm assuming you mean just like a masque, rather than filling the bathtub?

:)

[tammylee.livejournal.com]

Not at all! The fine-ground oatmeal goes right into the bathwater! It sounds really weird but I've used it for chicken pox, poison ivy, and other rashes/dry skin and it's been a soothing relief.

[erastes.livejournal.com]

oo - interesting! I will try it. I will try ANYTHING at the moment!

Thank you again!

[alex-beecroft.livejournal.com]

That sounds horrible! I've heard that paraffin is good, which seems astonishing to me, but Andrew uses it on his head and recommends it. 50% white soft paraffin in liquid form.

I love the Les Miserables film with Liam Neeson, but that's partly because I really like Liam Neeson ;) I did enjoy the way it quickened up the pace of the book, but I admit that Javert's inner dilemma doesn't really come across as well in the film. It's hard to understand that his entire world has come to a stop.

[erastes.livejournal.com]

I'm thinking a plastic bag on the head seems good - although my bath has helped a little - some ofthe swelling has gone down. I'll get some of that paraffin tomorrow - thankyou. Much easier for a bloke who doesn't have waist length hair....

:)

It was a great film, wonderfully shot - and I love the way that it showed the way that Paris "grew up" so fast while he was closetted away in the nunnery - and if I was still fandomy, I'd be forced to write hate!sex.

[mzcalypso.livejournal.com]

Sunshine (yeah, right), Epsom salt baths, green tea (taken internally) and milk thistle (supports liver function, usually available in capsules) are some things I've heard good reports from -- I had massage clients who suffered from psoriasis.

Links to some home remedies:

http://www.taoofherbs.com/articles/78/PsoriasisRemedies.htm
http://www.natural-homeremedies.com/homeremedies_psoriasis.htm
http://www.natural-cures-for.com/remedies/psoriasis
http://www.howstuffworks.com/home-remedies-for-psoriasis.htm/printable

Hope something here helps... acupuncture is supposed to be good, too, but I don't know anyone who's tried that.

[erastes.livejournal.com]

you are a goddess!!!

Thank you! I like the idea of the liver function - it needs all the help it can get!!!

[mzcalypso.livejournal.com]

Almost everybody these days can use some liver support--the planet's got more pollution than ever. And with limited chance for exercise, you probably don't get enough oxygen - deep breathing, like yoga or qigong, would probably be helpful, as long as you're careful not to hypeventilate
at first.

I had an allergic reaction to medication once -- hives all over, and hypersensitivity for months after. Skin inflammation is horrible. Acupuncture worked for that, actually, and so did Quercetin, which is a bioflavinoid and natural anti-inflammatory. It took about 800 mg every few hours, but that worked better than benadryl

It's a good thing you like baths!

[erastes.livejournal.com]

Oh yes - hives - I once cycled through fields of rape and when I got to my destination I was one red welt. I have all sorts of skin allergies - hay fever, hives, mosquitoes, cat scratches.... but never this before.

I think (reading some bumf about it) that this was caused by stress - although why Transgressions should stress me so much and Steeles Law never drove me into painful welts, who knows!!

Thanks again!

[wakeneve.livejournal.com]

Hi, I read your posts over at The Macaronis but I haven’t posted in your journal before. I had psoriasis for about four years, on my arms, scalp and face and have been mostly clear for about eight *touches wood.* Reading about your flare up reminded me how distressing it was and I thought I summarise what worked for me in the hope it might help.

In general, sunshine worked -not much use in November, I know - as did keeping well moisturised with Oilatum or something similar, and having a sympathetic GP who knew about skin disorders. I went to five before I found one.

I ended up using Exorex cream which contains coal tar derivatives -you can get it at Boots. It didn’t completely clear the plaques but it kept them under control and stopped them spreading. (And I don't have shares in it ).

For scalp psoriasis if you have it, I’d recommend Lush Soak and Float shampoo bar.

The other thing for me was having a decent diet and enough sleep. A couple of late nights would cause a flare up every time.

Hope that helps

[erastes.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much - as I said - I've had the small scalp sores and the silvery flakes for years - and (another gripe with the NHS) I went to have it looked at years ago and they said it was "aggravated dandruff and nothing to worry about) when I knew damned WELL it wasn't. (the locum was about 8 years old though)

I used T-gel for a while and had a completely clear scalp for ages - but then, got slack.... as I only had a few scalp sores and learned to deal with them and they didn't flare up...

so this scared me silly - as you probably can tell. it had never gone on my face - further than the hair line at least - before.

I certainly need to improve my diet and cut down on stress - although it might be partly sunshine too - since being unemployed I rarely go out during the day, so I'll definitely make the effort now.

I shall get the preparations you mentioned - and THANK YOU. And welcome to my LJ!

[nagasvoice.livejournal.com]

Some recent research has been showing a lot of people in temperate zones are low on Vitamin D, that Vitamin D has a huge impact on the immune system function, and it's best absorbed by the skin with exposure to sunshine. (Like, orders of magnitude better that attempting to take it by mouth.) But, by mouth is better than nothing! If you're unable to get much sun, you cna try to help it out with Vitamine D capsules. D also affects calcium metabolism, so lots of sources recommend taking calcium supplements along with Vitamine D for better absorption of calcium.
At this point, it's my suspicion that anything that improves with more sun may be related to immune system function and Vitamin D development. As this sounds like immune system issues, I think supplements plus more sun would probably help long-term, along with using things for immediate relief of symptoms

[erastes.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I used to take supplements but have not bothered recently - I need to restart that's for sure!

[fiona-glass.livejournal.com]

*ouch* :( I'm itching in sympathy.

Do you have one of those high street Chinese medicine shops near you? Dr&Herbs or whatever they're called? They do potions for psoriasis - I've never used it myself but millions of Chinese people can't be wrong. ;)

[erastes.livejournal.com]

Ha ha! In Norfolk!!!? I wish!!

Thank god there's no itching, just a lot of pain. If the spots weren't in exact the places that they should be, I'd think it was Shingles....

*glum*

[kate-burgess.livejournal.com]

My mother swears by lethicin. Though, her psorisis was never overly severe, and that can certainly factor in when it comes to "home remedies".

Here's a little bit of info on it. I was looking for a more reputable source, but you had to pay for access for the journal articles I'd found:

http://www.freshpatents.com/Use-of-lecithin-as-a-medication-for-the-treatment-of-psoriasis-dt20080626ptan20080153782.php

Also, here's a study about some Chinese herbal therapy. This site is a very respected service by University of Pennsylvania that provides abstracts of medical journal articles to health care professionals:

http://www.medpagetoday.com/Dermatology/Psoriasis/11807

[erastes.livejournal.com]

Thank you!