Living with psoriasis

Staying healthy

Health advice 1. Avoid natural remedy foods in the winter.

In traditional cooking, wine is added to many dishes, such as ginger duck stew, sesame oil chicken, and lamb stew, as a strengthening of resistance to cold in winter. Psoriasis is often worse in winter and eating natural remedy food containing alcohol trigger flare-ups or exacerbates symptoms.

Health advice 2. Stay away from ganoderma

Psoriasis patients have active autoimmunity and T-cells type 1 Th1 immunity. The protein extracts from ganoderma stimulate interleukins 12 production and activate T-cell immune response, causing more severe psoriasis. Ophiocordyceps sinensis extracts increase interferon, anti-tumor necrosis factor, and interleukins 12 production, making it unsuitable for psoriasis patients.

Health advice 3. Weight management

Psoriasis is linked with increased risk of cardiovascular disease; also, studies have shown an association between aggravated psoriasis and obesity. Therefore, doctors generally recommend over-weight psoriasis patients lose weight, in order to reduce the health impact of metabolic syndrome.

Health advice 4. Quit smoking and reduce alcohol consumption.

Smoking and drinking alcohol aggravate psoriasis, thus smoke cessation and reduce drinking minimize psoriasis flare-up and deterioration.

Health advice 5. Relieve stress to improve lesion

Work stress, staying up late, insomnia, and pressure contribute to mood and mental instability, and tend to worsen psoriasis. Therefore, additional in prescribing medication, doctors also emphasize on the importance of stress relieve and relaxation on improving the severity of psoriasis.

Health advice 6. Adequate sunlight

Winter brings dry air, colder temperatures, and less sunlight, all of which trigger psoriasis flare-ups. Adequate sunlight exposure benefits psoriasis symptoms, but too much sun exposure may cause skin damage and worsen psoriasis symptoms.

Nutrition and psoriasis

Although few scientific studies examine dietary issues for psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis, most doctors advise their patients to eat a well-balance diet to reduce incidences of psoriasis related diseases including heart disease and diabetes.

Dietary principals:

1. Maintain a reasonable weight

(1)Maintaining a reasonable weight may decrease the severity of psoriasis.

(2) Obesity is linked with increased incidences of psoriasis-related heart disease and diabetes.

(3) Patients with psoriasis and obesity are more prone to developing psoriatic arthritis.

2. Dietary guidelines

(1) Consume adequate amount of fruit and vegetables.

(2) Avoid saturated and trans-fat.

(3) Choose whole grain, and reduce refined carbohydrate by replacing white rice with brown rice.

(4) Eliminate refined and processed food.

The information provided above is compiled by the academic department of Psoriasis Association Taiwan. Copyrighted material. Reprint or cite with permission only.