Some interesting new treatments for psoriasis -from the London rag. with thanks x

Home light therapy psoriasis hope

Phototherapy has been around for decades

A specialist light treatment for psoriasis is just as effective and safe when given at home as in hospital, say Dutch researchers.

Phototherapy using UVB light is rarely used in the UK because of limited availability and the number of hospital visits required.

But a study of 200 patients found the same results with home treatment.

One UK expert said the British Medical Journal study highlighted an important treatment gap in psoriasis care.

Psoriasis is a common disorder caused by too rapid production of new skin cells, causing red scaly patches.

In my area there are very large numbers of people who don't have access to phototherapy which is a shame as it's a very effective and safe treatment Professor Alex Anstey, Royal Gwent Hospital, Wales

Up to 3% of the UK population is affected by the non-contagious condition which can cause significant disability.

For those who have access to UVB treatment at their local dermatology unit, a course usually entails three visits each week for between eight to 10 weeks.

It works by dampening down the immune overreaction in the skin.

One reason that the treatment is usually done in hospital is because most dermatologists believe that home phototherapy is inferior and that it carries more risks.

In the latest study, patients with psoriasis from 14 hospital dermatology departments were randomly assigned to receive either home UVB phototherapy or hospital-based treatment.

Home treatment was equivalent to hospital therapy both in terms of safety and the effectiveness of clearing the condition.

And those treated at home reported a significantly lower burden of treatment and were more satisfied.

Equal treatments

Study leader Dr Mayke Koek, from Utrecht University Medical Centre, said: "We knew a lot of dermatologists are not convinced of the safety and effectiveness of UVB phototherapy but our theory was they should be equally safe."

"One of the most important findings was a lot of patients treated at home were more satisfied."

Professor Alex Anstey from the Royal Gwent Hospital in Newport, Wales, said with the exception of Scotland, phototherapy in the UK was limited to people who lived near a big hospital.

"In my area there are very large numbers of people who don't have access to phototherapy which is a shame as it's a very effective and safe treatment."

He said that the equipment - similar to a tanning bed, but a different type of light - costs between £5,000 and £10,000 but was very cheap compared with some of the new biological therapies in use and could be lent to patients for the duration of their treatment.

Gladys Edwards, chief executive of the Psoriasis Association, said the guidelines on treating psoriasis should be reviewed in light of the new research.

"Patient choice is important and for some patients managing their UV treatment at home would clearly be preferable.

"It is crucial, however, that there is absolutely clear guidance and information on when this is appropriate and how it should be managed for patients and clinicians."

 

 

Lovely letters of results with Olive and Kigelia Gel.

 

 

 

Dear Vee,

 

 

I went to the dermatologist again yesterday having seen her last week and she was absolutely amazed at the improvement in my skin - so it wasn’t wishful thinking on my part!!!!  She is thrilled and says I must not stop!!!

 

So glad I read that article in the Country Life.

 

Do hope you are feeling better - this flu goes on and on forever.

 

Love

 

Sue Van Dam. Cape Town. Nov 2008.

 

Lovely letters.

Thanks Vee

I have this lady who has the worst eczema I had ever seen, tried so many Products with her.

 

 She is onto her second jar of kigelia gel.  

 

Says its brilliant and I’m so impressed!

Regards

Isabelle

Durban.

RSA.

Interesting increase in the Occurance of Autoimmune Diseases.

Hi there, it’s been ages without a chance to add something to our blogs at Olive Workshop.

We have been busy getting lovely orders together and had great success in helping many clients with irritated and diagnosed  skin disorders.

 But looking at skin disorders also makes us aware of the other factors affecting us. 

This is an article I have read and have permission from a fabulous magazine to copy it to my blog.  As it is fascinating and worth a read.

‘Since World War 2 approximately 93 million toxins have been developed using chemical means that this planet has never seen before. The average European is exposed to about 18 000 toxic substances per annum, which enter our bodies through contact, inhalations, food consumption or fluid intake.  It is estimated that the average Briton consumes 4500 g of pesticides per annum in groceries obtained from their  local food stores.  As such  pesticides consumption over a period of time has been listed as a cause of the increase in Parkinson’s disease in England as well as other developed countries.

Longevity in human subjects may have increased to an average life expectancy of 78 years over the last century- but we should ask ourselves in what state of health we reach that age. 

Most would agree that we do not reach that age in a satisfactory condition, but are plagued with all sorts of degenerative illnesses along the way.

Technically, autoimmune diseases proceed immunologically in very much the same way as allergy. The only difference is that whereas an allergy is triggered by outside antigens, autoimmune diseases are triggered by internal antigens.  An autoimmune disease is a rejection of the ‘self’ by means of an inflammatory attach against a particular target tissue.  In homotoxicological terminology this is referred to as immune-toxicity.”

In lay mans terms this means the body actually turns in on itself.

“ The immune system is generally designed to protect us against attacks from the outside world.  In past times these attacks mostly involved foreign matter or invasions by bacteria, viruses, fungi or other parasites.  Another function of the immune system is to repair damage in the body, resulting from either injury or disease.  The body normally does this by removing debris from injured or diseased sites in the body.   So that healing in the affected area may occur.

However life is not perfect and even our healing mechanisms can go wrong at times. 

The immune system is a complex system, but due to exposure to all sorts of biological and non-biological substances, corruption of this  

Intricate mechanism takes place at times in susceptible individuals.  The consequence of this corruption is that the system turns on itself and attacks its own tissue as if it were foreign material.

Four possible mechanisms have been identified so far for developing an autoimmune response to auto-antigens (antigens from one’s own body which antibodies and immune complexes react to):

1.      Hidden or sequestered antigens (eg intercellular substances) may not be recognised as ‘self’.

2.      The ‘self’ antigens may become immunogenic because of biological, chemical or physical alteration.

3.      Foreign antigens may induce an immune response that cross-reacts with normal ‘self ‘antigens.

4.      Auto-antibody production may result from a mutation in immune-competent cells and subsequent loss of tolerance to self- antigens.

Technically, then one may say that autoimmune diseases are due to a corruption of information flow in a biological compromised system that loses tolerance to itself and mounts an immunological inflammatory reaction against susceptible compromised target tissue.’

Read the rest of this interesting article on the site next month … www.naturalmedicine.co.za

Auto immune disorders are complex and treatment should only be undertaken by practitioners who have a special interest in such disorders.  The treatment may involve both  conventional and complimentary approaches in order to secure a successful outcome. Autoimmune disorders are complex disease patterns and require a multidisciplinary approach if treatment is to be successful. 

So therefore it is so important to keep our bodies  fit and well nourished to fight the onslaught of the chemicals we are all ingesting and surrounded by every day.  There are things we can do nothing about, but there are things we can do-

The things we need to remember to include in our lives :

1.      Food that is clean and organic ( as much as possible).

2.       Water that is filtered and pure.

3.      Exercise as much as we can, even if it’s just walking around the block once a week.

4.      Not too much fat, sugar  and alcohol.

5.      Vitamins and mineral supplements

6.      Keep our skins moisturised and protected.

7.      Keep up to date with ‘green people’ and get involved with recycling and earth protection. If each of us do something in our area’s the country and planet will be a better place for our children.

See you next month!

Regards Vee J

With kind permission From Dr Patrick Fieuw’s article on Autoimmune Disorders. Natural Medicine issue 44/December 2008.12.30

 

Notes from Caro Verster on Skin Disorders.

Some interesting descriptions of various skin complaints and helpful write ups…

Common skin woes explained. Sometimes your skin is more troublesome than simply being too dry or too oily. Caro Verster finds out more about a few common skin conditions.

Psoriasis

Psoriasis is usually characterised by defined red patches covered in fine, silvery scales. These patches are sore and itchy and although psoriasis is not contagious, it can make you feel extremely self-conscious. Psoriasis is caused by abnormal skin growth, when cells have divided too quickly and create a build-up. New skin cells are formed about 1000 times quicker than normal because of a disturbance in the cell's replication control mechanism. It's believed to be an inherited condition and it affects men and women equally.

Know your type

There are five main types of psoriasis:
Chronic Plaque Psoriasis affects the knees, elbows or other crevices. It's the most common type, causing scaly red patches.
Flexural Psoriasis affects body creases such as the elbows, armpits and under the breasts. It typically causes reddening, but no scales.
Guttate Psoriasis (or teardrop/raindrop psoriasis) affects the entire body, except for the palms and the soles of the feet. This type of psoriasis often starts a week after a sore throat infection (if you are prone to psoriasis) and seen as tear-shaped scaly patches. It can be successfully treated if caught early, but can develop into chronic plaque psoriasis.
Pustular Psoriasis affects the entire body. It causes painful pustules, which are often accompanied by fever and may be aggravated by the use of strong steroids.
Erythrodermic Psoriasis also affects the entire body. This is a very rare form of psoriasis, where much of the skin is red and scaly. It's known to affect body-fluid balance and temperature.

Treating Psoriasis

Stress or emotional disturbances can cause psoriasis flare-ups. Treat these causes first before trying other treatments.

External Emollients are commonly used to moisturize affected areas. Other options are salicylic acid, retinoids, steroids, vitamin D, and medications that help stop cell growth, but these may have side effects so patients are monitored very closely. Ultraviolet light therapy, in conjunction with psoralen (which increases the skin's sensitivity to light) is used as a last resort because of the association between cancer and UV light. Limited sun exposure, and seawater have had positive effects – a common destination for psoriasis sufferers is the Dead Sea. To recreate the Dead Sea experience at home, try bathing in water than contains 1kg of Epsom salts and 500g of salt. Liquorice, camomile and cayenne pepper extract have also been known to be effective.

Internal If you have noticed that you are suffering from constipation, poor digestion or food allergies, toxins may be seeping into the body and affecting the skin. Faulty digestion of protein is closely linked to the development of psoriasis. It causes toxicity in the bowel, weakening the gut lining and poisoning the rest of the body. Maintain a diet that supports good digestive and liver health: beans, whole grains (wheat, oats, rye), root vegetables, lentils, fresh fruit and vegetables (especially the green variety). Avoid sugar, alcohol and fats, which have a negative effect on the liver. Supplements may be an option, especially those containing vitamin A and zinc, but large doses of vitamin A (more than 5000 IU a day for men and 4000 IU for women) can cause toxicity. Long-term overdose of vitamin A can cause symptoms ranging from hair loss to enlarged liver and spleen. Consult your healthcare practitioner before starting any supplementation.

Eczema and dermatitis

Eczema is an inflamed, red rash that's very itchy. In more extreme cases, the skin becomes broken, weepy and scabbed. This condition is also known as dermatitis.

Know your type

Atopic Eczema is usually a hereditary condition that is often associated with an increased susceptibility to allergies, such as hay fever and asthma.
Seborrhoeic Dermatitis affects the oilier arrears of the body, such as the face.

Treating eczema

External Moisturizing emollients are used to keep the skin soft, and proper cleansing is essential. Corticosteroid creams can relieve swelling and itching, although users may build up resistance to them, so you may find that you need stronger doses after prolonged use. There are side effects with steroid creams: stunted growth, weakened bones and suppressed adrenal gland function can occur. However, if patients are managed properly and monitored closely, side effects are minimized.

Internal If your eczema isn't hereditary, food allergies are the first place to look – eczema sufferers are usually intolerant of cow's milk and eggs. Other possible allergens are gluten (found in wheat products such as bread and pasta), fish, peanuts and food additives. If you suspect a food allergen is the cause of your eczema, eliminate these allergens from your diet for at least 10 days and see if your symptoms improve, then reintroduce foodstuffs one at a time. If your symptoms worsen when you start eating a certain food again, you have probably identified your food allergen. Atopic eczema sufferers may also suffer from hay fever or asthma. Disrupted fat metabolism makes their skin drier and an abnormally high presence of Staphylococcus aureus bacteria causes abnormalities in the immune system, so they release more histamines that cause itching and inflammation. If you're trapped in this cycle, ask your healthcare practitioner about anti-staphylococcal measures you can take.

Urticaria and Hives

Both of these skin conditions are characterized by raised white welts surrounded by redness. The swelling and redness are caused by the release of the body's allergy chemicals, histamines. Many factors can trigger a reaction – a scratch, heat, cold. Food and additives can all be causes.

Know your type

The most common cause of hives and urticaria are reactions to medications including antibiotics (such as penicillin), aspirin, the polio vaccine, quinine, essential oils and morphine, among many others.
Hives may be causes by pressure: fabric, jewellery or skin contact. Within minutes welts can come up.
A ‘prickly heat' rash is caused by heat exposure and overactive sweat glands. Any type of heat exposure can cause a reaction: heat from the sun, exercising, a hot bath, eating spicy food, or stress.
In other cases an urticaric reaction is brought on by cold – cold air, cold water or cold objects.
Hives may also be the result of a food allergy.

Treating hives and urticaria

External
If you react to heat or cold, protect yourself from temperature extremes. Wear natural fabrics to allow sweat to evaporate and avoid the use of heaters and electric blankets in winter.

Internal
Common food allergens include milk, fish, meat, eggs, beans, nuts, chocolate, cured meat, chicken, citrus, shellfish and food additives. It's important that the digestive tract is in good shape so that toxins don't build up. Eating fresh food is your best bet. Identify allergens to which your body reacts, using the food-allergy plan suggested for eczema sufferers, then eliminate these triggers from your diet. If you think your skin condition may be linked to a medication, ask your healthcare practitioner for alternatives.

Useful contacts
Dermatology department, Groote Schuur Hospital (021) 404-5250 UCT
Skin and Hair Centre, (021) 406-6890
International Psoriasis Association: e-mail mail@psoriasis.demon.co.uk
Cape Town Psoriasis Associa tion, (021) 981-1650

Words by Caro Verster

We would like to thank Caro for her interesting write up and hope that she will write many more interesting reports on this troublesome skin disorder, which we are all trying our best to help fine a solution.

letter from Adolf. please with his ears~

Hi, Received Kigelia Gel today, hope you received payment. My ears have been killing me with itching, I applied the gel, and within minutes had relieve from this, thank you very much. Will watch progress on the scales and keep you up to date. What about the pitted nails? How would I apply to this problem? Regards Adolf. PRETORIA.

Ingredients you should try to avoid....

Major gaps in public health laws allow cosmetics companies to use almost any ingredient they choose in everything from sunscreen and mascara to deodorant and baby shampoo, with no restrictions and no requirement for safety testing. To help you navigate your store's aisles, Environmental Working Group researchers have scoured thousands of ingredient labels to bring you our top recommendations for what not to buy — products with worrisome or downright dangerous ingredients that don't belong in your shopping cart or on your skin. Read more about why this matters.


Placenta (yes really!)
Extracts from human and cow placenta can condition skin and hair. Vital to a growing baby in the womb, these same extracts in cosmetics give the body a slug of hormones that may be enough to spur breast growth in toddlers according to a few recent case studies.


Mercury
Given everything we've learned over the past 30 years about mercury's ability to damage brain function at low levels, it's hard to believe it's still used in cosmetics. But it is. We found it in Paula Dorf mascara, listed as the mercury preservative "thimerosal." If you get a little bit of mascara in your eyes or face when it clumps or as you wash it off, you may also be getting a little dose of mercury. Watch out for mercury in eye drops, too. Send a message to companies that use brain-damaging ingredients and avoid these products.

Lead
When scientists recognized that lead harms the developing brain of a child, the government demanded its removal from gasoline and house paint — but not hair dye. This pernicious neurotoxin is in Grecian Formula 16 and other black hair dyes for men. It's hard to keep all the lead on your hair — studies find residues on door knobs and cabinets. Don't expose yourself or your children to this one.

Fragrance
It may smell great, but do you know what's in it? Fragrances are the great secrets of the cosmetics industry, in everything from shampoo to deodorant to lotion, and falling straight into a giant loophole in federal law that doesn't require companies to list on product labels any of the potentially hundreds of chemicals in a single product's secret fragrance mixture. Fragrances can contain neurotoxins and are among the top 5 allergens in the world. Our advice? Buy fragrance free. BUY "FRAGRANCE" FREE:


Animal parts
If fat scraped from the back of the hide of mink and emu isn't something you'd like to smear on your skin, you may want to avoid mink and emu oil, conditioning agents in sunscreen, shaving cream, hair spray and more. These are just two of many ingredients made from animal parts — you'll find a partial list here; use Skin Deep to find more.

Hydroquinone skin lightener
On a quest for lighter skin? Take a cue from FDA's recent warning, and avoid skin lighteners with hydroquinone. This skin bleaching chemical can cause a skin disease called ochronosis, with "disfiguring and irreversible" blue-black lesions that in the worst cases become permanent, intensively black bumps the size of caviar all over the skin.

Nanoparticles
These tiny little inventions are touted as the next green revolution, but we don't find much sexy or green about untested ingredients that can slide up the optic nerve to the brain or burrow inside red blood cells. They're found in cosmetics in forms ranging from tiny wire cages called "buckeyballs" to miniscule bits of metals used as sunscreens. Good luck finding them, though — companies don't have to tell us that they're in our products, though we found that more than one-third of all products contain ingredients now commercially available in nano forms. And we did find them listed outright on the labels of some sunscreens (nano metals) and skin creams (buckeyballs). Buyer beware! (see all ingredients known to be nanoparticles or see all ingredients that may be lurking as nanoparticles.)
BUYER BEWARE: We can't always tell from the product labeling, but you can take a look at our list of products that may contain nanoparticles.


Phthalates
Pronounced "tha'-lates," these little plasticizer chemicals pack a punch to male sex organs. Whether it's sperm damage, feminization of baby boys, or infertility, a growing number of studies link phthalates to problems in men and boys. Pregnant women should avoid it in nail polish ("dibutyl phathalate") and everyone should avoid products with "fragrance" on the label, chemical mixtures where phthalates often hide.

Petroleum byproducts
Surprised to learn that the same factories making gas for your car also make emollients for your face cream? Meet the workhorse chemicals of the cosmetics industry — petroleum byproducts, and the cancer-causing impurities that often contaminate them. These ingredients include carcinogens in baby shampoo (see new research on 1,4-dioxane) and petrochemical waste called coal tar in scalp treatment shampoos. We list a few products and their cancer-causing contaminants here, but use Skin Deep to find more.

To name a few of the brands is just to let you know what is out there-learn about your brands, keep your glasses on, not the pink tinted ones! These articles are studies from the Skin Deep Cosmetic safety studies and not necessarily the opinion of olive workshop.

But we appreciate their hard work in collecting these studies.