Psoriasis

Psoriasis is a chronic skin disease that generally appears as patches of raised red skin covered by a flaky white buildup sometimes associated with fungal exposure. Although the exact cause is unknown, psoriasis is believed to be related to faulty signals sent by the body's immune system. These signals accelerate the growth cycle in skin cells, which pile up on the surface when the body can't shed them fast enough. Click here for an animated image that illustrates the cycle of skin growth in normal skin and skin with psoriasis.

Psoriasis is not contagious—no one can "catch" it from another person. It has a genetic component that makes certain people more likely to develop it, but often an external or environmental "trigger" is necessary to make psoriasis appear. These triggers may include emotional stress, injury to the skin, some types of infection and reaction to certain drugs.

The most common form of psoriasis is called "plaque psoriasis"—about 80 percent of people with psoriasis have this type. Plaque psoriasis can appear on any skin surface, although the knees, elbows, scalp, trunk and nails are the most common locations.  UV light therapy or natural sunlight, beginning with 10 minutes a day, then slowly extending that time, will dramatically help in feeling relief.  It is important to take the sunlight in small doses, especially if a mold patient feels a pin prickly sensation out in the sun, as this is a sign of the toxins rising to the skin.  Sweating the toxins out is very important, but it must be done in moderation, or the patient can become very ill.

There are several other types of psoriasis, and between 10 percent and 30 percent of people with psoriasis also develop a related form of arthritis, called psoriatic arthritis.