Condsider yourself lucky if you don't know what psoriasis is. I do know what it is because I have it and I would much rather not. The most simple explanation of psoriasis is that it is a skin disease that causes itchy, red, scaly patches. It can happen on any part of your body, but is commonly found on elbows, knees, scalp, and lower back. Mine is on the back of my neck right below my hair line and I can tell you it is unsightly and itches like crazy.
Doctors aren't 100 percent sure, but it is believed to be genetic and caused by the immune system triggering skin cells to produce too quickly so that dead and live cells build up on the skin surface, hence the itchy patches. It is not contagious, there is no cure for it, but there are treatments and one of them is weight loss. Yup, weight loss may help alleviate psoriasis.
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Psoriasis is uncomfortable and not to be vain, but it is not pretty. It can really do a number on your self esteem.
Do you see what I mean? People who don't know what that is freak the funk out. They don't want to go anywhere near it and you have to reassure them that it is not contagious, but it is embarrassing.
In my case, psoriasis stopped bothering me for many years. I had tried topical treatments for it, but they didn't work for me because I have very sensitive skin and the topical treatments gave me allergic reactions. One day I decided I would stop having psoriasis and it worked. Ha! Really what I did was stop touching the affected area and it helped because rubbing it makes it worse. I was also very healthy in other areas. I was eating well and exercising regularly. I am not kidding you that my psoriasis went away for almost a decade. Then I had kids, gained weight, got stressed out, and the psoriasis came back. Coinky dink? I don't think so.
It turns out that being overweight aggravates psoriasis. Why? Because psoriasis is an inflammatory disease. In case you don't know being obese is a known cause of inflammation.
Here are five ways to manage psoriasis with weight loss.
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Scale down
If you are trying to manage your psoriasis and you are overweight, it has been shown that scaling down has helped many reduce their psoriasis scales as well.
Drink up
There is no direct correlation between increasing your water intake and reducing your psoriasis symptoms, but water is integral for weight loss, so drink up!
Exercise
Exercise can help you manage psoriasis both because it can help you lose weight and because it is a great stress reliever. Psoriasis is affected by stress, so the less you stress the better.
Watch what you eat
When you are trying to eat, you should watch what you eat. When you are struggling with psoriasis and losing weight it is doubly important because you need to eat healthy and watch calories for weight loss, but also because it helps your psoriasis if you follow an anti-inflammatory diet full of fresh fruits and vegetables.
Do it for your health
Yes, losing weight comes with benefits like looking great in a pair of jeans and helping you manage psoriasis, but remember that you are doing it for your overall health. Do not starve yourself trying to lose weight because you think it will make your psoriasis go away. Lose weight by being healthy and smart so that you will stay healthy and smart.
