THAT WORK!
You don’t have to spend fortune on medicines!
FOUR alternative treatments for psoriasis — a heartbreaking skin disorder marked by ugly blotches and pain — seem to work as good as costly medicines, an exciting new study reveals.
University of Miami researchers identified these non-pharmaceutical cures as effective alternatives to traditional treatments, which include $500-a-tube prescription medicated creams, $600-amonth ultraviolet phototherapy in a dermatologist’s office and pills that can cost $20,000 a year:
1. Indigo naturalis: Long used in traditional Chinese medicine, this plant-based topical treatment has been shown to have anti-inflammatory, antiviral and anti-microbial effects. In trials on psoriasis patients, it appeared to inhibit the growth of excess cells and repair damaged skin.
2. Curcumin: This anti-inflammatory compound found in turmeric — an ingredient in mustards and curries — also helped heal plaque-covered skin in adults. The researchers claim oral dosages appeared to result in both statistically and clinically significant improvements. Topical applications were less effective.
3. Meditation: Amazingly, this stress-reducing mental technique seems to have helped clear the skin of 37 psoriasis patients four times faster than those who did not engage in the practice, which includes envisioning your body free of scales.
4. Acupuncture: The scientists say using thin needles to target body points to trigger physical reactions “appears to be beneficial,” but caution more studies are needed. a clinical assistant professor of dermatology at Northwestern University, Chicago, Ill., who was not involved in the study — says: “Acupuncture does very well for itch. The effect is not necessarily dramatic. But it can be a really nice adjunct for a lot of patients with the itch, and then in particular for those who feel that there’s a stress component.”