{"id":213798,"date":"2022-01-18T01:26:24","date_gmt":"2022-01-17T23:26:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/?p=111981"},"modified":"2022-01-18T01:26:24","modified_gmt":"2022-01-17T23:26:24","slug":"the-long-winding-road-to-treating-psoriasis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/the-long-winding-road-to-treating-psoriasis\/","title":{"rendered":"The long, winding road to treating psoriasis"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/a>
Treating psoriasis Photo: Supplied by clients<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Psoriasis, a common autoimmune disorder that impacts over a million South Africans,1 is often misunderstood to be a simple skin disorder. This couldn\u2019t be further from the truth\u2014psoriasis is a serious chronic disorder that negatively impacts the overall health of a person, and can present with serious co-morbidities such as heart, lung and kidney problems.2<\/p>\n

Unlike other chronic diseases, psoriasis is visible to other people. This makes the disease even more complicated and debilitating, as many patients also suffer with mental health challenges such as anxiety, depression, poor self-esteem and relationship challenges. A recent study found that one third of adults living with psoriasis said that the disease interferes with their love life.3<\/p>\n

Life with psoriasis
Sharon* was just seven years old when she had a severe case of chicken pox that left 90% of her body inflamed with painful burning scales. After a visit to a dermatologist, Sharon was diagnosed with psoriasis and has lived with this debilitating skin disease for over thirty years. This is Sharon\u2019s story.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen my symptoms of psoriasis started, there weren\u2019t many treatment options available and over the years, I tried a myriad of creams and UVA light therapies. Unfortunately, nothing helped me achieve clear skin,\u201d said Sharon. \u201cMy life was filled with burning, itchy and embarrassing skin, at times I felt trapped alone at home. Those rare times that I did venture out, I hid my skin under layers of clothes.\u201d<\/p>\n

The psychological effects
\u201cMy psychological pain and anguish were worse than the pain of my skin,\u201d added Sharon. \u201cAt that time, my doctors didn\u2019t seem to consider my emotional suffering and the impact psoriasis had on my whole life. It all became so unbearable that I went to the darkest places of my mind and considered ending my life. \u201c<\/p>\n

The treatment that changed everything
\u201cShortly after I considered suicide, I had a heart-to-heart with my doctor, who prescribed a biologic treatment,\u201d said Sharon. \u201cInitially, I didn\u2019t have much hope, until I saw the difference it made to my skin. For the first time in years, I felt comfortable to wear sleeveless clothing and go out without covering up. I was overcome by joy!\u201d<\/p>\n

Lifestyle changes can reduce flare-ups
In addition to the right medication, lifestyle changes can also make a difference.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Reduce stress \u00ac\u00ac\u2013\u2013 psoriasis can be exacerbated by stress, so exercising regularly, doing breathing exercises, practicing yoga and mindfulness to calm your mind, body, and emotions will help.3<\/p>\n

\u2022 Talk \u2013\u2013 endorphins are released when you share your challenges with your loved ones. Talking also makes you feel less alone, calms anxiety and reduces the chances of depression. 3<\/p>\n

\u2022 Check your diet \u00ac\u00ac\u2013\u2013 foods such as red meat, dairy and citrus are known to cause flare-ups. Avoid them and figure out what other foods may cause your skin to flare up. We\u2019re all different. 3<\/p>\n

Talk to a dermatologist
It\u2019s important to get the right treatment for your condition. Psoriasis patients are urged to motivate and pressurise their medical aid to cover the cost of treatment as it is a chronic and debilitating disease. In addition, it is your constitutional right to access healthcare.<\/p>\n

\u201cPsoriasis impacts people in different ways, and requires individual treatment,\u201d says Dr Noufal Raboobee, a dermatologist based in Durban. \u201cWhile each patient requires a unique treatment plan, what\u2019s critical is that they find the right treatment plan to achieve clear skin, and do so before the disease escalates and causes additional health co-morbidities. Everyone deserves to live a fulfilled life without pain and shame.\u201d<\/p>\n

If you, or a loved one is experiencing dry, painful, scaly skin that just won\u2019t heal, or any other symptoms of psoriasis, talk to a dermatologist. You can also learn more about psoriasis by visiting the #MoreThanSkinDeep page on Facebook. Remember, psoriasis can be treated and clear skin is achievable and its your right to get the treatment you need to live a healthy, fulfilled life.<\/p>\n

*Name of patient has been changed for privacy reasons.<\/p>\n

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Source: MyPR.co.za<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Treating psoriasis Photo: Supplied by clients Psoriasis, a common autoimmune disorder that impacts over a million South Africans,1 is often misunderstood to be a simple skin disorder. This couldn\u2019t be further from the truth\u2014psoriasis is a serious chronic disorder that negatively impacts the overall health of a person, and can present with serious co-morbidities such […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":213799,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[9021],"tags":[3257],"class_list":{"0":"post-213798","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mypr","8":"tag-mypr","9":"entry"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/the-long-winding-road-to-treating-psoriasis.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/213798","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=213798"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/213798\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/213799"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=213798"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=213798"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=213798"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}