Psoriasis is a chronic, systemic, progressive, inflammatory disease that affects the skin and joints. It affects about 1-3% of the world’s population and is NOT contagious. Its main lesions are the papules which are the primary skin rashes which in large concentrations form the psoriatic plaques which are areas of inflammation from excessive skin production.
Psoriasis treated with acupuncture
The etiology of psoriasis involves environmental, genetic, hormonal and immune factors, but the exact etiology is not known.
Acupuncture therapy for psoriasis
Early research on acupuncture for psoriasis has suggested that it can be an effective treatment for managing the symptoms and flares.
Psoriasis as mentioned above is affected by stress and anxiety. Acupuncture is an effective stress reliever and can alleviate stress-related disorders, such as sleep disorders, stress-related skin conditions, anxiety disorders, panic attacks etc. Furthermore, psoriasis is an autoimmune disease and acupuncture has been shown to help many other autoimmune diseases, including arthritis.
Acupuncture helps to restore the body’s balance, while if combined with changes in diet and lifestyle can reduce the symptoms caused by psoriasis. Finally, the number and size of plaques, redness and other symptoms of psoriasis can be reduced in a therapeutic, which includes acupuncture and essential oils for systemic and topical use.
References
- Du J, Tao J, Xu M, Wang R, Lin L, Huang X, Li Q, Lu X. The effects of acupuncture for patients with psoriasis: Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. Medicine (Baltimore). 2021 May 28;100(21):e26042.
- Wang Y, Fu Y, Zhang L, Fu J, Li B, Zhao L, Di T, Meng Y, Li N, Guo J, Li P, Zhao J. Acupuncture Needling, Electroacupuncture, and Fire Needling Improve Imiquimod-Induced Psoriasis-Like Skin Lesions through Reducing Local Inflammatory Responses. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2019 Jul 29;2019:4706865.
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