Really ... tell me something I don't know.
"Eighty percent of patients with psoriasis report that stress makes their psoriasis worse and most feel that their psoriasis itself is a very significant stressor," Dr. Feldman says in his paper.
Another study performed at the Clinical Hospital Center of Rijeka in Croatia questioned 150 psoriasis patients, 69 percent of whom "confirmed the existence of psychic stress."
Wow. That's a lot of stress caused by psoriasis. The funny looks from the unknowing or uncaring, wondering if you're "shedding," the extra time spent on medications and therapy, not to mention the extra money ... it adds up very quickly.
New York-Presbyterian Hospital provides an excellent web page on how the stress process plays out in the body and some suggestions on how to mitigate the chemical and emotional effects of our physical reactions to stress. This site specifically lists psoriasis as a symptom of the third, or exhaustion, stage of the body's stress reaction process.
The last two years have been very stressful for me. I have experienced every stress-related symptom on this site's list except for tics. Not surprisingly, in the last two years my psoriasis is no longer isolated to my scalp.
So ... recognizing that psoriasis is not caused by stress but is aggravated by stress, what do we do now?
Meditate, according to a study performed at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD, and colleagues gave psoriasis patients relaxation tapes to listen to while getting UV treatments. The meditators experienced clearing of psoriasis at approximately four times the rate of those who didn't meditate.
Exercise! It doesn't have to be strenuous, just enough to get you into your target heart rate zone and work off some of the chemical compounds that get dumped into your bloodstream when fight-or-flight kicks in. An article at Prevention's website suggests using a pedometer to track the steps you take in the course of a normal day. By knowing how many steps you're taking, you can find ways to increase your activity without having to engage in a strenuous workout. I just joined a gym last week and already I'm noticing a huge difference in the way I perceive myself and the psoriasis that follows me everywhere I go.
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