I haven’t given up on Western medicine just yet; in the last year there has been some promising research on new medications and therapy. But I have put more emphasis on treating myself well with alternative care options, and that seems to be helping more than medication.
The biggest step I have made toward healing myself is working out.
I’ve never been athletic in the slightest and I certainly never pictured myself becoming a gym rat. But my career aspirations and my medical history have conspired to make me an exercise junkie.
I expected exercise to have a beneficial effect on the sore muscles that come with fibromyalgia, and I knew it would improve my mood. What I didn’t expect was the improvement in my psoriasis.
The raised red spots that appear all over my body are not as prominent as they used to be, though they are still there. The underlying tissues are not as painful now. My body needs more water, and the more I drink, the better the lesions look. I am cutting down on caffeine and sugar, which seems to reduce the maddening itch.
I do go to a gym to get my exercise. So far nobody has commented on my psoriasis, but I wouldn’t care if they did. A person with psoriasis has as much right to use health club facilities as anyone else, and probably has more need to do so than the average person, given that having psoriasis can be stressful and exercise helps reduce stress.
The gym I go to is affiliated with a hospital; it has a physical therapy department and an arthritis management program, so all types of people are in attendance at any given time. I have found this environment to be supportive. I actually look forward to going to the gym and get cranky when I can’t fit it into my schedule.
I don’t know of any research that says exercise is good for psoriasis, but it certainly can’t be harmful. However, this is something I will be looking into and possibly writing on in the future.
Go To Page: 1 2
