Summer Help for Psoriasis

While doctors do caution about sun exposure, millions of Americans with psoriasis welcome it. This is Dr. Steven Andrew Davis, Speaking of Health. As a chronic disorder, psoriasis is a subject of on-going research. No permanent cure is known, though the number of treatments for psoriasis continues to grow. There are ever-improving treatments, but applying creams, lotions and ointments can get a little tiresome. Hence, millions of Americans with psoriasis are eagerly waiting for sun to shine. Sunlight, after all, is easy to take, clean, free, and often quite effective in subduing psoriasis.

It’s an old observation, but one needs only look at the distribution of the patches of psoriasis on a typical body to drive the point home. It is common for someone even with obvious psoriasis on the arms, legs, or torso, to be completely clear on the face and hands. These are our sun-exposed surfaces and tend to be less-often affected by psoriasis. Beneficial effects of sunlight on psoriasis are so well established, in fact, that dermatologists have long used various kinds of artificial ultraviolet light in treating it.

Psoriasis: for many, it’s part of our nature, so until science comes up with a foolproof plan, going back to nature by way of moderate amounts of sunlight is still, for many, a good bet. For a copy of this script, visit our web site, speakingofhealth.com. Speaking of health, I’m Dr. Steven Andrew Davis.