Alternative doctor, Dublin: Psoriasis/Sjogrens

Emerson

Hi,
I've got nothing but steroids and hope-devoid answers from western medicine.
I get a flakey red dry patch that expands from the center of my forehead during the winter months.

It appears any time I ingest the slightest bit of fat followed by carbohydrate (even if up to 12hrs later) and gets worse if I continue to break the fat rule.
In addition my salivary glands are always somewhat swollen (have been for past 10 years).

I've gone all organic, refined my diet to include only whole foods which really helps and has cured my chronic eye & ear problems but I'm still affected by the aforementioned issues.

Does anyone know of a good alternative/homeopathic doctor in Dublin that doesn't limit their field to individual symptoms in individual parts of the body but rather the underlying causes?

I'd a very unhealthy diet for the first 15 years of my life consisting of mainly chips and crisps..
Many thanks!

r3nu4l

Have you seen a consultant dermatologist? That's the first recommendation. I know you are sick of doctors but at least try to see a good consultant!

THE FOLLOWING IS NOT MEDICAL ADVICE BUT SUGGESTIONS TO IMPROVE YOUR SYMPTOMS ONLY.

Are you sure it's psoriasis? Is this inherited or spontaneous and are you sure it's linked to food alone?

It is unsurprising that you see this (or severity increases) in the winter months as this is due to several factors including use of central heating in houses and lower relative humidity in the air. This causes increases in a process called trans-epidermal water loss and in skin that is already damaged can lead to unregulated loss of hydration. I would imagine that when you wake in the morning you will sub-conciously scratch the area.

Long-term high-strength steroid use is not recommended for skin on the face because facial skin is amongst the thinnest on the body and a side-effect of steroids is thinning skin. Low potency (0.5%-1.0%) steroids are probably okay.

Avoid moisturisers with fragrances and/or tea tree oil. While these may be okay for 'normal' skin, they will not be good for skin that is disrupted due to increased cell differentiation. Make sure you apply moisturiser to the effected area after every shower/sport event and before you go outdoors. Also apply before going to bed at night. This is important.

Mods, feel free to delete etc. if you feel this is not apropriate.

Hendrixcat

I suffer from psoriasis and likewise received little help from doctors. All of it was along the lines of steriod creams and cold tar preparations. The steroids cannot be used over a prolonged period and often result in a nasty rebound in the symptoms which are worse than the original problem. I heard about the use of omega 3,6 and 9 oils as a possible treatment. I was skeptcial initially because as far as I know the action of these fatty acids does not seem to be very well documented within traditional western medicine. I decided to give it a bash and bought some Udo's oil at 25 quid for 500 mls. The oil is pressed from various nuts and flax and taste pretty awful but when it is mixed into a smoothie and gulped down it's not too bad. I did notice a distinct improvement in my skin condition and having done some more reading it appears that good results with skin conditions have been documented with the use of this oil. It might be worth a try, though like the poster before me, I am not convinced that it is psoriasis you are suffering from.

r3nu4l

OP, just to pick up on the last point by hendrixcat, it is also possible that the condition is seborrheic dermatitis, which often presents similar to psoriasis in adults. The fact that your current problem is centreed around the forehead, a haven of sebaceous glands may be further indication but this is something that you need to take up with a dermatologist.

An ordinary GP is not a specialist in dermatology and as dermatoses are often very similar in etiology and pathology, your run of the mill GP cannot be expected to pick up on the subtle differences between each one.

The Chessplayer

Suffer from the odd red dry flakey patch (psoriasis?) - one on my forehead, and one either side of my nose (not on my nose). Only get this problem occasionally, however it is very irritating when I do get it. Having spoken to some people about it, the common perception is that all a dermatologist would do is prescribe locoid ointment (cortisone). Any thoughts?

boo-yaw-ka-shaa

Re; alternative therapies for psoriasis, I've heard good things about seaweed baths. Here's some links, with more info available online.

http://www.voya.ie/health_benefits.aspx
http://www.irishhealth.com/discussion/message.html?topic=8611&dis=4&backurl=/discussion/topsect.html?sectid=10%7Cclinic_id=%7Ccr=0%7Cd=1%7Cpg=1
http://www.independent.ie/health/alternatively-ooey-gooey-the-super-weed-that-will-leave-you-feeling-silky-smooth-66788.html

wheresthebeef

to re-iterate what r3nu4l said, it could be seborrheic dermatitis. i thought for a long time that i had psoriasis on my face and scalp. and was using polytar (coal tar) selsun (selenium sulfide) on it with some effect, but not much. similarly mine got worse in winter time. i tried using Nizoral (ketoconazole) which worked a lot better, and now i'm convinced my problem is more dermatitis than psoriasis. i keep meaning to ask for a dermatology referral, but never think of it when i'm at the GP. Cortopin is also a good steroid cream which is available over the counter for about 3 euro a tube and gives good relief for me, when the nizoral fails.

The_Minister

There is a qualified doctor, who specialised in dermatology, but has an active interest in alternative medicine, practicing in Dublin. Would that be what you want?

EDIT: Ooops 2-year-old thread

cobweb

Dont put steroids on your face it thins the skin

I have severe chronic psorasis and have over the years attended dermatologists, alt medicine herbalists, acupuncture, and this year went back to a dermatlogy doctor to get reassessed and got TLO ligth treatment which worked for me.

My advice would be even if you are sick of them get reassessed by a dermatologist to confirm type of skin complaint you have and if psoriasis which type and try the treatments for a few months or enquire about TLO loght treatment but go to dermatologist as advances are been made all the time

Good luck as I know psorasis is a pain in the *** I am not sure though if you have psoraisis so get it checked out will be totally worth it then if you dont want the western treatment at least you have definitve diagnosis.

AtomicHorror

Chessplayer: As r3nu4l says (two years ago!), a dermatologist should be your first port of call. With respect to alternative therapies: Do your research before you dive into anything there. Most alternative therapies are only supported by anecdotal evidence and that's not from a lack of testing by mainstream doctors. Scepticism is justified when dealing with anyone who does not want their methods rigorously tested.