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Psoriasis Awareness Month

Benefits to psoriasis sufferers from Dead Sea Salts and mineral rich mud

We are becoming increasingly aware of the harm we can do by using artificial skincare products that contain potentially harmful chemicals, hormones and other additives. It is, therefore, interesting to note that the healing powers of the Dead Sea minerals, well known for many years, especially by sufferers from psoriasis, has received scientific approval following a 12 month research project held to assess the effects of the minerals and mud.

The Dead Sea

The Dead Sea lies at a depth of 400 meters below sea level and apart from its distinction of being the lowest spot on earth, is also the saltiest body of water on earth with salinity levels of 32% as opposed to normal sea water with salinity levels of 3%. This exceptional high concentration of salts is due to the fact that the Dead Sea has no outlet point - water flowing into it is trapped and, because of the intense heat, rapidly evaporates leaving behind huge concentrations of minerals. The name itself derives from the fact that no living organisms can live in the briny waters.

Therapeutic benefits

The therapeutic benefits of the Dead Sea have been known for thousands of years and people with skin complaints in particular, have found relief by bathing in the water and using the mineral rich mud. A research project ,carried out by the Dead Sea and Arava Science Center in conjunction with Ben Gurion University, has shown that treatment of psoriasis with Dead Sea mud and minerals, coupled with exposure to the Dead Sea sun has few side effects and has a long term beneficial effect on patients treated.

64 patients received treatment for psoriasis with controlled UV exposure, immersion in Dead Sea water and use of mineral products over a period of 28 days.  Patients were evaluated as to the extent of their psoriasis upon arrival, on departure and subsequent follow up examination over the following 12 months.

Results showed conclusively that the severity of the psoriasis was reduced from 21.7% to 1.4% during the 28 courses of treatment, and the effects where sustained, on average, for a period of almost 34 weeks, with younger patients achieving an even higher remission rate.

About the Author

Katerine Lev

http://www.dead-sea-health.org/eng/index.html

As an acupuncturist I explain to my patients and often remind myself that staying healthy requires practices in prevention, self-awareness and self-care. Knowing the underlying principles of care and the health benefits that Traditional Chinese Medicine and acupuncture can offer is one step closer to optimal health.

The therapeutic benefits of acupuncture are often misunderstood. Following through on a proper course of acupuncture treatment could be the different between finding relief and continuing to struggle with a chronic health condition.

Good health is about good circulation. A common condition that is often treated successfully with Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is Qi and Blood Stagnation. Qi is recognized in TCM as a form of bioelectricity that circulates with blood through the body. Pain is obstruction to qi and blood flow preventing the transportation of healing agents found in blood and qi to the affected area.

Think about how the heart pumps blood through the entire body and you will understand how easy it can be to develop Qi and Blood Stagnation. Blood is pumped out of the heart into large blood vessels called arteries. Blood is propelled fairly easily through these arteries with considerable pressure as heart muscles contract. Arteries continue to narrow into very tiny vessels called capillaries than eventual spill the blood out into the narrow space between the body cells called interstitial space. Blood pressure at this point is weak. Body cells can extract nutrients from blood cells that are speeding by so this is natural but the potential for obstruction is great. Injury can damage and obstruct circulation but simple muscle tension, poor posture, and artery clogging meals are some examples that can also impede circulation. Squeeze your hand and your knuckles turn white blocking the flow of blood. If you tried to maintain a tight fist for too long you would soon begin to feel numbness and tingling and eventually pain - Qi and Blood Stagnation.

Chronic pain results when healing agents in the blood and qi cannot reach to repair the injured area. Acupuncture treatment can help promote circulation and restore the body's natural healing abilities. Acupuncture is a therapy meaning it often requires multiple treatments to correct an imbalance and restore harmony in health. There are phases of treatment that are important to understand in order to properly apply acupuncture as an effective therapy for the relief of health issues such as chronic pain.

Three Phases of Acupuncture Therapy

Relief Therapy

• Relief of symptomatic pain / imbalance
• Frequent treatments

Stabilization Therapy

• Stabilize relief therapy so symptoms don't return
• Frequency is less

Maintenance Therapy

• Maintain stabilization therapy
• Frequent treatments are not necessary and only occasional

A new acupuncture patient will often ask how many treatments it will take to resolve their problem? There is no exact answer. Treatment plans are unique to each patient and their specific imbalances. Results and length of therapy will vary according to severity of condition and the health of the patient. For example, a chronic condition may need long term care in comparison to an acute condition. A patient with a weak constitution may need more therapy than a patient with a strong constitution.

Acupuncture needles are very thin, sterilized, and solid as opposed to hollow. No substances are injected into the patient during an acupuncture treatment. Such injections usually create dramatic changes that are not naturally produced by the body. For example, cortisone injections are often used in Western medicine for chronic pain. You can only receive a few shots per year because overuse can stop the body from producing it's own cortisone naturally.

Frequent acupuncture treatments are needed to awaken the body's own natural healing abilities and produce an accumulative and more beneficial effect. The therapeutic gains of treatment build momentum from one treatment to the next. In a condition such as chronic pain - circulation is blocked preventing the healing agents found in blood to be delivered. Acupuncture therapy can improve circulation and over time relieve pain. A proper course of treatment that is generally accepted to be sufficient to produce a beneficial effect is about 10 - 12 treatment sessions. A patient stopping treatment after a couple of sessions has not given their body the chance to experience the accumulative benefits of acupuncture therapy.

Relief therapy may require 2 to 3 treatments per week for several weeks to relief a majority of the pain and restore function. Once benefits are experienced after relief therapy it would be to soon to stop treatment. Often times healing is not complete and to prevent the reoccurring pain stabilization therapy is necessary. Frequency of treatment may be 1 time per week or 1 treatment every other week. After observing stability in the condition through treatment then a patient progresses into maintenance care, which could be 1 treatment every month or every few months.

Acupuncture therapy is focused on promoting and maintaining health as opposed to the necessary but distinguishing care of Western medicine, which mostly focuses on trauma. An internship for a medical doctor is often done in an emergency room - a trauma focused environment.

Maintenance therapy is something that is encouraged under the scope of acupuncture and TCM. It only makes sense to be engaged in prevention to promote optimal Health through such therapies as acupuncture, herbal medicine, diet therapy, healthy lifestyle cycles, and exercise like Tai Chi, Qigong, and meditation. Knowing how to take care of youself is power through wisdom. Teaching self-care is a fundamental part of acupuncture as a natural and holistic therapy for the mind, body and spirit. Prevention starts with awareness of your self and your personal imbalances and then taking steps to restore and maintain optimal health.

Christopher Carlow is a licensed Doctor of Acupuncture in Rhode Island and is nationally certified as a Diplomate in Oriental Medicine - a combined certification in Acupuncture & Chinese Herbology offered by the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine with staff privileges at Kent County Hospital. He holds a Masters Degree in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine with special training in Medical Chi Kung and Tai Chi Chuan. Chris holds certifications as an Assistant Chi Kung Instructor by Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming, YMAA and as a Arthritis Foundation Tai Chi Program Instructor.

Providing lectures on various health topics including Nutritional Counseling, Lifestyle Counseling, Chinese Herbal Medicine, Tui Na Massage, Tai Chi Chuan & Chi Kung. All based on the time-honored principles of Traditional Oriental Medicine and integrated into a patient's course of treatment within the medical practice of Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine.

For more information visit http://www.natureshealing.info