Essential Oils and Psoriasis

What is it?

Psoriasis is a hyper -proliferative skin disorder. It is the rapid growth of skin cells that is causing the lesions associated with psoriasis. Skin cells grow about 4 times faster than normal and this cause the formation of silvery layers. The reddish lesions covered with silver-white scales are found on areas such as  the scalp, ears, knees, chest and lower back and elbows.

Psoriasis is stubborn and often difficult to deal with and it requires a lot of patience and long-term treatment. It is important to stick to the program. General health is not usually affected but the psychological stress needs to be taken into consideration.


Causes
According to Battaglia, it is difficult to determine the causes but the general thought is that it is caused by metabolic disturbances since it affects the whole body. Battaglia says, according to Pizzorno some indications are:

• Some lesions may be caused by deficiency in essential fatty acids.
• Incomplete protein digestion or poor intestinal absorption of protein breakdown products.
• Several gut-derived toxins are implicated in the development of psoriasis.
• Can be triggered by nervous tension and stress, cuts, infections, illness, viral and bacterial infections, sunburn or drugs such as lithium, chloroquine and beta blockers.

What to do
Before we get to what specific essential oils to use it is important to also consider the following:

• Identify and address food allergies.
• Use alteratives to promote detoxification.
• Avoid stressful situations, fatigue, environmental changes (exposure to cold), trauma to the skin.
• Manage inflammatory response by the use of anti-inflammatory remedies.
• Use anti-inflammatory and antipruritic essential oils.

Aromatherapy plays a very important role in reducing stress. Battaglia suggests that lavender, sandalwood and bergamot are the most suitable of the oils to use. He says that they can be used as an inhalation, in a bath, or used in a 0.5-1% massage blend. For the massage blend he recommends to use Evening Primrose oil as a carrier.

Wheat germ oil can also be applied to patches on the face,  and Battaglia says you can mix 2 drops of tea tree oils to every 10 ml of wheat germ and apply morning and evening.

Anti-inflammatory oils such as yarrow, helichrysum or German Chamomile should also be considered. 

Battaglia says  if the liver is overloaded by excess toxins in the blood then its detoxification ability is reduced,  and it means the psoriasis will worsen. According to Battaglia, carrot seed and helichrysum have historically been used to correct abnormal liver function.

Oils for psoriasis recommended by Battaglia:

Essential oils:
Bergamot, cajuput, carrot seed, German Chamomile, helichrysum, juniper, lavender, sandalwood.

Other oils:
Infused calendula oil



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Johanna is an aromatherapist and she is passionate about educating people about health, essential oils, real food, natural remedies, and nutrition so they make healthier choices in their lives. 
Follow Johanna on twitter and facebook for more health tips and information.







Sources:
Salvatore Battaglia (1995). The Complete Guide to Aromatherapy. The Perfect Potion Pty Ltd

This post is linked to:
Fat Tuesday

Psoriasis Help

My son has psoriasis and has several patches on his scalp and legs. Is there an essential oil for this?
Janet, RI.

Natural Help for Psoriasis

Psoriasis is a chronic, non-contagious auto-immune disease which affects the skin and joints. It is more frequently found on the skin of the elbows, knees, and scalp, but can affect any area including the genitals. It commonly causes red scaly patches to appear on the skin. The scaly patches caused by psoriasis, are areas of inflammation and excessive skin production. Skin rapidly accumulates at these sites and takes on a silvery-white appearance.

With further study, Dr. Rosenberg of University of Tennessee has documented that Psoriasis is due largely to a fungal infection and/or bacteria infection. They have shown that hormonal challenges play in significantly. Anti-fungal treatments internally and externally are recommended.

Causes:

• Genetics
• Stress
• Poor Diet
• Alcohol Consumption
• Smoking
• Dry Skin and Infection
• Symptoms
• Cold, Dry Weather

Symptoms:

• Plaques of red skin, often covered with loose, silver-colored scales. These lesions may be itchy and painful and sometimes crack and bleed. In severe cases, the plaques of irritated skin will grow and merge into one another, covering large areas.
• Disorders of the fingernails and toenails, including discoloration and pitting of the nails. The nails may also begin to crumble or detach from the nail bed.
• Plaques of scales or crust on the scalp.
• Inflammation and pain in joints.
• Lifestyle Changes

To really eradicate, begin by “cleaning” your Internal System.

Follow a juice and water fast/cleanse for 3-5 days. (Dr. Christopher has a good one, http://www.herballegacy.com/Three_Day_Cleanse.html )
Also take a Liver Cleanse each morning http://theresanoilforthat.blogspot.com/search/label/Liver%20Cleanse
After the cleanse, follow a diet that consists of Whole and Raw foods.
Any whole, live, Raw Foods. This includes fruits, herbs, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and a small amount of fresh fish or chemical free chicken.
Avoid all refined flours, cereals, processed foods and meats, animal fats, and refined sugar.
Increase Water intake- pure clean water. You should be consuming enough ounces of water that are the equivalent of your body weight divided by two. Add 1-2 drops of Peppermint or Lemon oil into it to make it more therapeutic.
Reduce Stressors. Find a modality of stress relief that will work for you. Meditation CD's, yoga, daily walks.

Essential Oil and Natural Helps:

• Increase Sunlight Exposure
• Epsom Salt soaks – Add 2 drops Lavender and 2 drops Peppermint to 1 cup Salts for further healing.
• Coconut Oil, Jojoba Oil, Olive Oil maybe helpful in reducing the dryness. - Add 1-2 drops Helichrysum to help with inflammation, pain, assist with healing and to keep from scarring.
• Oregano Oil will kill any fungus or bacterial infections: Take 2-3 drops in a capsule, filled with Olive oil, and take internally 1x a day. Also, apply 2-3 drops, mixed with 1oz olive oil, 2x daily on location of breakouts.
• If Psoriasis is on your head, add 1 drop to 2 Tbl. Chemical/dye free shampoo. (Or add 15-20 drops to 10-16oz Shampoo Bottle) Apply 1 Tbl. Of Oregano/Shampoo mixture to hair/scalp thoroughly. Let the shampoo sit on the scalp for 2-3 minutes before rinsing. When rinsing, cover eyes well, and rinse thoroughly. (Use an eye guard, if possible.)