Treating psoriasis with low dose naltrexone (LDN)
So in this article, we are going to talk about psoriasis in detail. Its causes, symptoms, and how it can be treated through Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN) are also mentioned below.
What is meant by psoriasis?
First of all, you need to understand what psoriasis actually is. Our skin cells usually have a life cycle of one month. After a month, the new cells start to grow deep inside the skin and then slowly start to appear on the skin surface. But psoriasis is a severe skin condition in which the cells of the skin multiply themselves rapidly and accumulate below the previous ones as they do not get much time to fall. Due to this, the skin surface gets covered with white scales or red inflamed patches. If these symptoms worsen, these patches may crack and bleed. Also, it is basically an autoimmune disease.
Psoriasis is most common in areas such as the face, scalp, hand and feet, elbow, knees, and neck. Whereas, in the areas around the genitals, mouth, nails, etc., it is not so common.
Types of Psoriasis
The autoimmune disease or skin condition – psoriasis is divided into five types:
- Plaque psoriasis
- Inverse psoriasis
- Pustular psoriasis
- Guttate psoriasis
- Erythrodermic psoriasis
Symptoms of Psoriasis
The symptoms of Psoriasis vary from person to person and the type of psoriasis. As well the following are the most common symptoms of psoriasis regardless of what type it is:
- Red, thick and inflamed patches of skin
- White-silverish scales on red patches
- Bleeding when these patches crack
- Soreness and irritation around patches
- Dandruff in hair
- Itching on scalp
- Thick and ridged nails
- Pain and inflammation in joints
Below are the symptoms of psoriasis depending on what type it is:
Plaque psoriasis
This type of psoriasis is found in most people suffering from this skin condition. The elbows, scalp, and knees get affected by plaque psoriasis.
Inverse psoriasis
In this type of psoriasis, the skin gets bright red-colored, inflamed, and shiny in some parts. It occurs around the breasts, groin, genitals, and armpits usually.
Pustular psoriasis
This type of psoriasis is most common in adults. It causes red, pus-filled blisters and is mostly found around hands and feet.
Guttate psoriasis
In children, Guttate psoriasis is common. It causes thick pink-colored spots on areas around arms, legs, and torso.
Erythrodermic psoriasis
The most threatening and rare type of psoriasis is Erythrodermic psoriasis. The skin appears to be sunburned. Erythrodermic psoriasis spreads over the body at once. It can be deadly, if not treated.
Cause of psoriasis
The causes of psoriasis are still unclear. But the researchers after doing a number of researches consider that the two most important key factors in causing psoriasis are genetics and the immune system. Hence it is described in detail how these two play an important role in causing psoriasis:
Genetics:
Psoriasis can be inherited from genes. So if your immediate family member has this skin condition, your chances of developing psoriasis also increase significantly.
Immune system:
Psoriasis is considered an autoimmune disease which means it is caused due to the attack of the body on itself. The white blood cells or the T cells attack the skin cells by mistake. Therefore, this attack causes the skin cells to replicate themselves very fast and results in overproduction. Hence, they are pushed to the surface of the skin and get piled up there.
Factors that may trigger psoriasis
There are a number of other factors that may trigger psoriasis, and are known as the ‘external triggers’. These triggers may not cause psoriasis in everyone and may change with the passage of time in some of you. The most common external triggers of psoriasis include:
Injury
Psoriasis may be caused in areas that had injuries in the past. A minor cut, scrape, or bug bite may trigger psoriasis. The sunburns, vaccines, and shots can also cause a new outbreak.
Infections
As said earlier, psoriasis is an autoimmune condition that resulted due to the mistaken attack of the T cells on healthy skin cells. Therefore, it is possible when you are fighting infections such as strep throat or skin infections, the T cells get high exaggerated. It might start psoriasis as well.
Medications
Certain medications are well known to trigger psoriasis. These medications can include:
- medicines containing lithium
- medical containing quinidine
- compound medicines containing indomethacin
- antimalarial medications
- high blood pressure medication
Excessive alcohol consumption
Drinking excessive alcohol can induce psoriasis as well. So excessive intake of alcohol can cause more frequent outbreaks of psoriasis. If you have experienced this situation, Because your doctor may ask you to give up on alcohol permanently.
Stress and anxiety
Hence, high levels of stress or anxiety can induce psoriasis in you as well. Because you have to learn to manage your stress and anxiety if you want to prevent this outbreak.
Weather changes
Psoriasis may be triggered by extreme weather conditions. For example, people claim that excessively dry or cold weather causes their skin to lose moisture, therefore resulting in psoriasis.
How can Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN) help in treating psoriasis?
Psoriasis is a chronic autoimmune condition. A number of options for treating psoriasis are available that include systemic, topical, and photo-therapy. But all of them have side effects. Hence, Low-dose Naltrexone (LDN) is significantly known for its services in the treatment of autoimmune conditions. Similarly, it is seen to treat psoriasis in people and improve their quality of life with less or no side effects at all. Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN) has anti-inflammatory, antipruritic, and analgesic properties which are important in the treatment of this condition. A number of patients have confirmed that they have seen significant improvement in their health conditions after the use of LDN.
Hence, you can get Low dose naltrexone (LDN) in all forms from the harbor compounding pharmacy. For more information, please visit their website.
This article is all about Behcet’s Disease which is also known as Behcet’s syndrome. An uncommon autoimmune condition in which the eyes and blood vessels throughout the body get inflamed. It usually affects the areas around your mouth or genitals and develops sores. It’s can be recurring and may cause numerous other problems in your body. Behcet’s disease is also known as the Silk Road disease as it was first seen in people who belonged from the region.
How does Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN) treat Behcet’s disease?
People who are suffering from chronic pain due to autoimmune conditions like Behcet’s disease may feel the use of low-dose naltrexone (LDN) very surreal. But it is proven that using a small dose of naltrexone can help release the endorphins that destroy the killer cells or cancer cells. Most of the doctors are still unaware of this medicine, they don’t know what it is and what it can do.
You can find low-dose naltrexone (LDN) in all forms from the harbor compounding pharmacy. Please visit their website for more details.
Treatment with Low Dose Naltrexone
Dermatology is confronting increasing incidences of autoimmune diseases appearing in primary skin disorders that are challenging to treat without immunosuppression. Naltrexone is an oral opioid antagonist that affects various systemic pathways, such as the immune system, and is used in very low doses of 1.5 – 4.0 mg every day. The way it works has provoked the consideration of researchers and experts about low-dose naltrexone’s potentiality in treating many autoimmune diseases. At doses of 50 to 100 mg every day, naltrexone is given as an off-label dermatological treatment for trichotillomania and various kinds of pruritus.
Reference article link:
https://vocal.media/longevity/treating-psoriasis-with-low-dose-naltrexone-ldn