Queen Boudica
VIP Member
((((((KP))))))). So sorry. I know what you are going through watching my son go through it - it is a nightmare.
If you want I can send you some of the moogoo cream. I can get it from a discount store for about 28% off they do that deal on 3rd Saturday of every month. So that would probably cover the postage costs. It costs about $23 for a 250 ml tub which if you are using it only on your hands would not be too bad.
My son sees a psychologist who has shown him how to self hypnosis, by visualising himself in a pool, with the cooling water starting at his feet and then rising up his body, cooling him. That helps with my son.
Right I'm going to give you a summary of my arsenal of weapons against my son's psoriasis. This is all the stuff I have looked up and tried and it seems to be working with him at the moment. And at the beginning of the year he was at his absolute worst in hospital. It works at the moment for him but I know every one is different. And you probably know most of this stuff anyway. AND these are just my opinions and my quirky stuff so I'm not pushing anything, just explaining what works at the moment. Which I have no doubt will change.
I'm a bit of a hippy chick so I use natural as much as possible. The skin is a massive organ that absorbs everything you put on it. Personally I am not happy with putting loads of petrochemicals on my son's skin. He is little, those products such as parabens and parfum there is a continuous build up of evidence that they are not good. I would rather play it safe and use natural stuff that we already eat. But, if desperate I use the other stuff. But the natural stuff is working just as well, if not better than any of the petrochemical creams we were told to use.
Honestly I have found the cacao butter, grated and melted in a plate over a jug of hot water works really well at night, as does the coconut oil but my son prefers the cacao. Coconut oil in the bath also very good, but blocks the pipes. In winter I use almond oil + some lavendar oil and tee tree oil. I've heard good things about shea butter, but I could not get an all natural one and the one I tried on my son I think irritated him.
Tee tree oil, stops infections, including mrsa. Staphlococcus big problem with eczema and psorasis that is what put my son in hospital this year after 3 rounds of antibiotics. He was so itchy he was waking up screaming, and the infection fuelled the whole problem. I was told to use bleach, in his bath, but that dries out his skin and God knows what it does to his lungs breathing in those fumes. So tee tree oil, natural antiseptic. The other thing for infection I use on him to stop it, as soon as I see any open wounds, and it is nice and gentle so it won't sting (tee tree oil does sting) - manuka oil, again, natural antiseptic, kills mrsa. Another recommendation I have had, but have not tried to kill staphlococcus is lemon oil, but that could be drying. So if your skin is inflamed and red and open sores, get it checked out for staph infection, try antibiotics and I would try the natural antiseptics. I love manuka oil it is not drying and very healing and moisturising.
Staph infection in the mouth. Do you have tonsils? Apparantly staph loves to hide in the tonsil area and that can cause a psoriasis outbreak, as can I think other bacterial and viral infections. So get them to swab your tonsils if you suspect. Streptococcus, another problem
Do you wet bandage your hands? Tubular bandaging really easy. I think they even sell the stuff as gloves now. Bathe in oils, so you are warm. Put on steroids if necessary (I use manuka oil on the cracked skin) + your cream of choice (cacao butter for us). Then taken one tubular bandage and wet it in warm water and put it over the infected area. Cover with another dry bandage. Keep it on all night. If necessary you can repeat during the day. 3 times to start off with.
Another thing you could try is glucosamine cream. I get one that contains no parabens and natural oils called aquathera and I use the face cream on my son. Glucosamine, latest anti-aging thing, but some very preliminary research about how it might help with itching. (Personally I think there is something about the structure of the skin that is not right. With my kids they all have low muscle tone, and that is to do with the collagen structure, I wonder whether there are missing enzymes to build the collagen skin structure correctly and that leads to thin weakened skin that cannot keep moisture in and allows agravants in that make the immune system go crazy and react to produce psoriasis.) Anything that helps build up that skin structure and improve it then would help and glucosamine, helps with build up of collagen. It will sting though but my son says it does help with the itching after. Taking the glucosamine as a pill also an option again to build up collagen. I take it for my knees.
I give my son lots of fish oil, I recently upped his dose and I think that helped with his dry skin. The other thing I give him is folic acid. Some initial research to do with how the immune system over reacts and something to do with folic acid stopping that - can't remember I did have the info. Also that is linked to antioxidants. Eat as much as possible fresh fruit, veg. Another interesting thing about spirulina again antioxidant and coq10. All the research on antioxidants looking good anyway for stopping cancer and helping heal it and for anti-aging. So no harm there.
Oils interesting, about the balance of omega 3 vs omega 6 we get now totally out of whack. We need much more omega 3 but western diet too much meat based omega 6. Something like that. So good oils, flax seed, nuts such as almonds, brazil nuts, walnuts, and oily fish. Cook with olive oil for low temp. I use coconut oil a lot now for high temp. Canola oil supposed to be good, but I don't like it, it goes rancid easy. Rice bran oil supposed to be good. Oh avocados, very very very good.
What I would avoid is colourings, my son as soon as he has anything with red colourings, all over body rash. I only use natural products, no soap etc on his hands. Just a thought, rubber gloves, if you use for washing up and cleaning, source of bacteria on inside after a while? Might irritate hands??
I just avoid all nasty chemicals now in processed food. Don't buy it, don't need it. Agree with Jamie Oliver. If you can't pronounce the name of the ingredient then don't eat it. And anything with more than a few ingredients, just bin it. That is my opinion. Noticed you are on a diet at the moment, Change in diet might be affecting your psoriasis? Diet meals, packed full of chemicals. But then maybe more fruit and vegetables could be causing probs? I don't agree with elimination diets and taking out good food, but lot of people going on about salicylates like it tomatoes etc. But cutting out those fruit and veg with salicylates in them, not sure that would just cause more problems in the long run. Same with dairy.
Anything that irritates the skin, rubbing, chafing, mosquito bite, anything can then cause psoriasis to break out. My son only wears cotton, and has cotton sheets etc. Had to get the school to allow him to wear cotton uniform it is all hot horrible polyester cotton over here. With the latest hospitalised outbreak I had bought him these trendy shoes that were not leather. They were rubbing against his feet and that caused the initial problems that then got horribly infected and spread all over his body. So shoes rubbing.
Washing powders, don't believe the hype about omo and its sensitive skin version. Hmmmmm I just use natural stuff again, have gone down to just using bicarb of soda for my son's clothes and sheets and I wash with extra water and extra rinse. Nothing gets out all the creams we have to use on him. His clothes are never the same.
No wool, avoid dust, moulds, pollens (grass not good). wooden floors, leather sofa's, dust mite covers, hot wash sheets, no curtains. Lucky we have a house with wooden floors and blinds, but still tonnes of dust. Under my son's bed, all the skin cells he has scratched off , layers and layers of them, when I went to clean it a couple of months ago.
Sun good option, my son was sent on a UVB course. BUT as with the steroid creams that ultimately changes the skin structure. I think the skin structure should be being built up and made better, all the conventional treatments, destroy it. MY OPINION. I do use the steroid creams when necessary, but I have cut those down to minimum with my son. The UVB treatment again, desperate measures, but my hope is to keep him under control so he does not have to have it (and it is a real pain 3 times a week to the hospital) Not sure about sun beds whether they would be safe. Sun and sea very good. But broken skin and salty water, nightmare. My son was screaming when we took him to the beach.
The dermatologist we see was pushing and pushing for my son to go on a treatment called methotrexate. It is the original chemotherapy drug. Taken in lower dosages they reckon it is effective against psoriasis. I refused, when I looked up how it worked it works by stopping DNA replicating. In low dosages it is supposed to work on only the fast growing cells, like those fast growing skin cells that make up psoriasis, but I am not sure they really understand how it works. It can cause nausea, possible liver damage, kidney damage, lining of stomach damage (hence nausea), possible hair and nail loss and a long long list of other things. Basically it is about as toxic as they come, that is why it is a chemotherapy drug. Now I'm sorry but a young boy who has growth spurts with fast growing DNA, do I really want to give him something toxic that stops that DNA from replicating? NO. It also is an immunosuppressant. Constant blood checks required and if there is an outbreak of any sickness at school we would have to keep him at home. BUT it is an option if you are desperate.
Have you read the book Sunbathing Naked and other miracle Cures by Guy Kennaway? I read it, pretty bleak, but interesting about all the stuff he tried and the emotional effect how badly it effects self-esteem and body image. And he did go to Israel and the dead sea and bathed in those salts and sunbathed there and it did help. But I think it is the combination of all those things that helped. There is no one miracle cream or diet for the moment.
http://www.theomnivore.co.uk/Book/413-Sunbathing_Naked_and_Other_Miracle_Cures/Default.aspx
It is a horrible condition psoriasis. My son suffers from bullying at school because of it and self image problems. Plus the suffering every day itching and being excluded from activities like swimming lessons and anything that makes him too hot.
It is a battle, I find constant vigilance, looking at his skin, making sure you keep on top off any small outbreak so it does not get worse and infected. And sometimes, even that just does not work. Sometimes he is fine one day and the next there is a huge red flaming rash. Just horrible. And at the beginning of the year, the whole thing moved so fast from a little bit of eczema to his whole body covered and him screaming at night. Just horrible.
Hope some of that helps. But just ignore, think I have written far too much.
If you want I can send you some of the moogoo cream. I can get it from a discount store for about 28% off they do that deal on 3rd Saturday of every month. So that would probably cover the postage costs. It costs about $23 for a 250 ml tub which if you are using it only on your hands would not be too bad.
My son sees a psychologist who has shown him how to self hypnosis, by visualising himself in a pool, with the cooling water starting at his feet and then rising up his body, cooling him. That helps with my son.
Right I'm going to give you a summary of my arsenal of weapons against my son's psoriasis. This is all the stuff I have looked up and tried and it seems to be working with him at the moment. And at the beginning of the year he was at his absolute worst in hospital. It works at the moment for him but I know every one is different. And you probably know most of this stuff anyway. AND these are just my opinions and my quirky stuff so I'm not pushing anything, just explaining what works at the moment. Which I have no doubt will change.
I'm a bit of a hippy chick so I use natural as much as possible. The skin is a massive organ that absorbs everything you put on it. Personally I am not happy with putting loads of petrochemicals on my son's skin. He is little, those products such as parabens and parfum there is a continuous build up of evidence that they are not good. I would rather play it safe and use natural stuff that we already eat. But, if desperate I use the other stuff. But the natural stuff is working just as well, if not better than any of the petrochemical creams we were told to use.
Honestly I have found the cacao butter, grated and melted in a plate over a jug of hot water works really well at night, as does the coconut oil but my son prefers the cacao. Coconut oil in the bath also very good, but blocks the pipes. In winter I use almond oil + some lavendar oil and tee tree oil. I've heard good things about shea butter, but I could not get an all natural one and the one I tried on my son I think irritated him.
Tee tree oil, stops infections, including mrsa. Staphlococcus big problem with eczema and psorasis that is what put my son in hospital this year after 3 rounds of antibiotics. He was so itchy he was waking up screaming, and the infection fuelled the whole problem. I was told to use bleach, in his bath, but that dries out his skin and God knows what it does to his lungs breathing in those fumes. So tee tree oil, natural antiseptic. The other thing for infection I use on him to stop it, as soon as I see any open wounds, and it is nice and gentle so it won't sting (tee tree oil does sting) - manuka oil, again, natural antiseptic, kills mrsa. Another recommendation I have had, but have not tried to kill staphlococcus is lemon oil, but that could be drying. So if your skin is inflamed and red and open sores, get it checked out for staph infection, try antibiotics and I would try the natural antiseptics. I love manuka oil it is not drying and very healing and moisturising.
Staph infection in the mouth. Do you have tonsils? Apparantly staph loves to hide in the tonsil area and that can cause a psoriasis outbreak, as can I think other bacterial and viral infections. So get them to swab your tonsils if you suspect. Streptococcus, another problem
Do you wet bandage your hands? Tubular bandaging really easy. I think they even sell the stuff as gloves now. Bathe in oils, so you are warm. Put on steroids if necessary (I use manuka oil on the cracked skin) + your cream of choice (cacao butter for us). Then taken one tubular bandage and wet it in warm water and put it over the infected area. Cover with another dry bandage. Keep it on all night. If necessary you can repeat during the day. 3 times to start off with.
Another thing you could try is glucosamine cream. I get one that contains no parabens and natural oils called aquathera and I use the face cream on my son. Glucosamine, latest anti-aging thing, but some very preliminary research about how it might help with itching. (Personally I think there is something about the structure of the skin that is not right. With my kids they all have low muscle tone, and that is to do with the collagen structure, I wonder whether there are missing enzymes to build the collagen skin structure correctly and that leads to thin weakened skin that cannot keep moisture in and allows agravants in that make the immune system go crazy and react to produce psoriasis.) Anything that helps build up that skin structure and improve it then would help and glucosamine, helps with build up of collagen. It will sting though but my son says it does help with the itching after. Taking the glucosamine as a pill also an option again to build up collagen. I take it for my knees.
I give my son lots of fish oil, I recently upped his dose and I think that helped with his dry skin. The other thing I give him is folic acid. Some initial research to do with how the immune system over reacts and something to do with folic acid stopping that - can't remember I did have the info. Also that is linked to antioxidants. Eat as much as possible fresh fruit, veg. Another interesting thing about spirulina again antioxidant and coq10. All the research on antioxidants looking good anyway for stopping cancer and helping heal it and for anti-aging. So no harm there.
Oils interesting, about the balance of omega 3 vs omega 6 we get now totally out of whack. We need much more omega 3 but western diet too much meat based omega 6. Something like that. So good oils, flax seed, nuts such as almonds, brazil nuts, walnuts, and oily fish. Cook with olive oil for low temp. I use coconut oil a lot now for high temp. Canola oil supposed to be good, but I don't like it, it goes rancid easy. Rice bran oil supposed to be good. Oh avocados, very very very good.
What I would avoid is colourings, my son as soon as he has anything with red colourings, all over body rash. I only use natural products, no soap etc on his hands. Just a thought, rubber gloves, if you use for washing up and cleaning, source of bacteria on inside after a while? Might irritate hands??
I just avoid all nasty chemicals now in processed food. Don't buy it, don't need it. Agree with Jamie Oliver. If you can't pronounce the name of the ingredient then don't eat it. And anything with more than a few ingredients, just bin it. That is my opinion. Noticed you are on a diet at the moment, Change in diet might be affecting your psoriasis? Diet meals, packed full of chemicals. But then maybe more fruit and vegetables could be causing probs? I don't agree with elimination diets and taking out good food, but lot of people going on about salicylates like it tomatoes etc. But cutting out those fruit and veg with salicylates in them, not sure that would just cause more problems in the long run. Same with dairy.
Anything that irritates the skin, rubbing, chafing, mosquito bite, anything can then cause psoriasis to break out. My son only wears cotton, and has cotton sheets etc. Had to get the school to allow him to wear cotton uniform it is all hot horrible polyester cotton over here. With the latest hospitalised outbreak I had bought him these trendy shoes that were not leather. They were rubbing against his feet and that caused the initial problems that then got horribly infected and spread all over his body. So shoes rubbing.
Washing powders, don't believe the hype about omo and its sensitive skin version. Hmmmmm I just use natural stuff again, have gone down to just using bicarb of soda for my son's clothes and sheets and I wash with extra water and extra rinse. Nothing gets out all the creams we have to use on him. His clothes are never the same.
No wool, avoid dust, moulds, pollens (grass not good). wooden floors, leather sofa's, dust mite covers, hot wash sheets, no curtains. Lucky we have a house with wooden floors and blinds, but still tonnes of dust. Under my son's bed, all the skin cells he has scratched off , layers and layers of them, when I went to clean it a couple of months ago.
Sun good option, my son was sent on a UVB course. BUT as with the steroid creams that ultimately changes the skin structure. I think the skin structure should be being built up and made better, all the conventional treatments, destroy it. MY OPINION. I do use the steroid creams when necessary, but I have cut those down to minimum with my son. The UVB treatment again, desperate measures, but my hope is to keep him under control so he does not have to have it (and it is a real pain 3 times a week to the hospital) Not sure about sun beds whether they would be safe. Sun and sea very good. But broken skin and salty water, nightmare. My son was screaming when we took him to the beach.
The dermatologist we see was pushing and pushing for my son to go on a treatment called methotrexate. It is the original chemotherapy drug. Taken in lower dosages they reckon it is effective against psoriasis. I refused, when I looked up how it worked it works by stopping DNA replicating. In low dosages it is supposed to work on only the fast growing cells, like those fast growing skin cells that make up psoriasis, but I am not sure they really understand how it works. It can cause nausea, possible liver damage, kidney damage, lining of stomach damage (hence nausea), possible hair and nail loss and a long long list of other things. Basically it is about as toxic as they come, that is why it is a chemotherapy drug. Now I'm sorry but a young boy who has growth spurts with fast growing DNA, do I really want to give him something toxic that stops that DNA from replicating? NO. It also is an immunosuppressant. Constant blood checks required and if there is an outbreak of any sickness at school we would have to keep him at home. BUT it is an option if you are desperate.
Have you read the book Sunbathing Naked and other miracle Cures by Guy Kennaway? I read it, pretty bleak, but interesting about all the stuff he tried and the emotional effect how badly it effects self-esteem and body image. And he did go to Israel and the dead sea and bathed in those salts and sunbathed there and it did help. But I think it is the combination of all those things that helped. There is no one miracle cream or diet for the moment.
http://www.theomnivore.co.uk/Book/413-Sunbathing_Naked_and_Other_Miracle_Cures/Default.aspx
It is a horrible condition psoriasis. My son suffers from bullying at school because of it and self image problems. Plus the suffering every day itching and being excluded from activities like swimming lessons and anything that makes him too hot.
It is a battle, I find constant vigilance, looking at his skin, making sure you keep on top off any small outbreak so it does not get worse and infected. And sometimes, even that just does not work. Sometimes he is fine one day and the next there is a huge red flaming rash. Just horrible. And at the beginning of the year, the whole thing moved so fast from a little bit of eczema to his whole body covered and him screaming at night. Just horrible.
Hope some of that helps. But just ignore, think I have written far too much.
