How to Boost the Immune System to Prevent and Treat Psoriasis?

Psoriasis and the immune system have a direct relationship with each other. Psoriasis is a chronic skin condition that causes itchiness and skin inflammation, particularly on elbows, scalp, trunk, and knees. It is a common disease and is a long-term one that has no cure. Once effected from Psoriasis, the patient will experience several cycles of the chronic disease, sometimes sustaining for a few weeks to months and then subsiding, only to reoccur again. The only effective way to prevent and treat Psoriasis is to strengthening your immunity and adopting healthy lifestyle habits.

In this article, I will be discussing the common causes of Psoriasis, how it can be prevented/treated, and the vital role of strong immunity in Psoriasis prevention/treatment. But first, we will begin by relating a bit about the connection between immunity and psoriasis.

Immune System and Psoriasis: The Complex Connection Between the Two

The connection between psoriasis and immunity was established back in 1979, which was a coincidental discovery (source: National Psoriasis Foundation). While looking out for substantial breakthroughs in bone marrow transplantation, researchers accidentally found out that a drug, known as cyclosporine, which suppresses certain immune responses, also helps in suppressing psoriatic reaction. Since then, the relationship between psoriasis and the immune system has been firmly established.

A normal immune system only attacks and protects the body against harmful bacteria, viruses, and other external threats. But when a person is suffering from psoriatic disease, the immune system goes awry and accelerates inflammation with extra growth of skin cells. The excessive production of skin cells contributes to the inflammation of the skin, mainly in joints, which can result in various forms of red spots or red-plagued skin. Therefore, the immune system – among other things – is not only the key in triggering psoriatic disease but it also plays an important part in its prevention and treatment.

What happens to the immunity when a person suffers from psoriasis? The immune system is designed to protect you from infections and diseases. It does so by sending out immune cells and healthy blood cells to various organs of the body. When a person is suffering from psoriasis, the same immune system which protects the body becomes autoimmune and makes you sick, specifically attacking our skin. It does so by launching a highly inflammatory response against an optimal skin, which it accidentally recognizes it as not in a normal condition anymore. Thus, the elevated inflammatory response ends up creating reddish, spotty, and burned skin dots, especially in joints.

The specific problem triggered by the immune system in psoriatic disease is the exaggeration of certain proteins in the body. According to groundbreaking research published on ScienceDirect, scientists revealed that proteins such as Stefin A1, Serpinb3b, and Slc25a5 are found in abundance in a human psoriatic skin cell. The immense discharge of these proteins due to the dysfunctional immune system contributes to excessive skin irritation and inflammation. This is the complex and very important relationship between Psoriasis and immunity. Now, I will shed some light on how a robust immunity helps prevent and treat the said chronic condition.

How Strong Immunity Helps Prevent and Treat Psoriasis

While it is true that most chronic diseases and allergies are caused by genetic and environmental factors, it nevertheless does not undermine the fact that a strong and healthy body prevents many of them from happening. In making a healthy and strong body from inside out, immunity plays a significant role. And due to its intricate but intimate relationship with the immune system, PD can also be prevented or treated effectively by keeping the immune system strong. But what are some of the best ways to make your immunity stronger and healthier?

The first step in the right direction is to choose a healthy lifestyle. The way you live your everyday life and the habits you adopt has a direct effect on your immunity and overall health. To explain a big thing in a nutshell, following a well-balanced lifestyle and habits will increase your overall health prospects, and a well-balanced diet will naturally enrich the immune system. Here are some of the fundamental lifestyle habits to follow for a healthy immune system and body:

• Daily exercise at a moderate level
• Getting enough sleep
• Keeping yourself sufficiently hydrated
• Do not forget to challenge yourself often
• Maintain oral hygiene
• Always eat breakfast
• Divide your meal properly 3 times a day, containing mainly healthy food items

Ensuring to follow these guidelines will contribute to a healthy body and immune system. Additionally, when it comes to nourishing diet for the immunity, there are some recommendations to follow as well:

• Citrus fruits (oranges, lemons, grapefruit, tangerines, etc.)
• Vegetables (spinach, broccoli, sweet potatoes, etc.)
• Nuts and dry fruits (walnut, cashew, brazil nut, almonds, etc.)
• Spices (red bell peppers, ginger, garlic, turmeric, etc.)

A mixture of all these above-mentioned foods will result in a well-balanced diet and lifestyle habits which will in turn significantly enhance overall health, and specifically the immune system. The culprit behind the psoriatic disease, the T-cell lymphocytes, becomes irregulated due to the malfunctioning of the immune system. A strong immune system prevents this disruption as well as psoriasis itself.

Other Ways to Prevent & Treat Psoriasis

Boosting your immunity is just one of the many ways to prevent and treat psoriasis effectively, but there are other recommendations worth noticing as well. For those of you who are suffering from or believed to have contracted psoriasis, these recommendations will prove very helpful:

• Keeping your skin moisturized
• Avoiding burns and cuts and taking care of your skin
• Avoiding medicines that may cause flare-ups in the skin (consult with your doctor)
• Get a moderate amount of solar heat, not more than 20 minutes at a time
• Keep alcohol consumption to zero
• Avoid cold and dry weather
• Avoid stressors as much as possible
• Eat skin and immune friendly diet
• Exercise regularly at a moderate level

Conclusion

So, with all this genuinely helpful information and a little consideration on your part, you will gain in return higher chances of preventing and treating psoriasis effectively. Although our main consideration in this narrative has been the connection between immunity and psoriasis – while it is very important – there should an overall approach always to prevent and counter any kind of disease whatsoever. So, along with keeping the goal of a robust immune system in your mind, make sure you do not forget to consider several other ways with which you can prevent and treat psoriasis effectively.