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Psoriasis is a skin ailment classified into several types, all of which require an autoimmune reaction. It can differ in the following ways:

  • type
  • severity 

And, like with other autoimmune diseases and disorders, there is no one-size-fits-all treatment plan. This can make finding a treatment that works for you difficult. It is also possible that your treatment will become less effective over time. This might happen abruptly or gradually.

Here we talk about the problems faced by our patients before they come to us for our Ayurveda Treatment for Chronic Skin Disease like Psoriasis

What causes allopathic / conventional  treatments to fail?

There are several main reasons why a psoriasis treatment may cease functioning or become less efficient at managing your symptoms over time. They are as follows:

1. Tolerance to drugs

After a period of continuous use, your body may acquire a resistance to topical therapies. Topical therapies are substances that you apply to your skin directly. Tolerance reduces their efficacy. Both corticosteroids and non-steroid topical therapies can cause this. Tachyphylaxis is the medical term for this process.

2. Toxicology

Toxins can accumulate in the body and harm organs when standard systemic medications are used to treat psoriasis for an extended period of time, according to research. Long-term phototherapy has also been associated with the development of skin cancer due to toxicity.

3. ADAs (anti-drug antibodies)

Antibodies are sometimes produced by the body in reaction to both traditional systemic pharmaceuticals and newer biologic therapies. ADAs are substances produced by the body to fight drugs, reducing their effectiveness. Biologics are newer drugs produced in the last two decades that are made from living cells and are designed to target specific elements of the immune system.

4. Biological exhaustion

Biologic fatigue refers to the tendency of biologic medications to lose their effectiveness after prolonged use. Medical researchers aren’t sure why this happens in some people but not others, or why it happens with some medications but not others.

5. Biochemical side effects

Biologics have a profound effect on the immune system and may raise the risk of infection. As a result, they are typically utilized after other treatments have been exhausted. Over time, the body may build a resistance to them.

6. Infection of the skin

Skin infections can impede treatment progress, and some psoriasis drugs can exacerbate an infection. Consult your doctor straight away if you notice any signs of an infection, such as crusting or oozing.

7. Diagnosis Error

Infections, eczema, and contact dermatitis can all be mistaken for psoriasis. If you’re not responding to treatment or if it’s no longer functioning, ask your doctor whether this is a possibility.

8. Missed doses

There are numerous reasons why you might forget to take a prescription dose or two. Some medications can handle the occasional missed dose, but others require constant use. If you frequently forget to take your prescription, try utilizing an app or a calendar tool that gives you a reminder when it’s time to take your medication for the day. 

Money is also a concern, as many allopathy medications are very costly (biologicals)  making them out of reach of most patients

9. Stress 

Stress can cause psoriasis flare-ups, so learning how to manage it successfully can make a major difference in your skin — and your life!

10. Combinations required.

One medication may not be enough to treat psoriasis. Improperly prescribed combination medications often with patients who have other comorbidities lead to long term side effects of reactions from the medications.

11. It requires more time.

Although topical therapies can sometimes make a difference in a matter of days for mild psoriasis, biologic drugs can take weeks or even months to work. According to the National Psoriasis Foundation, phototherapy can take 15 to 25 treatments to be effective. Patience is sometimes all that is required to see results from your treatment. Ayurveda can offer better medications with visible results seen in 20 days

When should you consider switching treatments?

There are numerous indicators that it is time to change your psoriasis treatment. Maybe the treatment doesn’t work right away, or maybe it stops working after a while. Perhaps there are toxicity concerns, or your body begins to produce ADAs. There may be unpleasant side effects that you do not want to cope with, or you may just dislike some component of the treatment, such as daily injections or time-consuming cream applications. There is no single collection of symptoms that indicates it is time to switch, nor is there a common timeframe for when to transition.

 Each therapy differs in the following ways: 

  • safety concerns
  • how long it takes to function 
  • and when it may stop working.

Every individual is unique. The same medicine can affect different persons differently for reasons that medical researchers do not fully understand. Here are seven signs that it’s time to consider about changing your psoriasis treatment.

1. Your treatment is ineffective.

Not all therapies are effective for everyone. Some therapies may not be effective for you. Topical creams may not clear up your skin, and some systemic therapies may not assist either. If you’ve given your treatment ample time to work and still haven’t seen any improvement, it’s time to make a change.

2. Your treatment has ceased to be effective.

Everything seemed to be going fine at first. Your skin began to clean up. The symptoms returned weeks, months, and sometimes years later. This is an all-too-common story with all previous psoriasis patients who were on conventional medications. The body may build resistance to the medicine over time while using topical treatment. With both traditional systemic drugs and biologics, the body may create ADAs that impair the drug’s effectiveness after months, if not years, of treatment. The reason why a medicine loses its effectiveness is not fully understood. The information provided by ADAs may not be complete. A 2013 study published in the British Journal of DermatologyTrusted Source showed a link between ADAs and lower treatment response in only two of the four biologics evaluated. When your treatment no longer works for whatever reason, it’s time to consider switching. To avoid the recurrence of symptoms, our experts advocate switching even before it stops working.

3. Your psoriasis worsens

Psoriasis progression is erratic and poorly understood. According to a study published in the Journal of Drugs in Dermatology in 2018, certain cases of psoriasis can be stable for years. In other circumstances, the illness can rapidly worsen, affecting organs such as the heart, liver, kidney, and intestines, as well as joints and muscles. If your psoriasis worsens, it may overtake your current treatment, rendering it ineffective. At that point, you should consult with your doctor about alternate treatments.

4. The development of toxicity or adverse consequences

Both conventional systemic medicines and biologics have the potential for serious adverse effects. Long-term usage of the standard medicine methotrexate has been linked to liver toxicity, whereas cyclosporine has been linked to kidney toxicity. Because of this danger, standard systemic medicines such as methotrexate, oral retinoids, and cyclosporine are normally used for only a limited period of time. Biologics have side effects as well. They can increase the risk of infections such as tuberculosis and pneumonia, as well as staph and fungal infections, because they suppress the immune system. If your healthcare professional discovers any of these toxins or major side effects, you will most likely need to change therapies.

5. New conditions emerge

People with psoriatic illness are more likely to develop other diseases and disorders, known as comorbidities, according to the National Psoriasis Foundation. 

The following comorbidities, have been linked to psoriasis:

coronary artery disease, depression, kidneys and liver diseases, Diabetes, osteoporosis, and numerous malignancies, including lymphoma and melanoma

Even apparently safe treatments, such as phototherapy, may raise your risk of developing skin cancer. If you have light-sensitive skin or a family history of skin diseases. If you develop another ailment, you’ll want to make sure your psoriasis therapy is coordinated with your new treatment. It may necessitate a change in your psoriasis treatment.

6. You are pregnant or nursing.

Psoriasis will not harm your pregnancy or your baby, but some drugs may. During pregnancy, some biologic and systemic drugs, as well as coal tar and other topical therapies, should be avoided. If you wish to become pregnant, you may need to discontinue or modify some of your psoriasis treatments for several weeks, if not months, before attempting to conceive. Consult your healthcare providers to go over your alternatives. It will be easier if you try to get your psoriasis under control before getting pregnant. This will result in fewer flare-ups and fewer drug modifications during your pregnancy.

7. Your treatment does not achieve your objectives.

Even if you have moderate to severe psoriasis, you should be able to establish a treatment plan that clears your skin, has few side effects, and complements your lifestyle, according to the National Psoriasis Foundation. According to a 2015 study published in Dermatologic StudyTrusted Source, this expectation was not always practical. Prior to the development of biologics, persons with psoriasis were expected to accept some skin difficulties as well as a wide range of pharmaceutical side effects. 

Key Takeaway

It may take some time to find the proper treatment for your psoriasis, but it is achievable. If you believe your current treatment is no longer effective, make an appointment with our Ayurveda doctor. Discuss why your treatment isn’t working and find how our Ayurveda treatment might be a better fit for you.

The Traditional Approach: Control vs. Reversal

In the conventional approach to managing psoriasis, the focus often centers on symptomatic control. Flare Ups are monitored, and medications are prescribed to help avoid them. While this approach can prevent immediate complications and provide a semblance of control, it doesn’t address the underlying root issues that led to psoriasis in the first place.

Immune-modifying medications like biologicals play a vital role in this control-centric strategy, also most conventional practitioners also go the functional route to treat psoriasis to make informed decisions about micromanaging dosing, medicine control, and dietary choices. In some cases, individuals who diligently follow their prescribed diets and medications may see their flare ups return to normal. 

This apparent success can be deceptive, as it often amounts to control rather than a true treatment. As more often we have seen patients get riddled with long term side effects from the medications & as a result they are never really in a constant remission phase.

Unveiling the Common Misconception about Psoriasis Reversal

Many practitioners in the field of conventional psoriasis treatment, focus on symptoms through diets, medications, and monitoring. However, this symptom-focused strategy frequently neglects the root-cause treatment, and medicating the symptoms does not result in remission. It is critical to recognize that this way of treating psoriasis  does not represent true psoriasis reversal. 

True psoriasis reversal is about restoring balance to the body’s underlying systems, not just symptom control.

Thereby, practitioners are focused more on diabetes management than complete reversal of the condition. The medications used usually have high side effects, and the practitioner’s job is now to also cycle or change their medication to different classes of medicines available as the patients plateau or start showing an increase in particular side effects from the medication.

The long-term side effects of the involved medications can lead to a drastic decrease in quality of life and are known to cause complications like neurological, cardiovascular, and other immune system related degeneration.

But by no means are allopathic methods of psoriasis management redundant. We at EliteAyurveda do not completely switch any patient to our ayurvedic medications, but rather we try to reduce the allopathic medications in a sustained manner to our herbal medications. Also, in cases of emergencies, the allopathic system is unparalleled. We are not here to degrade any system of medicine, but rather to guide the patients to make an educated decision towards a complete treatment system that works best for them.

True Psoriasis Reversal

True psoriasis reversal means more than achieving a symptomatic control over the disease.

It signifies a state where the body can naturally regulate psoriasis symptoms without external support. Unfortunately, with the traditional approach, once medication effects wear off, flare ups are often seen, underscoring the need for continuous medication.

Our Approach: Rediscovering Psoriasis Treatment with Ayurveda

At EliteAyurveda, we offer a different path—one rooted in Ayurveda, the ancient holistic system of medicine. Our approach begins by understanding the unique constitution and imbalances of each individual, acknowledging that psoriasis treatment is not a one-size-fits-all condition.

Addressing the Root Cause: Our Ayurveda treatment delves deep into the root causes of diabetes, which can vary widely among individuals. We consider factors like diet, lifestyle, stress, genetics, prakriti and dosha (constitution) imbalances. By identifying these underlying issues, we can develop a comprehensive plan that includes:

Personalized Vedic Diet: Tailored nutrition plans that promote overall balance and blood sugar regulation

Proprietary herbal medications: Ayurvedic herbs and supplements that target specific imbalances and support metabolic health

Lifestyle Adjustments: Recommendations for Stress Reduction, Physical Activity, and Mindful Practices like Yoga and Meditation

Regular Follow-Up: Ongoing consultations and adjustments to the treatment plan as the individual progresses on their journey to reversal

Distinguishing Factors:

Our Ayurvedic psoriasis reversal approach at EliteAyurveda is based on personalized treatments where we delve into root causes for remission instead of mere symptom relief. Personalized treatments based on individual “prakruti” are integral. Our proprietary Ayurvedic herbal preparations, tailored to each individual, are preferred instead of over-the-counter medications. All our medications are freshly prepared to better preserve the potency of the administered herbs. Due to this, we are able to show better and more sustained results.

From the Doctor’s Desk:

  • The optimal treatment for you should improve your overall health rather than burden it with additional adverse effects.
  • The treatment under consideration should provide results and increase overall well-being within a reasonable time of treatment initiation.
  • The recurrence rate or remission period should be low.
  • The overall expense of treatment should not be prohibitively expensive.
  • The treatment should not only cure the symptoms of the sickness but also the underlying cause of the condition in the first place.
  • The appropriate treatment will assist you in discovering true health by utilizing a unified approach to restoring the body and mind to their natural state.

I can personally attest to the effectiveness of our Ayurveda treatment, as thousands of people worldwide are now disease-free. 96% of our patients reduced their dependence on medication use, 90% showed normal scale free skin within 20 days, and 90% avoided further psoriasis related problems. Furthermore, 96% of patients were able to stop all medications including our own, proving the success of our treatments.

Medically reviewed by Dr. Adil Moulanchikkal, wha was also awarded the “Best Ayurveda Practitioner of the Year 2020 Award, He has always embodied the belief in the transformative power of a medicine free life, He has been the lead consultant for Skin diseases at Elite Ayurveda Clinics for the past 15 years.

Psoriasis is reversible with Ayurveda at EliteAyurveda Clinics, Bangalore, India.

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