Psoriasis Pet Peeves: It’s Just a Rash!
Psoriasis pet peeves. I’ve experienced a few, such as when people try to take advantage of my skin condition to sell me a product. Here’s another one: when people say psoriasis is only a skin rash....
View ArticleGet Off the Couch! It’s Time to Exercise
Exercise. That one word elicits a whole host of responses. When I’m tired the word gives me a long face. When I weigh myself, I feel guilty I haven’t done more of it. When my peers are running...
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The Relocation Headache: Finding a New Dermatologist
Life is moving at the proverbial speed of light. We’re in the midst of all that goes into relocating, including selling the house, transitioning between jobs, and looking at where to settle down in...
View ArticleWorld Psoriasis Day 2013
World Psoriasis Day 2013 is on October 29th this year. After looking around the web a bit, I pulled together a couple of resources you can look into to participate in the day. I just finished up a...
View ArticlePsoriasis and Heart Failure Risk
For any of you on a strict diet, trying to exercise and lose weight, I’m right there with you. It’s a recurring theme here on the Itch to Beat Psoriasis to address hypertension, high cholesterol and...
View ArticlePsoriasis, Eczema, Skin Infections . . . Oh My!
The holidays are busy enough. Add in keeping a house in shape to sell, a move out of town, and a myriad of skin irritations and the stress ramps right up. Of course I anticipated the end of the year...
View ArticleNew Home, New Job, New Outbreak, New Dermatologist
Happy New Year! I’m finally surfacing for the first time in 2014, just now feeling I have the time to stop and reflect on the last month. The move and transition back to Northern California definitely...
View ArticleNew Dermatologist Triggers Both Stress Response and New Hope
“Your blood pressure is high. Is it normally this high?” I could hide my nerves with anxious smiles, but my blood pressure betrayed me. Seeing the new dermatologist for the first time did trigger a...
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What is Making Me Itch? My Skin Care Puzzle Grows More Puzzling
My skin care puzzle recently became much more, well…puzzling, with no puzzle box top to help solve it. With various rashes, infections, skin sensitivities, and disorders (psoriasis and eczema, to name...
View ArticleHere Are My Favorite Psoriasis Websites. What Are Yours?
An editor at Everyday Health suggested I write an entry on psoriasis websites from a patient’s perspective. While I enjoyed looking at many of the sites out there, it was a tiring process! To save you...
View ArticleWhen Psoriasis Isn’t Front and Center in My Life
For decades I’ve counted psoriasis as my No. 1 health concern. I constantly thought, wrote, and talked about psoriasis. I expectantly waited for the latest novel treatments to become FDA approved,...
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Trapped by Her Psoriasis: Dawn’s Story
Five months after moving to the Sacramento, California area, I am definitely missing some things in Southern California. Top on my list would be my parents, Asian restaurants, and my neighborhood...
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Off-Label Medications Off Limits?
When it comes to new treatments I like to do my research. I actually read the small print on the folded drug information inserts that often come with the box or bottle of medication. The charts and...
View Article6 Inconvenient Skin Treatments I’ve Tried for Psoriasis
Skin treatments can be especially inconvenient and uncomfortable. Recently my dermatologist prescribed an at-home treatment I had never heard of before, wet wrap therapy (WWT). As I listened to the...
View Article4 Ways to Be a Proactive Psoriasis Patient
Before each dermatologist appointment I feel a surge of adrenalin and anticipation. The psoriasis treatment decisions made in a single appointment can impact my life in many ways. I may need to start a...
View ArticleCelebrate World Psoriasis Day By Getting Involved
Each year the International Federation of Psoriasis Associations (IFPA, a consortium of patient associations) sponsors World Psoriasis Day. According to their website there are 125 million people...
View Article5 Winter Skincare Tips for Psoriasis and Eczema
If you are like me, your psoriasis gets worse during the winter. Not too long ago the weather shifted in Northern California, where I’m from. After years of drought and little rain, we had almost...
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My Son’s Week-Long Fever Turned Into a Rare Disease
It started out as a fever during flu season in January. My teenage son, Tim, complained of aches and pains — nothing out of the ordinary for a fever. After four days with no change, we made an...
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Chronic vs. Life-Threatening Conditions — Is One Really Worse?
Nothing prepares you for a severe accident or illness. The doctors shocked us when they diagnosed my son Tim with the rare, life-threatening autoimmune disease HLH. I figured he’d have a long uphill...
View ArticleThe True Costs of Psoriasis: More Than Skin Deep
How much does psoriasis cost? A recent article reported on a study in the Journal of the American Association of Dermatology (JAAD). It examined the cost-effectiveness of approved systemic treatments....
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