According to conventional medicine “Psoriasis is an immune-mediated disease (conditions that result from abnormal activity of the body’s immune system in which the immune system may overreact or start attacking the body) that affects the skin. The cause of psoriasis is not fully understood, but it is believed to have a genetic component, injury to the skin or stress“. There is currently no cure in conventional medicine, but various treatments can help to control the symptoms.

The Ayurvedic View of Psoriasis

Ayurveda views human body as the flow of 3 natural energies or dosh’s called Vata dosha, Pitta dosha and Kapha dosha. These Doshas govern all the physiological systems in the body as follows:

• Vata dosha (wind energy) controls coordination of movements, actions and nerve impulses in the body
• Pitta (Heat energy) governs all the metabolic and chemical reactions, maintains body temperature
• Kapha (water energy) is in charge of tissue building, nourishment, protection and lubrication of all the tissues

When these doshas are in balance, we are healthy and when imbalanced, it is the beginning of the disease.

Ayurvedically,increased or imbalanced Pitta dosha (possibly with Kapha and/or Vata imbalance) is responsible for causing Psoriasis and the red, scaly, itchy psoriatic patches. Pitta may go out of balance due to multiple reasons –

• Wrong food choices – eating spicy, fried foods, processed foods, fermented foods, yogurt, salty junk foods etc
• Poor digestion – weak digestive fire, gas, bloating, heart burn, lose motions etc –
• Emotional stress – Worry, anxiety, anger
• Erratic life style –  staying up late at night, eating at wrong times, not drinking enough water, lack of exercise etc

Due to any of these causes, Pitta aggravates further weakening the digestion. As a result, toxins start building in the body, spread throughthe bloodstream and lodge in weak tissues like skin and muscles causing various types of psoriasis. So, though we see the psoriatic patches externally, the cause lies within – most of the time in the digestive system.

The Ayurvedic Solution for Psoriasis

Re-balancing Pitta dosha (and possibly Kapha and/or Vata doshas),removing the toxins within the body, improving digestion and modifying diet and life style is the multi-step Ayurvedic solution for Psoriasis:

• Detox the body to flush toxins
• Herbs to strengthen Digestive fire and bring Pitta back into balance
• Diet and life style modification to reverse the process, heal the body and prevent further recurrence

Detox – Unless the body is cleansed and toxins removed, healing doesn’t begin. So the first step in Ayurvedic treatment is to separate toxins from the tissues, and then to flush them out of the body. This is accomplished through a treatment called “Panchakarma”. Here is the process:

During initial consultation, Dr. Jay will get thedetailed history about the illness, diet and lifestyle, eating patterns etc. and then will do a thorough Ayurvedic evaluationof including determining your body constitution also known as “Prakriti or Prakruti”. Then based on her analysis she will develop an Ayurvedic treatment plan customized “just for you”.

Panchakarma treatment is also completely customized for you. Panchakarmatreatment is done daily for 3 hours, 6 days in a row, in our office, usually starting on a Monday. It starts with a brief meditation session which is then followed by a 2 person Abhyanga (@50-60 minutes), Shirodhara (Oil drip over your forehead for @ 30minutes), additional local oil treatments (as necessary) and then Swedana (steam treatment for @30-40 minutes). These daily therapies loosen toxins from various tissues and mobilize them to digestive system. Every day, you may also be given herbal or oil enemas to take at home to help the cleansing process. On the last day, usually on a Sunday, you will take cleansing herbs and/or Castor Oil, around 6:00 AM in the morning to flush the loosened toxins out of the system. During the week, food intake is restricted to only rice and steamed veggies and khichadi.

Depending on how chronic and severe the problem is, Panchakarma treatment may have to be repeated 2-3 times.

Herbs:Herbs are medicinallyvery potent. Depending on your Body Constitution and the chronicity of the illness, Dr Jay recommends special herbal formulas to continue for few months. Herbs improve digestion, bring Pitta in balance, healthe tissues as well as the skin.

Diet and life style changes – Dr. Jay will also suggest changes to your diet and life style as appropriate – e.g. one of the recommendationsmay be to avoid Pitta aggravating foods such as spicy, sour and salty foodsand instead emphasize cooling foods such as salads, fruits, grains with mild spices etc, to prevent further Pitta imbalance.

Once the cause of Psoriasis – Pitta imbalanceis gone, naturally the effect or symptoms of Psoriasis will disappear as well.

If you are suffering from Psoriasis, we urge you to try safe and natural Ayurvedic therapies.

To schedule an appointment for initial consultation:

Please call 650-584-3123