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  • Writer's pictureLisa Chadsey
    • Apr 22, 2022

Psoriasis & Autoimmune Disorders




Hello everyone! For the rest of April, I’m going to continue talking about different Autoimmune Disorders. Today, I want to talk about Psoriasis.


Now, you might be asking, what exactly is an autoimmune disorder?


This is what we use to describe when your body's immune system mistakenly attacks your own tissues due to a breakdown in your body's normal functioning. Basically, your body is fighting against itself and expending its valuable energy on something that doesn’t serve you.


This week I’ll be sharing more with you what Psoriasis is and how to help to treat it.



What is Psoriasis?


Psoriasis is an autoimmune skin disease that can be debilitating for self-confidence and your health. It most commonly can be seen as red itchy/scaly skin patches that can be found on your knees, elbows, scalp, and core.


This long-term and chronic disease has been noted as having no cure. It can subside and then become inflamed in monthly or weekly cycles. When it goes into remission, people can often see this as their disease being treated until it occurs again and hope for treatment decreases. (Article 1.)



What can cause or exacerbate Psoriasis?


Information referenced from the Mayo Clinic website (Article 1.)


As a whole, anything that compromises your body's natural equilibrium is going to impact you, as your natural immune system is already weakened. Things that can increase the severity of your psoriasis look like infections, cold or dry weather, stress, smoking, alcohol consumption, and certain medications.


If you have psoriasis, you will want to really be focused on strengthening your body's immune system as much as possible - this looks like shaping a healthy lifestyle, having a clean diet that fits you, and being aware of regulating things that create stress for you.



What are some of the symptoms of Psoriasis?


Information referenced from the Mayo Clinic’s website (Article 1.)

Here are some common symptoms that you can see with those who have psoriasis. You will most commonly see this in areas along your lower back, elbows, knees, legs, feet, scalp, face, and palms.

  • Red patches of skin covered with thick, silvery scales

  • Small scaling spots (seen often in children)

  • Dry, cracked skin

  • Itching, burning or soreness

  • Thickened, pitted or ridged nails on your hands/feet

  • Swollen and stiff joints


Why it’s important to address Psoriasis as soon as possible:


Spot the symptoms early and talk to your doctor if you notice that the severity of these increases.

Here are some things to pay attention to:

  • Anything that causes you discomfort and pain

  • That causes you extensive concern about the appearance of your skin

  • Leads to joint problems, such as pain, swelling or inability to perform daily tasks

  • Doesn't improve with treatment

It has been noted that since Psoriasis is an autoimmune disorder which means that your body’s immune system is already compromised, you can also be at risk of developing other conditions like eye diseases, obesity, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiovascular diseases and mental health conditions. (Article 1.)


This is why it’s so important to address this health concern as soon as possible. You want to take action to prevent worse symptoms and side-effects down the road. Being aware of your body is essential for living long & well.



How does light therapy help with Psoriasis?


Light therapy is a powerful tool to help reduce inflammation and allow your body to naturally heal itself as a compliment to anything that your doctor may recommend. Empower your health with a focus on tools that will help you heal.



Here are two core things that happen during a Low-Level Light Therapy session that help with Psoriasis:


  1. It reduces inflammation within your body, allowing it to clear out toxins, remove built-up cellular waste, and infection to allow for your body to naturally circulate as it needs to. It also supports healthy blood flow to areas of your body, like your immune system and skin, to remove waste and to stimulate healing, increase tissue oxygenation, and increase antioxidants.

  2. When your body absorbs red/near-infrared light energy, it simulates a photo chemical reaction within your mitochondria that increases ATP production and cell signaling. Basically it gives your body the energy it needs to regulate itself and focus its efforts on healing and repairing the damage that occurs by your body fighting itself.


Now, what does science say?


There’s a lot of research out there on the positive impact of light therapy (aka photomodulation or PBM) on treating psoriasis. It’s also of note that this is true both alone, and in combination with tested drugs. I’ve captured some information from articles I’ve read below:


“A 2011 study in the Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology Trusted Source examined the effects of RLT (Red Light Therapy) versus BLT (Blue Light Therapy) for individuals with psoriasis. Participants had high-dose treatments three times per week for four consecutive weeks while applying a 10 percent salicylic acid solution to plaques. Both the red and blue light therapies were effective in treating psoriasis.” (Article 2.)


“In the past several decades, phototherapy has been widely used to treat stable psoriatic lesions, including trunk [core], scalp, arms and legs, and partial nail psoriasis. A variety of light/lasers with different mechanisms of action have been developed for psoriasis including…light-emitting diodes (LED), and so on.” (Article 3.)


“Although the trials of low-level light/laser therapy (LLLT) are still small, the near infrared (NIR) and visible red light with low energy show promise for treating psoriasis due to its strong penetration and encouraging photobiomodulation.” (Article 3.)

Exploring how we can care for our body is essential, especially when our bodies are showing the outward signs of an internal autoimmune struggle. See how light therapy can help your body & brain!



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If you want to learn more about Light Therapy & my Light Therapy work, you can follow me with the links below, or email me at Lisa@lightmattersinfo.com - thank you for reading!



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If you liked this article you can also read:


Here are the articles I've referenced above:


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