Health Tips

The skin disease psoriasis comes in many forms but is most recognized by its scaling skin. This disease affects nearly 400,000 Americans and, like other skin diseases, is not easy to treat. The general public is aware that these skin diseases are often treated with topical ointments or by taking pills; however, many people aren’t as familiar with the benefits of phototherapy ~ treating the disease with light ~ toward effectively cutting down or eliminating the symptoms associated with many skin diseases like psoriasis.

According to many respected institutions that conduct scientific medical studies, phototherapy can clear up to 80% of psoriasis~ skin scaling. This correct use of light works well for many other skin diseases as well: acne, skin fungus, jaundice and Rosacea. Even for people suffering from depression and seasonal affective disorder (SAD), phototherapy is very beneficial.

The lack of light is a major contributor to many skin disorders and many forms of depression such as SAD. Simply switching on a room’s light or going to a tanning bed won’t produce the type of light necessary to make changes. UVB must be present in this light therapy for improvements to be noticed. A few manufacturers, however, do make UVB light bulbs. People with skin diseases like psoriasis are encouraged to get outside at least three to five times every week, or even daily, for the best results. Another alternative recommendation is to visit a dermatologist who does custom light treatment, except this form of treatment is very cost prohibitive for most patients.

UVB light offers benefits to people in general, not just those with skin disorders. Both sunlight and UVB light have been clinically shown to reduce stress in humans; maybe that’s why we find the beach so relaxing. If you think about it for a moment, modern office and factory workers spend very little time in sunlight and for a large part of the year travel to and from work in darkness. Forward-thinking companies are beginning to replace their fluorescent lights with UVB lighting. This type of lighting naturally helps to reduce stress in the workplace and is easier on the eyes than fluorescent lighting because of less glare.

Vitamin D is produced when the body is exposed to sunlight. A person can get synthetic vitamin D from dairy or vitamin supplements; however, the synthetic productions are not as healthy for the body as the real stuff. Second to natural sunlight, UVB lighting is the only other natural source that will help the body get the right kind of vitamin D.

Phototherapy for the treatment of psoriasis has been around for decades. Home phototherapy units can be purchased online without a doctor’s prescription.