Psoriasis Research
Alternative
& Complementary Therapies
Sun
or salt water for psoriasis
Similar to the painkiller found in opium,
enkephalins are the bodies natural painkillers and
have been shown to have an effect on inflammatory responses and
keratinocyte activity.
Furthermore, increased levels of enkephalin
are present in psoriasis.
Researchers at the Dead Sea in Israel set
out to determine the effect of natural sunlight combined with salt
water bathing in the Dead Sea on the enkephalin level
in
psoriatic skin. Ten patients were treated at the Dead Sea for 4
weeks, and keratotome
biopsies were obtained before and after treatment.
The treatment at the Dead Sea resulted in a
complete clinical clearance of psoriasis,
and the skin showed the treatment to have decreased the epidermal
thickness.
To determine whether the relatively high
skin enkephalin levels after treatment at the Dead Sea was caused by
ultraviolet (UV) radiation, normal volunteers were exposed to a
single dose of UVA and UVB. UVA, but not UVB, irradiation stimulated
the average enkephalin level in the irradiated skin by about sixfold.
This showed that natural sunlight combined with bathing in the
highly mineralised water of the Dead Sea was extremely effective in
clearing psoriasis lesions. However, whilst it is well known that
sunshine alone often helps psoriasis sufferers, the therapeutic
impact of bathing in the Dead Sea waters was not established.
Br J Dermatol
1998 Dec;139(6):1012-9Increased levels of enkephalin following
natural sunlight (combined with salt water
bathing at the Dead Sea) and ultraviolet A irradiation.Nissen JB,
Avrach WW, Hansen ES, Stengaard-Pedersen K, Kragballe KDepartment of
Dermatology, Marselisborg Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark.
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