Psoriasis Effect on the Quality of Life:

[renay]

When i signed in today there was a topic on the homepage:

 

"Psoriasis Effect on the Quality of Life:

Psoriasis is a disease whose main symptom is gray or silvery flaky patches on the skin which are red and inflamed underneath. In the United States, it affects 2 to 2.6 percent of the population, or between 5.8 and 7.5 million people. Commonly affected areas include the scalp, elbows, knees, arms, stomach and back. Psoriasis is autoimmune in origin, and is not contagious. Around a quarter of people with psoriasis also suffer from psoriatic arthritis, which is similar to rheumatoid arthritis in its effects. Psoriasis was first given that name in complete differentiation from other skin conditions by the Austrian dermatologist Ferdinand von Hebra in 1841, although there are what are believed to be descriptions of the disease in sources going back to ancient Roman and possibly even biblical times."

 

the topic even had a reply...

 

.... no matter how and where i search i now cannot find the topic again, and i SO wanted to reply, so i'll reply anyway!

 

my reply:

 

I assume this post was put here because those of us who suffer with psoriasis, have noticed than when we are high as a kite with good old Mary Jane, the effects of LIVING WITH the psoriasis are lessened considerably....

 

Although the lesions themselves are not necessarily effected, the TORTUROUS ITCHING, and VARIOUS mental states created from having scales of feral - looking, leprosy - like, itchy and sore patches all over one's skin (eg: anxiety, depression, anti - socialism, low self - esteem, lack of self - worth...) become BEARABLE when stoned.

 

(*Footnote: a "normal" IMMUNE system works to fight FOREIGN cells.... AUTO immune disorders are as if the immune systems is working backwards, and fights IT'S OWN cells.*)

 

Psoriasis lesions (called "plaques" in Plaque Psoriasis - the scaly red one) of the skin are only an exterior symptom of the auto immune bullshit that is going on inside our scaly - skinned bodies.

Not always, but these lesions can also be a symptom of the much more debilitating, psoriatic arthritis.

The pain and discomfort that are associated with ANY arthritis can be releived by the consumption of marijuana; the chronic pains associated with psoriatic arthritis are no different.

 

Marijuana consumption helps immensely in the reduction of both mental and physical symptoms and effects of psoriasis!

(As mj is not available in prescription pill form (Marinol) here in Australia, I can only attest to smoking as the best way to consume...)

(A lesser but still important note: hemp oil is SAID to be quite an effective topical treatment available for soothing and reduction of psoriasis lesions! I also have not tried this so cannot say how useful it may be for this use).

 

I, personally, am a prover of this point...

I have suffered with psoriasis for almost 20 years, and have in the last 10, suffered with the chronic pain from psoriatic arthritis as well as horrendous coverings of the "plaques".

For at least 15 of those years, i sported horrid large patches of bright angry red scales, covering between 30 - 50 % of my body at any one time. Even when there are almost no lesions on my skin, I scratch uncontrollably till my skin is red raw and bleeding (it's a bit ocd of me...). I suffer bouts of depression and anxiety, due to feeling ugly and diseased, mostly. I have moments (months?!) of anti social behaviours and am happy to totally withdraw from the world at these times.

I have tried many remedies, treatments, creams, cures, pills, drinks and diets to releive the psoriasis that haunts and tortures me constantly. Most of these have had little or no releiving effect on the psoriatic lesions, nor on my mental state.

 

The smoking of a few bongs per night (or day ) most definately improves the quality of my life, by allowing me to control my itching, and my emotions; the pain in my joints and muscles is bearable, and I am able to socialise and function within society normally. Depression doesn't overwhelm me when I am high.

 

I fully and highly recommend mj use for reduction of physical pain, as well as the calming of mental states for all psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis sufferers.

 

 

 

 

I'd be interested to know how many (if any) other sufferers have observations.. please reply and let me know...

tehe

we can be stoned and not itchy together!!

[Frazz]

hey renay welcome here ... i deleted the thread because it in no way related to Cannabis nor did it have any reference to Cannabis whatsoever, futhermore it contained hotlink to an internet pharmacy selling drugs online, such posting of spam is not permitted here , the reply to that thread was a jpeg picture asking what relevance this topic had to Cannabis .. there were no comments left

 

your thread on the other hand is most welcome and relevant , sorry for any inconvenience

 

[jabez]

I have never heard of this condition, but I'm glad to see you have found relief with this amazingly effective medical herb that we all love.

 

Just another reason the government, police and anyone else who supports the inhumane prohibition of the cannabis plant should be ashamed of themselves.

 

Peace

[MUD]

renay,

I've suffered from excema (a form of psoriasis) since I was 7yrs old & I'm now 34 & I've smoked pot since I was 12.

I've found that stress & humidity are the main cause of my itching & I've found ways to "stress less" that relieve it & clear it up also. For me gaol isn't stressful & my excema clears up within 2-3 weeks of going through the gates... I usually don't smoke pot in gaol & I usually look better when I'm walking out than when I walk in.

I haven't found that it helps me on the outside either, if it's humid I'm going to be scratching no matter how many cones I smoke, & it gets worse when I'm in the bush...

I hope you're not offended by this post but I speak the truth on how my condition affects me. Maybe if you can take a look at your situation & see if there's anything stressful in your life that you can change (hopefully for the better). I hope you can find something to help with your situation as it's not a nice feeling scratching the fuck outta yourself until you bleed. BUT if pot helps you than that's a start, maybe it's more of a stress relief, relaxing you to where you feel comfy?

 

MUD.

[Psychonaut]

I was just watching the Rick Simpson vids on youtube yesterday and they mention using hemp oil as a topical treatment for skin cancer, certainly worth trying for other skin conditions I would think, if you can get enough spare plant material handy

 

Edit: As soon as I posted this I saw the hemp oil discussion down the page

Edited January 14, 2010 by Psychonaut

[renay]

Hey guys! Thanks so much for replying already! I DO feel welcome!!

 

I totally agree with you, BUD, somewhere to de-stress is really helpful in the management of pain and mental conditions. Pot helps me go there - to my "happy place".

Although I thought to only keep my post to...oh... ten zillion words.... I could have gone on to mention that SUNSHINE and SALTWATER are ***THE BEST*** remedies for my psoriasis *EVER*! (but I may have been posting for hours if I got going.... be warned, I'm feeling a bit "rolly" now..... haha)...

 

I didn't think that mentioning that I sunbake regularly at the beach (for a set amount of time eg: an hour a day) would be too smart in case I stirred up the anti - skin - cancer - nazi's... the actual reason for this, is not my own personal PRO - cancer campaign, as you might have been thinking, , but that UV TREATMENT (sunbaking) and salt (ocean water (sodium? or is it iodine?.... can't think - damn that cone was good...)) are enough to ***ENTIRELY*** clear my skin of psoriasis plaques!

And, well, life could be way tougher than playing at the beach!

 

 

The content and breathablity (eg: cotton vs. synthetic) of the clothing I wear, or how many layers I wear (to keep warm in winter), also makes a big difference to my itchiness levels... and yes, humidity also has an effect. (This is relevant to some excema and dermatitis sufferers also.)

 

 

I SUPPOSE... if I reallllly had to admit it, I could cope without using marijuana, but being stoned helps me to FORGET pain and itching and depressing shit, more than making it go away - my mind goes into another, happier, creative place...

 

And yeh, I SUPPOSE instead I could take a handful of chemicals every morning instead.... anti - depressants, anti - infammatory's, pain killers, anti - anxiety chemicals, a few steroids to stop the plaques, .... how do the nanna's say "i'd be rattling" if I did, and would I REALLY be better off? (*nb: worst case treatment scenario with psoriatic arthritis is kemotherapy)

 

I doubt it... but perhaps THEN I could take a pill to neutralise the side effects of the other pill.... and a pill or two to fix this rash and one to stop the nausea when you take that one.....and then some fibre pills to make sure I can still SHIT after filling myself with chemicals.......

 

Hmmph! I would prefer to simply get stoned and live with their psoriasis and arthritis easily and happily!

[420 HELI]

Hi Renay.

 

I mentioned this topic to my Mrs last night as she also gets psoriasis a bit on her elbows and knees.

 

She is of the opinion smoking does nothing for her condition.

 

Creams with the active ingredient Cortisone (a steroid hormone) she said she has found to be the most effective treatment.

 

[MUD]

Salt water is good for it & it'll clear it right up... but when I go into the water it stings the fuck outta me, but I just have to put up with it for a few minutes then the pain stops. Cotton is good as it "breathes", I'm lucky being a bloke, I don't have to wear a shirt & never do in Summer. I've tried every type of the cortico-steroid creams that are out & they don't work for me & I'm not one for pills... Pot just gets me relaxed & calms me down enough to think of other things besides the itch.

 

MUD.

[Budman2012]

G'day Renay,

Welcome aboard and cheerz for the honesty and insight on this subject.

I feel for you man ... I wonder whether I could accept to handle it so well ...

 

I've had the thought to make a "Cannabis for Skin conditions" style thread ever since I joined.

Now , I've got nothing Like severe Psoriasis or the equally bad excema condition to worry about personally (tho I know happy people who have it) ... I do though have a chronic (persistant) problem with a small part of my skin ... unfortunatly being on my face (around the nose and moustache area mainly these days). Not of the variety of the red patches of skin on the old alcoholics faces sittin at the TAB type ... but fairly similar dermatological symptoms.

Note: I am Indeed a sorta heavy drinker these days also but skin issue started well before that happened , if in fact it didn't help to cause it - relief , distraction and mood booster etc. SImilar to the Ganja.

 

I detest being honest about it as it is probably what is the most stress causing ailment I have these days because I suffer Anxiety also. It's hard enough getting to the shops or "gasp" going out as it is , throw in a skin condition (and maybe some hearing disabilities) and It's like fucking torture sometimes ...

So I can relate somewhat , yet I'm humbled by the disclosure of the more severly afflicted.

 

Stress related ... lifestyle exarcebated ... nasty viscious circle style skin problem.

Thankfully kept mostly at bay for me over the last 10 years or so with a daily wash using particular soaps.

I use a Neem and Tulsi based soap these years and It's the best out of everything I've tried including the Hemp soaps I've tried. More about treatment later ...

 

And so at best these days I look like I have a slightly sunburnt nose ... get me on a 3 day bender missing a shower or 2 and I won't leave the house as It can get out of control so easy. (constantly get asked "get a bit of sun mate?" and the like , heheh ... mostly the easiest reply is "yeh" unless it's family/friends these days as i prefer to be honest and not feel like I'm "hiding". My problem barely compares to full blown Psoriasis/Excema yet I still think I can relate Mind-Wize ... also read waaay to much about these conditions as I'm manic once I get on a ceratin topic. Funnily enough I've not seen a pic of anything like mine but It's very similar in that , for unknown reasons , the skin cells keep replicating themselves more rapidly than they should and in turn results in these weird and harsh skin conditions. ANyway , I'm sure you've read even more about it all so I'll stop yabbering.

 

Onto Hemp ... As was mentioned , the Rick Simpson Video (everyone must watch!) "Run From The Cure" shows evidence of his Full Plant Oil stuffs possibly curing Cancers , including skin cancer clearing up after a matter of weeks. I sure would love to be able to have access to at least try something like that , as would we all I reckon. Anyhting refined (like "pure" Hemp oil soaps) Is not gonna pack the same punch but they still have their place I think.

 

I've tried a few different types and brands of Hemp SOaps (no frangrances is basically a must ofc) and have found them to be slightly too Oily and moisturizing ... now to anyone with good skin that might be great but as far as I know (very little) most of these skin conditions don't go well being overly moisturized.

 

So , I Use a Neem soap ... This is the best and what I stick with ... WARNING: many Neem soaps are cheap and way too fragranced with nasty chemicals added to boot , way to harsh for sensative skin and at best a hand soap or trough cookie ().

Ironically I pay $4.20 now for a bar of this soap I use which is a much more natural "bio-vedic" soap with Tulsi and Neem , two of the most revered healing herbs used in India for 1000's of years , naturally.

If anyones interested I'll post up the brand name next I get a box , as i forget right now. It's good soap.

 

I've not yet tried a Hemp oil extract as a topical remedy ... keen to , but that shit is too expensive for me.

I just live with it until I can afford to try better Cannabis based forms I spose. Thinking of trying Chinese medicine too but again ... too expensive. :Whistles:

 

Don't worry , I'm getting there now ... ...

 

And as for smoking pot to relieve the condition (yes I get the irritating symptoms of burning and itchiness too) ... I find it works well. Though I'm starting to understand very vividly these days how Cannabis use effects my certain ailments ... For a number of them including the skin ... I find that immediatly after having the intial smoke of bud (not while already stoned) It often has an adverse effect on "the condition" for a breif period of time until I kinda ... level out from the rush (so to speak) if that makes sense ... I'm noticing anywhere from 2 minutes to about 20 depending on the ailment.

E.g. My skin might feel more irritated for the intial minute or 2 after but then soon after It's like it never happened.

E.g.2. My anxiety may be heightened for even upto 10-20 minutes but then it kinda settles out and the heart rate (seemingly) starts to slow then can smoke up at will and not feel those initial effects.

 

Anyone relate? ... I don't remember seeing this part of the medicinal discussion before but I'm sure it will become more prevelant as wee see the debate ramped up.

Well ... just to balance this out ... I might just give an example number 3 ...

 

E.g.3. My hearing isn't great at all ... AS SOON AS I've put down the Bong I can hear better ... no shit.

Now , this might easily be construed as some type of air pressure in the sinuses type happening (probably is) .. but It definatly happens ... I have to turn the TV down and think "oops , fuck I must have this thing up loud sometimes , heheheh) ... then .................... On the other hand I have a feeling after a few whiles go by that the TV must be turned back up again ... that is the hearing fades again ... It may just seem it gets worse due to the initial heightening of the sense being downgraded ... but sometimes I wonder as the ears can feel quite numb and clouded. And On the other hand again (Aghhh 3 Hands! ) ... The tinnitus can work the opposite way (same ears , different see-saw symptoms)

 

Well , I was going to reply in the Tinnitus thread again very soon anyway so maybe I should crop and save this post ... but me thinks no ... you can read what I have written here is the option and It all relates in one way or another. I think the sheer number of health issues that Cannabis can help to relieve is mindblowing ... not just a few terminal and obvious ones.

 

If Long posts you don't like to read ... you shoulda stopped before now , don't say you weren't warned

 

Heaps more to say but I'd better stop there ...

Cheerz all and all the best peoples

 

Budman

[JaykeSucks]

I get it on my hand near my thumb and on the inside of my elbows. It's so annoying. Herb makes me feel much better about it and seems to stop the itching, and I got this steroid cream called prescribed to me called "Celestone" which actually gets rid of it. Without the weed, it stays itchy. If it's itchy, I scratch it. If I scratch it, it gets redder and move itchy.

As long as I remember to rub that stuff in and smoke bud, I'm totally fine

 

EDIT: Just checked my thing, I have eczema as opposed to psoriasis. Not sure what the difference is, cbf Wiki'ing it.

Edited February 24, 2010 by JaykeSucks

[Radic]

the Rick Simpson Video (everyone must watch!) "Run From The Cure" shows evidence of his Full Plant Oil stuffs possibly curing Cancers , including skin cancer clearing up after a matter of weeks. I sure would love to be able to have access to at least try something like that , as would we all I reckon. Anyhting refined (like "pure" Hemp oil soaps) Is not gonna pack the same punch but they still have their place I think.

make no mistake

what rick simpson calles HEMP OIL is actually HASH OIL

rest assured budzmon there is no hash oil in soap

hemp soap does not have the same power

for some real power soap

the simple solution is to add some hash oil to the soap

imho

cannabis therapy must help at least to relieve the symptoms

i would try cannabis tincture topically for oily skin

be aware

cannabis tincture is for dry healing

pon application it will sting till the alcohol evaporates and the pain killing qualities of THC kick in

dry healing is quickest

but it tends to form a scab and can leave a scar

 

for dry skin cannabis ointment

cannabis ointment is wet healing

slower healing process

but no scab and usually no scar

pon application

instant contact with THC = instant relief

cannabis ointment allows the slow release of cannabinoids to maintain control over the affliction

 

cannabis cream made from cannabis roots is worth a try

there is a product pon the market called Hemp Eaze

the Nimbin Hemp Embassy sells it Budzy

or direct from the Hemp Eaze web site

 

irey guidance