Clear Your Skin with Meditation and Light Therapy

Do double duty on psoriasis scales with a combination of stress reduction and UV therapy

By Sharon Faelten [who] is the editor of Women's Wisdom (Rodale, 2000), the book from which this story was excerpted.

You might describe psoriasis as a kind of whole-body dandruff gone amok: The outer layer of skin grows at a greatly speeded rate, causing inflammation and scaling. Itchy, red, scaly spots appear on your scalp, ears, elbows, or knees. The skin surface is red but sheds silvery white scales. If you scratch it, you bleed.

Psoriasis is often inherited, though other factors can trigger the disease or make it worse, most notably stress.

A standard treatment for psoriasis is phototherapy, or ultraviolet light treatments. Combining light therapy with stress reduction is even better, says Thomas G. Cropley, MD, associate professor of dermatology at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester.

In one study, Cropley and fellow researchers discovered that psoriasis cleared up more quickly in men and women who practiced mindfulness meditation, a form of stress-reduction therapy, while receiving phototherapy. In fact, their skin cleared up twice as fast--and needed only half as many light treatments--as others who had only the light treatments.

The mindfulness meditation group listened to tapes that directed their breathing and taught them how to empty their minds and focus on the feeling of warmth in their skin from the light melting their psoriasis and making it go away.

Margaret Jarvis was one of the women who benefited from the combined approach. She knew that stress triggered and worsened her outbreaks. At one time, her skin was completely clear. Then she went through a stressful incident, and boom, a few days later, she was covered with itchy, scaly sores. When she practiced mindful meditation, her outbreaks cleared up much faster. What's more, she felt like an active participant in her treatment--she could do something to hasten clearing. "Your mind and body work together," says Jarvis. She practices mindful meditation every day, not just when she is having an outbreak.

Mindfulness meditation is a way of staying focused on the present moment, and it takes some training. If you'd like to try it, enroll in a class at one of the 240 clinics worldwide that offer it. For best results, practice daily, not just when you're having a flare-up, says Cropley. And take other steps to manage stress, such as exercise, stress-management workshops, and counseling. If these don't work, anti-anxiety medications (such as Xanax or BuSpar) may also help.

Helpful Hints Some medications make psoriasis worse, such as Lithium (for manic depressive illness or bipolar disorder) and beta blockers (for high blood pressure). Don't stop taking your medication, however. Instead, talk with your physician about how to manage both psoriasis and your other condition most effectively.

If psoriasis affects your scalp and you're treating it with medicated shampoo, be sure to wash your hair often, preferably daily, says Cropley.

Natural ultraviolet light--sunlight--helps psoriasis to some degree. Be careful not to risk sunburn, though. "Start with 10 to 15 minutes a day, and apply sunblock or cover any areas that don't have psoriasis. Leave only the affected areas exposed," suggests D'Anne Kleinsmith, MD, a cosmetic dermatologist at William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, MI.

Last Update: 10/27/2004

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