I have a friend which has patched of psoriasis under her arms and under her belly button. It is very itchy at times.

She is from Italy and whenever she goes back to the sun and the sea, the psoriasis fades away.

I am very happy to read this article on the BBC site that reports that is is actually easy to replicate the UVB treatment that you get in hospitals but in your home.

The BBC site reports that ultraviolet (UV) treatment of psoriasis is just as safe when carried out at home as when performed in a clinic, say a study conducted by researchers from Netherlands, and published in the British Medical Journal.

What is Psoriasis

Psoriasis is an autoimmune disease in which scaly red patches form on the skin. Because UV radiation is known to suppress the immune system and reduce inflammation, UVA and UVB rays are commonly used to alleviate the symptoms of psoriasis. The treatment lasts eight to ten weeks, however, with three visits per week. Because the treatment must currently be performed at a hospital, this can impose a significant burden on some patients.

Purpose of the Research and findings

Researchers compared the effects of UVB therapy on 200 psoriasis patients who were treated either at a hospital or with a home UVB phototherapy unit. They found that there was no significant difference between the two types of treatment in safety or effectiveness, and that patients who received treatment at home reported higher levels of satisfaction and perceived the treatment as less of a burden than those treated at a hospital.

Comments

“We knew a lot of dermatologists are not convinced of the safety and effectiveness of UVB photo therapy but our theory was they should be equally safe,” said lead researcher Mayke Koek. “One of the most important findings was a lot of patients treated at home were more satisfied.”

Alex Anstey of Royal Gwent Hospital in Wales said that limiting UV treatments to hospital settings restricts medical care to those who live near big hospitals.

“In my area there are very large numbers of people who don’t have access to photo therapy,” he said, “which is a shame as it’s a very effective and safe treatment.”

Tell me about your experience in comments

A UVB treatment bed costs between £5,000 and £10,000 ($8,000-$16,000) !! This is way too expensive to my liking.

I wonder wether any of you my readers have bought a UVB lamp and did any self treatment ?

What about this ? Does it work? Dermfix 900 UVB Lamp (not a promotion).  Hum i suppose that if this worked there would be many comments on the page…

The UK Government introduced a systematic program of vaccination in April 2008 to protects girls from the sexually transmitted human papillomavirus which causes 70 per cent of cervical tumours.
When the Government introduced the Cervarix vaccination programme last year, some campaigners dubbed it a “promiscuity jab”. The vaccine was developped by Galxosmithkline.

In total the drug safety watchdog Medicines and Health care products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has recorded so far about more than 2,000 suspected reactions but these were overall mild, with dozens of girls recording rashes, pain in the arm, and allergies.

A support group says it has received dozens of calls from parents who believe their daughters have been damaged by the vaccine.
The parents of one teenage girl given the jab last autumn believe it was to blame for repeated seizures which have left her with brain damage and psychosis.

The report prepared by the MHRA earlier this month also discloses cases in which teens have suffered convulsions, eye rolling, muscle spasms, seizures and hyperventilation soon after being given the jab.

The analysis by the MHRA, drawn up this month, found 2,107 patients had reported some kind of suspected adverse reaction to Cervarix. Several reported multiple reactions, with 4,602 suspected side-effects recorded in total.

Jackie Fletcher, founder of Jabs, a support group for families whose children have fallen ill after immunisation, said she had taken dozens of calls from parents who believed their daughters had been damaged by the cervical cancer vaccine.

She said: “We have spoken to parents whose daughters have had seizures, paralysis, blurred vision, severe headaches and the loss of feeling in parts of their body.

“Doctors will try to convince parents that these problems are in their child’s mind, or have nothing to do with the vaccines, but we don’t think there is sufficient evidence to show Cervarix is safe.”
Medical safety experts insist the benefits of the vaccine outweigh the risks.

A spokesman for GlaxoSmithKline, which makes Cervarix, said the drug had to undergo rigorous testing, with over 70,000 doses used in trials before a licence was granted.