Psoriasis is tricky to treat and affects every individual differently, so many people may seek out alternative or complementary therapies to get their symptoms under control. Most of these have not been scientifically proven, but some patients have been able to find relief using supplements, herbs, special diets, or, increasingly, acupuncture.
In acupuncture, hair-thin needles are inserted into the skin, releasing natural painkillers such as adenosine, endorphins and serotonin into the body.
People with psoriatic arthritis can benefit from the treatment, said San Francisco acupuncturist Rebecca Fettig, L.Ac., because "so many of them are put on drugs like methotrexate and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), which have side effects, especially when taken long term, with potential damage to the liver and kidneys. The wonderful thing with acupuncture is there are no side effects."
Some patients may be concerned that acupuncture needles could worsen a skin flare-up. But, Fettig said, acupuncturists are careful to use sterile needles to prevent any risk to flaring skin, and practitioners have many points on the body to choose from.
Unlike the majority of acupuncture patients, Olbekson feels pain when her acupuncturist inserts the needles under her skin, but said the results outweigh the momentary discomfort of the treatment. In addition to acupuncture treatment, she takes Chinese herbs, follows her doctor's recommended anti-inflammatory diet and also relies on sulfasalazine and sulindac to treat the pain.
"Psoriasis is an autoimmune disease, and acupuncture has been shown to help several other autoimmune diseases, including arthritis and multiple sclerosis," says Starkey.
Acupuncture is a very safe alternative medicine treatment. "The risk/reward balance is in your favor," Starkey says.
Acupuncture is not likely to interfere with any of your existing psoriasis treatments. Unlike with certain herbal remedies or supplements, there’s no risk of drug interaction, so "acupuncture can be used along with other treatments as part of a treatment plan that includes stress reduction," Tung says.
