Psoriasis and Immune System Disorder

Medical science is on verge of declaring psoriasis to be strictly result of an immune system malfunction. This is information that has been known for some time, actually, but conservative nature of medical science has kept it out of mainstream until recently. While news is exciting because cause is being uncovered, direction this is all taking is not. The direction is toward a number of new drugs called biologics that interfere with immune system’s functioning and create further risks in process.

First a little background. The small intestine has dual function of being a digestive/absorptive organ as well as a barrier to keep out toxic compounds and macromolecules. Either one of these functions may be disrupted by various mechanisms, resulting in problems with 'leakage' into bloodstream. When this happens, it is called intestinal permeability, or leaky gut. The intestine contains numerous bacteria with toxic properties. These include certain bacteria and bacterial antigens capable of inducing antibodies, as well as food antigens that can produce immune system reactions. Also, studies have shown that Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) disrupt intestinal barrier function and cause increased permeability, or Leaky Gut Syndrome. This is relevant for those people with arthritis who are taking NSAIDs because increased permeability may be a factor in their disease process.

What does all this mean? It means that large food particles as well as other unwanted things pass through your intestinal walls and create havoc (immune responses etc.) It also means that organs like your kidneys, liver, and skin are working overtime to compensate for this imbalance. It means that you are immune-compromised, and it means that it is highly likely that you have a bacterial imbalance in your gut, some of which is getting inside body where it doesn’t belong. Absorption of these normally-excluded substances increases accordingly. This results in distribution in blood of invasive macromolecules, which results in inflammation. Increased permeability of mucosal barrier in gut allows for excessive absorption of bacteria, food antigens, and large molecules. When this breaks down, antigens are allowed to enter system in excessive amounts, which leads to an immune system response in individuals with psoriasis. This response involves specific white blood cells called T-cells, which travel to site of psoriasis and populate it, causing rapid proliferation of skin cells and inflammation. At first it was thought that T-cells themselves were responsible for psoriasis, but it turns out that it is this over activity acting as a catalyst for production of skin cells.

Handmade Soap Facts

How many people know what soap really is? Several of cleansing bars that you buy at store, for example, are detergents-and not soaps at all. They are called syndet bars, or synthetic detergent bars. They are made from synthesized chemicals and are usually much harsher than soap. Detergents contain petroleum distillates rather than oil. On other hand, true soap is made from natural oils (such as olive, coconut and palm) and is a gentle cleansing product more appropriate for use on skin than is detergent. Soaps, unlike detergents, are made by combining sodium hydroxide or lye, oils and water in a process known as "Saponification". Some people may question use of lye in handcrafted soap. The fact is that all soap is made with lye. What needs to be made clear is that once process of saponification is complete, lye and oil molecules have combined and chemically changed into soap and glycerin. There is no lye present in finished bars of soap. The oils in our soaps are put there for a specific purpose. The coconut oil creates a wonderful lather. The olive oil is used for a high quality, long lasting bar. Canola and Palm oil carry nutrients to skin, and safflower oil make a creamy bar. Glycerin is a skin soothing emollient that adds to goodness of handmade soap. In commercial soaps glycerin is removed for sale to cosmetic industry to sell separately, sometimes at a higher price than soap itself! Glycerin is important to skin care because it is a humectant. Humectants draw moisture from air, which in turn moisturize your skin. A whole 1/5 of a bar of our soap is glycerin.