Home // Menopause and Psoriasis
Menopause is a natural period of transition in a woman’s life, marking the end of her reproductive years. Many brace themselves for its onset with a feeling of dread, anticipating uncomfortable symptoms such as hot flashes, night sweats, headaches, insomnia, muscle aches, and more. For those with psoriasis, or psoriatic arthritis, however, menopause can also bring unwelcome flare-ups.
Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease caused by the immune system mistakenly attacking the body’s own tissues. It is one of the most prevalent skin diseases caused by an abnormal immune response, affecting 125 million people worldwide. The condition is not contagious; researchers believe that both genetics and environmental factors play a role in developing it. The most common type of psoriasis is plaque psoriasis, which causes patches of flaky, scaly skin. While the exact underlying mechanism of the disease is not fully understood, it is known that stress causes flare-ups, and that fluctuations in hormones can as well.
Psoriasis symptoms often follow a predictable pattern in women that is correlated with times when hormones change. Puberty, when production of estrogen and progesterone significantly increases, tends to cause or worsen skin problems like acne and psoriasis. It is thought that effect is due to high estrogen levels causing some skin cells to reproduce too fast. Psoriasis symptoms can also ebb or flare up as hormones rise and fall during the menstrual cycle. Many women report flare-ups right before their periods start, when hormones drop.
During pregnancy, when hormone production rises and immune system response is modulated to protect the baby, many women experience relief from psoriatic symptoms. Unfortunately, a majority then have a relapse of symptoms postpartum, when hormone levels plummet and the immune system response returns to its pre-pregnancy state.
It is no wonder, then, that menopause is known to be a trigger for psoriasis flare-ups and may be a factor in the development of late-onset psoriasis. During menopause, the level of estrogen in the body decreases, setting off the classic symptoms women are familiar with but also causing changes in the immune system that can make it harder for the body to fight inflammation. According to one study, 48% of women with psoriasis experienced worsening symptoms during menopause, while only 2% reported improvement. Another study also noted that late-onset psoriasis was more common in women than men, again highlighting the role hormones play.
Of course, menopause is also often a time of increased stress in a woman’s life, which can make any associated psoriasis flare-ups that much worse. However, it is possible to address both psoriasis and menopause through natural healing methodologies. Understanding the relationship between the two can help ensure that you are prepared to act to find relief when symptoms flare.
In any chronic condition like psoriasis, pharmaceuticals may be recommended to control flare-ups and manage symptoms. But it is possible to control inflammation and enlist the body’s natural healing abilities to achieve wellness without long-term dependency on medications that may come with their own uncomfortable or harmful side effects.
At the Natural Healing Center, we start with pinpointing what stressors the body may be experiencing such as food sensitivities, chemicals, radiation, and heavy metals that are toxic, along with immune challenges such as bacteria, virus, parasites, fungus. We then test to ensure all organs are operating at an optimal level. Nutrition is the essential foundation of ongoing well-being, because eating a diet of healthy, unprocessed food has benefits for everyone. To rapidly pinpoint what nutrients are most needed to reduce inflammation, and to identify foods that can trigger flare-ups, we use Nutrition Response Testing, a noninvasive method of determining the body’s precise needs without lengthy elimination diets. Therapeutic whole food supplements and oral stem cells are incorporated for your body as tested exclusively for you, to rebuild itself at a cellular level. We make it easy to stick to your individualized nutrition plan by coaching you and providing resources such as a booklet, a food intake diary, and a website portal giving you access to easy, healthy recipes and foods that work for your body that you can easily incorporate in your day to day life.
To help reduce inflammation and stress, the individualized wellness plan we create for you may also recommend therapies such as NovoTHOR, Bemer, and Emotion Code. We know that menopause can be a challenging transition in a woman’s life, whether or not it is complicated by painful psoriasis flare-ups. We work with each client to select treatments that will promote and maintain their physical and mental well-being now and into the future.
What you put in your body is just as important as what you put on your body. At Natural Healing Center, we are constantly providing education for our clients to ensure that they move away from personal products with toxins to clean products. We have put together a resource for our clients of our top wellness recommendations: https://www.naturalhealingcenter.us/our-top-wellness-recommendations/
If the onset of menopause has brought your psoriasis symptoms roaring back, you don’t have to suffer. The Natural Healing Center can show you a sustainable way toward wellness. To schedule your free initial consultation, contact us here today.
