For those unfortunate individuals who suffer from chronic psoriasis the symptoms and discomfort it brings are unmistakable.
Psoriasis is a skin condition that is triggered by the individual's immune system.
The immune system makes white blood cells that protect the body from infection.
In psoriasis, T cells (a type of white blood cell) trigger inflammation in the skin in the absence of any infection.
These T cells also cause skin cells to grow faster than normal and to swell up in raised patches on the outer surface of the skin.
Psoriasis is therefore not an infection and is not considered a contagious disease.
Rest assured that touching the affected skin and then touching someone else will not transmit psoriasis.
However, the red scaly skin can sometimes become infected, particularly if there are tears in the skin.
Anyone with psoriasis has experienced the soreness that patches of raised red skin cause.
Occasionally, unsightly thick silvery scales can also develop in the affected area.
Moreover, the skin may be very red and scaly and can even result in the appearance of pustules, depending on the type of psoriasis the individual has.
Psoriasis can be an inherited condition.
A genetic component has been found in connection to the disease.
About one third of people with psoriasis have at least one family member with the disease.
However, it is essential to keep certain factors that trigger psoriasis from causing a flare up in those who have the predisposing genes.
Environmental factors such as smoking, exposure to sun, and alcoholism may cause the appearance and length of flare-ups.
Injury to the skin has been known to trigger psoriasis.
Even certain medications have been shown to aggravate psoriasis.
Obviously, patients desperately look for solutions to their psoriasis and most of them resort to taking high doses of steroids to suppress the immune system.
The National Psoriasis Foundation recommends certain changes in the diet of psoriasis sufferers that have been proven to decrease the severity of this ailment.
Limited research has been done on the effect of eliminating specific foods, but there seems to be a strong consensus among patients that wheat, red meat and fatty foods often bring about flare ups.
Beyond discussion though, is the observable benefit that fish oil supplementation produces in the treatment of psoriasis.
Dietary supplementation with fish oil has been extensively researched and there is evidence that it causes a variety of favorable effects on both the cardiovascular and immune systems.
Since psoriasis is an immune-mediated disease, fish oil has a soothing effect by discouraging inflammation.
The anti-inflammatory ability of fish oil improves psoriasis by diminishing the damaging reaction that the patient's skin undergoes.
Furthermore, fish oil as an additional source of relief is exempt from the many serious side effects that steroids and other medication cause in the long run.
When taking fish oil supplements, always make sure that you reap the full benefits by choosing the highest quality oil in today's market.
All fish oil is not created equal and you should look for a pure, highly absorbable form of fish oil that will act quickly and safely to aid you in the fight against your condition.
In a matter of weeks you will feel and even look so much healthier and content with the improvement that you will make supplementing with fish oil your easiest, most rewarding lifelong dietary change.