Month: February 2023

Repurposed Psoriasis Drug

On By Todd BelloLeave a comment

Interesting Topic: Oral psoriasis drug being tested to treat alcohol addiction.

Feb. 22, 2023 — Researchers have discovered that a medicine used to treat itchy skin can help control Alcohol Use Disorders, according to a new study.

People who took the medication in an experiment reduced drinking by more than half, from five drinks a day to two, said the study published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

Previous research had shown a link between the enzyme phosphodiesterase-4 (PDE4), particularly the subtype PDE4b, and alcohol and nicotine dependence.

One of the newer PDE4 inhibitors, apremilast, is an anti-inflammatory drug that treats psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis and is marketed as Otezla.

Through their experiments on mice, the researchers found that apremilast acted on the nucleus accumbens, the area of the brain that processes incoming reward and reinforcement stimuli related to addictive drugs, sex, and exercise, the science website New Atlas reported.

They found that the drug reduced excessive alcohol intake in mice across a range of situations, including binge drinking, compulsive, and stress- and non-stress-induced drinking.

Researchers then conducted a double-blind, placebo-controlled study on people with Alcohol Use Disorder. The drug was given orally. On average among participants who received it, drinking fell by more than half.

“I’ve never seen anything like that before,” said co-senior author Angela Ozburn, PhD of Oregon Health & Science University. “This is incredibly promising for treatment of addiction in general.”

Importantly, the clinical study’s participants were not actively seeking any form of treatment for excessive alcohol consumption. Co-senior author, Barbara Mason, PhD, considers that apremilast may be even more effective in those motivated to address their problem drinking.

“Apremilast’s large effect size on reducing drinking, combined with its good tolerability in our participants, suggests that it is an excellent candidate for further evaluation as a novel treatment for people with alcohol use disorder,” Mason said.

Written By Jay Croft from Web MD

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#psoriasis Celgene WebMD #otezla #research #science #medicine

Comorbidity and Psoriasis

On By Todd BelloLeave a comment

Some of the misconceptions about psoriasis is that it’s just a skin condition. By the looks of it, many believe it’s contagious. Thanks to marketing most people now understand psoriasis is not contagious. But most still don’t know that psoriasis is more than skin deep. Psoriasis can have severe consequences if not followed up by a professional. Fortunately the comorbidity’s of psoriasis can be addressed with medications and perhaps a procedure.

Tony Crimmins, the CEO of Abundant Natural Health, had a close call with his overall health. He was experiencing tingling in his left arm and wasn’t feeling up to par. He decided to go to the hospital. After many tests they discovered he had a ninety five percent blockage in one of his arteries. They were able to clean it up and put a stint in place.

If Tony didn’t take his symptoms seriously, he may of had a heart attack. I feel all of us need to understand the importance of the situation. We are all subjected to adverse health conditions due to the elevated inflammation throughout our bodies. It’s a good idea to get checked out each year.

Tony Crimmins is a chemical engineer by profession. He has psoriasis. Because of his knowledge in biochemistry he was able to develop products for his psoriasis. He successfully cleared his psoriasis with an all natural cream he invented. He later developed these products and put them into production. The products were reviewed by the National Psoriasis Foundation and determined beneficial. His products are recognized by the NPF. I love the products and use them everyday.

You can view his products on his website http://www.AbundantNaturalHealth.com. They have many products for many areas of the body that are psoriasis specific. I highly recommend taking a look.

You can have a listen to Tony and I in my support group Overcoming Psoriasis at http://www.facebook.com/groups/psowhat . Wishing you all health and wellness. #psoriasis

Psoriasis and Depression

On By Todd BelloLeave a comment

Depression is the number one comorbidity of psoriasis. Psoriasis is a chronic condition that affects the well-being and quality of life of patients. The disease is associated with an increased risk of depression and suicidality, which may not be fully understood by the general population. It is crucial to understand the effect this disease has on mental health and determine risk factors that may help identify patients who are susceptible to depression and suicidality. Risk factors discussed in this article include age, gender, and severity of disease in psoriasis patients. Of these, age and severity of disease are significant with a clear association of increased depression and suicidality found in patients who are younger or have more severe disease. Although there is evidence that psoriasis treatments can improve both disease and associated depression symptoms, there are high rates of undertreatment. By identifying high-risk psoriasis patients, dermatologists can aim for optimal treatment of the disease and thus help alleviate the associated psychiatric burden.

I need to confess how I feel. I openly admit I battle mild depression almost everyday. I often wonder what my life would be like without having this insidious disease.

I’ve struggled with psoriasis for 32 years. It’s been a difficult journey and I’m doing the best I can. I had such high hopes and expectations for life before I was diagnosed. It was a pivotal moment when my body became covered with psoriasis. Suddenly I was fighting to get healthy.

The best advice I can give others is never give up on yourself. Your worth all the time it takes to gain control. I’ve been very fortunate over the years. I developed life hacks that has made life with psoriasis less consuming. I’ve been clear now for about 20 years. My doctors help me maintain control with designer medications. Science has made it all possible.

If you’re feeling depressed please see a professional. I’ll have you know the same molecules that cause those annoying spots on your skin and joint pain, also causes depression. So by treating psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis you’re also helping depression. The help is there if you need it. Find a doctor that is willing to work with you and other doctors to get the results you deserve.

We got this!

#psoriasis

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Dating with Psoriasis

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February 13, 2022 5 min read

Love and psoriasis often seem at odds with each other. If you have, or know someone with psoriasis, you may also understand that it is not only chronic but disfiguring and highly stigmatised by society. It is therefore unsurprising that many struggle to love themselves and build romantic relationships.

This Valentine’s Day, we share the heart-warming story of Todd Bello, founder of Overcoming Psoriasis and his partner of 2 years, Kim. Having met online, they discuss how Todd’s psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis affects their relationship, and how a problem-solving attitude, compassion and empathy help them work through life’s challenges as a team.

Self-love and psoriasis

  1. Todd, you’ve had psoriasis for most of your life. Has or does it affect how you see yourself?

Todd: Absolutely. Psoriasis has impacted my self-esteem and played into every aspect of my life. This included my relationships… I was always self-conscious.

  1. How do you feel about yourself now?

Todd: Now because of the medications and the steps I am taking to keep my psoriasis at bay, I feel pretty confident in myself. I do still feel self-conscious when it flares, but I’m thankful that it’s under control. Psoriasis is a chronic disease so we’re never going to be 100% without fear of a flare.

  1. Chronic skin conditions like psoriasis can really knock people’s confidence. Do you think people with psoriasis are worthy of love?

Todd: Everyone’s worthy of love, right? You have to love yourself in order to find love in a relationship. Put yourself first, get that quality care, and try and get the psoriasis under control so you can get onto finding the love of your life.

Romantic relationships and psoriasis

  1. How did you two meet?
Kim: We met on the dating site Match about 2 years ago, and we spoke on the phone for at least a month (maybe two) before we went on our first date.
Todd:We met in Captiva and have been together ever since. Every day since then, inseparable.
Kim: We’re together all day long!
Todd: I knew it was going to work because she lost her keys on the first date. I felt really bad and I played it back in my head as to where she could have left these keys. I remembered she had left them on a bench we were sitting on by the water. So, we walked back, but they weren’t there. We ended up finding them on a desk in a rental facility close by, called the right people, and got the keys about 2 hours later. That was our first date! After we ate at the Mucky Duck.
Kim: I don’t remember eating… obviously I was a little nervous. Going on dates for me was traumatic. I was probably more nervous about going on a date than he was with his psoriasis.
  1. Kim, what do you think about Todd’s psoriasis?
Kim: I didn’t know a whole lot about psoriasis when we first met. Todd told me early on that he had it, so I did some research online. I guess it doesn’t necessarily make a difference to me that he has psoriasis. I have seen him struggle, but it was worse when we first met than it is now. I’ve seen pictures of his skin at its worst… and it was unbelievable. I’m just so happy that he found treatments and products that work and am so proud that he helps others who are going through the same thing. It’s scary because I know the psoriasis could come back anytime but I feel like if it does, we will take the next step with treatment. I love him, so I’m just hoping he never has to go back to where he started.
Todd: I can understand the stress levels that it might cause somebody in a relationship… worrying about the psoriasis coming back. I’m not fearful that it will return to the level that it was. As a couple we eat right (anything anti-inflammatory), so we’re in tune with what keeps the psoriasis at bay.
Kim: Everyone has challenges of some sort… one thing or another. You just have to problem solve.
Todd: A lot of empathy and compassion goes a long way.
  1. Do you think your psoriasis has affected your relationship?
Todd: For me it has.
Kim: I don’t really feel like it has. He spends a lot of time managing the psoriasis. I’ve learned a lot more about since we’ve been together. But I don’t really think it has affected our relationship. I guess in the beginning when you were having more problems…
Todd: Yeah, with the psoriatic arthritis.
Kim: You’d be in pain and not want to go walking. We did have to cut some things short.
Todd: But it has gotten a lot better with the treatment and products I’m using.

 

Dating and psoriasis

  1. For people with psoriasis, dating can be challenging particularly with approaching people they are interested in and building trust in a relationship. In your opinion, how different is dating with psoriasis?
Todd: Well, I met Kim within the first week of going online, and then I had to convince her to go out with me. She said she was complicated, and so I said ‘you need somebody simple like me to ground you’.
Kim: I was like: ‘I kinda like how that sounds.’ I am complicated, I have a lot of things going on.
Todd: But we work through everything together. It has really been a harmonious relationship. I like the fact that she’s the same age because we like the same music, we are both the same sign, and have a lot in common… and her family’s really nice.
Kim: My family loves him. My brother said he’s the first normal guy I’ve been with!
Todd: I heard so much about Match, but I never really went on it. At our age we don’t go to bars, how else are you going to meet somebody? Having psoriasis can change how you date, but I felt that online dating filtered out a lot of the B.S.
  1. What would be your biggest piece of advice to someone with psoriasis who wants to find that special someone?
Todd: Good question. I would say don’t be afraid to put yourself out there. First and foremost, go to a dermatologist and get your psoriasis under control. In the meantime- go online, talk to people, get a date, and see how it goes.
Kim: I think it’s nice to really get to know someone before you date. I think that was the nice thing about meeting online… we were able to talk for a long time before we met… that was special. I was online for two years and had four dates, and he was online for a week and had two dates a day!
Todd: I had a lot. It was like an interview process. No joke! I was serious. I wanted to find love, a girl that I could spend the rest of my life with. She was married for 18 years and I for 30, so after a while you get to know what you’re looking for. Thank God it worked out… so far. I feel extremely blessed.
Psoriasis never got in our way. Thank God she’s not shallow. Psoriasis kind filters out the shallow people. But we are in a different time, where there are options for people with psoriasis. There is help out there! Before there were no remedies, and now I am at a level where I don’t even realise I have psoriasis, so it is very different.
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#psoriasis #psoriaticarthritis #overcominpsoriasis

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