Miracle Cure

I apologize in advance if the following a) sounds like an infomercial and b) gives out too much information, but.... well I've had Psoriasis for over half my life now - I probably don't need to tell you what a pain in the ass that is. Some people get it mostly on their elbows and other joints.. I get it on my hands. At any given time, I may have several patches of skin that harden, scale-up and flake off. When it gets really bad, the top layer of skin dies and the area itches like crazy until I tear the affected layer off, leaving an exposed patch of skin underneath that bleeds and hurts like hell. The only thing for it is to apply medication and stick a band-aid on the spot. Sometimes the area is so long, I have to rig up two band-aids to get the job done. It looks like I put my hands in a food processor.

It never clears up. I get fooled into thinking that maybe it will clear up for a bit, but some spot on one of my fingers flares up, and the next thing I know I'm walking around with my fingers band-aided up again (and I'm talking as many as six sometimes). Now, given that I use my hands a lot to demonstrate things at work... this makes me a little self-conscious at times.

Psoriasis has no cure, but it's supposed to be manageable with various medications. I've been using this steroid-packed medicated ointment for years. Up until now, it's been the most effective thing in treating my hands. That isn't saying much, however. The ointment doesn't do anything to prevent the flare-ups, it only speeds up the healing time of the open sores. It also leaves the remaining skin really thin and prone to drying out all over again.

Well, when I went to work again last week, I ran into a colleague who shares a similar condition. When we greeted each other, he held up his hands to show me that they were clear. He also handed me a small make-up container that he had filled with his "miracle cure" for me to try: shea butter. Pure, unrefined shea butter. He bought some at the local swap meet, and ended up liking it so much, he went online to buy it in bulk. He says his hands have been clear for a month.

Shea butter is made from the fruit of the African shea tree. It's processed form is used in various products, but it's healing potential is strongest in it's pure unrefined form which can only be obtained through small mail-order/on-line businesses. There seems to be two varieties: East African which is smoother and makes a better moisturizer, and West African which is coarser but has more "healing properties." It's also edible, although I can't imagine that I'll be testing that in the near future (but it's nice to know that I can apply it before a meal and not have to worry.)

I popped the lid open and dabbed my finger in the white buttery substance. It had a gentle nutty kind of smell. I rubbed some of it on my hands, particularly on the dry spots where the psoriasis is most active. Like any other cream or lotion I've tried, it made the scaliness disappear, but I was skeptical that it would last for very long. Two hours later my hands were still in pretty good shape. I was impressed. But what I discovered as the day wore on was that this stuff could do what no other substance I've previously tried could: it actually suppressed the irritation.

I've known for a while that a good part of the reason my hands were so bad was because I'm an incurable scratcher. I've tried monitoring this, but it's gotten to the point where it kicks in subconsciously. I also do it in my sleep. I'd go to bed with mildly irritated hands, and wake up with gaping, bleeding patches that were scratched open during the night.

I found that when I applied the shea butter to the irritated area, the itching stopped almost immediately, and went away for a healthy length of time. So not only was I keeping the spots hydrated, I was preventing them from deteriorating from my own scratching. It's not perfect, by any means - I can still tell that the heavy spots are just waiting for a chance to dry up, scale up and go wild again. But at least I found something that can effectively prevent them from getting hideous and tearing open. Even if I have to apply it every day for the rest of my life, it's better than walking around with mummified hands.

I'm almost out of the sampler portion that my colleague gave me. He's bringing me some more on Monday. In the mean-time, I went online and ordered three tubs of the stuff. (they had a two-for-one special.)