Medical researchers claim that psoriasis occurs in 4% of the world's population. Persons who are diagnosed with this do not understand where the disease came from, what factors provoked its appearance. After all, pathology can manifest itself at any age. Moreover, few people associate psoriasis and alcohol.
Brief description of the disease
Psoriasis is a scaly lichen, characterized by periodic exacerbation, which manifests itself in the form of the appearance of red and scaly plaques. The rash is very itchy and itchy.
Today in medical circles there is no consensus on why the disease appears, there are only theories. Most doctors associate psoriasis with certain abnormalities at the gene level.
However, what the experts in the field of medicine are united in is that alcohol and psoriasis, the photo of which is not in the article for aesthetic reasons, are incompatible things. Alcoholic beverages provoke an exacerbation of the disease and increase the risk of its occurrence.
How does the disease progress?
The disease is dangerous not only by external manifestations, but also by a high risk of joint damage in the absence of proper treatment. The basis of therapy for the diagnosis of psoriasis is medications that help relieve symptoms and diet.
In addition to conservative treatment, the patient needs to reduce the number of provoking factors in his life, namely:
- prevent prolonged psychological and emotional overload;
- permanently reduce the risk of infectious pathologies;
- Avoid climate change situations
- abstain from drinking;
- refuse “harmful” products and those that contain red pigment, even natural;
- protect yourself from cuts, injuries of the skin.
Naturally, never should a patient forget about the doctor’s recommendations and strictly follow them.
The effect of alcohol on the body in the presence of scaly lichen
No one will deny that strong drinks negatively affect the whole body. Alcohol completely lacks useful substances, in fact it is poison. Ethanol is present in the alcohol, which destroys the biochemical process in the body.
This is not to say that a person suffering from psoriasis should completely abandon alcohol. As you know, to comply with the measure is necessary in everything. However, psoriasis and alcohol, whose influence is undoubtedly negative, provokes an exacerbation of the disease. For this reason, alcoholics are at risk. In such people, against the background of prolonged binges, the liver throws out an additional amount of decay products on the skin and dermatological defects associated with psoriasis, only increase.
In addition to skin problems, the patient develops general weakness, hair falls out, and the inflammatory process in the lymphatic system and joints can begin. In rare cases, but still psoriasis and alcohol, especially in large quantities, can cause death. It is worth remembering that the female body is much less resistant to toxic substances. Therefore, ladies should think several times before drinking the extra 100 grams of a strong drink.
By the way, from January to March every year there is a surge in exacerbation of psoriasis, which is associated with a large number of holidays that fall on this period.
Psoriasis and alcohol: what can and what is better to refuse?
Not every person is ready for dramatic changes in his life. Therefore, many are wondering which drinks should be discarded.
The most negative consequences of psoriasis are drinking dark beers. This drink contains a large amount of barley, which triggers the mechanism of the disease. As a rule, after an evening feast with beer, the patient in the morning discovers new foci of inflammation on his body.
Another strong provocateur is low-quality alcohol. It is difficult for a healthy body to tolerate, and what can we say about a person who has scaly lichen.
American scientists have been researching for several years and have tried to establish a relationship between alcohol use and psoriasis. They managed to establish that even 2 glasses of beer in the evening significantly worsen the condition of the patient in the morning. If he drinks 5 glasses, then in the morning you can see that the condition of the skin has worsened several times. At the same time, it turned out that non-alcoholic beer practically does not have any negative effect on the body, since it contains a minimal amount of alcohol.
Wine
This is one of the favorite alcoholic beverages in the world. However, there is a direct relationship between the quality of wine and its effect on the body. The worse it is, the harder the body processes this drink.
Can I drink alcohol with psoriasis, and even more so wine? Yes but not all. Dry white wine is relatively normally perceived by the body in the presence of psoriasis. But it is not recommended to drink more than 150 grams per day. Red wine, even of good quality, is bound to cause itching of the skin, therefore it is not recommended for use.
Champagne is completely prohibited, as it will certainly provoke an exacerbation.
Cognac
This noble drink in most people with psoriasis causes exacerbation, like brandy. It is clear that its quality and the quantity of alcohol consumed are of great importance. Another provocateur is fatty food, which often acts as a snack.
By and large, brandy and cognac are best excluded from the diet.
Vodka
This drink is relatively safe, but provided that it does not contain flavorings. Almost no harm from 150 grams will be. But because of the high alcohol content, the abuse of vodka is quite dangerous.
What people say
There are conflicting reviews about psoriasis and alcohol. What is clear that everyone agrees that champagne should never be consumed. After this bubbly drink, itching begins almost immediately. Although some people claim that they didn’t notice any changes from a glass of champagne, there wasn’t even an itch.
Regarding the use of wine, the reviews are also different. Someone better perceives white wine, and someone red. But in most cases, exacerbation is associated with poor quality of the drink or the presence of sugar in it. That is, dry wines are better tolerated.
Judging by the reviews, mixing alcohol clearly leads to a worsening of the situation, in addition to the appearance of new plaques, the old ones become more acute.
conclusions
We can definitely conclude that psoriasis, alcohol and smoking are incompatible things. Speaking of smoking: tobacco smoke not only irritates the lungs and mucous membrane of the larynx, but also has a toxic effect on the whole body. Accordingly, in order not to provoke an exacerbation of psoriasis, it is better to quit smoking.
Alcohol, in addition to provoking an exacerbation, helps to reduce the effectiveness of the effects of drugs on the body. Doctors have long noticed that the effect of the drug "Phosphogliv", which is very often used in the treatment of psoriasis, significantly reduces its effect during periods when a person drinks strong drinks.
In addition, drinking alcohol leads to depression. And psycho-emotional problems, especially of a protracted nature, additionally affect the exacerbation of a chronic disease, therefore, they only worsen the condition of the patient.
Alcohol can cause deterioration even with persistent remission, and in the future it is much more difficult to deal with such an exacerbation. Even a small amount of a drink causes dehydration, and this adversely affects the condition of the skin. In addition, strong drinks remove B vitamins from the body, and they play an important role for the skin.
But the main danger of a combination of psoriasis and alcohol is the huge risk of concomitant diseases, namely damage to the joints. In some cases, the condition is so aggravated that the patient becomes disabled.
In many people, after the active use of alcoholic beverages, the appearance of erythroderma is observed or psoriasis from the usual form goes into generalized. Therefore, before taking a glass in your hands, think a few times, and whether it is worth provoking another exacerbation and increasing the risk of concomitant diseases. And if you sat down at the festive table, then think about how much and what to drink alcohol in order not to be upset the next morning due to the appearance of new plaques.