A recent study, that was just released in November 2010, points out a relationship between psoriasis and increased pregnancy risks. Women with psoriasis had:
-Spontaneous abortion, increased by 20.9%
-Preterm birth, increased by 14.3%
-Severe preeclampsia and eclampsia (Pregnancy related hypertension), increased by 11.3%
-Ectopic pregnancy, increased by 10.6%
These results show how psoriasis is truly an internal, systemic, disorder, which is exactly how Chinese medicine has diagnosed and treated this for thousands of years. It also shows how “what is on the outside, reflects what is on the inside”. Chinese medicine uses pattern differentiation to categorize different health disorders, for which it then uses to determine the correct treatment. Many diseases will ultimately share the same pattern and thus can be treated simultaneously. Patterns that both psoriasis and the above mentioned pregnancy disorders all share are ones like blood heat and blood stasis, which point to the main problem being one of the vascular system and blood circulation.
This is interesting, and really of no surprise, because when psoriatic lesions are looked at through a microscope the blood vessels appearing underneath are often times very dark, distended, and tortuous. It is now known that pregnancy risks are increased if the small blood vessels that form to unite the uterus with the placenta are not smooth and of good health. One only needs to use their imagination to understand what may be happening to these uterine blood vessels in women with psoriasis, by understanding how the blood vessels are forming underneath each psoriatic lesion. Psoriasis has also been linked to other disorders which involve the blood circulation, including non-pregnancy related hypertension, heart attack, and type 2 diabetes.
Much of the reason for the poor blood vessel health is due to imbalances in the immune system, with consequential inflammation. To treat both psoriasis and miscarriage, Chinese medicine uses well crafted herbal medicine to cool the blood and quicken it’s flow. By doing so, inflammation is reduced, the immune system is modulated, the skin improves, and pregnancy related disorders are hopefully prevented.
Dr Trevor Erikson
Copyright © 2019 Dr. Trevor Erikson