Alternative treatments for psoriasis relief

It seems you can't go a week without a story somewhere touting alternative treatments for psoriasis. This one, from a "Dr. Sarah" in the U.K., lists omega-3 fish oils, evening primrose oil, aloe vera gel, Dead Sea mineral salts/mud, Mahonia ointment (from Oregon grape extract), and Zambesia Botanica cream (from African Kigelia trees). Got that?!

Makes us wonder why we spend time doing nonprofit work when selling alternative and "complementary" medications is the surest way to score that summer place in Tahiti.

Look--if you have too much money in your pocket, there is probably no harm in trying these things. But psoriasis has been around for thousands of years, from Biblical times to Ben Franklin's to today, and Zambesia Botanica has not solved it yet.

We have two requests. Be sure to check back in March, when we will unveil a new part of our website that will cast a skeptical but respectful eye on alternative treatments--not to cure, but to ameliorate the symptoms of, mild to moderate psoriasis. And take two minutes right now to write to Congress urging more psoriasis research so we can get the best and the brightest working on something a little more powerful than sea salt.