Flare-ups of psoriasis in patients have long been associated with elevated levels of stress. Although multiple treatment options exist, this study looks at non-pharmacological methods of treating and managing chronic psoriasis by utilizing meditation and mindfulness techniques to manage outbreaks. The use of mindfulness and meditation had been studied previously for other skin diseases, such as atopic dermatitis, with promising results.
The article reviews the documentation of nine publications (including one systematic review article, one case-control study, one non-randomized clinical trial, and six randomized clinical trials) to determine what role, if any, meditation and mindfulness had on the treatment and management of patients with psoriasis. Patients were evaluated for metrics such as quality of life and the severity of symptoms presented. Five of six randomized clinical trials did report improvements in self-administered psoriasis area and severity index scoring after patients utilized meditation or mindfulness during a psoriasis flare-up. In general, the use of these non-pharmacological approaches suggested that meditation and mindfulness can decrease the severity of psoriasis in a patient, while also improving their quality of life. Although promising in the short term, more in-depth research studies are needed to quantify the impacts for patients.
Reference: Bartholomew E, Chung M, Yeroushalmi S, Hakimi M, Bhutani T, Liao W. Mindfulness and meditation for psoriasis: A systematic review. Dermatology and Therapy. 2022;12(10):2273-2283. doi:10.1007/s13555-022-00802-1
Link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9515248/
