Psoriasis Awareness Month: How Manuka Honey & Manuka Oil Can Help
Those who have it, know how difficult psoriasis is to both manage and live with. As there is currently no cure for psoriasis, those who have been diagnosed with this autoimmune disease not only have to endure internal & external pain but also live with skin lesions that can make them feel self-conscious. If you are one of the over 7 million people in the U.S. affected by psoriasis and want to learn more about how manuka honey can help, along with other management tips, click here.
If you want to know more about what psoriasis is, read on!
Like many autoimmune diseases little is known about the cause of psoriasis however, enough is understood about our immune response to understand how & why it manifests the way it does. When you have psoriasis your T cells, which normally help your body protect against threatening foreign substances, are overactive. This overactivity causes them to attack not just disease-causing substances but also healthy skin cells.
Everyone’s skin cells are constantly dying and regrowing, a process that would normally take about a month. For someone WITH psoriasis though, this takes only a few days causing painful, red, itchy, scaly patches of build-up on the skin.
This cycle doesn’t tend to stop without some sort of treatment and can be more or less severe depending on many factors. These factors are different from person to person but can include stress, change in the weather, cuts, burns or scrapes, seasonal allergies, and dryer weather such as in dry desert climates or during winter.
While there are not many studies directly related to the use of Manuka Honey on psoriasis, it is thought to have great promise in treating psoriasis lesions. Unlike other honey, Manuka contains a unique component known as MGO; MGO has been shown to be a great aid in anti-inflammatory & antibacterial treatments. In addition to this, there is an overwhelming number of anecdotal reports on the effectiveness of Manuka Honey in reducing the severity of psoriasis outbreaks (by regular internal use) and the management of skin lesions/ external pain (when applied externally).
Manuka oil is shown to have many of the same benefits when used externally. Additionally, both the oil and honey have been shown effective against Staphylococcus Aureus, which has long been associated with atopic dermatitis.Given there are no known side effects from using Manuka oil or honey in conjunction with other treatments or on their own, why not give it a try and see if it can be beneficial to your symptoms? In fact, here is a special code just for you for 15% off any PRI Manuka Honey or Oil with the code SKINHELP.
Here are some great and easy ways to incorporate manuka products into your routine:
- Add manuka oil and/or honey to your current moisturizer, body, or face wash. Adding to your shampoo and conditioner can also be a great help if you have scalp psoriasis
- Apply manuka oil and/or honey directly to your skin. (Note 100% Manuka oil needs to be diluted before external use. This can be done with any of your favorite carrier oils; simply add 10 drops of manuka oil to 2 Tablespoons of carrier oil.) We also have a pre-diluted 10% manuka oil (carried in almond oil) which is great for use right out of the bottle! If using Manuka honey, simply apply to the affected area and cover before bed!
- Add manuka honey and/or oil + Epsom salts to your bath. The salts will help you shed dead skin, while the manuka will help kill bad bacteria & fungus while locking in moisture. You can also add ground-up oats for some extra love.
- Help remove irritating dead skin and soothe inflammation with the most gentle exfoliating technique ever: honey tapping! Using only honey and your hands or a spoon honey tapping is a great way to exfoliate sensitive skin.
- Take at least one tablespoon of manuka honey per day to help fight internal inflammation.
And, make sure to catch some sun! Ultraviolet B rays have also been shown to reduce the symptoms of psoriasis and as little as 10 minutes in direct sun can be enough.
Resources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7694078/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5562472/
https://www.psoriasis.org/scalp/
