Psoriasis Treatment in Ayurveda Real Case study of a Malaysian Patient

A few months back, an individual aged 46 came to my consultation room bearing eight years of frustration in the form of lesions all over his body. He had lesions of psoriasis in his legs, ears, and hands – lesions which would scale, bleed from time to time, and go into remission but recur again and again. Like most of my patients, he had undergone treatment for psoriasis through various methods in other places. He had found no relief through these treatments. This is the story of how we treated this patient at Rasayana Ayurveda Centre and why I think this was how real Ayurvedic treatment of psoriasis in Kerala should be.

Listening Beyond The Skin

The patients concerns did not end with his skin condition. For the past one year, he had been suffering from bloating in the abdomen, burning in the stomach, indigestion, and discomfort following meals. In addition, there was mild pain in the lower back region which had been bothering him for a week now, it was exacerbated by physical exertion and alleviated by rest. When probed further regarding his dietary habits, the picture was typical – years of regularly consuming spicy and fast foods.

In Ayurvedic medicine, all these symptoms did not occur in isolation. He was diagnosed with Sidma Kushtam, a form of Kushta Roga wherein the Doshas as well as the deep seated body tissues Twak (skin), Rakta (blood), Mamsa (muscle) and Lasika (lymph) got vitiated. His digestive disturbances were not coincidental. In my experience, Agnimandya, or impairment of Agni (digestive fire) is usually the silent underlying cause of most chronic skin diseases. Upon physical examination, I found grade I tenderness over his lower lumbar spine region and mild crepitus in his left knee region but nothing more than that.

The Treatment Plans

As he was suffering from a chronic problem affecting both the skin and digestive system, I decided to give him a treatment regime involving Shodhana and Shamana.

Panchakarma Procedures included:

• Snehapanam to make his body ready for internal cleansing
• Vamanam and Virechanam to remove the vitiated doshas from his body

External treatments:

Kashaya Dhara and Takra Dhara to relieve the inflammation and dryness

Lavana Potala Swedam and Choorna Pinda Swedam for local treatment of scaling

Udwarthanam and steam therapy to improve circulation and detoxification

Kati Pichu, Kati Vasti, and Shashtika Pinda Swedam to treat his back pain

Medicines: I prescribed a combination which includes Aragwadha Kashayam, known for its Kushtaghna (anti-skin disease) and Raktashodhaka (blood-purifying) properties, and Manibadragulam, Shankha Bhasmam, Manasamitravatakam, Vilwadi Gulika, Sudarsanam Gulika, and Ashta Choornam to aid in digestion and detoxification.

Externally, I advised Psoria Oil for topical application to reduce scaling and rehydrate the skin.

What Changed?

When it came to the point where he was discharged from our clinic, the progress was evident. He showed improvements in terms of the scaling and severity of the plaques on his legs, ears, and hands. Also, the swelling, digestive problems, and stomach pains that he almost did not mention initially showed considerable improvement. He no longer complained of back pain either. I recommended that he continue taking the Ayurvedic medicines prescribed to him at home along with the dietary restrictions.

Why This Treatment Plan?

Such cases are precisely why I do not treat psoriasis simply as a superficial condition. With Snehapana being followed by Vamana and Virechana therapies, the point is not about handling the symptoms; it is about correcting the underlying systemic imbalance which causes the symptoms again and again. The improvements in his digestive function as well as in his skin condition convinced me that we have finally found the real cause of his disease, not just the manifestation of it.

This is exactly how the psoriasis treatment in Kerala is carried out, including those coming from Malaysia and other countries in order to get traditional Panchakarma therapy unavailable in their native places.

A Note For psoriasis patients Who Are Reading This

If you have been suffering from psoriasis and feel that you have never been able to treat the condition but just its symptoms, then I would recommend that you should think about it more seriously – literally into your digestive system, your food intake, and your lifestyle choices. Since each individual’s Prakriti and imbalance is unique, the treatment protocol followed by this patient might have to be modified as per your unique needs. However, the idea remains the same: true relief comes through holistic treatments rather than topical ones. If this sounds familiar, then make an appointment with us at Rasayana Ayurveda Centre.