Taking Control of Psoriatic Arthritis

Understanding PsA

Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is an autoimmune condition that affects both the skin and joints, leading to inflammation and characteristic dry, dead skin or patches of redness or discoloration. While there is no cure, various treatments are available to manage symptoms and improve quality of life.

Monitoring Your Condition

To better understand your PsA, it’s essential to keep track of your symptoms, triggers, and flare-ups. This can be achieved by maintaining:

• A symptom journal to record your symptoms and their severity.
• A trigger journal to identify patterns and potential triggers.
• A flare-up journal to monitor the frequency and severity of flare-ups.

By keeping these journals, you’ll be able to identify patterns and take proactive steps to manage your condition.

At-Home Treatments

Before considering medication, try these at-home treatments to help manage your PsA:

• Manage Stress: Practice meditation, take breaks, and prioritize relaxation to reduce stress, a significant trigger for PsA.
• Eat a Balanced Diet: Focus on nutrient-dense foods, avoiding processed snacks, fatty foods, alcohol, and sugar. A healthy diet can help reduce inflammation and improve overall health.
• Get Moving: Regular exercise can reduce inflammation, increase mobility, and improve mood. Start slowly and work up to 20-30 minutes of exercise per day, 3-5 days a week.
• Light Therapy: UVB light therapy can slow skin cell growth and manage dry, red, or discolored patches.
• NSAIDs: Over-the-counter nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen can help reduce inflammation and relieve pain.

Medical Treatments

If at-home treatments don’t provide relief, consider the following medical treatments:

• Treat-to-Target: This approach involves regular appointments with your doctor to target a specific outcome, adjusting medication or dosage as needed.
• Methotrexate: A disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD) that blocks a specific chemical causing inflammation.
• Biologics: Genetically engineered DMARDs that target specific points in the inflammation cascade, including TNF-alpha inhibitors, IL-12/23 inhibitors, T-cell inhibitors, and IL-23 inhibitors.

Finding the Right Treatment

It may take time to find the right treatment for your PsA. Be patient, and work closely with your doctor to:

• Identify triggers and manage symptoms.
• Explore various treatments.

Remember to stay committed to your treatment plan, even when symptoms subside, to prevent flare-ups.

Living Well with PsA

By understanding your condition, maintaining a healthy lifestyle, and staying in contact with your doctor, you can manage PsA and improve your quality of life. Don’t be discouraged by occasional flare-ups – stay proactive, and work towards finding a treatment plan that works for you.