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The Surprising Psoriasis Treatment!
platelet aggregation. Fish oils, high in eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acids (EPA & DHA) are currently being used for normalizing aberations in the arachidonic acid cascade. It is interesting to note that the majority of patients with Psoriasis have elevated levels of cholesterol and triglycerides which may result from abnormal platelet behavior. Epidermal cells in Psoriatic lesions have a receptor for serum beta-lipoproteins. The rate of epidermal lipid synthesis may be regulated by serum lipoproteins. Dermatologists are encouraged to observe and control lipid abnormalities with Psoriasis.
One very promising treatment for Psoriasis is based on the use of fumaric acid. Clinical investigations with this unsaturated dibasic acid have been conducted in University Medical Centers in Switzerland, West Germany, Japan and the Netherlands and the results are promising. Fumaric acid is the trans isomer of malic acid and an intermediate in the Krebs citric acid cycle. Fumaric acid has been used both topically and orally and a titration protocol has been suggested.
Rationale for Use of Fumaric Acid
Psoriasis is regarded as a disease resulting from a metabolic error, possibly a defect of fumaric acid metabolism. Fumaric acid is the trans isomer of malic acid. It is an important compound biochemically since it enters into the citric acid cycle. Fumarate is a by-product at certain stages in the arginine-urea cycle and in purine biosynthesis. Since the citric acid cycle is the center for energy production with the cell, fumaric acid must be present in every cell of the body as it is a by-product of the cycle. Although fumaric acid is not a foreign substance, it is metabolically very active.
In healthy individuals, fumaric acid is formed in the skin when it is exposed to sunlight (from the ultra-violet part of the spectrum). Apparently, patients suffering from Psoriasis have a biochemical defect in which they cannot produce enough fumaric acid and need prolonged exposure to the sun to produce it. This is one reason why patients frequently notice an improvement of their skin condition in the summer months and also explains, in part, the efficacy of PUVA treatment.
This protocol for the treatment of Psoriasis with fumaric acid capsules is based on several clinical studies conducted at the Beau Reveil Clinic in Leysin, Switzerland and the West End Hospital in den Haage, Netherlands. Studies were reported in the following journals: Ned. Tijdschr. Geneeskd., Gann, Med. Msch., Biochem. Pharm., Arch. Derm. Res. and Arch. Derm. Forsch.
Further references follow at the end of this article, but hereafter I shall follow the protocol as presented by Helmut Christ, M.D. and used by Gus Prosch, Jr., M.D. and other referral physicians of The Rheumatoid Disease Foundation.
Psoriasis Treatment Protocol
(From Helmut Christ, M.D.)
We believe that patients suffering from Psoriasis have a lack of fumaric acid. In healthy individuals, fumaric acid is formed in the skin when it is exposed to sunlight (from ultra-violet part of the spectrum). Apparently the patient suffering from Psoriasis cannot make fumaric acid that easily, so that he suffers a lack of the acid and needs a longer exposure to the sun to produce it. This is why these patients frequently notice an improvement of their skin condition in the summer months. The aim of our treatment is therefore not only the application of ointments and creams on the skin or its exposure to ultra-violet light, but the careful oral administration of the lacking fumaric acid. This is the basis of our treatment. At no time is the patient treated with cortisone, either by mouth or on his skin. (The patients frequently come from Dermatologists or University clinics, having been treated for years with Cortisone orally or as part of the ointment.)
What is fumaric acid?
Chemically it is an unsaturated dicarbonic acid and is part of the citric acid cycle.
CH - COOH
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CH - COOH
As the citric acid cycle is the center for energy production within the cell, fumaric acid must be present in every cell of the body, being a by-product of the cycle. It is therefore not something that is foreign to the body. A lack of fumaric acid leads to the accumulation of half-products. These products, we believe, are responsible for the skin lesions in patients with Psoriasis. In administering the lacking fumaric acid slowly to the body, the Psoriasis can come to a halt. The administration of the acid should be slow, as it is a metabolically very active substance. However the administration of too little fumaric acid