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With new treatments, psoriasis breaks fewer hearts
HEALTH6&&6...
By David Curran
news@barnstablepatnot.com
For years, it was almost
impossible for some to hear
the word "psoriasis" without
smirking. Television, in this
case a shampoo commercial
that seemed to overstate the
seriousness of the condition ,
can have that kind of power.
But for many of the 5 mil-
lion Americans who have it,
psoriasis meansjust what the
ad said: heartbreak.
"It'sextremely annoyingand
irritating and definitely affects
people 's lives, to the point
where they 're embarrassed
to go out because of how they
look,"said Dr. Steven Moreno,
a dermatologist with Medical
& Cosmetic Dermatology of
Cape Cod in Hyannis.
And for a few who have the
most severe type, it's far, far
worse.
"There'seven alifethreaten-
ing form of psoriasis,"said Dr.
Moreno,who beganpracticing
on the Cape two years ago
after a three-year residency
during whichhe never sawthe
potentially deadly version of
the disease. However, he said,
"The first month I was here I
saw it."
August is Psoriasis Aware-
ness Month , when the Na-
tional Psoriasis Foundation
ratchets up its year-round
mission "to break down the
myths about psoriasis," ac-
cording to its Web site. "We
want to educate others that
psoriasis is common, non-
contagious,lifelong and more
than a 'skin thing.'"
Dr. Moreno confirmed all
of that. He said psoriasis, a
chronic condition that in the
most common of its several
forms manifests as reddish
plaques with silvery scales on
the scalp, elbows or knees, af-
fects men and women equally,
and can strike at any age.
"The peak incidence is 22
yeas old,"he said, but the me-
dian age for early onset iseight,
and for late onset , it's 55.
"We know there 's a heredi-
tary factor," Dr.Moreno said.
Eight per percent of children
with one parent who has
psoriasis have it as well, and
41 percent of children of two
parents with psoriasis have
the condition.
So what, exactly, is psoria-
sis? In anutshell,it'snew skin
replacing old far too quickly.
"Normally the skin turns
over once amonth,"Dr.More-
no said, "but in psoriasis, it
turns over much faster,to the
tune of once in three days."
Certain drugs can trigger
psoriasis, Dr. Moreno said,
including systemic steroids,
lithium, antimalarials, beta-
blockers and interferon. So
can physical trauma, rang-
ing from simple rubbing or
scratching to surgery.
"Infections , that's a big,
big one," he added, and so is
stress. In fact, patients with
stress-triggered psoriasisused
to be hospitalized for, "liter-
ally, psoriasis vacations," said
the doctor, but the advent of
HMOs has essentially ended
that practice.
There 's no link between
psoriasis and diet or alcohol
consumption, he said.
Dr. Moreno emphasized
there's no cure for psoriasis.
"One of the big things that
I really have to drive home to
the patient is we're here to
control it. We're not curing
it," he said. "It can be years
and years without a flare and
then boom."
Psoriatic arthritis is a re-
lated joint condition, he said,
but some people get the skin
condition without the arthri-
tis, and vice versa.
Psoriasis treatment has im-
proved markedly in the past
few years with the advent
of biologies such as Enbrel,
injectabl e medications that
directly affect T-cells, the cells
that, "for whatever reason
we don't understand," that
go into overdrive , causing
the pathologically accelerated
skin renewal, according to Dr.
Moreno. As a result, another
common treatment, topical
steroids, which, according to
the foundation,more than half
ofallpatientsfoundunsatisfac-
tory, "are sort of falling out of
favor,"he said.
Treatment withlight,which
Dr.Moreno saidisunavailable
on the Cape, sometimes is
used when other treatments
fail.
Dr.Moreno said psoriasis is
anunder treated condition for
whichmanypeople don't seek
help. He encouraged people
who think they might have it
to see adermatologist,in part
because people withpsoriasis
are at higherrisk ofdeveloping
skin cancer.
"Ifit'snot gettingbetter,"he
said, "it should be biopsied."
Long-term care
option at Yarmouth
Senior Center
Consumers concerned or con-
fused by costly options to finance
long-term health care need to
determine what will work best for
them before they sign any con-
tracts. Tohelp explain the options,
Ira Wolfson , certified long-term
care insurance counselor, and
attorney Laura McDowell-May will
be at the Yarmouth Senior Center
Monday at 1 p.m. to explain the
options. The program is spon-
sored by SHINE (Seniors Health
Information Needs of Elders) and
the Centers for Medicare and
Medicaid Services. Call 508-398-
7606 to reserve a seat.
Reduce stress and
help Marstons Mills
Library
"Mindfulness , Meditation and
Stress Reduction," a four-week
course is being offered by Cape
Stress Reduction to benefit the
Marstons Mills Public Library.
The one-an-a-half-hour classes
start Aug. 9 and run weekly
through Aug. 30 at the library,
Main Street , Marstons Mills.
All of the $120 course fee will
be donated to the library. For
more information, contact Adam
Liss at 508-420-3300 , or e-mail
info@capestressreduction.com.
Daily Christian
recovery group
begins Monday
The Christian Recovery Fel-
lowship begins a daily meeting
on Monday from 7:30 to 8:30
a.m. at the Salvation Army Wor-
ship and Services Center on
North Street in Hyannis. The
open-discussion , Christ-based
meeting is designed to provide
a safe , confidential environment
for those "searching, struggling
with alcohol , drugs, hurts, habits,
shortcomings or hang-ups of all
kinds." All meetings are open
to all and free of charge. The
group has been meeting since
2002 and will maintain its current
schedule of meetings as well. For
more information, contact Charlie
Markarian at 508-775-5733 , or e-
mail charlie5733@hotmail.com.
Rehabilitation
Hospital offerings
RHCI, 311 Service Road in
East Sandwich, hosts a fibromy-
algia support group the fourth
Thursday of the month. A stroke
support group meets the second
Wednesday of the month from
1:30 to 3:30 p.m. The VNA Mobile
Health Link Van will be at RHCI
the first Monday of the month
from noon to 4:30 p.m. for free
health screenings. The aphasia
community group meets the
first Tuesday of the month from
2 to 3:30 p.m. Food Addicts in
Recovery Anonymous meets
Sundays from 9:30 to 11 a.m.
The Well-Spouse Support Group
meets every third Thursday of the
month at 7 p.m. Healthy Hearts
outpatient cardiac rehabilitation
programs are offered at 6 a.m.
The MS Support Group meets
the third Sunday of the month.
Post polio support group meets
the third Saturday of each month
at 10 a.m. Hearing screenings,
held second Wednesday of each
month by appointment. RHCI
offers a Stroke Peer Visitation
Program. Call for details or if you
want to volunteer as a peer visi-
tor. A mild brain injury support
group meets the third Saturday of
each month from 2 to 4 p.m. Call
508-833-4000 for other programs
and details.
Take a break and
relax
Kim Hudson offers traditional
Swedish relaxation massage ,
healing hot stone, yoga, Nia dance
and more in your home or her
Osterville office. Call 508-428-
2734 for information.
Asthma Support
Group
Dr. Paul Sklarew leads an asth-
ma support group at the Allergy
and Asthma Center of Cape Cod,
244 Willow St. in Yarmouthport.
Meetingsare every fourth Wednes-
day in August , October and
December. For information , call
508-362-0099.
Mended Hearts meets
at CCH
Members of the Mended Hearts
group meet every third Thursday
at 4 p.m. at Cape Cod Hospital in
Hyannis to discuss heart disease
and share experiences. Those with
heart disease and members of
their family are welcome to attend.
Call 508-385-4313 or go to www.
capecodmendedhearts.com.
Activities at
Yarmouth Senior
Center
On the first and third Mondays
of the month at the Yarmouth
Senior Center, 528 Forest Road
in South Yarmouth, a changes
and loss support group will meet
at 11 a.m.
Adult day social
program
The Barnstable Senior Center
on Route 28 in Hyannis hosts the
Barnstable Adult Social Day Caie
Program , which operates from 9
a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through
Friday, in an effort to help elders
maintain independence. Call 508-
862-4750 for details.
Caregiver support in
Barnstable
Caregivers for seniors are in-
vited to attend a support meet-
ing at Barnstable Senior Center,
Route 28 in Hyannis, every other
Wednesday from 9:30 to 11 a.m.
Call Bobbie Jordan at Elder Ser-
vices (508-394-4630, ext. 181)
to register.
HIV/AIDS testing,
counseling
The Cape Cod Free Clinic &
Community Health Center offers
free, confidential testing for HIV/
AIDS. The tests are available at
the health center's Falmouth and
Mashpee offices. Appointments
are required; call 508-540-2949.
Veterans, take note
The Department of Veterans
Affairs is offering prescription
refills over the Internet via the VA's
MyHealthVet, a personal on-line
record system for veterans that
tracks not only prescriptions but
health records, insurance and
more. For information,go to www.
myhealth.va.gov
Driving and dementia
Boston University Medical Cen-
ter is looking for residents who
are interested in receiving free
educational information on the
topic of driving and dementia.
For details and to sign on, call
617-414-1188.
Support at
Independence House
Independence House in Hyannis
sponsors adomestic violence sup-
port group at the office in Falmouth
Hospital on Mondaysat 6:30 p.m.;
a children's empowerment group
on Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m. at
the office in Hyannis; and a self-
esteem focus group on Thursdays
at the Hyannis office at 5:30 p.m.
Call 508-771-6507.
Health and well-being
programs
Cape Cod Healthcare's Cen-
ter For Health Education offers
classes such as "Kick Butts,"
a stop-smoking class; "Heart
Healthy Eating;" a walking pro-
gram; techniques for relaxation of
the mind and body; supermarket
shopping; and more. To register,
call 877-729-7200 or go to www.
capecodhealth.org.
Hospice education
To learn more about just what
a hospice is and to be informed
about end-of-life services,you can
schedule an informative program
for your organization presented
by Hospice & Palliative Care of
Cape Cod. Call 508-957-0200 ,
ext. 306.
A little time for
yourself
Stop by the Visiting Nurse As-
sociation in Dennis on Route 134
to take part in the Young at Heart
exercise program. A minimal fee
is charged and a doctor's note is
necessary. The program is also
offered at the Brewster facility.
Call 877-267-7700.
Driver Rehabilitation
Program
Those whose driving ability has
been compromised by illness,
injury or normal aging are invited
to take part in the roadSMART
Driver Rehabilitation Program
being offered through the Re-
habilitation Hospital of the Cape
and Islands in East Sandwich.
Call 508-833-4000.
Women's free health
screening
TheWomen's Health Network of
the Visiting Nurse Association of
CapeCod in cooperation with local
health care providers is offering
free breast and cervical cancer
screening services to uninsured
and underinsured , low-income
women age 40 to 64. Call 888-
557-9994.
Dial a line for help
Cape Cod Healthcare's mental
health arm , Behavioral Health
Services of Cape Cod Healthcare,
has a one-stop telephone line
(888-986-4BHS) allowing easier
access to comprehensive mental
health services. The service offers
helpfor those dealing with anxiety,
depression, substance abuse, and
other concerns.
VNA has home health
technology
The Visiting Nurse Associa-
tion of Cape Cod offers in-home
telemonitoring technology. The
Honeywell HomMed monitors
collect vital signs including heart
rate, blood pressure,oxygen satu-
ration and body weight,all inthree
minutes. Call 800-631-3900.
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