Thursday, March 28, 2013

PSO Medis Body Cream

I was recently sent a sample pot of a product of which I had not heard before. It is PSO Medis Body Cream, supplied by Kamedis Bio-Herbal Skin Care. I visited their website to read about their products before accepting the offered sample and it looked interesting to test.

Their products are made from plant extracts with anti-inflammatory and moisturising properties. I won't go into the details, you can read those on their website. This post is intended to give readers a preliminary report of what I experienced with PSO Medis.

I received the product a few weeks ago and next day stopped my normal regimen of light topical applications of tar and hydro-cortisone on my lesions, each applied once daily in rotation. Instead I started to use the PSO Medis twice daily and watched for changes. Part-way through I had a trip abroad and carelessly left the unfinished pot of PSO Medis in my hotel room when I left for home. It prevented me from fully completing my test but I had used enough of it to get a good feel for the product.

It is an unusual cream, almost more like an ointment than a cream and it seems slightly fibrous in texture. This means that it doesn't spread smoothly like a true cream but it does rub in quite well. It is air force blue in colour and I found that it needs to be applied very lightly and well rubbed in, otherwise the blue colour makes it look much like light bruising if any is left on the skin.

I experienced a very rapid improvement in itching. I am quite tolerant of my psoriasis itch and, while I seldom scratch it, I can feel it somewhere or other on my body much of the time. Some people have an itch from their psoriasis and others feel it as a pain. I read recently that the sensations of itch and pain are carried through the body by different nerves. I have always described mine as a painful itch, so I don't know how that sensation is carried through my nervous system. After I applied PSO Medis to my spots, all feelings of itch/pain disappeared within minutes.

The moisturising ingredients also seemed to work very well. All signs of dryness on my skin disappeared while I was using it.

By the time that I lost my pot of PSO Medis, I had not yet established whether my lesions were expanding or contracting due to the change in treatment. However, since then there have been definite improvements that may have been initiated by the PSO Medis. I felt encouraged enough by the initial results to pay for another pot of the same product. I will have that next week and will continue with my testing.

The USA suppliers of the products have given me a discount code that can be used by any of my readers. Go to the Kamedis Shop and select your products. When checking out with your order, enter the code K883S1XFA41C to receive a 30% discount off the cost of the products. Try it for yourself. I will post again when I have used it longer and have a clearer feeling for the benefits over a longer period.

Please note that I have no financial relationship with the makers nor distributors of these products. I receive no incentives except that they sent me a free initial sample. I only report my experiences and all others must ascertain the safety and suitability of the products for themselves.

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Spinal Update

I have written before about my history of back pain and what I was doing in my attempts to improve it. Here is a summary of what I have been doing.

  1. Supplemented with glucosamine/chondroitin for about 15-20 years and changed about 5 years ago to a brand that includes small amounts of hyaluronic acid.
  2. Increased my intake of hyaluronic acid considerably about 4 months ago.
  3. Started hanging from an exercise bar and doing pull-ups (chin-ups) on that bar multiple times each day a few months ago.
  4. Increased my core exercises to strengthen my back and abdominal muscles. Although I am an active person, I don't do enough of this type of exercise when there is a long period without surfing or sailing.
  5. Increased the twisting type of stretch exercises that I do first thing each morning, to make my spine and supporting muscles more supple.
  6. Attempt to sit straight whenever possible, rather than slouched.
  7. Sit less often with legs crossed. When I do cross my legs I make sure to sometimes cross left over right and other times right over left. This was because my spine became distorted by always crossing left over right. To remedy this distortion I crossed right over left for about 2 years, which was uncomfortable until my spine straightened to the point that I now feel no difference either way.
  8. Stand up and walk around as often as possible when working or travelling. I have also gotten into the habit of standing instead of sitting when I have to be in one place for a long time.
  9. Stand squarely on both feet, with my weight evenly distributed and my hips straight. I used to stand with hips cocked and more weight on one foot than the other. This added to my spine alignment problems.
The results of these changes have been excellent. My back now feels stronger than it has for many years.  For the first time in decades I have minimal discomfort when I get out of bed in the morning. That minor discomfort is gone within 2 minutes of standing up. I used to sit on the bed to pull on my socks because of back pain. Now I can stand on one leg, bent over with my other knee against my chest while I pull on socks.

On my way downstairs I stop and do 5 pull-ups on my bar. I do my stretches and exercises before I sit down to work. Almost every time that I go upstairs, maybe 8-10 times each day, I do another 5 pull-ups, including last thing at night before getting into bed. Each time I hear pops in my back as it pulls back into alignment. My back no longer hurts when I stand up after sitting for a long time but I continue the habit of standing and walking as often as possible. Overall, my changes have made a big difference.

My wife also hangs on the bar but less often than I do. She doesn't have the upper body strength to hang for long nor to do pull-ups. Still, it is helping her back problems and sciatica as well, with reduced pain. It may be that older women would benefit more from using an inversion table to stretch the spine if they cannot hang comfortably from an exercise bar.

It is for everyone to experiment for themselves to find what works best for them. What I have done works well for me and may do the same for you.