CHICAGO – The data are still being developed, but evidence of a direct link between stress and inflammatory skin conditions continues to mount.
The research is especially compelling for psoriasis; experimental data suggest that stress triggers the nerves to release elevated levels of neuropeptides and neurotransmitters, which in turn affect the nervous system.
Dr. Richard Granstein, chairman of the dermatology department at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York, gave an exclusive interview to Frontline Medical News in which he described studies of how calming the nerves clearly interrupts psoriatic and other inflammatory skin conditions. Dr. Granstein discussed the implications of this new, and still controversial, line of research, and what this means for clinicians: Should they prescribe stress management programs to their patients with these skin conditions?
Dr. Granstein disclosed he has financial relationships with Velius and Clinique.
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