The Middle way is a Buddhist term which means that we should maintain a balanced approach towards life experiences.
On very similar terms, we should maintain a balanced body temperature and refrain from any lifestyle practice that can disturb this temperature balance.
Sudden change in body temperature is harmful
In our kitchens, we all have dealt with gas cook stoves. Tell me what happen when we throw cold water on heated gas burners after shutting it off?
A sudden sharp sound propagates with some bubbles. Am I right?
It means, the sudden contact of cold water to that heated burner resulted in a strong agitation. Something very similar happens to our internal body metabolism when our internal body temperature changes suddenly. Body reacts wildly and a heavy agitation occurs. Although most of the times, we don’t feel it because we rarely try to listen to our body. If you start listening to your body; observing how different diets and different life style practices are affecting your psoriasis, you can get some really important clues to manage your psoriasis. We need to listen to our body and make sure we satisfy the genuine needs of our body.
A sudden change in temperature can result in a lot of health complications like
- Drinking ice chilled water along with meal harms digestion
- Sudden temperature changes cause respiratory infections (cold, flu)
- Hampers the entire cardiovascular system
- It is a skin irritant as well.
What causes sudden change in body temperature
Sudden change in body temperature can be induced by a number of activities such as:
- Going from an air conditioned room to outside (non air conditioned) environment
- Consuming any food product/fluid which is too hot or too cold. For example, drinking ice cold water/drinks with meals
- Taking a bath with either too hot or too chilled water
- Washing your face with too cold water or consuming chilled fluid immediately after a vigorous workout.
Psoriasis react to sudden change in body temperature
- Sudden change in body temperature can easily lead to cold or flu in a person with psoriasis because he/she already lacks in immunity and hence, an easy target of cold causing germs and bacteria. Now, once you get attacked by such germs, your immunity level further lowers down worsening your psoriasis. I have observed that every time I got fever or cold, my psoriasis flakes density increases and the thickness of flakes increases as well.
- Sudden change in body temperature >>> easily attacked by germs causing cold and flu (due to low immunity) >>> further lowering of immunity due to cold and flu >>> worsening of psoriasis
- Human body is not adapted to a wide temperature range and temperature zone between 21 º C and 25 ° C is best suited for it. 23-25° C is the ideal temperature range.
In summer, when you go outside in a hot, humid environment from your air conditioned office, it dries your skin. The extreme differences between outside and inside environments do affect irritate your skin and trigger psoriasis. So, make sure you maintain your air conditioned workplace or home temperature between 21 to 25° C (23-25° C is the ideal). If people try to lower the Air conditioner temperature, do educate them about the harms of too lower temperature and restore the right temperature range again!!
- Taking bath with too cold or too hot water is not a good idea. Normal to warm water soothing bath is an intelligent way actually. Warm water bath soothes your skin itching and gently slough off your scales. Similarly, choose warm or at least normal water for washing your face to discard off the dust and oil particles. Don’t go for too hot or too cold water. Your skin doesn’t go fine with these sudden shocks of heat or ice cold.
- Drinking ice chilled fluids (water and other drinks) with meals is harmful for digestion process. Too cold fluids slow down the digestion process and create hurdles in absorbing nutrients from the food you eat. This is definitely not a welcomed activity for any psoriasis suffering person.
Conclusion
Avoid sudden change in body temperature. Don’t drink or eat anything too hot or too cold; don’t take a bath in too hot or too cold water; avoid drinking cold water immediately after coming from jogging or work out.
It is very logical to avoid any such activity to make sure we don’t further agitate the internal body mechanism which is already under tremendous pressure.
Go WARM; avoid too Hot or too Cold.
Important links:
Drinking warm water is beneficial
I have been suffering from Psoriasis for last 15 years. My understanding is that immunity in case of autoimmune disease is hyperactive instead of being low. I am getting an impression from posts on the Blog that we need to boost immunity for getting relief in case of Psoriasis. Could you please clarify.
Regards