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My 71 year old mother developed this about 6 weeks ago and the topical meds the doctor prescribed don't seek to be working. She has lost much of her (formerly thick) hair. I don't live with her, but my father says she has not been diligent in using her meds, which could be the problem. She re-visits the doc. tomorrow.

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If she is not bathing properly, it could be a skin fungus by now. Ask the MD.
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Not likely it's psoriasis, if it just started. Psoriasis is a genetic disease. It's more likely ringworm (fungus) that can be treated with tablets.
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Yes, thank you for your responses. I decided to accompany her to the doctor so I could get a straight answer about her condition. He states its "dermatitis" and prescribed a new topical medicine to treat the scalp, specifically. Thank you posting replies!
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There is evidence that omega 3s are very beneficial for psoriasis (and other skin conditions as well as cardiovascular and brain health). If she doesn't eat fatty fish like wild-caught salmon (farm-raised salmon has very little omega 3), then a high-quality supplement could be very helpful.
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Thank you - I was thinking of getting her on flax seed oil. My eye doctor recommended it to me last year for eye dryness and it seems to be helping me. I take 2-3 pills per day spaced out through the day. Inexpensive and no draw backs so far.
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Flax seed is a very good source of the ALA form of omega 3, but the body has to convert that to DHA/EPA to be actually used, so a really high-quality fish/krill based omega 3 would likely be more beneficial (unless she is a vegetarian, in which case she wouldn't want to use fish).
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I will recommend that. A few years ago when she took better care of herself, she did take fish oil. I will suggest she start that again. Thank you!
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I had a client with a severe case of this. What I did is put warm coconut oil on her scalp about an hour before the shower, and massaged it in well. Then a nice warm shower with hair wash, and afterward I applied lavender oil. Worked like a charm. No medication needed. Baby soft skin. When I stopped doing regular care for her, it returned.
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Good suggestion! I like it.
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Granny remedies I've used, solve scalp issues pretty fast--be they people or pets.
One way is to massage organic extra-virgin coconut oil into the scalp skin a couple times a day--yes, it makes the hair look greasy, but it stops what's ailing it, gently....eating it also helps, from the inside....we use it instead of butter for just about everything.

Another way is to daub real apple cider vinegar onto the scalp skin [the kind that's cloudy with floaters in it]; leave that on for about 15 minutes, then rinse.
Use same vinegar as a hair rinse after shampoo--it makes the hair follicles lay down nice, making hair smoother, too.

Both coconut oil and vinegar are low-cost, easy to use; kill some germs and fungi, restore the acid-mantle the skin is supposed to have some of for it's protection, among other good things.
Both are nutritive for the body and can be used in many beneficial ways for improving health, inside and out.
Much information can be found online.

Ayurvedic methods work nicely for skin ailments of all kinds; so does Chinese medicine. But then, those two modes require practitioners not everyone has access to, one way or another.
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Ruth's directions are very good!

Note about Omega oils:
---Read labels. Look for about 1200 mg. of Omega 3's daily with food.
---Vegans won't likely want to use fish oil OR Krill oil--Krill are tiny fishy things that are alive and swim in the sea, too.

What I've been learning over the past few months:
Krill can't do all of what fish oil does, neither can Flax.

There are also good old-fashioned Chia seeds that have a good amount of Omega 3's in them--AND they add much needed fiber of all kinds, to help with regularity. Chia also has proteins. A tablespoon or two daily, allowed to develop their "gel coasts" in water or juice, helps thicken liquids--which can also be very helpful for those needing "thickened liquids" to assist with swallowing problems.
Chia also helps keep a person hydrated better, slow-releasing the liquid as it works its way through.
For Chia: I put the amount of chia seeds per serving into a dry high-speed blender, whiz them to more of a powder--THEN put them into liquids.
One Tblsp. thickens about 2 pints of liquid, depending on the liquid, in a matter of maybe 15 minutes. ! Tblsp per pint can make it more like a spoonable pudding--you kinda have to play with it to find what works for you.

Chia seeds are more shelf-stable than Flax seeds; Chia has mostly no flavor--so they depend on what they are put in for flavor...some people even thicken their coffee or tea.

FLAX, OTH, if it's ground up, MUST be refrigerated--I would suspect any sold of a room-temp shelf at a store, to be either rancid or, that they've been cooked or irradiated, ruining the Omega 3's. When I get Flax seed, I get the blond sort--has a milder flavor, as whole seed, and refrigerate it. It keeps long that way; I grind that as needed for immediate use.

I get Chia in bulk shipments to avoid running out, and get better price than the stores.
Chia is one of the most ancient "survival foods" known. Aztec runners who ran over 50 miles per day, used to carry only a small pouch filled with Chia seeds, to keep them sustained along the path, mixed with water--helps keep hydrated longer, too.
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The only thing that gives me relief is Benadryl pills for allergies. The meds from

doctor don't seem to stop itchiness.
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