August 2009

According to the National Psoriasis Foundation, psoriasis is the most commonly diagnosed autoimmune disease, affecting 7.5 million Americans and 125 million people worldwide. The skin disease is associated with other potentially serious conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease, and psoriatic arthritis.

We talked with 2 leading dermatologists to learn more about the disease.

Skateboard pioneer Andy Kessler died earlier this week from an allergic reaction to an insect sting. His death is a dark reminder of the dangers that insect stings carry.

Severe allergy (considered potentially life threatening) to insect stings are quite rare and occur in less than 5% of the US population. According to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, at least 40 people in the US die each year from insect stings.

Skin cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer annually, so it is appropriate that we continue to identify the best treatments possible. But when it comes to actually preventing skin cancer, we mostly know only about the basic rules – use sunscreen, stay out of the sun, wear long-sleeved shirts and wide-brimmed hats, etc. 

But dermatologists can offer effective topical skin cancer preventives that find and destroy precancerous cells, stopping the disease in its tracks before it takes hold. These noninvasive therapies not only prevent potential cancers from developing, they may also soften lines and wrinkles at the same time. 

There has been extensive media coverage of recent studies linking vitamin D deficiencies to many common conditions and diseases, including cancer, osteoporosis, elevated blood pressure, infection, and cardiovascular and autoimmune disorders. The principal source of the vitamin is unprotected exposure of the skin to the sun’s UVB rays – the kind that also cause sunburn, premature aging of the skin, and skin cancer.

Developing an itchy rash after a hike in the woods or a day of working in the yard is not particularly surprising. An inadvertent brush with poison ivy or poison oak and the annoyingly itchy rash that develops is a common summertime problem in the Eastern US. But developing similar symptoms after preparing a fresh meal in your kitchen seems unexpected. As it turns out, it’s not so rare.

The vigorous debate about health care reform is grabbing headlines, and I think the energetic conversation is an extremely important one to have. The bloated, inefficient way we deliver what we call health care is costly, and the results we get for the money are not satisfactory. So it is a good thing to shine a focused light of inquiry on ideas to improve the situation. But it could take a long time, and it won’t be easy.