Inclined Bed Therapy (I.B.T.) Experiment Proposal

[Andrew K Fletcher]

No difference whatsoever so long as bed is inclined correctly.
Did you takes photographs of your skin before tilting the bed? If you did can you please share them or Email them to me and I can upload them into Photobucket. You should begin to see changes in your skin shortly and others will begin to notice changes in your skin also. Helen's own photographs and dates provide us with some pretty impressive skin changes in a very short timescale. But we need more people to provide photographic evidence and dates so that we can compile study results supported with irrefutable photographic evidence.

My theory for those who have not read it, relates to how gravity acts upon concentrations of salts and causes them to be pulled through the surrounding tissue into the main circulatory system and excreted in the urine via the kidneys. The theory relates to a huge discovery in 1994 which demonstrates clearly how gravity induces circulation. You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login

Does my theory fit with Psoriasis in the published literature? Well for this to fit we would have to identify whether there are unusual levels of salts in the affected skin of people with psoriasis when compared to people who are not affected by psoriasis. I suspected that someone should have noted salt level differences so set about locating a source in Pubmed. I found this report!

Psoriasis Pubmed

It has been recognised that the sweat (extracellular area) excreted from those affected with psoriasis contains twice the amount of sodium and four times the amount of potassium in comparison to those not affected with psoriasis. 1: Z Hautkr. 1987 Jul 1;62(13):1029-34

Salts according to common sense and my theory would migrate to the lowest parts of our anatomy, again a search provided this evidence!

Foster KG. : J Physiol. 1966 May;184(1):106-19
1. The sweat composition from the cat's foot pad was examined at various rates of secretion. Sodium pentobarbitone or chloralose anaesthesia were used.2. Cat's pad sweat contains lactate, glucose is almost absent, and the sodium and chloride concentrations increased with increasing sweat rate. In these respects the secretion resembles human eccrine sweat.3. The sodium, chloride, and potassium concentrations are much higher than in human sweat; also the potassium level decreased with increasing rate. Consequently, whereas human sweat is hypotonic with respect to the plasma, cat's pad sweat is slightly hypertonic with respect to the plasma even at low rates of secretion. In contrast to human sweat glands, which produce a slightly acidic secretion containing ammonia, cat's pad sweat glands produce an alkaline secretion containing bicarbonate. Also in contrast to human sweat, lactate levels decreased with increasing sweat rate.
PMID: 5922325 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Andrew

[muz_ad]

this theory has some correlation with the siddha medicine system of which i cleared from. siddha states simply Psoriasis is caused by excess SALT. thus reduce salt in your diet.
as you explained, P sufferers sweat out more salt from their body when sleeping on an incline helping their P.

Muz

[Andrew K Fletcher]

Hi Muz

The theory does not state that salt is sweats out more, it states that salt is used to drive the circulation by migrating in the direction of gravity and in doing so causes fluids to circulate more effectively. The Inclined bed induces better negative tension in the veinous return facilitating the absorption of salts and excess tisue fluids back into the main circuulatory system where it is removed by the renal function more effectively than sleeping flat.



Hope this clears things up

Andrew

this theory has some correlation with the siddha medicine system of which i cleared from. siddha states simply Psoriasis is caused by excess SALT. thus reduce salt in your diet.
as you explained, P sufferers sweat out more salt from their body when sleeping on an incline helping their P.

Muz

[Andrew K Fletcher]

Flat bedrest has been tested on many people as a model for microgravity conditions in Spaceflight. Also head down tilt has been tested to induce some of the harmful effects of living in a reduced gravity environment.

We curently are analysing the effects of humidity, water, saline, and dry climate on the skin, particularly relating to psoriasis .
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Presumably gravity or the lack of it according to my theory should show up in NASA data. A search revealed the following interesting reported skin conditions. Presumably, no astronauts would have psoriasis prior to micro gravity flight conditions, due to the shed skin cells floating around inside the craft. However, it would appear that micro gravity did induce psoriasis and a startling number of other skin related problems, suggesting again that gravity plays a vital roll in health

<Table 1
Medical Events in Shuttle Program Reported by Frequency from Postflight Medical Debrief, STS-26–STS-74
(1988–1995)
Condition Frequency Percent
Facial fullness 226 81.0%
Headache 212 76.0%
Sinus congestion 173 62.0%
Dry skin, irritation, rash 110 39.4%
Eye irritation, dryness, redness 64 22.9%
Foreign body in eye 56 20.1%
Sneezing/coughing 31 11.1%
Sensory changes (e.g., tingly, numbness, unusual sensations) 26 9.3%
URI (common cold, sore throat, sinus headache, hayfever) 24 8.6%
Back muscle pain (excluding “space” backpain) 21 7.5%
Leg/foot muscle pain 21 7.5%
Cuts 19 6.8%
Shoulder/trunk muscle pain 18 6.5%
Hand/arm muscle pain 15 5.4%
Anxiety/annoyance 10 3.6%
Contusions 10 3.6%
Ear problems (predominantly earaches) 8 2.9%
Neck muscle pain 8 2.9%
Stress/tension 8 2.9%
Muscle cramp 7 2.5%
Abrasions 6 2.2%
8
10/29/0112:48 PM
Fever, chills 6 2.2%
Nosebleed 6 2.2%
Psoriasis, folliculitis, seborrhea 6 2.2%
Low heart rate 5 1.8%
Myoclonic jerks (associated with sleep) 5 1.8%
General muscle pain, fatigue 4 1.4%
Subconjunctival hemorrhage 4 1.4%
Allergic reaction 3 1.1%
Fungal infection 3 1.1%
Hoarseness 3 1.1%
Concentrated or “dark” urine 2 0.7%
Decreased concentration 2 0.7%
Dehydration 2 0.7%
Inhalation of foreign body 2 0.7%
Subcutaneous skin infection 2 0.7%
Chemical in eye (buffer solution) 1 0.4%
Fever blisters 1 0.4%
Mood elevation 1 0.4%
Phlebitis 1 0.4%
Viral gastrointestinal disease 1 0.4%
Table 1: Medical Events in Shuttle Program Reported by Frequency from Postflight Medical Debrief,
STS-26 Through STS-74 (1988–1995). JSC Publication (EDO Report?)
Source:
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Andrew

[Andrew K Fletcher]

NASA Gives Artificial Gravity A New Spin April 28, 2005
Science Daily — NASA will use a new human centrifuge to explore artificial gravity as a way to counter the physiologic effects of extended weightlessness for future space exploration.
The new research will begin this summer at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) at Galveston, overseen by NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston. A NASA-provided Short-Radius Centrifuge will attempt to protect normal human test subjects from deconditioning when confined to strict bed rest.

Bed rest can closely imitate some of the detrimental effects of weightlessness on the body. For the first time, researchers will systematically study how artificial gravity may serve as a countermeasure to prolonged simulated weightlessness.
"The Vision for Space Exploration includes destinations beyond the moon," said Dr. Jeffrey Davis, director of JSC's Space Life Sciences Directorate. "This artificial gravity research is an important step in determining if spacecraft design options should include artificial gravity. The collaboration between NASA, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), UTMB and Wyle Laboratories demonstrates the synergy of government, academic and industry partnerships," he added.
For the initial study this summer, 32 test subjects will be placed in a six-degree, head-down, bed-rest position for 21 days to simulate the effects of microgravity on the body.

 Half that group will spin once a day on the centrifuge to determine how much protection it provides from the bed-rest deconditioning. The "treatment" subjects will be positioned supine in the centrifuge and spun up to a force equal to 2.5 times Earth's gravity at their feet for an hour and then go back to bed.

"The studies may help us to develop appropriate prescriptions for using a centrifuge to protect crews and to understand the side effects of artificial gravity on people," said Dr. Bill Paloski, NASA principal scientist in JSC's Human Adaptation and Countermeasures Office and principal investigator for the project. "In the past, we have only been able to examine bits and pieces. We've looked at how artificial gravity might be used as a countermeasure for, say, cardiovascular changes or balance disorders. This will allow us to look at the effect of artificial gravity as a countermeasure for the entire body," he added.
The research will take place in UTMB's NIH-sponsored General Clinical Research Center. The study supports NASA's Artificial Gravity Biomedical Research Project.

"Physicians and scientists from all over the world will travel to UTMB to study the stresses that spaceflight imposes on cardiovascular function, bone density, neurological activity and other physiological systems," said Dr. Adrian Perachio, executive director of strategic research collaborations at UTMB. "This is an excellent example of collaboration among the academic, federal and private sectors in research that will benefit the health of both astronauts and those of us on Earth," he added.

The centrifuge was built to NASA specifications by Wyle Laboratories in El Segundo,

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[Emma Louise]

itchyglynn you are one crazy dude!!

I don't want to spoil the excitement, not one little bit, but my 16 month old daughter has p, it was diagnosed earlier this year.
She moved into a cot from the crib last May/June time.  Not long after, she had quite a bad cold, so i tipped up the head end of her cot to help drain her nasty mucus away, and so aid restful sleep (more importantly for me than her!). Since then, I have left the cot tipped, just so that any time she has a stuffy nose or cough, it will help her sleep.

So at the time of diagnosis, she was already sleeping in a tilted position.

any further advice from Andrew gratefully received!

 

[Emma Louise]

sorry, one more thing.

when Annabel was diagnosed she was still only really eating home made purees with no added salt, and salt/sugar free baby snacks.
so she didn't have any salt in her system.

 

[Andrew K Fletcher]

First of all being diagnosed with psoriasis does not mean the incline is not working. I suspect your daughter is far better off on an incline than flat and she probably is not getting the general coughs and colds that others are getting around her. You mention her mucus problem drained, this is great news also as has been reported by many people now as one of the major benefits from avoiding a flat bed.

The most important thing is the angle, so you need to measure the length of the cot and the amount you have inclined the cot to determine whether it is sufficient to have an effect. I look forward to hearing from you with regards to this. Average UK bed = 6 feet 3 inches  or a little over 2 metres a cot presumably is about 1 metre or three feet long but needs to be checked. Therefore the cot needs to be elevated at the head end by 3 inches or 7.5 centimetres.

Also, on the occasions when she has slept flat does she become restless and irritated by her psoriasis?
Is the rash more prominent or less prominent since her cot was tilted has it remained stable, does her skin become reddened and more inflamed? What about the location of the rash, are there more prominent areas or is it generally all over?

Remember reading something about low salt diets a while back in relation to psoriasis, might be worth taking a look into this. My interest is in the location of salts in the body, mainly in the affected skin. This could prove useful in the future in order to try to determine why the inclined bed is having an effect.

Finally, the area you live in, would this be a river valley area or close to inland water? Does the recent prolonged wet weather contribute to your daughters skin condition?

Thank you so much for your input.

Andrew

[Andrew K Fletcher]

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Hope the link works, let me know if it fails.

It should take you to a document of an independent analysis of a group of people taking part in a pilot study invloving people who have multiple sclerosis and 2 people with spinal cord injury and a lady with psoriatic arthritis

The report was conducted by John and Jean Simkins, both of who were staggered by what they found, and who promissed to investigate these findings further along with assurances that the MSRC were going to help set up a study. They did absolutely nothing!

[Emma Louise]

Hi Andrew
Thank you for your response!
We have had problems getting Annabel to sleep through the night, but because she is so little, she cannot tell me if it is itching that is keeping her awake! Although i doubt it, because 6oz of milk later and she's sound asleep again.
Her skin has been quite stable since i was given HC cream for her. I normally only use diprobase cream, but when there is a flare up i use the HC again and it settles down. flare ups seem to be caused sometimes by heat, always if she wears some new clothes that have not yet been washed - generally by outer influences.
We stayed away this weekend, so she was in a flat bed, and did actually toss and turn all night. but again, i don't know what was the cause of this.
She never seems to scratch at her skin, so i don't think it bothers her generally. Although I am very confused about the scratching thing, because her dermatologist told me she knew it was psoriasis rather than eczema because it was NOT itching, and not because it was. so i'm confused over will she be itchy / will she not?
when her rash flares up, it is mainly on her back and tummy. she hardly get it on her arms. she never gets it on her face or scalp. sometimes it comes up behind her knees and down her calves. but mainly, tummy and back.
i don't think the prolonged wet weather has aggravated her condition. as I said before, the heat tends to aggravate it more than rain.
And I live in Harrogate, which is quite high, i don't live near any water.