Youths are prescribed TNF blockers such as infliximab (Remicade), etanercept (Enbrel), and adalimumab (Humira) to treat psoriasis, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease, and other inflammatory diseases. The agents target and neutralize TNF-alpha, a protein that can be overproduced in the presence of chronic inflammatory diseases and can cause inflammation and damage to bones, cartilage, and tissue.

The FDA has taken the action of requiring a stronger warning based on an investigation the agency first announced in June 2008.

An analysis of US reports of cancer in children and adolescents treated with TNF-blockers showed an increased risk of cancer, occurring after an average of 30 months of treatment. About half of the cancers were lymphomas, and some of the reported cancers were fatal.

Given these risks, the question needs to be asked are the drugs worth their risks?  The answer depends on the severity of the disease being treated with the TNF blocker.  For mild to moderate psoriasis, TNF blockers are not prescribed, and patients must rely on UV therapy or topical treatments which have very limited effectiveness.  Even for severe psoriasis, which is not life threatening, it would seem there needs to be better, less risky options.

Enter Tinefcon, the new herbal psoriasis treatment from Just Look Natural Health.

Tinefcon has been shown in clinical trials to be almost as effective as the most toxic of the TNF blockers listed above.  But its herbal nature means it is gentler and has a much more favourable side effect profile. (Tinefcon’s key ingredient has been used safely for hundreds of year in ayurvedic medicine, and is even consumed as food in some regions of India.)

Further, for those tired of the constant regimen of injections of psoriasis medications, Tinefcon comes in tablet form.  Given these advantages, it is likely only matter of time before many people start using Tinefcon to stop the suffering caused by their psoriasis.

J&J has set pricing for Stelara at $18,000 – $32,000 per year depending on the dosage given.

Psoriasis is a chronic, immune-mediated inflammatory disease resulting in the over-production of skin cells which accumulate on the surface of the skin, leading to raised, red, scaly plaques that may itch and bleed. In addition to the significant impact that psoriasis can have on quality of life, many patients report feeling dissatisfied and frustrated with some existing treatment options which can be inconvenient and time consuming to use.

Stelara requires a doctor’s visit and is given by injection.  Patients must receive repeated injections to maintain the drug’s effects.  About two-thirds of patients treated with Stelara saw visible improvement in their psoriasis.  However, like other available systemic treatments for psoriasis, Stelara has potentially serious side effects, including increased risk of infection and cancer.

The FDA states: “Serious infections have been reported in patients receiving the product and some of them have led to hospitalization. These infections were caused by viruses, fungi, or bacteria that have spread throughout the body. There may also be an increased risk of developing cancer.”

For those who are concerned about the cost of Stelara or do not wish to risk these potentially life threatening side effects, there is a recently launched natural alternative.  Tinefcon, distributed in the US and Europe by Just Look Natural Health, is a completely natural, tablet form dietary supplement which has recently been selected by the American Academy of Dermatology for presentation at its annual meeting.

To learn more, readers can visit www.tinefcon.com.

A herbal supplement that is derived from a plant extract, is as natural as it sounds.

Finally a safe alternative to help clear up your skin and, importantly, increase your self-esteem. As savvy psoriasis victims know, having done their research, there is currently no option available that is capable of aiding symptoms orally and herbally….until now that is!

JustLook Natural Health have just launched a safe, non-toxic, natural alternative for Psoriasis sufferers called Tinefcon. Having already undergone three clinical trials, Tinefcon’s results are compelling.

Fashion is, of late, being used as a means to help to publicise, bring awareness to, and indeed help victims of this isolating skin condition.

Tim Gunn, whom many of you stylish individuals may know as the fashion mentor of ‘Project Runway’, recently hosted a fashion show in New York City in aid of the 7.5million psoriasis sufferers in America. He recognises and empathises with the anguish psoriasis sufferers go through because his sister is a victim of the auto-immune disease.

Gunn rightly claims ‘Ointments and lotions and topical treatments can be sticky or oily’, Tinefcon solves that problem by being an oral supplement. This allows you to wear silk shirts without bothering with undergarments to protect from oil damage.

So don’t cover up your skin at Fashion Week, try Tinefcon, the natural and effective alternative. As Tim Gunn says;

“In the case of Psoriasis, with the right treatment, one can have the lifestyle one aspires to.”So go out there and get it!

To learn more about Tim Dunn’s campaign go to www.addresspsoriasis.com

Just Look Natural Health announced today that its product for promoting healthy skin, Tinefcon, has been selected for presentation in the AAD’s annual conference in Miami, FL. Speaking for Just Look, Sanjay Sharma, group founder, said:

“We are very pleased by the decision of the AAD to accept a paper presenting the findings that sphaeranthus indicus, when extracted and formulated under proprietary conditions, can provide effective treatment for moderate to severe Psoriasis.  We hope that this marks another step on our path to helping people achieve the healthy skin they desire without injections, side effects or messy creams.”

James van den Heule, MD of Just Look Ltd, speaking from Just Look’s London office, continued:

“Tinefcon is already available in the UK on www.tinefcon.com.  We hope that the American Academy’s decision reflects the powerful science behind Tinefcon and will encourage more people to try our product.  We think it is better than the competing options, and, priced at less than £30 per month, could represent a huge financial savings as well.”

Just Look Natural Health was founded in San Francisco and London in 2005.  It is dedicated to bringing to market scientifically validated, low-cost and natural alternatives for people with chronic conditions.

Stockholm –June 2009—Leading dermatologists, rheumatologists and patient representatives from around the world gathered in Stockholm at this conference hosted by the International Federation of Psoriasis Associations (IFPA).

They were here to learn about the newest treatments and the emerging issues surrounding Psoriasis and Psoriatic arthritis.  A highlight was the exhibition of Just Look Ltd and Piramal Life Sciences Ltd, who introduced Tinefcon, their new herbal dietary supplement aimed at psoriasis sufferers.

Tinefcon offers a new alternative for the millions of people suffering psoriatic disease in a simple, safe tablet form.

Dr. Vijay Chauhan, head of the herbal products division of Piramal Life Sciences noted:

“The conference was attended by about 300 dermatologists from Europe, the US, the Middle East and Latin America.  There is clearly excitement about the potential of herbal treatments, and all the physicians we spoke to were impressed by the level of our science and our research methodology.”

Speaking for Just Look Ltd, Tinefcon’s European distributor, James van den Heule said:

“We are very pleased at the positive reception of our new Natural Health product.  Tinefcon is the first our natural, low-side effect products to help people with chronic conditions.  We hope our reception at the IFPA’s World Psoriasis Conference will raise awareness of Tinefcon’s benefits and hopefully convince people to learn more at www.tinefcon.com.”

April 2009 – Piramal Life Sciences has partnered with Just Look Inc. to globally introduce Tinefcon, a patented mono-herbal extract of sphaeranthus indicus .

Exhibiting at Dubai Derma, the largest skin care and dermatology conference in the Middle East, Sanjay Sharma, founder of Just Look, said:

“We are thrilled at the amount of excitement our introduction of Tinefcon has engendered among the conference delegates.  A psoriasis remedy with few or no side effects which is taken orally as opposed to being injected is clearly in great demand.”

Piramal Life Sciences, developer of Tinefcon, noted:

“More than 40 delegates from 10 countries have requested more information on the availability of  Tinefcon.  Our reception at Dubai Derma has shown the at Tinefcon is the right product at the right time for psoriasis patients.”

Tinefcon is now available online at www.tinefcon.com.

In a normally functioning immune system, white blood cells produce antibodies to attack foreign invaders such as bacteria and viruses. These white blood cells also produce chemicals that aid in healing and fighting infective agents. But with psoriasis, special white blood cells called T-cells become overactive.

These T-cells “attack” the skin and set off a cascade of events that make the skin cells multiply so fast they start to stack up on the surface of the skin. Normal skin cells form, mature, then are sloughed off every 30 days. But in plaque psoriasis the skin goes through this whole process in 3-6 days.

Normally T-cells produce chemicals that help heal the skin. In psoriasis, T-cells produce an abnormally large amount of these chemicals and actually cause more inflammation in the skin and joints.  The key chemical, or cytokine, released in psoriasis (as well as other auto-immune diseases) is now thought to be TNF-alpha.  So reducing TNF-alpha seems be the key to preventing psoriasis symptoms.

So if excessive immune response is the mechanism, and genetic predisposition is the key vulnerability, then what are the external factors that lead to the disease’s onset? These factors are not universal, what may cause one person’s psoriasis to become active will not necessarily cause anothers. However, the well known triggers include the following:

Stress

Stress can cause psoriasis to flare for the first time or aggravate existing psoriasis. In one study, nearly 40% of patients remembered a stressful event that occurred within a month of a psoriasis flare. Another study showed that stress can trigger certain immune factors associated with psoriasis.

Injury to skin

Psoriasis can appear in areas of the skin that have been injured or traumatized. This is called the Koebner [KEB-ner] phenomenon. Vaccinations, sunburns and scratches can all trigger a Koebner response. The Koebner response can be treated if it is caught early enough.

Medications

Certain medications are associated with triggering psoriasis, including:

Lithium: Used to treat manic depression and other psychiatric disorders. Lithium aggravates psoriasis in about half of those with psoriasis who take it.

Antimalarials: Plaquenil, Quinacrine, chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine may cause a flare of psoriasis, usually 2 to 3 weeks after the drug is taken. Hydroxychloroquine has the lowest incidence of side effects.

Inderal: This high blood pressure medication worsens psoriasis in about 25 percent to 30 percent of patients with psoriasis who take it. It is not known if all high blood pressure (beta blocker) medications worsen psoriasis, but they may have that potential.

Quinidine: This heart medication has been reported to worsen some cases of psoriasis.

Indomethacin: This is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug used to treat arthritis. It has worsened some cases of psoriasis. Other anti-inflammatories usually can be substituted. Indomethacin’s negative effects are usually minimal when it is taken properly. Its side effects are usually outweighed by its benefits in psoriatic arthritis.

Other factors

Although scientifically unproven, some people with psoriasis suspect that allergies, diet and weather trigger their psoriasis. Cold, dry weather is believed to cause a psoriasis flare-up, and hot, damp, sunny weather is thought to make psoriasis symptoms better.  Infections caused by bacteria or viruses can cause a psoriasis flare. The bacteria streptococcus that causes infections such as tonsillitis, sinusitis, and “strep throat” are a well known trigger of a type of psoriasis called guttate psoriasis. The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is also associated with psoriasis.

Removing the triggers may in some cases be enough to cause remission of the disease.  However, for many people, psoriasis is a painful an ongoing disease which requires external treatment.  The search for the perfect treatment remains a work in progress, though some prescription drugs have shown promise (albeit with potentially serious side effects).  More recently, however, an herbal dietary supplement, marketed globally as Tinefcon (referring to its action on TNF-alpha) has offered new hope for a natural, safe and effective option for psoriasis sufferers. Hopefully, this new treatment, which is currently undergoing its second set of human clinical trials, will be the solution for which so many people have been searching.

Tinefcon, which comes in tablet form, was developed as a treatment for psoriasis, which causes painful, itching scales to form on the skin. One of the most widespread and under-treated diseases worldwide, it is estimated that 20 million people in the US and Europe alone suffer from some form of this condition.

Replacing Current, Inconvenient Treatments

Although patients often complain of an unbearable impact on their lifestyle, including insomnia and frequent public embarrassment, many do not seek treatment due to concerns of the side effects of many of the available drugs.  “Its painful, messy and sometimes hard to live with—but I am otherwise living a healthy life” is representative of the sentiments expressed by many with the disease.

Side effects of Psoriaisis treatments previously available included liver damage, higher risk of infections, higher cancer risk, fertility problems to name a few of the scarier ones.  Also, the newest class of drugs used in its treatment require injection, and can often cost in excess of $8,000 per year.

New Hope For Psoriasis Sufferers

Tinefcon, which is derived from the plant sphaeranthus indicus, is non-toxic and has shown no signs of serious side effects in the three human trials which have been conducted so far.  A fourth trial, testing another 200 patients with severe cases of psoriasis, is being launched this month.  It could turn out to be the choice so many have been looking for—safe, convenient and relatively inexpensive (Tinefcon costs as little as $30 per month).

A Trusted, Ethical Source

Just Look Natural Health was founded in 2005 on the premise that alternative medicines hold great promise in addressing some of the key issues facing  healthcare consumers.  With natural ingredients, more gradual effects on the human body and much lower costs, Just Look’s Natural Health products are all scientifically validated and carefully manufactured to provide the maximum benefit without the risk of serious side effects

To learn more contact info@justlook.com.

Although approximately 2-3% of the population suffer from this chronic skin condition, it often goes untreated due to the inconvenience and serious side effects of the medications currently on the market.  There is some hope for psoriasis sufferers however, as new treatments such as Tinefcon, a tablet which claims to alleviate symptoms within three months, come to market.

Cork doctor Pixie Mc Kenna, who presents the popular Channel 4 skin programme is lined up to  participate in a number of media interviews during the week as are patients from the ‘Association. Articles about the condition will appear in local and national newspapers.

Dermatology nurses have organised pharmacy information days this month and next. For more details visit www.psorinfo.ie