August is Psoriasis Awareness Month

Today the Global Healthy Living Foundation (GHLF) announced the launch of a new education module and campaign titled, Psoriasis: An Inside Out Disease, during August’s Psoriasis Awareness Month. It is estimated that more than 7.5 million people live with psoriasis in the United States. This chronic, autoimmune skin condition is often comorbid with diseases like psoriatic arthritis and metabolic syndrome, and many people with psoriasis can also have psychiatric and emotional concerns, such as depression and anxiety, substance abuse, and self-harming behaviors brought on by the stigma associated with the disease.

Psoriasis: An Inside Out Disease educates the newly diagnosed and experienced person with psoriasis about what to expect from the disease and provides tools they can bring to the doctor’s office to ensure they get their questions answered. Importantly, the education module also walks people step-by-step through the process of working with a specialty pharmacy, which is how many people access their prescribed medications in the event that treatment escalates from a topical cream to an oral medication or injectable/infused medication.

“We spoke with dedicated dermatologists, rheumatologists, primary care doctors, specialty pharmacists, and many psoriasis patients to develop content and tools to help guide our members during crucial parts of their psoriasis journey,” said Seth Ginsberg, president and co-founder of the Global Healthy Living Foundation. “With decades of experience supporting people living with chronic disease, we leaned in on why starting (and staying on) treatment matters for a person’s physical, mental, emotional, and social health — and how to make your specialty pharmacists reliable partners in your care team. We want every person with psoriasis to manage it from the inside out.”

On the Psoriasis: An Inside Out Disease website, people can download question guides, read articles, and watch videos featuring psoriasis patients and medical experts. Psoriasis: An Inside Out Disease was created with support from Amgen. Content related to this sponsorship was independently developed by GHLF.

GHLF also publishes a podcast series called Getting Clear on Psoriasis, available for immediate download, and recently devoted its monthly #CreakyChats on Twitter to raising awareness and reducing stigma on psoriasis.

About Psoriasis

Psoriasis is a common inflammatory skin condition associated with red, itchy, flaky skin patches, usually found on the knees and elbows, and thick, pitted fingernails. The disease can be unpredictable and frustrating, as it comes and goes in cycles of remissions and flare-ups over a lifetime, often triggered by stress, infections, certain medications, and skin injury, among others. Although psoriasis can begin at any age, it is more common among adults than children, and affects men and women equally. While there are medications available to treat psoriasis, there currently is no cure. Up to 30 percent of people with psoriasis go on to develop psoriatic arthritis, a type of chronic inflammatory arthritis. The cause of psoriasis isn’t fully known, but the immune system is thought to play a role.

About Global Healthy Living Foundation

The Global Healthy Living Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to improve the quality of life for people with chronic illnesses (such as arthritis, osteoporosis, migraine, psoriasis, inflammatory bowel disease, and cardiovascular disease) by advocating for improved access to health care at the community, state, and federal levels, and amplifying education and awareness efforts within its social media framework. GHLF is also a staunch advocate for vaccines. The Global Healthy Living Foundation is the parent organization of CreakyJoints®, the international digital community for millions of arthritis patients and caregivers worldwide who seek education, support, activism, and patient-centered research in English and Spanish through our ArthritisPower® (ArthritisPower.org) Research Registry. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, GHLF started a Patient Support Program, informed by a patient council made up of people living with a wide range of chronic illnesses, that now serves more than 46,000 subscribers. Via CreakyJoints, GHLF also hosts PainSpot (PainSpot.org), a digital risk-assessment tool for musculoskeletal conditions and injuries, eRheum (eRheum.org), for telehealth and virtual-care support, and a constantly refreshed library of podcasts via the GHLF Podcast Network. Visit ghlf.org for more information.

Find us online:

Global Healthy Living Foundation: ghlf.org

CreakyJoints Canada: CreakyJoints.ca

CreakyJoints: CreakyJoints.org

CreakyJoints Español: CreakyJoints.org.es

CreakyJoints Australia: CreakyJoints.org.au

Facebook: facebook.com/CreakyJoints & facebook.com/GlobalHealthyLivingFoundation

Twitter: @GHLForg, @CreakyJoints, #CreakyChats

Instagram: @creaky_joints, @creakyjoints_aus, @creakyjoints_esp

TikTok: globalhealthylivingfnd

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/ghlf

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220815005703/en/