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Show I Our Health' ?By J. M. Amberson, M.D. K there Is a painful reddening of the entire skin, cracking of the skin around Joints, severe Chills, and generalized Khertriinir PSORIASIS: THE MYSTERY 8KIN DISEASE "Skin disease does not often (end life, but it does often ruin lt," a dermatologist observed recently. Unlike heart, lung, and other internal diseases, skin disorders dis-orders affect the one part of the body that is generally visible vis-ible to others. The sufferer not only endures many hours of ltchinp. burnincr. and Beneral discomfort, but he must also constantly quell, the anxieties of others friends and strangers alike who view his disorder dis-order with suspicious sus-picious uncertainty. uncer-tainty. This is often the Droblem of of large areas of scaling skin. Sufferers from this form of psoriasis often need to be hospitalized promptly and given Intensive treatment. Psoriasis, however, is not contagious anfl usually does not threaten or shorten the lives of those afflicted. Although this stubborn skin disorder remains largely a "mystery" disease, much more is known about Its complexity today than in the past. However, How-ever, while psoriasis can be treated, there is still no known cure. Medical research continues to explore the many mysteries of psoriasis, but until we finally have a cure, a more sympathetic sympathe-tic understanding of the disease by the general public will greatly great-ly lessen the burden for those who must live with it. What Is Periodontal Disease? Briefly stated, it is a disease of the supporting tissues around a tooth and it is treated by a specialist called a periodontist. perio-dontist. However, while it is basically a condition involving the gums, lt may also Involve improper bite or bruxism (grinding of teeth). Modern periodontal procedures, which may Involve cutting away part of the gums around a tooth, have been made easier by new techniques and medications for use during and after the procedure. pro-cedure. One relatively new oral solution, called Chloraseptjc,,,, is a non-prescription topical anesthetic that relieves minor gum soreness within seconds. Dr. Amberson those who suffer suf-fer from psoriasis (pronounced so-RI-ah-sis), a skin disorder that afflicts one out of fifty in the United States. This stubborn disorder can affect people regardless of age or sex, although most frequently frequent-ly it first appears between the ages of 15 and 30. Once the lesions appear, however, they usually will persist in varying degrees of intensity the rest of the person's life. Most commonly, psoriasis appears ap-pears as silvery-scaled red patches on the elbows, knees, scalp, and trunk. The nails, ur'"3rarm and genital areas may also be involved. When acute psoriasis appears, ap-pears, many small, raindroplike raindrop-like lesions cover the affected area. Occasionally, there may be a severe flare-up in which |