Natural Psoriasis Care: Healing from the Inside Out
It’s not just your skin — it’s your life. Psoriasis can feel like an unwelcome companion, always there in the background. The itching, the flaking, the painful cracks — they’re more than physical symptoms. They wear on your mood, your self-esteem, your energy. Maybe you’ve canceled plans, avoided touch, or chosen long sleeves in summer — not because you wanted to, but because you didn’t want the questions, the stares, or the discomfort.
At Nyberg Acupuncture & Wellness in Tualatin, Oregon, we understand what it’s like to live with psoriasis. We serve patients throughout the Greater Portland area who are searching for something more — something beyond temporary relief and side-effect-heavy treatments. Because for many, steroid creams stop working. Biologics feel intimidating. And no one seems to be looking at the whole picture.
That’s where we come in. Here, healing starts from the inside out. Our approach combines acupuncture, advanced therapies, and compassionate, whole-person care to help you reclaim your health — and your skin — naturally.
Why Conventional Psoriasis Treatments Can Feel Like a Dead End
If you’ve been living with psoriasis, you’ve likely gone through a familiar cycle: a new cream, a new medication, maybe even light therapy — each one bringing a flicker of hope, followed by the same old frustration. Maybe your symptoms improved at first, only to return stronger. Maybe your doctor warned you about long-term side effects. Or maybe you’ve just grown tired of trying things that don’t seem to address the real problem.
Psoriasis isn’t just a skin condition. It’s an immune-mediated inflammatory disease, meaning it stems from dysfunction in your immune system, not just your skin cells.1 And yet, most conventional treatments focus on the surface — trying to manage visible symptoms without addressing what’s driving them underneath.
Why Relief Feels So Elusive
Topical treatments like corticosteroids, coal tar, or vitamin D analogues are usually the first step. These can reduce inflammation and slow skin cell turnover, especially in milder cases.1,2 But they often lose effectiveness over time — and stronger formulas may come with risks like skin thinning or irritation, especially when used long-term or on sensitive areas.1
When symptoms are more widespread or severe, phototherapy or systemic medications may be prescribed. While these options can offer meaningful relief, they also require trade-offs. Phototherapy (light therapy) often demands frequent clinic visits, and results can be gradual.2 Systemic treatments, including immunosuppressants and biologics, may help calm the overactive immune system, but they come with potential side effects and high costs.2
This leaves many patients stuck — not quite sick enough to justify the risks of systemic medication, but too uncomfortable to keep using creams that no longer work.
Psoriasis Is a Whole-Body Condition
Because psoriasis is rooted in immune dysfunction, it often brings systemic inflammation and persistent fatigue, not just visible skin plaques. This helps explain why some people with psoriasis also develop psoriatic arthritis, and why the condition has been linked to other health concerns like heart disease, diabetes, and depression.1
Unfortunately, conventional care rarely takes this full picture into account. It’s no surprise that so many people with psoriasis feel like they’re being treated for their skin — not for themselves.
At Nyberg Acupuncture & Wellness, we take a different approach. We start by recognizing that psoriasis affects more than your skin. Our natural, integrative treatments are designed to support the immune system, calm inflammation, and relieve the emotional and physical toll this condition can take.
How Acupuncture Supports Psoriasis and Joint Pain Relief
Psoriasis doesn’t look the same for everyone — and it doesn’t feel the same either. Some people see dry, scaly plaques on their elbows or scalp. Others feel deep joint stiffness that doesn’t go away. Many live with both — and don’t always realize the connection. That’s because psoriasis isn’t just a skin issue. It’s an immune-driven inflammatory disease that can show up in many forms, including pain inside the body.1,2
Understanding the Many Faces of Psoriasis
There are several types of psoriasis, and it’s possible to experience more than one at a time:
- Plaque psoriasis (the most common) shows up as thick, red, scaly patches — often on the scalp, elbows, knees, or lower back.
- Guttate psoriasis appears as small, drop-shaped sores, often after a strep infection.
- Inverse psoriasis affects skin folds — like underarms, groin, or under the breasts — and looks shiny and red rather than scaly.
- Pustular psoriasis causes painful, pus-filled bumps on the hands, feet, or body.
- Erythrodermic psoriasis is rare but serious, with widespread redness, scaling, and intense discomfort.
In addition to skin symptoms, about 1 in 3 people with psoriasis develop a related condition called psoriatic arthritis — a chronic inflammatory arthritis that causes joint pain, stiffness, swelling, and fatigue.1 It can feel like aging or overuse at first, but if left untreated, it can lead to permanent joint damage.
For many patients, especially those juggling multiple symptoms, conventional care doesn’t feel like enough. That’s where acupuncture — and integrative care — can offer something different.
Acupuncture for Inflammation, Inside and Out
Acupuncture isn’t just about “needles” — it’s about modulating the body’s response to inflammation. Research shows that acupuncture can affect the immune system, reduce the release of inflammatory cytokines, and activate the body’s natural regulatory pathways.3 One of the most promising mechanisms is its effect on the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway — a circuit through the vagus nerve that helps suppress immune overactivity and calm systemic inflammation.4
In the context of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis, acupuncture may help:
- Reduce itching, redness, and scaling
- Support immune balance
- Decrease joint pain and stiffness
- Lower inflammation markers in the body
A 2021 overview of systematic reviews found that acupuncture was generally safe and showed positive effects on lesion severity, itch intensity, and inflammatory symptoms in people with psoriasis — though more large-scale studies are still needed to confirm specific protocols.3
At Nyberg Acupuncture & Wellness, we go beyond traditional acupuncture alone. We combine needling with therapies like ATP Resonance BioTherapy® and O3 ReBoot Therapy®, which target inflammation and tissue health on a deeper level.
What About Joint Pain?
At Nyberg Acupuncture & Wellness, we recognize that psoriasis is more than a skin condition — it's a chronic pain condition for many. Our comprehensive approach to chronic pain integrates acupuncture with innovative therapies that support immune regulation, pain relief, and emotional resilience.
If you have psoriasis and are experiencing morning stiffness, swollen fingers, or joint pain that moves around, it’s worth exploring whether you could have psoriatic arthritis — or a related joint issue such as osteoarthritis of the knees or sciatica, both of which we treat with personalized integrative care. Acupuncture has been shown to support pain relief, function, and inflammation modulation in autoimmune conditions by influencing neuroimmune pathways.4
Because acupuncture works on neuroimmune regulation, it’s not just masking pain — it may help your body become less reactive to inflammatory signals.
Going Beyond Needles: The Power of Integrated Therapies
Acupuncture offers powerful support for people living with psoriasis — but at Nyberg Acupuncture & Wellness, we take it a step further. Because psoriasis is not just a skin issue, and certainly not a one-treatment-fits-all condition, we’ve built our approach around comprehensive, layered care that supports the body’s healing processes on multiple levels.
This is where our integrative therapies come in.
ATP Resonance BioTherapy®: Non-Invasive Cellular Support
ATP Resonance BioTherapy® is a gentle, pain-free treatment that uses low-level electrical currents to stimulate cellular repair and improve communication between tissues. For people with psoriasis, this therapy may help:
- Reduce localized inflammation
- Promote tissue regeneration
- Support nerve regulation and immune balance
While acupuncture helps rebalance systems energetically and neurologically, ATP works on a cellular level — which is especially beneficial when inflammation is widespread or affecting multiple systems (like in psoriatic arthritis).
O3 ReBoot Therapy®: Harnessing the Power of Medical Ozone
O3 ReBoot Therapy® is one of the integrative treatments we offer that uses therapeutic ozone to support healing, immune regulation, and skin health.
Ozone is a reactive form of oxygen made up of three oxygen atoms. When used appropriately in a clinical setting, it may help reduce oxidative stress and support pathways involved in inflammation and immune signaling — particularly NF-κB and Nrf2, which play key roles in autoimmune conditions like psoriasis.5
According to a 2023 review in the International Wound Journal, ozone therapy has shown promise in treating inflammatory skin conditions like eczema, seasonal allergies, dermatitis, and psoriasis, due to its ability to modulate immune response, improve microcirculation, and promote tissue repair.5 It’s also being studied for its potential effects on the skin and gut microbiomes — both of which are often disrupted in chronic inflammatory skin diseases.
Our approach may include:
- Otoinsufflation (auricular ozone therapy) — the gentle introduction of ozone gas into the ear canal to support systemic immune balance
- Ozonated oils — used topically to calm irritation, reduce inflammation, and support skin healing
- Other safe, non-invasive methods tailored to your comfort and needs
All treatments are administered under clinical supervision, with protocols designed to support your overall healing process.
Individualized Care, Designed for You
No two cases of psoriasis are the same. Your symptoms, triggers, comorbidities, and even the type of psoriasis you have affect what treatment will work best. That’s why our care plans are built to be flexible, layered, and collaborative — drawing from a full toolbox of therapies that work with your body, not against it.
For many of our patients in Tualatin and the Greater Portland area, this integrative approach is the first time they’ve felt like their care team sees the whole picture — not just what’s visible on the skin.
Hope Starts Here: Taking the First Step Toward Healing
Living with psoriasis can be deeply isolating — not just because of how your skin looks or feels, but because of how misunderstood it often is. You may have tried countless treatments. You may have been told “it’s just something you have to live with.” And you may be carrying the quiet grief of what your life used to feel like — before the flares, the fatigue, the appointments, and the uncertainty. That emotional weight is real — and often overlooked. Many of our patients find relief not just through physical care, but through mindfulness practices that support the nervous system’s healing response.
At Nyberg Acupuncture & Wellness in Tualatin, Oregon, we want you to know: you are not alone — and there is another path.
We believe healing starts by listening — really listening — to what your body is saying. That’s why we begin every patient relationship with a thorough, compassionate consultation. We take time to understand not just your symptoms, but your stressors, your routines, your goals, and your whole health history. Because psoriasis is not just a skin problem — it’s a systemic condition, and it deserves a systemic, supportive approach.
Whether you're dealing with visible plaques, painful joints, fatigue, or the emotional weight of being “on” all the time, our integrative model is designed to help relieve the burden — and help your body return to balance.
If you're in the Greater Portland area and you’re looking for real, research-supported relief, we invite you to meet with Dr. Jeffrey Savage, LAc, DACM to explore whether you're a good fit for our approach to whole-person, integrative care.
Call us today at +1 (503) 336-4747 to schedule your consultation.
Because you deserve care that sees beyond your skin.
Frequently Asked Questions About Psoriasis & Acupuncture
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Yes, research suggests that acupuncture may help reduce inflammation, itching, and lesion severity in people with psoriasis.³ While it's not a cure, it can be a valuable part of a whole-person approach — especially when combined with therapies like ATP Resonance BioTherapy® and O3 ReBoot Therapy®.
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Acupuncture may help relieve joint pain, stiffness, and fatigue by calming immune overactivity and reducing inflammation.⁴ It's especially useful for patients who experience both skin and joint symptoms and want to avoid the long-term side effects of systemic medications.
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Yes — when performed by a trained and licensed practitioner, acupuncture is considered safe and well-tolerated. It does not suppress the immune system but rather works to regulate it, helping the body respond more appropriately to inflammation.
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We always tailor treatment to your unique needs. Acupuncture needles are never placed directly into lesions, and we use clean, gentle techniques to avoid irritating sensitive areas. Therapies like ATP and ozone can often be used topically or systemically to support healing without touching the skin directly.
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Every case is different, but many patients begin to notice improvement in symptoms like itching, redness, or joint stiffness within the first few weeks. Because acupuncture works by restoring balance over time, long-term relief often comes with consistent care.
References:
- National Psoriasis Foundation. About Psoriasis. https://www.psoriasis.org/about-psoriasis/ . Accessed April 27, 2025.
- Harvard Health Publishing. Psoriasis. https://www.health.harvard.edu/a_to_z/psoriasis-a-to-z . Published December 1, 2023. Accessed April 27, 2025.
- Jing M, Shi L, Zhang Y, et al. Efficacy and safety of acupuncture therapy for psoriasis: an overview of systematic reviews. Ann Palliat Med. 2021;10(10):10804–10820. doi:10.21037/apm-21-2523
- Kavoussi B, Ross BE. The neuroimmune basis of anti-inflammatory acupuncture. Integr Cancer Ther. 2007;6(3):251–257. doi:10.1177/1534735407305892
- Liu L, Zeng L, Gao L, Zeng J, Lu J. Ozone therapy for skin diseases: cellular and molecular mechanisms. Int Wound J. 2023;20(6):2376–2385. doi:10.1111/iwj.14060
