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LEARN HOW TO MAKE OUR TYPE LARGER

Jerry Mathers speaks out about psoriasis
Published November/December 2002

(NAPSA) - Psoriasis can be physically and emotionally painful, and the hardships of living with this disease are well known to Jerry Mathers, former child star of the '50s TV hit "Leave It To Beaver."

Mathers, who has had psoriasis for more than 20 years, says, "Living with psoriasis is no picnic. Sometimes my skin is so itchy and painful that I can't sleep. I know that many people hide their disease because it can be embarrassing. Fortunately, there are new medicines in development called biologics that will treat psoriasis in a whole new way." More than 4.5 million Americans are living with psoriasis, a serious and often painful and debilitating disease that afflicts the skin. Psoriasis occurs when faulty signals in the immune system trigger skin cells to regenerate every three or four days instead of the usual 30-day cycle, forming red, raised, scaly patches of skin called plaques. Because there is a stigma associated with psoriasis, many people are ashamed and embarrassed by their skin's appearance, and they cover up, wearing long sleeves and pants on even the hottest summer days.

But Mathers has some promising news for people with psoriasis. He is the voice of a new education campaign sponsored by the National Psoriasis Foundation called Step Into My Skin. The campaign is designed to inform the public about psoriasis and a new class of treatments called biologics. These biologic medicines differ from currently available therapies because they specifically inhibit the processes within the immune system that drive psoriasis.

A recent survey conducted by the National Psoriasis Foundation shows that although there are more than a dozen prescription therapies available for psoriasis, many people with the disease are disappointed with current treatments because they don't always work and can have unwanted side effects.

"For the first time in 20 years, there are new treatments on the horizon that were specifically engineered for people with moderate to severe psoriasis," says Gail M. Zimmerman, president and CEO of the National Psoriasis Foundation. "That's why we're launching Step Into My Skin, to let people know about biologic medicines and of the hope they may offer to people with this lifelong disease." For more information about psoriasis and biologic treatments, visit www.StepIntoMySkin.org. To order a free information kit, call toll free 1-800-723-9166.

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