MUMBAI: Psoriasis, a chronic skin disease alienating patients completely from society, has baffled the medical science all over the world. Apparently, allopathic treatment has not been successful in curing this disease. On the contrary, long term use of these allopathic medicines like steroids and anti-cancer drugs can damage important organs of the human body. The age old Ayurveda has now come to the rescue of Psoriasis patients with a line of treatment for this disease.

Dr Pramod Ambalkar has discovered an Ayurvedic remedy to eradicate this disease from the roots. When he started his mission, there was lack of awareness in the society about this disease and people were committing suicide due to the unavailability of proper treatment. To overcome this problem, he founded Indian Psoriasis Foundation (IPF) for creating awareness about this disease and the availability of proper treatment in Ayurveda. He established Ayurvedic Research Center where he has successfully treated more than 50,000 patients till date with his own Ayurvedic medicine. His medicine is now available all over India through the network of more than 150 volunteers.

IPF is helping Psoriasis patients with 'Free Awareness Camps' on every Saturday and Sunday at Aurvedic Research Centre at Vasai, a suburb of Mumbai along with doctors' consultation. A video CD with the title 'Psoriasis Muktigatha' is distributed free of cost to patients. IPF has been conducting various camps for public awareness on this disease all over India regularly. The foundation is also creating public awareness through various media, including television.

Ayurvedic research center (ARC) has planned to open regional centers in all the states of India in about a year to have "Psoriasis Free India". The above centers will be fully furnished with modern amenities. As the first step, it has launched its Ahmadabad center on January 26.

For his outstanding contribution in developing a treatment for Psoriasis, Dr Pramod Ambalkar's name has been included in Limca Book of Records-2007 as the founder of India's first hospital for psoriasis. In 2006, he was felicitated with" Indira Gandhi Sadbhavna Award" at New Delhi. At the international conference on holistic health at Kolkata, Dr Ambalkar presented his research paper on Ayurvedic treatment of Psoriasis in front of the various research scholars from all over world and he has also been awarded with "Health Excellency Award".

He has also been awarded the Indo-Nepal Gold Star Millennium Award, which he received on February 7 in Kathmandu at the hands of Prime Minister of Nepal.