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Ichthyotherapy is a unique, alternative approach to therapy for psoriasis. The doctorfish, or nibble fish, of Kangal (Garra rufa) are small, bottom-dwelling members of the carp and minnow families. Normally, they adhere to rocks and eat a vegetarian diet of plankton. However, if introduced into hot tubs where natural food sources are unavailable, they will become omnivorous and turn to yummy human stratum corneum. Psoriatic scales attract the fish more than normal skin does, perhaps because they are easier to detach.
In an open, noncontrolled, retrospective study of ichthyotherapy combined with ultraviolet A radiation, 67 patients with psoriasis were immersed for 2 hours daily in individual 1100-liter tanks wit…