KENSINGTON, Md., Aug. 12 The third annual Psoriasis Cure Now Video Contest launched today with a two-track contest united by a theme of helping psoriasis patients connect with one another. The contest seeks short videos that will motivate psoriasis patients to resist the social isolation that often results from the non-contagious but stigmatizing disease, and to engage with others with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis to provide mutual support and positive reinforcement. The contest website is: http://www.psoriasis-cure-now.org/contest .
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Specifically, the nonprofit organization will pick winning videos that encourage patients to participate in its Psoriasis Walks; as well as videos that promote the use of Psoriasis.Name, the online social network for psoriasis patients and their loved ones. Grand Prize winners will walk away with $5,000.
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"Psoriasis patients -- and their families -- benefit when they can connect with others facing the same challenges," said Michael Paranzino, president of the nonprofit Psoriasis Cure Now and a psoriasis patient for two decades. "But psoriasis can make people resistant to some of the social interactions that are so rewarding in life. Through this contest we hope to motivate psoriasis patients to seek out others living with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis for mutual support and understanding."
The nonprofit organization has other ambitions once psoriasis patients are interconnected: mobilizing them to advance the group's public policy objectives. "When it comes to securing research dollars, for instance, populations that are invisible don't tend to do very well," Paranzino explains. "So by getting psoriasis patients together, we will not only help them resist social isolation, we will also build the army we need to get our fair share of medical research dollars in the future."
The organization's Psoriasis Walk campaign will soon kick off its Fall schedule in Paramus, NJ, followed by events in Philadelphia, Baltimore, Charlotte and Phoenix. More information is at www.PsoriasisWalk.org . The www.Psoriasis.Name site connects the psoriasis community worldwide and includes photos, videos, message boards and other resources to educate, entertain and connect people with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis and their loved ones. Videos submitted in prior years' contests have been viewed more than 250,000 times.
Psoriasis is an incurable, recurring disease of the immune system that causes dry, painful skin lesions that itch, crack and bleed, and often includes arthritic symptoms. Severe psoriasis reduces life expectancy by an average of four years.
http://www.psoriasis-cure-now.org
SOURCE Psoriasis Cure Now
