Dermatology Acupuncture, A Traditional Chinese Medicine Approach

Fire: Too much fire in the body can result in heat-related skin conditions, like hormonal acne and shingles, characterized by the appearance of redness, burning, or heat sensation. Symptoms worsen with anger, stress, spicy food, and hot weather.

Wind: Too much wind is characterized by quick onset, movement of symptoms to different areas of the body, itchiness, and sometimes the development of an aversion to wind. One example is hives.

Dampness: Too much dampness can result in conditions like eczema, characterized by oozing or weeping conditions, or feeling heaviness of the body. Dampness can be internally generated and worsens by eating rich, oily, or dairy foods.

Dryness: Too much dryness is characterized by scaly, itchy skin that worsens in dry, winter or autumn weather. One example is psoriasis.

Coldness: A lack of fire is characterized by open sores, purplish color, wet discharge, and slow healing, usually a chronic condition. One example is hives caused by cold weather.  

Common Treatable Conditions:

• Acne

• Alopecia

• Eczema

• Psoriasis

• Vitlligo

• Hives

 Acne 

Acne is commonly a sign of pathogenic heat in the lungs and intestines. The Chinese approach to treating acne is to cool the heat, cleanse the lungs, and detoxify the intestines, which will externally heal the condition.

Eczema

Eczema is a subtype of dermatitis, but the two terms are often used interchangeably. In TCM, skin and lungs belong together because the skin is like an outer lung with pores that breathe and exchange substances with the outside world. The strong correlation of eczema accompanied by respiratory ailments confirms the connection.

Eczema also occurs more in children. A child’s digestive system is immature and the spleen is another major pathological factor for eczema.

Acupuncture and Chinese medicine can improve the spleen and lung function, clean the pathological factors from the body, and cure the disease.

Psoriasis

Psoriasis is an autoimmune disorder of the skin. In TCM, there are both internal and external factors that cause psoriasis. Change of emotions is the main internal factor and external factors include wind, coldness, heat, fire, dampness, and dryness from the earthly element.

Based on different colors of skin lesions, forms, syndromes, tongue picture, and pulse condition, we can diagnose one of three causes for psoriasis: too much heat in the blood (Xue Re), lack of fluidity in the blood (Xue Gan), and blood stasis (Xue Yu).

Acupuncture and Chinese medicine cure these root causes by removing heat and cooling the blood, enriching the blood and moistening dryness, and promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis. 

Friendly Reminder:

It is very important to maintain a healthy lifestyle to reduce the relapse of psoriasis.

1. No alcohol, smoking, seafood, or spicy food
2. More fresh fruits and vegetables
3. Reduce stress and get more rest
4. Keep room clean, dry, and well ventilated
5. Gently clean the skin and do not peel lesions