Eczema, known as dermatitis is a common skin condition in New Zealand, affecting 1 out of 3 New Zealanders (Eczema Association New Zealand). It is prone to those with a family history of atopic skin disorder, including asthma or hayfever.
The skin condition is recurring, non-infectious, and inflammatory. It presents with symptoms including:
Moderate to severe itchiness of skin and dryness
Red Rash - accompanied with either dry, patchy, or cracked skin. Appears more commonly on inner elbows, behind knees and ankle, face, hands, and neck.
In severe cases, the skin would be weeping with watery fluid.
Rough, leathery thick crusty skin.
The causes are known to be triggered by genetic factors, internal emotional and diet factors, as well as external allergens and irritants. However, there are no known causes for the onset of eczema in Western medicine, and there is no cure other than controlling symptoms.
Often treatments offered would be topical steroid creams which only give temporary relief, and most often come back with a rebound effect with a worsened condition, or anti-histamines and anti-biotics for reducing redness and/or skin infection.
Below we will discuss the Chinese medicine approach and perspective of Eczema:
1. What causes Eczema -
In Chinese medicine, pathological conditions arises generally from internal emotional disorders causing heart-fire to accumulate into heat in the blood; contraction of external pathogenic Wind-Heat being trapped in the skin level; Improper diet causing dysfunction of the spleen in transforming and transporting the fluids accumulating into dampness and over time, the stagnant dampness transforms into heat forming Damp-Heat; or the Blood Deficiency causing Dryness and Wind due to chronic disorder and imbalance of the body.
2. How do we treat Eczema -
A herbal prescription is recommended with regular acupuncture treatment. Each diagnosis and treatment is tailored for each individual case, there is no one-for-all solution or treatment/prescription. We'd make the diagnosis by looking at your tongue, reading your pulse, and have a thorough understanding of your lifestyle and diet.
The redness and inflammation is usually seen as heat in the body, so one of the main approach to treat eczema in TCM is to clear the heat, as once there is heat in the body then it dries out the fluid that protects and moisturizes the skin, which in turn manifests as dry, cracked and/or itchy skin.
A treatment period may take up to 3 - 6 months, depending on the severity of eczema and your lifestyle conditions (as well as how much you are willing to change for the better!). You should usually see improvements in some of the symptoms such as the flare-up of the skin, redness, and itchiness within 3 months of consistent treatment with acupuncture and herbal medicine.
There is also a Chinese herbal ointment available to help manage and soothe your eczema, containing ingredients that will clear heat, nourish the blood and moisturize the skin. (Ask us for this ointment)
Overtime, the use of the topical corticosteroids will be reduced gently while receiving acupuncture and taking the herbal medicine to help manage symptoms, then gradually when your body system and function is back into balance the need for topical corticosteroids can be eliminated and be replaced completely by TCM (Traditional Chinese medicine) treatment.
3. What are some lifestyle or diet advice you recommend to help manage eczema?
Food to consider avoiding include: Ice cold food/drinks, alcohol, coffee (caffeine), spicy and irritating food, deep fried & greasy food, and excessive sweets. And of course, be more conscious or aware of the food that irritates your skin, some people find gluten and dairy often triggers or aggravates the symptoms of eczema.
4. What are some general acupressure points I can do?
LI 11 - Qu Chi (Pool at the Bend)
SP 9 - Yin Ling Quan (Yin Mound Spring)
SP 6 - San Yin Jiao (Three Yin Intersection)
SP 10 - Xue Hai (Sea of Blood)
SJ 6 - Zhi Gou (Branch Ditch)
GB 31 - Feng Shi (Wind Market)
The underlying causes of eczema are looked at individualy and never treated with just a general one-for-all principle. If you would like to find out how acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine can help with your eczema, we have a complimentary consultation before/with a session of acupuncture treatment or just simply Book Online under a 'Private Acupuncture treatment' under 'Health & Wellbeing' or a 'Online Herbal Consultation'.