Can Chinese Medicine Cure Eczema?

Eczema is something that runs in my family. I have lived with this since my teen years. I had suffered chronic eczema when we owned a ferret, named Roxie for nine years. Large patches of eczema developed all over my legs, arms and face. It became sore, itchy and burning. Once our ferret died the eczema left only to return occasionally.

Getting shots were offered after different conventional creams the dermatologist prescribed didn’t work. For whatever reason, I chose not to go with the shots. I think it had to do with the amount our insurance would or wouldn't cover. The other alternative was to get rid of our pet or stay away from her. Neither of these choices were an option, for she was part of our family.

Reading up on alternative medicine, Chinese medicine might have helped me where the conventional did not.

Eczema is a skin disorder that is characterized by itching, scaling, thickening of the skin, and is usually located on the face, elbows, knees, and arms. Acute stages are sometimes accompanied by crusting, scaling, or blisters.

People with eczema often have a family history of the condition or a family history of other allergic conditions, such as asthma or hay fever. Allegoric reactions to certain foods and perfume can bring out an outbreak. Studies have shown that up to 20% of children and 1% to 2% of adults are believed to have eczema. Eczema is slightly more common in girls than in boys.

Eczema is not contagious, though can be a chronic skin disorder and there is no cure. It is a condition that can come and go at anytime. It can be a small patch or something much larger. TCM is an alternate to the topical creams and oral steroids prescribed by a physician. The reason for an alternative medicine is that these only relieve on a temporary basis and sometimes not at all. There are many side effects with prolong use, such as thinning of the skin, weight gain due to increased appetite and fluid retention, damage of the kidneys, bones and heart (oral steroids).

Traditional Chinese Medicine has been used for over 3,000 years and it treats the root cause of an illness, not just the symptoms. TCM offers herbal medicine, acupuncture, nutrition and food cures, and acupressure and Massage.

Acupuncture has been proved to be effective in treating eczema. The Chinese believe that eczema is caused by excess heat and dryness in the system. Acupuncture had can reduce soreness and inflammation, speed up the healing time, build up the immune system to stop eczema coming back and reduce heat built up in the system to stop Eczema coming back. A study done in New York revealed that within an average of nine treatments, 50% of patients had complete or nearly complete clearance of skin lesions.

Treating eczema with herbs: Different herbs have shown to help in the treatment of eczema. In an article published in the British Journal of Dermatology, doctors at the Chinese University of Hong Kong described how they effectively treated eczema patients with five Chinese herbs. These herbs are Flos lonicerae (Jinyinhua), Herba menthae (Bohe), Cortex moutan (Danpi), Rhizoma atractylodis (Cangzhu) and Cortex phellodendri (Huangbai).

Flos lonicerae (Jinyinhua), also known as the Honeysuckle Flower or Lonicera: Clears heat and reduces toxins.

Herba menthae (Bohe), also known as Field Mint, Mentha: Vents Rashes and allows the skin to breath.

Cortex moutan (Danpi), also known as Tree Peony Bark: Clear heat and cool blood, activate blood circulation and remove stasis.

Rhizoma atractylodis (Cangzhu): Dries dampness (not sure what part this has on eczema.)

Cortex phellodendri (Huangbai), also known as Phellodendron bark: To reduce fire and release toxins.

Finding the food triggers: Chinese medicine also involves finding the food which triggers eczema in each patient. The most common food triggers are eggs, milk, peanuts, soy, and wheat. Among these, eggs are the strongest trigger for eczema.

Acupressure works with the same principles as Acupuncture, but without the needles. It works with applying pressure to various points on the body. Acupressure uses hand or finger pressure to stimulate the body's natural healing energy. Acupressure clears away the heat and generates fluids. Pressure is added to a selection of points as well as the techniques used in manipulating those points. An Acupuncturist will use a gentle method called Bu to strengthen energy at a point, or a more stimulating technique called Shi to reduce heat energy at a point.

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