Eczema: Symptom Or Disease
Many holistic practitioners believe that eczema is not the chief issue in and of itself, but rather, the sign of a deeper problem. Thus, holistic treatment aims to address the patients underlying problems. Once these problems have been identified and resolved, the eczema will often go away on its own. In many cases, eczema results from severe food allergies those who avoid trigger foods are often naturally able to keep symptoms to a minimum.
There is a mental component to eczema that remains something of a mystery to researchers. Stress is often a major trigger for the condition, so it is in sufferers best interest to implement stress-reducing techniques into their daily lives. Many are able to find relief via massage, acupuncture, and meditation.
If symptoms continue after physical and mental triggers have been removed from the sufferers environment, the next step may involve the targeted use of certain Chinese herbs. Herbal treatments have frequently been shown to be more effective than typical Western approaches.
Q: What Successes Have You Had
A: We have had a great deal of success with patients whose AD was so bad that it represented a considerable threat to their quality of life and morale, both children and adults. When I began my clinical practice more than a decade ago, I started with eczema. Doctors sent patients to me after they felt they had done all they could do for them.
Topical Application Of Chinese Herbal Medicine For Atopic Eczema: A Systematic Review With A Meta
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What Interpretations Did The Researchers Draw From These Results
The researchers conclude that their laboratory studies suggest that the pentaherbs formulation has some immunomodulatory properties .
The effects of the herbs on inflammatory agents that have been linked to eczema suggest that the herbs may have value in treatment. The researchers call for more research into the effects of ENA-78, to help understand why the herbs apparently increased circulating levels.
What Were The Results Of The Study
The researchers looked at the effects of the herbs on the human immune cells in the laboratory. They found that the steroid treatment suppressed the release of all the inflammatory chemicals from these cells. The herbal concoction reduced only some of these chemicals, and the concentration of the immune activating chemical ENA-78 was increased.
In their study of 28 Chinese patients, most of who were already being treated with a steroid , they found no change in the amount of steroid used over the three months. They also found that levels of two chemicals involved in inflammation reduced over the three months.
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Dr Wang Herbal Skincare: Tcm Meets Western Medicine
Father and son duo Steven Wang, MD and Gui Wang, LAc have over 60 years of combined experience helping patients utilizing both TCM and modern medicine. We believe that utilizing the knowledge of both worlds can lead to true breakthroughs in the field of dermatology. After years of focused testing, we are proud to offer a family of skincare products inspired by our love of holistic healing techniques. We offer a family of products which are natural, effective, and never tested on animals.
Chinese Medicine For Eczema
Eczema is very common and and approximately 15 million people in the UK live with it at some point at some point in their lives. Eczema can develop at any time of life including adulthood and symptoms can range from mild to severe. It is often a long-term chronic condition, that cause the skin to become itchy and inflamed or to have a rash-like appearance.
Because of the desire to scratch the affected areas sleep can be affected and it can also take an emotional toll and affect confidence. In this article we will find out about Eczema from a Western medical perspective, discover how Chinese Medicine for Eczema can offer a natural solution.
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Q: Whats The Status Of Current Research Related To Ad And Chinese Herbal Therapy
A: The research, per se, is part of the big picture work we are doing on food allergies and asthma, which also play a big role in AD, as with other allergies. The same bad guys such as allergen-specific IgE and elevated levels of IL-4 and IL-13 that are associated with allergic reactions are associated with AD. IL-5 helps attract eosinophils, a potent defense against intestinal parasites, which congregate wherever there is persistent inflammation, including the skin. We are lowering those. Likewise, they help elevate production of IgG4 blocking antibodies and interferon gamma, which are associated with protection from allergies.
This research allows us to understand the mechanisms by which all the medicines work, and discover ways to make them more effective.
Chinese Herbs For Eczema: Understanding The Causes And Natural Remedies
Understanding eczema through Traditional Chinese Medicine will give to you a different perspective and provide an outlook on how to permanently clear eczema from your skin.
Eczema can be an annoying, persistent condition for those affected. The stubborn oozing, blisters, patches of redness and rashes on the skin are a clear sign that you are suffering from eczema, also known as atopic dermatitis.
Steroids, antihistamines, even immunosuppressants may alleviate the symptoms for a short while, unfortunately, there is no cure for the condition since the cause is unclear, according to Western medicine.
Lets see how Chinese medicine outlines a natural cure of eczema.
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Common Skin Condition Treatments In Chinese Medicine
Skin conditions improve the best with a well-rounded approach to treatment. While topical creams and supplements may make a helpful difference in the symptoms of skin conditions, addressing the internal environment of the body is the only way to make substantial and long-lasting changes. Chinese herbs are used to rebalance the body from the inside out.
Acupuncture helps to reduce heat, inflammation, stress, and encourage a healthy digestion. It also directs a healthy flow of blood to the skin.
Nutrition and food choices is also important in reversing skin conditions. There are some key tips to follow but nutritional therapy takes each individuals unique constitution and condition into account. Other lifestyle habits may also be addressed.
How Can Traditional Chinese Medicine Help My Eczema
Many Western techniques use topical skin care products to help to soothe irritated skin and systemic steroids to ease some of the annoying symptoms, but these can often lead to unwanted side effects. A few changes in diet are recommended, mostly in regard to keeping inflammation at bay and avoiding known triggers.
With TCM, a completely holistic approach is taken, incorporating a combination of creams, baths, teas, and pills in order to calm the overactive immune system, but thats not where it starts.
Many TCM practitioners believe that eczema is not the primary problem, itself, but actually the sign of a deeper issue. Treatment aims to address the underlying problems.
Eczema will frequently go away on its own once these problems have been identified and tended to.
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Chinese Herbal Medicine Soothes Eczema
Hong Kong – A new study suggests a traditional Chinese herbal medicine may improve the quality of life of those suffering from atopic eczema.
Hong Kong
– Researchers have discovered a traditional Chinese herbal medicine consisting of five herbs may soothe eczema symptoms, reducing the need for conventional medicine, BBC News reports.
The study, published in the British Journal of Dermatology, gave 85 patients either the medicine or placebo. Those who took the medicine reported their quality of life improved by a third, while placebo patients reported no improvement. Researchers also found the herbal remedy reduced the need for topical steroids by an average of four days a month, compared to one day a month in the placebo patients.
The herbs present in the medicine include Japanese honeysuckle, peppermint, root bark of peony tree, underground stem of the atractylodes herb and Amur cork-tree bark. Further testing showed patients who took the medicine had lower blood levels of four proteins associated with inflammatory effects linked to eczema, according BBC News.
Q: How Do You Treat Atopic Dermatitis With Chinese Herbal Therapy
A: First of all, its important to keep in mind that atopic dermatitis is, as the name implies, an atopicallergicdisease. Readers are certainly aware of this because they use antihistamines and topical steroids, both of which are generally staples of the medicine cabinet for allergic diseases.
AD is usually the first step in the allergic march that is often followed by a succession of environmental allergies, asthma, and food allergies. However, antihistamines and steroids do not get to the heart of the matter, which is that allergic diseases result when there is an imbalance between the parts of the immune system.
With TCM, we try to modulate these imbalances using a combination of lotions, creams, baths, teas, pills, and sometimes acupuncture and acupressure, which calm the immune system so that it eventually becomes less reactive.
Because the skin often has open sores and damaged tissue, we also use traditional herbal treatments for burns.
It is fundamental to TCM that we treat the whole body. Organ systems are not independent of one another. This has been borne out by the recent research on how eczematous skin may be an induction point for allergens like peanuts and may sensitize infants who have never eaten these allergens.
Treating the whole body is not easy or quick. That said, the skin frequently does improve much more rapidly than other allergic diseases that are being treated.
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What Is Traditional Chinese Medicine
Traditional Chinese Medicine, or TCM is one of the oldest healing systems on the planet. Rooted in natural law, its a medicine of the relationships between how everything functions at the deepest, invisible levels, and how it interacts with the surface, visible physical levels. Each practice, principle, and theory reflects and harmonizes with the relationships that exist within natural law.
Rather than looking simply at a list of symptoms or manifestations of a problem or condition and trying to cover them up much like Western medicine does TCM looks deeper to the root of problems and conditions and probes how our body systems are connected and dependent on one another to function as a whole. By paying close attention to the connections within the body, TCM practitioners are commonly able to help more than one illness at a time. Its an essential part of Traditional Chinese Medicine that we treat the whole body, since organ systems arent independent of one another. Multiple levels are incorporated into prevention and treatment of illnesses and sicknesses by using a combination of diet, supplements, herbal therapy, topical therapy, energy manipulation, acupuncture, and more.
Why You Should Try Chinese Herbs For Eczema In Infants And Children
Its heartbreaking to see an infant suffering through a flare-up of eczema, especially for the childs parent. Eczema, otherwise known as atopic dermatitis, is the most common skin disease in children, affecting nearly 25% of children worldwide. Over 2 million Canadians and 15 million Americans suffer from eczema. Since 1970, the prevalence of eczema has nearly tripled.
More common in children who have family members with asthma, allergies and/or eczema themselves, eczema often begins in babies when food is first introduced or when new foods are introduced. The current treatment by modern medicine helps control the eczema, but is not curative. The corticosteroid creams used to treat it have adverse effects over the long-term.
The lives of those affected by eczema are further challenged by the complications of loss of sleep, and commonly they lack confidence and have low self-esteem.
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What Kind Of Scientific Study Was This
Researchers created capsules of a pentaherbs formulation, a common traditional Chinese mixture of five herbs. The capsules contained Japanese honeysuckle, root bark of tree peony, peppermint, the underground stem of the atractylodes herb and bark from an Amur cork tree. This herbal formulation was tested in two ways.
First, the researchers carried out a laboratory study. They isolated peripheral blood mononuclear cells from anonymous blood samples sourced through the Hong Kong Red Cross Blood Transfusion Service. These human immune cells were exposed in the laboratory to a steroid used to treat eczema or to the pentaherbs formulation. The researchers compared the effects on cell growth and the production of inflammatory mediators . They determined how toxic the chemicals were to the cells.
In the second part of their experiment, 28 Chinese patients with moderate to severe atopic dermatitis who were aged five to 21 years were given three capsules of the pentaherb formulation twice a day for three months. Blood samples were taken at the beginning of this period and at the end so that researchers could determine the response of the immune system and perform other tests to show how safe the formulation was.
Common Symptoms Of Eczema
The main symptoms of eczema are itchy and dry, scaly, inflamed and irritated skin. Eczema can flare up and then subside but then flare up again. Outbreaks can occur anywhere but the following areas are most affected:
- The arms and in the inner elbow folds
- Down the legs and on the back of the knees
- On the face in particular across the cheeks
- Over the head and on the scalp
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Success Story Chinese Herbs Cured My Hemorrhoids By Carmine Bello
I found a statistic online that may give you pause: by age 50, one out of every two individuals will suffer from clinical hemorrhoids. Some will be asymptomatic which is to say, not burdened by the condition through the suffering of symptoms. The rest, however, will be downright miserable.
Theres more. If you already endure rear-end woes, the odds are that your situation will, over time, develop into multiple conditions each meriting its own medical diagnosis even though you may only perceive a single source of pain. Thats exactly what happened to me.
I am a reasonably healthy and fit male in my forties and better read than most on the topic of health and wellness. But this didnt do me any good when I started to experience serious derriere discomfort in the mid-1990s. A routine trip to the washroom caused me agonizing pain both during and after bowel movements and the regular presence of blood only added to my misery.
The diagnosis from my doctor was clinical hemorrhoids as well as a possible fissure . This diagnosis was later confirmed by a top-ranked clinic in Toronto.
However, diagnosis is one thing treatment is another. I soon learned that these problems are not easy to fix. I tried every ointment, poultice, and cream I could get my hands on, but nothing offered long-term relief. I also made lifestyle changes an ongoing series of dietary adjustments which often gave temporary respite, but that was all.
What You Need To Know
Since eczema impacts each person so uniquely, Friedman cautioned that no single medicine will fix everyones AD issues and all treatments take time to work.
A lot of people are looking for a quick fix, but I liken it to exercise in that you cant just go to the gym and do a few sit-ups and have a six-pack of abs. Herbs take time, so I always caution people that its not an overnight fix, she said. I usually tell my patients to give themselves three months, and you should see changes all along the way.
Even if you are a good candidate for herbal medicine, treatments can get expensive because TCM is not covered by most insurance companies. Some insurers might allow health spending accounts or flexible spending accounts to be used for appointments and herbs, but others may not.
Because people have to pay out of pocket, its not the easiest solution, and it can be financially hard for some, Friedman said.
Accredited TCM dermatologists like Friedman are a relatively small specialty, which can make it difficult to find a licensed practitioner. Thats why Friedman offers telemedicine video conferencing to see patients across the country who dont have access to a local provider.
I feel strongly that this medicine can offer help and hope to a lot of different people, she said, so my hope is that we can make this medicine more accessible.
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Zang Fu Organ Systems And Skin Health
Spleen, Stomach, Large Intestine:
The skin is also closely related to the health of our digestive system, namely the Spleen, Stomach, and Large Intestine. Poor Spleen health often leads to a build-up of dampness which can cause breakouts and irritation. The Stomach is susceptible to heat and inflammation, often showing up on the face as acne, cysts, or elsewhere as redness and itching. The Large Intestine has the job of eliminating toxic waste from the body, but a sluggish digestive tract leads to heat, stagnation, and excess toxins.