Your Eczema and You: Yes, Your Skin Can Be Clear Again!
By Alexa Gilmore,
L.Ac T
oday, we’re continuing in our series on Chinese medicine and skin disease. First we covered the basics (review the August online issue if you missed it), and then in September’s issue we took a closer look at acne. Today we’re going to take a tour through you and your eczema.
What is eczema?
First off, when we say “eczema,” what do we mean? “Eczema” is synonymous with “dermatitis,” and there are many types: atopic, pompholyx, nummular, and stasis, just to name a few. Pompholyx, dyshidrotic, or vesicu- lar eczema is notable for just that: the vesicles or small blisters that are the hallmark of this condition. Very itchy vesicles form on the sides of the fingers and palms of the hands (occasionally the feet or toes). The itchy active phase lasts 1-2 weeks before resolving into a dry, scaling phase. Often, just as things appear to be healing, an active phase begins again and the whole itchy, frustrating cycle continues.
Nummular or discoid eczema is named for its shape— disc or coin—and indeed this type of eczema is diagnosed almost entirely on appearance. We see very clearly demar- cated patches of affected skin, generally presenting sym- metrically on the dorsum (backs) of the hands, arms, legs, or torso. This eczema is also often very itchy; just a little patch can be surprisingly irritating. Stasis eczema is also known as varicose eczema, grav- itational eczema, or hypostatic eczema. What does that mean? It means this type of eczema is a common disorder
8 Essential Living Maine ~ October 2014
of the lower limbs that arises as a consequence of venous tension. Valves in the veins are compromised, the veins aren’t able to hold blood properly (working, as they do, against gravity), and blood seeps out into the surround- ing tissue. Interestingly, this type of eczema is particularly prone to what’s called autosensitization, or to spreading to other parts of the body for no good reason—parts without the same compromised venous system as the lower leg. And there are others: seborrheaic dermatitis, contact dermatitis, and lichen simplex, to name a few more, as well as atopic eczema, which is probably the “eczema” you think of when you hear the word. This is the eczema we see more often in babies and children (though it affects adults, too), the eczema that tends to run in families along with asthma, food allergies, and other allergic diseases. As was the case for acne, Chinese medicine has for centuries identified each of these types of eczema as distinct disease processes and treated them accordingly. For example, traditional names for atopic eczema include Wind of the Four Crooks (Si Wan Feng—so-called for the tendency of atopic lesions to show up in the flexures or “crooks” of the elbows and knees).
Eczema and Western medicine
From here on out, we’ll focus on atopic eczema, but keep in mind that Chinese medicine has much to offer in the treatment of all the varieties of eczema listed above. So, what’s the cause? From a Western biomedical per- spective there’s no single, definitive cause, but there are many theories regarding the underlying mechanisms. The
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