Skin Condition? Consider Chinese Medicine By Alexandra Gilmore, LAc, MAcOM
of all doctor’s visits—that’s a lot of skin complaints. It comes as a surprise to most people that Chinese medicine can offer a safe, effective treatment for many of these common skin complaints. How, you ask?
S Chinese Medicine Treats the Individual
Chinese herbal medicine considers the details of each indi- vidual case to determine the best treatment plan—no two cases of eczema, psoriasis, or acne are likely to receive the same medicine.
the body are affected? Is there swelling, edema, or any exudate? What color are the lesions—do they tend to be more red, brown, purple, orange? Do they itch? If so, how much and when? In a case of acne, for example, we’d consider the ratio of blackheads to whiteheads to cysts. How greasy is the face? How swollen? Is it just on the face or also on the back or chest? How much background redness underlies the lesions? How quickly do lesions come and go? Do they tend to leave a lot of hyperpigmentation behind? All of these details matter a great deal when constructing an herbal
Additionally, Chinese herbalists look at your whole health
picture. How’s your digestion? Your sleep? Your menstrual cycle? Do you generally feel full of energy and vibrant or are you weaker or more fatigued than you’d like to be? Are there other lifestyle factors involved, like drinking, smoking, diet, or stress? This broader and, as they change and evolve, herbal treatment evolves, too.
20 ELM™ Maine - July/August 2018
ummer is upon us and it's time to think about our skin! It is estimated that 1 in 5 of all outpatient visits to doctors in the United States are dermatological in nature. That’s 20%
Chinese Medicine has a Proven Track Record of Several Thousand Years
I like to say that Chinese medicine isn’t good because it’s old,
it’s old because it’s good. It’s funny to those of us who practice it when people insinuate that acupuncture and Chinese medicine persisted for a couple thousand years if it didn’t continue to be relevant and effective. It’s been the primary medicine for billions of people in thriving, evolving cultures for all of those centuries. Discussions of the skin and skin diseases can be found in the earli- est Chinese medical text books. Differentiations between different skin diseases have been delineated for much of that time, as have detailed discussions on effective treatment approaches. Psoriasis choose Chinese medicine, you choose a comprehensive system of medicine that’s been studied, deepened, and expanded upon for recently, of the West, as well). That’s a whole lot of brainpower and clinical trial and error on your side.
Chinese Medicine is Safe
print of many drugs prescribed for skin conditions is not for the faint of heart. Strong immunosuppressant drugs can leave a person susceptible to a whole host of aggressive infections. Steroids are regularly prescribed for skin diseases like psoriasis and eczema, but long-term use carries the risk of high blood sugar and diabetes, an increased risk of infections, thinning of bones and increased frac-
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36
