Inflammation can affect any part of our body. But when it affects our skin we become aware
of its presence at the very early stages of inflammation. Being that this organ system is visible to us,
we are quick to notice subtle changes on our skin surface as opposed to when
inflammation is primarily in our joints.
Sometimes, these mild irritations of the skin pass just as quickly as
they may have surfaced. But for some
individuals, they start to develop repeated irritation to the skin that begins
to overlap and become chronic in nature.
At this stage, many that have been patiently watching this transition of
their skin may choose to intervene with treatment.
The course of treatment that an individual may choose can vary greatly. Most often I find that patients will initially seek out an over the counter treatment in an attempt to alleviate the itch or subdue the red inflamed skin. When very mild in nature, the itching can often times be soothed with these over the counter medications. But these individuals will often times find themselves needing to use more and more over time with a decrease in effectiveness. These ointments are typically mild steroid creams (hydrocortisone) and as with all cortisone, the body develops a tolerance to the substance. When this occurs larger and larger doses or higher potency creams are needed to deliver an effect similar to that which was initially achieved. If self treatment fails to provide the relief they want, many find themselves visiting a Dermatologist or their General Practitioner in hopes of controlling the inflammatory cycle their skin is caught in. Unfortunately, many times these individuals are only prescribed additional steroids in higher potency. These substances can be very effective at quenching the inflammation, however once they are discontinued the skin can experience a rebound flare. A nice analogy would be a pot of oats that is boiling on the stove. To stop the oats from overflowing, you place a lid on it and press down firmly to keep the oats contained in the pot. But once you remove the lid (steroids), the oats can flow over much more aggressively due to the building pressure (rebound flare). Instead a better approach would be to turn the flame down and gently stir the oats to dissipate the heat. This is the approach that is used when treating inflammation with Chinese medicine. In Chinese medicine, topical and internal herbs are used to address the unique form of inflammation that is occurring within an individual. No two formulas are constructed the same to treat an inflammatory skin condition due to the unique nature of the inflammation in each individual. The goal with treatment is to rebalance the immune response so that individuals can discontinue the herbs and have their skin stabilize. This treatment is very unique in that it can stabilize the skin and patients can go into remission. Often times, patients will find that if their skin does become active again, that it is minimal and settles quickly.
What I have described above is something that I've repeatedly
observed in practice. Let me present a
quick case to illustrate what I discussed earlier. An elderly male had come to see me after
trying several courses of external and internal steroids to address his red, itchy,
and scaly forehead and scalp. He had
been diagnosed with eczema, but after examining his skin and taking his history
it was clear to me that he was suffering from psoriasis. He was at his wits end with his skin. Everything he had tried only provided mild
relief and when he discontinued them his skin flared excessively to the point
that he would need to try stronger steroids.
At one point the rebound flare was so severe with facial swelling that he
was put on a high dose of internal prednisone in an attempt to reduce the
flare. This proved effective at reducing
the swelling but had no affect on his psoriasis. After going through multiple courses of
steroids, he became fed up with the cycle of events and decided to take a
different treatment approach. The
presentation of his skin and his history revealed what is called Blood Heat
with wind in Chinese medicine. To
address his psoriasis he was given a Chinese herbal treatment that included an
internal herbal formula that he would consume twice per day, as well as a
topical ointment that he would use twice per day. Over the course of 8 weeks on the herbal
medicine his psoriasis had cleared and there was an improvement in many of his
other symptoms as well. Following this
short course of treatment he was able to discontinue the herbs without any
aggravation of his skin. This particular
case was a quick response to treatment, especially for an autoimmune
condition. But it goes to show that
there can be a quick change in inflammation brought about solely through the
use of herbal medicine.
Chinese herbal medicine probably isn't the first thing that
pops into your mind when thinking of treatments for eczema, psoriasis, rosacea,
acne, or other skin conditions. Due to
people's unfamiliarity with Chinese medicine, it is normally a last resort for
most individuals after being patient for years addressing their skin with other
modalities. Because Chinese medicine
works to rebalance the immune response, time is needed to bring about this change. So patience must be practiced when taking on
this treatment approach. Improvement is
observed along the way and this is often enough motivation for patients to push
on with the treatment. Those that do are
most often rewarded in the end with skin that is much more stable or remains in
remission, and they are able to free themselves from the use of steroids.
