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ECZEMA
WHAT IS ECZEMA?
Eczema is an inflammation of the upper layers of the skin. Eczema is also called dermatitis. Usually the symptoms are skin swelling, itchiness, rashes but in some, the symptoms are much more severe that their quality of life falls dramatically.
The most acknowledged and the most discomforting disease in this category is the atopic dermatitis. It is a chronic autoimmune skin disease which in recent years has become a major problem for lots of Americans.
WHAT IS ATOPIC DERMATITIS? ^top
Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic recurring atopic skin disease. There is no exact known cause of this disease but there are several factors that aggravate the symptoms. The skin of a patient with atopic dermatitis reacts abnormally and easily to irritants, food and environmental allergens and becomes red, flaky and very itchy. It also becomes vulnerable to surface infections caused by bacteria. The skin on the flexural surfaces of the joints (for example inner sides of elbows and knees) are most commonly affected regions.
Atopic dermatitis often occurs together with other allergy diseases like hay fever, asthma and conjunctivitis. It is a familial and chronic disease and its symptoms can increase or disappear over time. There is no cure for it in conventional medicine, but its symptoms are usually managed in conventional western medicine with various temporary relieving treatments like topical steroid creams or antihistamines.
WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS? ^top
Generally skin swelling, itchy skin and rashes on the face are symptoms that occur in dermatitis. In severe cases they also can have red flaky and dry skin. Scratching and rubbing because of the itchiness of the skin actually irritates the skin more and increases the itchiness.
Atopic dermatitis typically appears in the insides of the elbows, backs of the knees and the face but can cover most of the body in severe cases.
HOW DOES TRADITIONAL EASTERN MEDICINE TREAT ECZEMA? ^top
Our clinic treats atopic dermatitis with a holistic view in mind. We do not approach atopic dermatitis as if it is only a skin disease. In traditional Korean medicine, atopic dermatitis and other many skin diseases are a manifestation of an imbalance of the inner body and the outer body. Mainly the prime reason of the imbalance is caused by excessive heat located inside the body. Excessive heat that accumulates inside a person’s body should normally be cooled down by regulatory systems like urination or sweating. But if this system isn’t working properly for some reason, the heat has nowhere to go but forcibly outwards through the skin. The symptoms of atopic dermatitis appear when this happens. That is why the rashes have colors of red, and the skin itches with heat, and is also why if you take a cool shower the itchiness and the inflammation gets relieved, although for a short while only.
The way that oriental medicine treats atopic dermatitis is by letting this inner excessive heat out of the body. We use herbal medicine and acupuncture treatment to regulate the Qi and the fluids of the body. These treatments help the body to get rid of the heat and also the toxins produced by it.
Getting rid of the heat may be done in two different ways. By cooling off the inner body with cold type medicine and meridian points, which usually is the case with mild dermatitis patients.
With patients that have severe symptoms, just cooling off the excessive heat only works partially. Because of the lengthened relapse of the symptoms, the skin has been damaged and has lost the functionality that it should have as a skin barrier and a breathing organ. Because of this and also because of the continuous damage to the skin by the scratching and rubbing, lots of germs are already infecting the skin thus aggravating the already damaged lesions.
In severe cases like these, treatment also has to be done with the damaged skin itself. Our clinic uses specially prepared therapies and herbal medication to deal with these cases. Conventional medicine can also be used with the coordination of a physician.
WHAT ARE THE LIMITATIONS OF WESTERN MEDICINE REGARDING ECZEMA? ^top
Conventional medications are very effective and powerful. Most of modern diseases can be treated with the medicines today. But for some diseases there is a limit to what these modern marvels can accomplish. Atopic dermatitis is one of the diseases that conventional medication cannot cure. It only helps in getting a temporary relief. This is because conventional medicine does not have the concept of cooling off the internal excessive heat, nor does it have even a general idea of how to help the skin return its healthy functionality to its norm. Although it is very effective in patching up a laceration or suppressing an inflammation, these effects do not cure auto-immune related diseases.
DOES HERBAL MEDICINE HELP? ^top
Herbal medicine works by returning the healthy balance to the body’s function. It helps invigorate the body’s energy and is very effective in getting rid of accumulated toxins and regulating the blood and fluids of the body. Since this is exactly what the body need to be treated of chronic skin diseases, one can say that herbal medicine is quite effective in treating atopic dermatitis.
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What is Eczema?
What is Atopic Dermatitis?
What are the symptoms?
How does Traditional Eastern medicine treat eczema?
What are the limitations of Western medicine regarding eczema?
Does herbal medication help?
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