- Dermatitis is a general term that describes a common skin irritation. The cause and appearance varies from person to person. It may be itchy, flakey, and may ooze.
- Atopic Dermatitis, also known as eczema, is the most common dermatitis. An estimated 16.5 million adults have atopic dermatitis.
- A study, published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, showed that acupuncture combined with Chinese herbs offered beneficial effects to patients. Twenty patients were treated for twelve weeks with acupuncture, twice a week, and herbal medicine, three times a day, for mild atopic dermatitis. In this study, the average Eczema and Severity Index (EASI) fell from 4.99 to 1.81, and 78.8% of patients experienced a decrease in symptoms.
- Acupuncturists use the color, texture, and overall location of the dermatitis patch to determine the root cause.
Image courtesy of David Roberson - Skin patches that are red signify heat, flakey texture denotes dryness, itching is a sign of wind, and oozing from the skin shows dampness.
- Common acupuncture points include San Jiao 5 to dispel wind and Large intestine 11 to clear heat.
- The herbal formula Dermatrol (PS) by Evergreen, contains Wu Shao She as the chief herb. It helps to dispel wind-dampness to stop itching and inflammation.
- Reducing consumption of sugar, alcohol, caffeine, dairy, and spicy foods will reduce heat and dampness to the body and decrease inflammation.
- Be cautious using products such as soap, lotions, perfume oils, and laundry detergent as they may cause irritation.
- The recommended treatment plan: two acupuncture
treatments per week for a month including the use of prescribed Chinese herbal formulas, followed by maintenance and prevention.
By Kayla Forstall and Dr. Guillaume Vincent