Acupuncture for skin conditions

Skin conditions including pruritus, urticaria, allergy (food or hay fever), psoriasis, eczema, rashes, shingles, all resemble similar characteristics, in TCM are viewed more from fundamental substances (FS) perspective than zang-fu. According to Ross (2), these are the main patterns:

• Wind-Heat
• Stagnation of Qi and/or Blood
• Damp or Dryness
• Deficiency of Blood and/or yin
• Repletion Heat
• Heat in Blood

Acupuncture treatments may be helpful to bring back the underlying imbalanced FS back by adjusting empirical acupuncture points, extraordinary vessels, and channels. Herbs in most case is an important part of acupuncture treatments, herbs is basically a food therapy. The most important part of the change to be made is to get off from food allergy and get on the right type of food and drinks, and lifestyle considerations.

Wind, Damp, Heat, Dryness are characteristics of internalized pathogenic factors:

• Wind: general or local itching; it happens sporadic, coming and going like a wind.
• Dampness: weepy, and wet.
• Heat: red, and swollen.
• Dryness: dry and flaky.

Think about your body as a house, and the signs and symptoms of wind, dampness, heat, and dryness in an unhealthy house.

Reference:

1. Zheng M. Chinese-English edition of acupuncture cosmetology. Shanghai Scientific and Technical Pub; 2007. 319 p.