Features - Chinese Medicine & Acupuncture for Eczema by Dr R Thomson

Introduction

Chinese medicine is a philosophical system of medicine which has developed in China continuously for at least the last 2,500 years. It differs in many ways from western medicine in philosophy, diagnosis of disease and treatment, and it often looks at illnesses and conditions in a radically different way. The most obvious difference to both patients and practitioners alike is the way in which Chinese medicine looks at the whole patient and their environment and does not focus on the disease or a particular part of the body. It is no surprise to Chinese medicine practitioners that diet, work, stress and various emotional factors can not only make a condition worse, but in fact be central to the disease starting in the first place.

What causes illness or disease?

In Chinese medicine the underlying theory is that the body should be in a perfect state of balance, physically and emotionally and with regard to the outside world. If this balance is achieved then the body is in a state of health and well-being appropriate to the natural age of a person. When disease is present it is because of influences either external or internal or indeed coming from the environment itself which upsets the balance and causes illness.

1. Outside influences

Traditionally in China these have been described as "Climate" factors eg. wind, cold, dampness, heat, dryness. For a Chinese person therefore if you stay outside in a cold wind you will literally catch a cold!

2. Internal Influences

These are described in terms of emotions Joy, anger, worry, sorrow, fear. Again, to a Chinese person it is no surprise that diseases can begin or get worse in stressful situation, for example divorce or the death of a loved one.

3. The influence of diet and work

In Chinese medicine everything has to be in balance, including work and diet. Too much work can lead to exhaustion of the body and weakening of resistance to disease. Too little work on the contrary can lead to stagnation and laziness in the same way an athlete would lose fitness if he stopped training. Diet is very important to the practitioner of Chinese medicine and imbalance of types and quantities of food can lead to problems. A good practitioner of Chinese medicine will always enquire about diet and will have recommendations on what to eat to maintain health, or even to combat diseases.

The Organs Meridians and Qi

In Chinese terms the essential substance for life is called Qi (pronounced Chee). It is used to explain the difference between living things and non living, for example the difference between a live person and a dead one is the presence or absence of Qi given that in all other respects they are alike. It also explains why, say the atoms of carbon in a human are "alive" and those in a piece of wood are not. The function of the organs in the human body are to maintain the necessary Qi in the body by obtaining it from food and air and it is the meridians through which it circulates to all parts of the body to nourish it. The meridians were described by ancient Chinese physicians to explain the circulation of Qi and are related to each internal organ. They are theoretical in concept and do not have an identifiable anatomical structure. It is interesting how there are similarities in western medicine, for example pain from the heart is often felt down the arm in a heart attack. In Chinese medicine the heart meridian runs from the centre of the chest down the arm in the same route.

How Does this relate to Eczema?

In Chinese terms Eczema is brought about by the influence of 3 main factors. Wind, heat, damp. These may be external, as has been described above, or arise inside the body caused by problems with the function of important organs in the body. Eczema may be of sudden onset, it may be long-standing (chronic) or it may be in between (subacute). Eczema of sudden onset would show a red itchy skin and if dampness were involved the weepy exudate familiar to sufferers would be present. Long standing eczema has the coarse hard thick red or dark brown crusts which can last for months or even years and be very itchy.

Diagnosis and treatment

After asking questions about the eczema and the way it came about, the function of the internal organs of the body and the internal and external influences described above, the Chinese medical practitioner will examine the patient's tongue and pulse. From the colour and texture of the tongue and the nature of the pulse the type of disease patter or "syndrome" affecting the patient can be deduced. The doctor can then decide what treatment to prescribe.

What treatments are available?

In the treatment of eczema more than one treatment is likely to be recommended.

1. Acupuncture

The insertion of fine silver needles through the skin at specific points on the body to regulate the function of internal organs and the flow of the natural energy in the meridians. Some of the organs have a specific influence on the skin and points pertaining to these organs will be chosen.

2. Herbal Remedies

Over many hundreds of years Chinese doctors have developed combinations of ingredients derived mainly from plants which have been found to remedy disease in the body in more than one way. Commonly herbs are prescribed to improve the function of internal organs, to drive away disease causing influence, eg cold and to maximise the ability of the body to resist illness and cure itself. These herbs are traditionally made up in to a drink by boiling, but as this is not always acceptable to the western palate, modern centres of Chinese practice have developed capsules, similar in appearance to western medicines, which can be swallowed or in the case of children broken open and put in drinks or sprinkled on food.

3. Skin preparations

These are produced from herbs and made into lotions, creams and ointments for external application. Some practitioners prescribe wet bandages for the exudative type of eczema.

Case study

A 33 year old man presented with eczema of about 15 years duration. It affected his hands and arms and also the trunk, especially the lower back. He said it really began after a trip to the seaside on a very hot day when he was sunburned and exposed to wind. He also said nobody had asked that before! He had been divorced 2 years before the consultation and during that time he had a relapse of his eczema. He had recently quit a job which had involved dressing up in protective clothing because the heat and humidity aggravated his eczema. His tongue and pulse examination confirmed that he was affected by heat and wind. This had caused dryness in Chinese terms, particularly to the blood. He was treated with 4 sessions of acupuncture, and given 2 types of herbal remedy by night, and a herbal lotion to use on the hands. In addition he was given advice about diet, and on the advice of the Practitioner was able to give up smoking.

Analysis

This patient had been under the care of a skin specialist at his local hospital, and had been admitted to hospital once when exceptionally bad. His treatment was steroid cream and on occasion steroids by mouth. This certainly helped the condition, but never completely cured it. The patient was becoming worried about the amount of medication he was having. After a few weeks treatment he noticed the hands were nearly back to normal and his back had stopped itching. He still got rashes when he became hot and wore gloves. He managed to get a job in a deep freeze depot!

Summary

In Chinese terms this patient had been suffering the effects of wind and heat which had brought about long term damage to the internal organ function and manifested itself on the skin. The underlying cause had been identified and treated, but relapses still occur when exposed to heat. In a long term case such as this, the treatment would have to be maintained for a lengthy period to maintain progress. The alterations to the patients diet and lifestyle must also play a large part in the cure.

Dr R G Thomson
Somerset Nuffield Hospital
Staplegrove Elm
Taunton TA2 6AN

Tel: 01823 286991

Email: roger.thomson@eclipse.co.uk

www.chinesemedicine.org.uk

Page Created: 2/1/03