Naturopathy TCM therapy for atopic dermatitis

Atopic dermatitis: A complex disease requires a holistic view. Traditional Chinese medicine gets to the root of the causes.

22/03/2011

Tingling, stinging and itching - eczema affects around three to four million people in Germany. In chronic skin disease, the body's defense gets out of balance and the immune system is crazy even at the slightest external stimuli. Physicians associate atopic dermatitis with atopic diseases, ie diseases that break out in different places in different places. They include hay fever and asthma, which many suffer from atopic dermatitis sufferers. Atopic dermatitis is considered to be an incurable disease in which symptom relief is at the center of conventional medical therapy. Dermatologists rely on light therapy, ointments and cortisone, allergologists on climate therapy and psychologists on behavioral therapies. In contrast, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) chooses a cause-oriented approach. It does not separate body and soul when looking at the disease. When creating a tailor-made therapy, early, unhealed infections also play an important role, as does the emotional state. Thanks to their holistic approach, 80 percent of patients experience a clear improvement.

Traditional Chinese medicine considers diseases holistically
„In Chinese medicine, body and soul are considered holistically. Diseases do not focus on the affected organ, but on the misguided process leading to the disease“, clarifies Christian Schmincke, general practitioner and TCM expert from the Klinik am Steigerwald, the difference between symptom-related and causal treatment. The pulse and tongue diagnosis, but also extensive discussions with patients help to detect pathological processes. „We often see that many atopic dermatitis patients have an increased susceptibility to infection with frequent, recurring and aggravating colds even in early childhood.“ From a Chinese point of view, atopic eczema is usually a detoxification attempt. In case of unproductive inflammation of the respiratory organs, allergic or infectious, there are abundant inflammatory products, the so-called „cloudy heat“ which transgress into blood and lymph. In the detoxification attempt of the body they are transported from the blood into the skin. There, however, the elimination possibilities, in contrast to the mucous membranes, very limited. It comes to the congestion of metabolic end products, which in turn leads to inflammation. The intention of the body to excrete poisons is also made clear by the fact that the itching subsides as soon as scratching has eliminated the blood and lymph.

TCM therapies for atopic dermatitis
The main pillar of TCM is Chinese drug therapy. Individually prescribed decoctions from Chinese herbs thus permanently lead to the elimination of symptoms and symptom relief. However, the administration of the remedies does not follow a rigid plan: „During the therapy, we observe exactly how the patient's body responds individually to the remedies. Based on this, we continuously adjust the formula throughout the course of the therapy“, explains Dr. Schmicke. In the treatment of atopic dermatitis is often the gift of herbs, barks and tubers in focus, the „dull heat“ counteract and thus lead inflammation products out of the body. In addition to the Chinese drug therapy also acupuncture and moxibustion, so the heat treatments of acupuncture points are used. (Pm)

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Image: Harald Wanetschka