Important Note:
Although the information in this section was written by
Healthphone.com's Healing Centre Panel of professional Chinese doctors,
licensed acupuncturists, herbalists and other experts, Healthphone.com
accepts no legal responsibility nor liability for any errors or
omissions. The information in this section is presented as is, for
educational purposes only. As with any medical matter, always
consult your healthcare professional before acting on any health-related
information.
Acne is a disorder of the skin, the commonest of
which is "Acne vulgaris"in adolescents, characterised by
the presence of pustules and blackheads.The main cause
of acne is the over production of sebum(an oily
secretion) from the sebaceous glands in the skin.The
production of sebum is regulated by hormonal
changes.Acne ranges in appearance from small raised
bumps to pustules, large cysts and pimples on the skin
surface. Acne is so common that over 80% of the
population can claim having had some form of it at some
time. Since puberty plays a role in the onset of acne,
the condition usually appears during the teenage years.
However, it can extend to age 25 or over, particularly
in women. Mild cases need no treatment, or if necessary,
only some external treatment. But some severe cases may
require internal and external treatments. If untreated,
the acne can leave permanent scars when it recedes,
which can result in embarrassment and emotional stress.
(a) Acne mostly attacks adolescents. The male
patients outnumber the female patients.
(b) The skin rash tends to appear on the face, neck,
back, chest and shoulders, where sebaceous glands
are plentiful.
(c)In the beginning, the comedones (small cysts
formed in hair follicles) appear. Those which are
gray-white or skin colour are refered to as
white-heads comedones while those with black top are
called black-headed comedones.
When these comedones get infected,they turn into red
papular eruptions, the size of a millet grain. The
top of some of these eruptions may develop small
pus-pockets, and some may develop various kinds of
lesions such as nodes, abscess, cysts and scars,
often accompanied by excessive seborrhea (sebum
secretion).
(d) Severe acne may have pus-filled sacs that break
open and discharge fluid. Soreness, pain, itching
may accompany the bumps.
(e) The clinical course is slow. The skin comedones
appear in one place after another.
Many
clinical studies have reported in China that
Ttraditional Chinese Medicne (TCM) treatments have
reduced acne in more than 70 percent of the people who
have tried these alternative techniques.
This ailment,
according to TCM, has different syndromes. The treatment for
these syndromes using herbal medicine and acupuncture is shown
below.
Syndrome (a)
Damp-heat
in the Lung and Stomach
A
person with damp-heat in
the lung and the stomach will have a face that is
flushed and greasy. The skin rash is mainly in the form
of red papular eruption and pus-pockets. It is often
accompanied, to varying degrees, by itching and pain.
Other possible symptoms include ozostomia, an
inclination towards cold drinks and constipation. The
tongue would be red with a yellow, greasy coat. The
pulse is usually rapid.
To treat byHerbal
medicine Therapeutic principle: Herbal medicine can help
remove damp-heat from the
lungs and the stomach, as well as clear away heat and
toxic material from the blood.
Prescription/Formula: Modified PipaQingfei Yin.
Loquat leaf (pipayi), Mulberry bark (sangbaipi),
Scutellaria (huangqin), Phellodendron (huangbai),
Capejasmine fruit (zhizi), Moutan bark (mudanpi) at 9 g
each; Coptis (huanglian), Licorice (gancao) at 6 g each;
Rehmannia (shengdihuang), Red peony (chishao), Gypsum
fibrosum (shigao), Capillaris (yinchen) at 15 g each.
To treat by Acupuncture and
Moxibustion Therapeutic principle: Acupuncture and
moxibustion helps eliminate damp-heat from the lungs and
the stomach, and can clear away toxins from blood by
using points mainly from Large Intestine meridian of
Hand Yangming and Stomach meridian of Foot Yangming.
Syndrome (b)
Phlegm
stagnancy
Phlegm stagnancy may cause repeated relapses and
persistent courses of the disease. The skin rash mainly
takes the form of node, cysts and scarring.
To treat by Herbal
medicine Therapeutic principle: Herbal medicine helps
remove thick stagnant phlegm in order to soften lumps.
This promotes blood circulation by removing blood
stasis.
Prescription/Formula: Modified Haizao Yuhu Tang.
Chinese angelica root (danggui), Ligusticum
(chuanxionga), Red peony root (chishao), Red sage root
(danshen), Forsythia (lianqiao) at 12 g each; Seaweed
(haizao), Ecklonia (kunbu), Prunella spike (xiakucao) at
15 g each; Pinellia tuber (banxia), Green tangerine peel
(qingpi), citrus peel (jupi), Fritillary bulb (beimu) at
9 g each.
To treat by Acupuncture and
Moxibustion Therapeutic principle: Acupuncture or
moxibustion can remove stagnant phlegm and blood stasis
by using the points mainly from the Spleen meridian of
Foot Taiyin.
Generally speaking, Qigong is good for healing
effect of this specific ailment, however
individual results may vary. It improves the
flow of the qi and the circulation of the blood,
so you'll experience more energy, but, you won't
see/ feel any immediate effects, as with many
exercises and therapies, it takes a few weeks or
even months of practice before you'll see any
significant improvements.
For the information of different types of Qigong
,just click a link above.
This information is for education purpose only.
We strongly advise you seek a licensed Qigong
master to learn the correct ways to conduct
these exercises before attempting them.
(b) Medicated diet
1) Take less amount of greasy, sweet food,
refrain from drinking alcoholic and soft drink
or eating irritating food with a pungent hot
taste.
2) Eat more vegetables, fruit and try to keep
the digestive canal free from disturbance.
(c) Life style
1. Wash your face frequently with warm water and
soap.
2. Do not press or squeeze the affected part.
3. Take less amount of greasy food, sweets, and
refrain from drinking alcohol and soft drinks or
eating irritating food with a pungent hot taste.
Eat more fruits and vegetables and try to keep
the digestive canal free from disturbance.
4. Try to reduce emotional stress.
Acknowledgments:
Healthphone.com greatly acknowledges the support
and dedication of our
Healing Centre Panel, without whom this
section would not be possible.
We also greatly acknowedge Ms. Najaf Munir,
MBBS, for her editorial support. Ms. Munir
simplified the highly technical medical
documents into easy-to-read documents, for the
enjoyment and education of our numerous
visitors.