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.
Dermatitis is a skin inflammation caused by a
substance that has touched the skin. This may be a harsh
chemical or a detergent or soap that directly irritates
the skin. On the other hand, the substance may produce
an allergic reaction that can appear five or six days
after the contact or, less commonly, after years of
repeated use.
(a) Primary contact dermatitis usually attacks the
patient abruptly without an incubation period, while
allergic contact dermatitis has an incubation period
of between 5 and 21 days.
(b) The part with the skin lesion is just the part
of contact, with a clear edge. It may also attack
the surrounding areas of the contact area or attack
other parts of the body. This is due to scratching
or rubbing of clothing. There are also cases in
which the dermatitis spreads through the whole body
due to high sensitivity.
(c) In mild cases, it is manifested by erythema
(redness due to dilatation of capillaries near the
skin surface), papular eruption and swelling, but
severe cases may involve vesicles, large blisters,
erosion, scab, or even ulcer and necrosis (tissue
death).
(d) There is a feeling of itching and burning heat
in varying degrees. A severe case may have burning
pain accompanied by general discomfort.
(e) When the pathogenic (disease causing) facts have
been removed, or when proper treatment has been
given, the skin lesion will disappear in a few days.
Otherwise, the course will develop into a chronic
one as with chronic eczema with serious changes on
the affected part.
**Most of cases can be treated effectively by Chinese
herbal medicine and acupuncture therapies. Acupuncture
is seldom used alone for contact dermatitis; it is often
used in conjunction with the herbal remedies
This ailment,
according to TCM, has different syndromes. The treatment for
these syndromes using herbal medicine and acupuncture is shown
below.
Syndrome (a)
The Damp-heat Type
The
damp-heat type will have an abrupt onset of the
inflammation, but only a short course of it. There may
be swelling, papular eruption, vesicles, erosion,
exudation and a painful itching. The tongue would be red
with a sticky yellow fur, while the pulse is slow.
To treat byHerbal
medicine Therapeutic principle: Herbal medicine can remove
heat and dampness
factors.
To treat by Acupuncture and
Moxibustion Therapeutic principle: Acupuncture or moxibustion
can eliminate damp-heat by
using points mainly from Large Intestine meridian of
Hand Yangming and Stomach meridian of Foot Yangming.
Prescription/Formula: Hegu (LI 4), Quchi (LI 11),
Neiting (ST 44), Weizhong (BL 40), Xiaxi (GB 43).
When the inflammation is caused by
blooddryness,
the course of the inflammation is a protracted one. The
skin lesion becomes thick and coarse with the surface
covered with scratch marks, bloody scabs, or
pigmentation. Severe itching accompanies all of these
symptoms. The tongue is usually pale, covered with white
fur. The pulse is slow.
To treat by Herbal
medicine **Therapeutic principle: Nourish Blood and
eliminate Wind to stop itching.
Prescription/Formula: Modified Danggui Yinzi.
Chinese Angelica (danggui) 15g, Fresh Rehmannia
(shendihuang) 15g, Red Peony (chishao) 15g, White Peony
(baishao) 15g, Red Sage Root (danshen) 15g, Fleece
Flower Root (heshouwu) 15g, Astragalus (huangqi) 24g,
Xanthium (cangerzi) 15g, Licorice (gancao) 9g.
To treat by Acupuncture and
Moxibustion Therapeutic principle: Acupuncture or
moxibustion can nourish the blood and
eliminate wind by using
points mainly from the three Yin meridians of Foot.
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. Baical Skullcap Root(huangqin) 3g,
Lightyellow Sophora Root(kushen) 6g. Decoct the
herbs and drink it as tea daily. It is
applicable to
the damp-heat type.
2.
Chinese Angelica (danggui)
50g, one hen(ji). Stew the hen with the herb,
take the soup frequently. It is applicable to
the deficiency of blood
type.
(c) Life style
1. Find out the cause of the disease, eliminate
the pathogenic (disease causing) substance if
possible and avoid further contact.
2. Avoid scratching, rubbing, bathing with hot
water or soap water.
3. Seafood and irritating food with spicy
flavours should not be eaten.
4. Avoid constipation.
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.
