If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
Q: My child has acne and the dermatologist we have been going to just keeps giving them antibiotics.
The problem got slightly better but now they want them to keep taking antibiotics long term. I am concerned about this, and the long term effects of the drugs on my child. Is there anything that acupuncture, Chinese medicine or other holistic therapies can do to heal this?
A: Thank you for your question, and it is a common question indeed!
First of all, the presence of acne (usually in adolescence) is a manifestation of a systemic disorder from a Chinese medicine perspective. Therefore, in order to attempt to cure the acne, one MUST address the reason the acne is there in the first place. From a Western medicine perspective often the finger is pointed at “hormone imbalance” as the cause of acne. However, if this were the case then all teenagers would have acne, which is not the case. The question of “why are the hormones out of balance?” needs to be asked on an individual basis. This will then assist in getting down to the bottom of the issue, and therefore the cause of acne. When this is done in a thoughtful and educated manner, then their is hope for finding a cure for that acne sufferer.
From my Chinese medicine experience, usually the child’s diet is a major factor in contributing to the cause of acne. In addition, the gut’s micro flora (healthy gut bacteria such as L.Acidophillus, etc.) which is in part responsible for the proper breakdown of food, is often wiped out due to repeated courses of antibiotics. This is true because as the antibiotics attack the infection causing bacteria, they ALSO DESTROY HEALTHY, IMMUNE ENHANCING , HEALTH PROMOTING BACTERIA that lives in your body. Unfortunately, this will, in the long run hinder the person’s ability to assimilate food and nutrients, and will cause a weakening of the person overall. Of course, this does not lend itself to a healing environment of the body-mind.
Therefore, the Chinese medicine holistic time-tested approach to treatment is one that takes into consideration the entire person, and their unique lifestyle, diet, stresses, etc. This is the way to promote long term systemic health. Health not just for the skin, but for the entire person’s well-being. The skin is just an external manifestation of the health of the internal environment of the body.
For treatment usually what we recommend is a combination of modifying what one is eating so as to not promote infection causing foods. This change, in combination with getting the whole person back into homeostasis or balance from an energetic or “Qi” standpoint, will help the person heal. In addition, to teach each individual about their constitution so they can learn about exactly what makes them healthy, because everyone’s health needs are unique and different. All these methods are coupled with topical use of true essential plant oils in an aloe gel base that help the skin heal externally, while simultaneously healing the internal environment for a long term cure.
Please write with questions on your or a family member’s health & what you would like have answered to info@RootandBranchOM.com.
Geoff and Eileen DePaula are licensed acupuncturists from the Root and Branch Oriental Medicine, located at 77 West Main Street, Suite 205 in Hopkinton, Massachusetts. For more information on their practice, go to www.RootandBranchOM.com, or call 508-435-8184 to set up an appointment.
Fatal error: Call to undefined function: related_posts() in /homepages/11/d120737606/htdocs/acneinfotoday/wp-content/themes/mandigo/single.php on line 70