[Oriental Medicine]Irritated skin reveals a society with issues
The social framework of all countries depends on our children, in whom lies the hope for a better future.Besides merely recognizing the value of our offspring, we must also be concerned with their healthy growth. Despite advances in modern medicine, the health of our youth is being threatened by “immune system disorders.”
The immune system effectively defends our bodies against myriad bacteria, viruses and other foreign particles that would otherwise inflict damage.
However, this life-protecting system is becoming increasingly susceptible to allergic diseases, notably atopic dermatitis.
Also known as eczema, this complaint is currently the most prominent of all developmental diseases in infants and children. It affects approximately 10 per cent of infants and its prevalence is increasing.
The terms dermatitis and eczema are used to describe skin conditions, including allergic contact dermatitis, photoallergic dermatitis and stasis dermatitis. Eczema is characterized by blistering, scaly, brownish, or thickened skin, which is usually itchy. Atopic dermatitis is a sub-type of this condition.
Western medicine has not yet found any specific cause for this disease. However, different factors like heredity, pollution, low quality food and mental stress are believed to be responsible.
Oriental medicine attributes infant atopic dermatitis to “pregnancy heat,” which suggests that the expectant mother produced excessive heat in her body during pregnancy.
Possible causes are mental stress and over-consumption of “hot” spicy foods, alcohol, or cigarettes. These causes eventually become manifest in heat-related symptoms, such as rashes, which occur mainly on the face and scalp, but also in the body joints of infants.
In teens and young adults, the patches typically occur on the hands and feet. However, the bends of the elbows, backs of the knees, ankles, wrists, face and neck may also be affected.
The skin is the body’s largest organ and is correlated with the lungs, according to Oriental Medicine. Atopic dermatitis suggests a lung yin-deficiency and should be treated with lung yin-supporting herbs, such as liriopis and asparagus, heat-relieving herbs, such as philodendron and talcum. Decoctions of different herbs can be applied internally and externally. Acupuncture treatments to regulate lung function and strengthen the immune system are important elements of a holistic approach to this disease.
In addition, moisturizing creams should be applied frequently to combat dryness. It is also important to avoid stress factors. For instance, infants should be breast fed as long as possible to prolong the oneness with their mother, as well as to delay the ingestion of “artificial” baby food. Factors that worsen symptoms, such as egg whites, wheat products, milk, oranges, pet hairs and dust should be avoided.
Ultimately, the increasing prevalence of childhood atopic dermatitis suggests that our basic attitudes towards health, the environment and our children must be questioned at a more profound level. We should strive to maintain a healthy environment for our children’s social, physical and mental well being
Raimund Royer is Medical Director of the International Clinic at the Jaseng Hospital of Oriental Medicine.
by Dr.Raimund Royer
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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