Skin Conditions
Skin problems affect more than 15 millions people in the United States. Factors like allergies, environmental irritants, genetics, medications, and immune system dysfunctions can all lead to skin problems like hives, eczema, psoriasis, rosacea, dermatitis, vitiligo, acne and other conditions. Conventional treatments include external creams, pharmaceutical drugs, or injectable medications such as anti-histamines, corticosteroids, or in severe cases, immunosuppressants, which turn down an overactive immune system when skin conditions result from an autoimmune condition. These medications can lead to side effects and also cause toxic build up in your body. Most of these treatments offer only temporary relief and do not address the root cause of the condition for long term resolution. At Tao of Wellness we use natural therapies like acupuncture, herbal medicine and nutritional therapy as non-invasive, safe, and effective methods to treat both your skin symptoms and the root causes of your condition to prevent future relapse.
How We Successfully Treat Skin Conditions
The skin is the largest organ of the body, making up about 10% of our total body weight. It serves to protect the insides of the body from external pathogens, as well as release heat and toxins through the sweat glands. In Chinese medicine, the proper function and nourishment of the skin is derived from healthy respiratory, digestive, and immune systems. When any one of these systems is out of balance, the skin manifests signs and symptoms. Poor diet, weak immunity, erratic lifestyle, stress, genetic makeup, and environmental factors all play a part in causing skin conditions.
When meeting with one of our practitioners, we will carefully inspect your skin, do a thorough intake of your current health condition, lifestyle, and diet, along with you and your family’s health history. You’ll then receive an individualized treatment plan for your skin which typically consists of acupuncture, oral and/or topical Chinese herbal medicine, and specific nutritional therapies. After all your questions are answered your treatment will begin.
Customized Therapies for Overcoming Skin Conditions
Customized Treatment Program
Each skin condition and each person is unique, and your treatment program will be just as individualized. Your treatments will be performed at the clinic, but you will also learn self-healing tools that you can implement in your daily life. What you do and what you eat each day will have a lasting impact on how you recover from your condition and keep it away.
Acupuncture
There are therapeutic points all over the body that aid in improving skin conditions. When stimulated with acupuncture, these therapeutic points assist in restoring immune function, thus promoting healing, and bringing proper blood flow to the skin. Acupuncture is especially important for skin conditions that are due to emotional issues like stress or anxiety. Learn more about acupuncture.
Chinese Herbal Medicine
Chinese herbal medicine has a long history that goes back to the third century BC. There are a variety of herbs that help treat different types of skin conditions. Certain herbs help to nourish and moisten skin that is dry, flaky and itchy in conditions like eczema or psoriasis. Some herbs can release toxins and reduce inflammation in conditions like acne and rosacea. Chinese herbs can be used in different forms to help treat skin conditions. They can be ingested orally as a tea or pills, applied as an external ointment, or used as an external wash. Learn more about Chinese herbal medicine.
Nutritional Therapy
Nutritional Consultations
What you put into your body is going to ultimately reflect on your skin. Some foods can trigger a reaction in your body creating or further contributing to skin conditions. Chemicals and artificial ingredients can also elicit allergic reactions and aggravate your immune system. In general, for all skin conditions you should stay away from dairy, alcohol, sugar, caffeine, eggplant, bell pepper, processed foods, tomatoes, and deep-fried greasy foods. These foods can cause further inflammation to your system. Every patient receives nutritional information but a Nutritional Consultation goes further to provide a customized eating plan, complete with meals and snacks comprised from skin-healing foods, to initiate healing and keep you and your skin healthy over the long term.
Nutritional Supplementation
Taking probiotics such as acidophilis (3 to 5 billion organisms) is helpful for most skin conditions because it supports healthy immune function and aids in the elimination of waste and toxic substances. Depending on your skin condition, your doctor at Tao of Wellness will recommend supplements aimed at restoring healthy digestive, elimination, and neurological functions that may be the cause of your skin condition. Learn more about our nutritional therapy.
Face & Body Rejuvenation Program
Tao of Wellness has designed a protocol to specifically address skin conditions of the face, including fine lines, acne, age spots, dryness, swelling, and sagging. The protocol consists of all of the above therapies along with electrical stimulation of the face, herbal masks, facial tuina bodywork, and self-healing massage. This combination of therapies can encourage collagen production and hydration in thin or wrinkled skin, clear oil and toxins in skin that’s acne-prone or oily, and balance the skin elasticity in hyper-relaxed cheeks and neck as well as reduce tension in the jaw and forehead. Learn more about our face and body rejuvenation program.
Skin Condition Success Stories
“I have had psoriasis on the back of my neck for over 20 years. It was scaly and ugly. I kept it hidden under my long hair and the only one who knew about it was my hairdresser. I applied an herbal cream twice a day to the psoriasis. Within four days my neck was clear of the scaly, dry skin of psoriasis. I now am able to pull my hair back in a ponytail and no longer have to hide the back of my neck. It was a miracle. Thank you.”
“When I first came to Tao of Wellness, I had a large psoriasis patch 4 inches in diameter. Years of using expensive, powerful steroid creams had not made this patch go away. After using the Chinese medicine protocol given to me, the big, red, unattractive patch began to disappear. Several months later it was gone entirely. The combination of acupuncture treatments, Chinese herbal tea, and Chinese herbal cream worked miracles for my psoriasis. I couldn’t believe it nor could my family, who knew I had suffered with psoriasis for years. If you have eczema or psoriasis, don’t waste another moment.”
Very Quick Eczema Recovery
Cassandra is two years old and came to Tao of Wellness with eczema on her face, neck, arms, legs, hands, and feet. Her skin was red, dry, thick, and extremely itchy. Cassandra would itch to the point of bleeding. She would also get very irritated and the inflammation and itchiness would interrupt her sleep. She also had a chronic low-grade fever as a result of all the inflammation. During the day, Cassandra was tired and fussy as a result of all of this. Her parents were desperate, had tried other doctors and steroid creams to no avail, and had heard about our work through a friend.
Cassandra’s tongue showed clear inflammation as it was red, with red spots all over her tongue, indicating her blood was having a hard time dealing with something circulating inside her, and her body was trying to push it out through the skin. Cassandra had been dealing with this every day since food was first introduced when she was 6 months old. Allergy tests indicated she should avoid a long list of foods. Her parents limited her diet but it didn’t help. We learned that Cassandra was still eating sugar, dairy, and wheat and we immediately told her to stop these as they were likely causing a lot of the problems with her immune system. Cassandra’s parents were reluctant primarily as they had other children and they knew it would be difficult to have Cassandra eat a specific diet very different from everyone else’s in the household.
Before Cassandra left, we gave her pediatric acupuncture, which comprised of painless stimulation of several points on her body. She sat calmly during the one minute treatment. We sent Cassandra home with a topical herbal cream in addition to Chinese herbal tinctures designed to heal the skin and reduce immune hyperactivity.
Children tend to respond quickly and Cassandra’s case was no different. Three days later and she was already 50% better. She was sleeping through the night, her mood was much better and she no longer had a chronic low-grade fever. Most importantly, her skin was less swollen, less red, and almost completely free of the itchiness, which allowed her scabbed skin to start healing. Cassandra’s tongue redness was far reduced as well.
After acupuncture treatments were administered twice per week for two weeks, Cassandra was almost completely in remission. She had absolutely no itching, was adjusting to the new eating plan just fine, had no problems taking her herbal drops, and only had minimal pink tones to the affected areas of her skin. She has since moved to once weekly treatments and will soon move to a wellness phase in which we’ll treat her monthly to ensure that her condition does not relapse. As a benefit, Cassandra’s parents decided the other children were going to eat this healthier diet as well.
Natural Healthcare for Skin Conditions
Tao of Wellness was established in 1976 as a resource to address skin conditions. We strive to support you in mind and body, and invite you to make an appointment for your health and wellbeing. It would be our pleasure to serve you.