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Treating Eczema with Acupuncture

Eczema is a very common allergic skin condition that is marked by inflammation and dry, red or itchy patches on the skin. Many people suffer from this condition and are left with minimal solutions for this ongoing illness. The application of corticosteroid ointments or taking steroids orally is most commonly used, however it may not be in the best interest of the patient due to side effects and often don't give any long-term results.

Acupuncture is traditionally used in Chinese Medicine to treat eczema. A recent preliminary study by German researchers support the effectiveness of acupuncture. They found that acupuncture reduced skin inflammation as well as itching after an induced topical eczema as well reducing the flare up when the skin was re-introduced to the allergens.

Most skin conditions, such as dermatitis, psoriaisis, allergies, urticaria or hives, inflammation, dryness, itchiness, flaking, blistering, cracking and swelling can benefit from acupuncture. Moxibustion is also an effective treatment to consider for skin problems and can be used in combination with acupuncture. As the cause and severity of the eczema can vary from patient to patient it is difficult to predict how many treatments are needed to completely rid the body of the condition, however relief from the itchiness and improvement in the skin is usually noticed after the first two treatments.


Where and how do I make a booking?

Treatments are available from Observatory, Cape Town. Fill in the form on the contact page or phone the acupuncturist directly with the number supplied to make an appointment.
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Article taken from the American National Institutes of Health PubMed.gov website:

Allergy. 2010 Jul;65(7):903-10. Epub 2009 Dec 11.
Influence of acupuncture on type I hypersensitivity itch and the wheal and flare response in adults with atopic eczema - a blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover trial.
Pfab F, Huss-Marp J, Gatti A, Fuqin J, Athanasiadis GI, Irnich D, Raap U, Schober W, Behrendt H, Ring J, Darsow U.

Source
Department of Dermatology and Allergy, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany. florian.pfab@lrz.tum.de Abstract

BACKGROUND:
Itch is a major symptom of allergic skin disease. Acupuncture has been shown to exhibit a significant effect on histamine-induced itch in healthy volunteers. We investigated the effect of acupuncture on type I hypersensitivity itch and skin reaction in a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover trial.

METHODS:
An allergen stimulus (house dust mite or grass pollen skin prick) was applied to 30 patients with atopic eczema before (direct effect) and after (preventive effect) two experimental approaches or control observation: acupuncture at points Quchi and Xuehai [verum acupuncture (VA), dominant side], 'placebo-point' acupuncture (PA, dominant side), no acupuncture (NA). Itch intensity was recorded on a visual analogue scale. After 10 min, wheal and flare size and skin perfusion (via LASER-Doppler) were measured at the stimulus site, and the validated Eppendorf Itch Questionnaire (EIQ) was answered.

RESULTS:
Mean itch intensity was significantly lower in VA (35.7 +/- 6.4) compared to NA (45.9 +/- 7.8) and PA (40.4 +/- 5.8) regarding the direct effect; and significantly lower in VA (34.3 +/- 7.1) and PA (37.8 +/- 5.6) compared to NA (44.6 +/- 6.2) regarding the preventive effect. In the preventive approach, mean wheal and flare size were significantly smaller in VA (0.38 +/- 0.12 cm(2)/8.1 +/- 2.0 cm(2)) compared to PA (0.54 +/- 0.13 cm(2)/13.5 +/- 2.8 cm(2)) and NA (0.73 +/- 0.28 cm(2)/15.1 +/- 4.1 cm(2)), and mean perfusion in VA (72.4 +/- 10.7) compared to NA (84.1 +/- 10.7). Mean EIQ ratings were significantly lower in VA compared to NA and PA in the treatment approach; and significantly lower in VA and PA compared to NA in the preventive approach.

CONCLUSIONS:
Acupuncture at the correct points showed a significant reduction in type I hypersensitivity itch in patients with atopic eczema. With time the preventive point-specific effect diminished with regard to subjective itch sensation, whereas it increased in suppressing skin-prick reactions.

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