Traditional Chinese Medicine Acne Treatment

This article gives an overview of Traditional Chinese Medicine acne treatment.

Acne is a problem that causes great physical and mental trauma to those that suffer from it, especially during adolescence, though it may not appear to be a grave or dangerous condition that is life threatening.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) therapy is an option for patients that do not respond well, or respond poorly, to conventional medical treatment.

Unlike conventional treatment for acne, TCM does not have any harmful side effects that will hamper its effectiveness, and thus is a very good option for those looking for a practical and effective alternative option to clear acne.

Causes of Acne, as described by Traditional Chinese Medicine

As per TCM, acne is considered a condition that is primarily related to the pathogenic influence of heat and damp heat on the meridians. This heat may be due to deficient diet, stress, congenital or due to high Yang energy.

The mechanism behind this imbalance accumulates heat which affects the lung or stomach meridians, from where it spreads to the skin surface of the face, chest, etc via an inflammatory response. If this heat enters the blood or transmutes to toxic heat, then lesions are formed.

Emotional health is also considered to be one of the causative factors for acne. Emotions such as depression, sadness, loneliness, anxiety and stress cause imbalances in the body information system. This causes stagnation of Qi (or Chi) energy (life energy) and causes further imbalances in Heat and Dampness, which will manifest on the surface of the skin, as acne.

Basics of Traditional Chinese Medicine Acne Treatment

The fundamental principle in Traditional Chinese Medicine acne treatment is to clear the heat from the body. This will help alleviate the underlying cause that is blocking the flow of energy, which is the cause of the disease.

Even in TCM, the approach for Traditional Chinese Medicine acne treatment adopted may have varying effects. Acupuncture will most likely provide relief from symptoms, but TCM herbal medicine provides a long term treatment modality which is the preferred treatment modality for acne.

If acupuncture is prescribed to resolve acne lesions, then the treatment called “surrounding the dragon” is carried out, where needles are placed in the area surrounding the area of acne for 20 minutes.

Also, ear acupuncture as a modality may be used, in points corresponding to the lung, stomach and endocrine system, to clear acne via TCM.

In addition, Qigong (or Chi Gong) may be used as a method for treatment of acne, though that happens rarely when compared to acupuncture and herbal medicine.

Having read about acne TCM treatment, you may also be interested to read the other related Traditional Chinese Medicine articles.

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