Atopic dermatitis, also known as atopic eczema or allergic dermatitis, is one of the most common skin diseases of modern, affluent societies. This eczema is often associated with other allergic conditions such as hay fever, nut and food allergies, and asthma. Severe atopic dermatitis is a stubborn variant which  deviates from the usual presentation and […]

"What should I eat?" That is the question I am asked most often by skin patients in my Traditional Chinese Medicine practice. They ask it in a tone of despair and frustration, because they have already been avoiding various foods on the advice of health writers, bloggers, nutritionists and naturopaths, and yet their skin condition […]

Clostridium difficile, or c. difficile, is an aggressive bacteria which causes intestinal infections and colitis in patients treated with antibiotics, often in a hospital setting. The infection causes symptoms such as extreme watery diarrhea with blood, intestinal cramping and urgency, abdominal tenderness, fever, and progressive weakness and weight loss. As it is, this infection tends […]

One category of skin diseases with interesting visual manifestations is the “lichen” group, so named because the different types resemble the lichen that grows on rocks and trees. They are generally dry, rough, thickened, or hardened clusters of skin bumps or plaques, and rather than showing the fiery-red inflammation of psoriasis, eczema, and other forms […]

Fungal and yeast infections of the skin are some of the most common and tenacious dermatological complaints. Parasitic organisms that colonize the skin of susceptible individuals produce these infections. They particularly like warm, moist places such as the feet and groin. If the infection is recent and has not occurred before, it might easily be […]

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is fast becoming global medicine, spreading from its traditional home in Asia to all of Europe, Australia, North America and Africa. The professional online forum that I belong to has members in all of these regions, some of whom work in hospitals or alongside medical doctors. In Japan, China and Taiwan, […]

Chinese Medicine Can Help You Turn Down Your Internal Thermostat Feeling hot hot hot!! One of the fundamentals of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) theory is that the external climate can and does, very much, influence our health. “Summer-heat” is considered one of six external causes of disease, along with wind, cold, damp, dryness and fire. […]

Eczema of the hands is a very interesting skin condition, although this quality may well be lost on sufferers whose lives are undeniably impaired by it. It is indeed very difficult to attend to daily tasks while the hands are covered in blisters, open wounds or deep fissures. However, hand eczema is a very satisfying […]

Vitiligo is characterized by loss of pigment (melanin) in the skin, leading to bleached white spots, which may spread over a large part of the body. Auto-immunity is suspected as the cause of this condition. Western medicine prescribes some form of immunosuppressive therapy, such as topical steroids, but readily admits that it doesn’t work, and […]

Crohn's disease and Colitis are inflammatory diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Colitis affects only the rectum and occasionally the lower colon, whereas Crohn's may affect the GI tract from mouth to anus, but most commonly the small intestine. The main symptoms, common to both conditions, are relapsing bouts of severe and frequent diarrhea occasionally mixed […]

Allergic disorders are varied in kind and increasing in frequency in the industrialized world. They range from respiratory conditions such as seasonal “hayfever” and asthma to food allergies and skin disorders such as atopic eczema. Potentially deadly anaphylactic allergies to peanuts are becoming more and more common, despite the fact that we in the West […]

Chinese Herbs Help Clear Blood Stagnation Caused by Toxic Heat Build-up The primary feature of rosacea, as the name suggests, is flushing. This inflammatory condition is transient at first, triggered occasionally by alcohol, spicy food or the “heat” of emotional stress. Over time, if untreated, it can become permanent, without any ebb and flow. Rosacea […]

Updated August. 15, 2021 Psoriasis is a relatively common skin disease, occurring in about 2% of the population. Onset is usually between 10 and 30 years of age, and tends to run in families. In its most common form. it presents itself with thickened patches of inflamed, red skin, covered with waxy silvery scales which […]