Using Acupuncture For My Eczema For the First Time

If you have known me for a while, whether in person or online, you know that I'm a big supporter of using Traditional Chinese Medicine to heal eczema naturally for the long-term. But, only with a skilled practitioner who studied some form of dermatology and has results from previous patients to prove it.

Turning to Traditional Chinese Medicine

Every time I have had a huge flareup due to stress, food, and lifestyle choices, I've always been able to turn to it reliably to help me recover. I just turned 35 last November and so far I have only had three major flare-ups each healing faster than the last. The first time I used Chinese medicine, it took 6 years to detox my digestive and immune systems from the 15 years of steroid use I had gone through. The second time was 8 years after that to heal from a spider bite infection that led to large regions of oozing rashes and that took 8 months to detox from. And this most recent round after indulging in all kinds of inflammatory food and drink from visiting Italy for the first time, I’m on my 3rd month with much progress already!

I'm only human

All of these situations could have been prevented with a very disciplined, clean eating lifestyle and regular stress management. But, I'm only human and I'm still in the process of mastering self-control. In the meantime, each of those three times I felt like I had put my body through so much toxicity, inflammation, and stress that Western medicine just didn't cut it.

Chinese Medicine and self-management

I have only ever experienced lasting recovery using Chinese medicine and the other two times I didn't even use acupuncture at all. The other two times for topical steroid withdrawal and the spider bite infection, I went to see the Chinese doctors and they would only give me herbs to drink and handmade herbal cream to use on my skin. And then once I was better, I could self-manage through maintaining a healthy diet, balanced lifestyle, and using eco-friendly products for sensitive skin.

My first time trying acupuncture

But this most recent time that I'm currently going through after visiting Italy, is the first time in my entire life so far that my Chinese medicine doctor also used acupuncture to help me heal my skin. While I think the source of my eczema has mostly to do with my digestion and immunity which are internal and greatly helped with herbs, it has been interesting to experience the benefits of acupuncture as well.

Herbs, cupping, and acupuncture

I find that with my current practitioner and her methodology, that the herbs continue to help me purge and cool down the inflammation internally. And that the cupping that she does on my back helps to relieve stress, pressure and improve circulation. In fact, now my back has the best, smoothest and thickest skin of my entire body! The acupuncture seems to do the same thing too as well as to also help my body temperature to cool down. It's a much more subtle effect than what I feel from drinking the really bitter, stinky herbs, but it definitely has an impact.

It takes time

As my skin becomes stronger, smoother and thicker, I find that I don't feel the sharp sensation of the needles as much as I used to. Sometimes I don't even feel them. Sometimes my doctor asks me if I feel them at all? So as with anything more naturally-based, it does take a little bit more time to work, but the results last much longer as well. So I think it's definitely well worth still trying this healing modality.

Have you ever tried Chinese medicine for your eczema? What has your experience been like with it so far?