Traditional Chinese Medicine and Western style medicine both agree that diet and life style can help prevent acne. Chinese medicine by its very nature focuses on the deeper causes of any ailment and can as such be considered a more holistic approach.
What is Acne Anyway?
The term acne defines a range of skin conditions that are usually caused by clogged pores. The worst and most severe kinds can result in big and painful cysts or pustules, which can lead to scarring.
Besides this, acne typically fails to pose any other threat to one's health, aside from low self esteem and possibly depression. This is due to the majority of lesions appearing on the face, with a lower incidence on the chest and back. The obvious nature of facial acne makes it hard to avoid and ignore.
Chinese & Western Medicine: What's the Difference?
When it comes to the treatment of acne, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Western medicine differ greatly.
Western medicine acknowledges factors such as stress and naturally oily skin as contributing to outbreaks though focuses on treating outbreaks with "topical" methods (topical referring to creams or ointments applied to the skin.) In many situations the suggested behavioural approach of eating a proper diet and living a healthy lifestyle won't be enough to prevent outbreaks.
Traditional Chinese Medicine by comparison views outbreaks of acne as resulting from a lack of harmony within the body. It is often times viewed as a build up of "heat". In TCM, heat refers not to actual body temperature but rather to the levels of various forms of "Chi" (qi) or life force/ energy within the body. Blockages or disruptions in the flow of this energy are thought to be the source of most physical ailments.
As a result, acupuncture aims to treat the cause of this heat build up and as such can be instrumental in curing the condition and preventing a relapse. "Meridians" or points on the body that lie along the chi channels are often the target of acupuncture treatment.
How Does Acupuncture Work?
Acupuncture therapy is typically an ongoing process, which treats the chronic or "deeper" bodily imbalances, rather than the symptoms. As such, treatment will need to be ongoing over a period of days, weeks or months.
In severe cases, treatment first focuses on the chronic or acute problems. In such situations, patients may be advised to omit certain foods from their diet and often times take herbal medicine in conjunction with acupuncture.
In the most severe situations, acne pustules may be treated directly with needles. This can be done in one of two ways; the first being by inserting needles into the skin around the cyst or lesion. The second approach is more similar to Western medicine and involves lancing the cyst with a needle to allow the pus to be drained. The latter is only really effective or useful when done together with treatment of the deeper cause.
Conclusions
In conclusion, acupuncture can be an effective weapon in the fight against acupuncture, though needs to be viewed as a long term solution rather than a "quick fix". It's best to find a trusted and qualified practitioner who can explain the philosophy and treatment in plain terms prior to going ahead.
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