The idea that acupuncture can work for Acne or other skin conditions seems foreign to some people. When you think about it our largest organ is the covering around our body that we call, skin. Through it our body tries sometimes easily and sometimes with great effort to ‘get rid of toxins’ that are on the inside and could do harm to you.
The old saying, “you are what you eat”, it true. Foods high in chemicals or coloring are not digestible. Other toxins our bodies can’t always remove are air-borne chemicals. Allergies also can cause skin conditions. We recommend allergy elimination treatment. The normal method of elimination is going to the bathroom which isn’t always enough. So to protect your heart, kidneys, and other vital organs we push the poisons out through the skin literally!
In Chinese Medicine and Naturopathic science, we refer to physical conditions as heat toxins and yes acupuncture treats acne and skin conditions. This chapter from my upcoming book focuses on what Chinese medicine and other natural medicine can assist you. Also you’ll find plenty of ideas for home.
Skin Conditions That Acupuncture Treats
Those whiteheads or cysts are full of puss all over your face and back are your body is trying to push out junk. What kind of junk depends on your diet and habits. As kids we’re told its greasy foods but it’s more likely the whole super size quick meal than just the fatty hamburger.
Do you have blackheads or other conditions? Acupuncturists’ call this dampness and acupuncture can help your body balance this so you look young and have great skin.
Acupuncture can help end your nightmare with acne and reduce the redness. Our skin is built from the inside out so working with an acupuncturist that also does facial rejuvenation can be a bonus. We help you rebuild collagen, reduce wrinkles, and give you smooth, shiny skin.
Facial Acupuncture And Herbs
How do herbs help you have that shiny glow and pretty skin? In Chinese medicine, herbs play a powerful role internally to help you detox in some cases and in others to decrease heat or dampness created by your environment. Skin conditions often have food sensitivities or allergies associated. These can occur from your digestion or the world around you.
Some patients get rashes, for instance, being outdoors around certain plants while others live near an industrial business. Even past exposure years ago can be the root of skin conditions.
Skin Rashes and Other Skin Conditions
Personally I experienced a severe skin rash. It had to do with a preservative in a particular food. It took three years to narrow it down. The simple cure for me was to avoid this food preservative. Yet before my skin would clear up I used herbs for dampness and heat along with acupuncture.
For Your Medical Doctor:
There are four areas of dermatology where Chinese medicine is useful for your patients. Chang Yang (skin sores), Pi Fu Ling (skin disorders, such as eruptions), Gan Men Bing (rectal or anus disorders, such as hemorrhoids), and Za Bing (digestive disorders).
If you’re working with a physician, acupuncture assists with inflammation in the body, balancing the digestive system and supports your western care.
A few herbal formulas we use to further encourage for healthy skin have excellent results without chemicals that may further irritate the tissues. These formulas treat acne, eczema, dermatitis, rashes, and psoriasis. Many formulas have been in use for many centuries.
The four herbs — Rhubarb (Dai Huang), Sophora (Ku Shen), Phellodendron (Huang Bai) and Skullcap (Huang Qin) — were placed under scientific study and were found to have antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral qualities. Clinical research indicated that Phellodendron (Huang Bai) is excellent in treating eczema.
Nutrients – Homeopathy – Herbs
When it comes to what is on the inside, your best food defenses are antioxidants for healthy skin. I know you’ve heard that vitamin C and E work well but why and what foods.
These two vitamins and your primary minerals increase collagen in the skin. This is the stuff that makes your skin wrinkle free and smooth.
Chinese medicine has terrific formulas that clear up skin fast and reduce flare-ups as previously mentioned. All these are available to both acupuncture patients and our online clients!
My “Fave” Foods
Guava, strawberries, pineapple, papaya, and lemons. Eat more broccoli, kale and mangos too. Going for the white potatoes keep the skin on!
“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food” ~Hippocrates
Essential Oils
Melaleuca, Alternifolia, Chamomile, and Lavender can all work for skin conditions. Of course we have these and more available for you through office. You don’t have to have acupuncture treatment to be a client. Our clients live throughout the USA and work with us by phone!
Mindset
Stress plays a big part in skin health. Each morning says to yourself, ‘I have a stress free day ahead and meet it with a radiant smile. ‘
“Health is not simply the absence of sickness.” ~Hannah Green
In our upcoming book, “33 Things Acupuncture Treats” you’ll learn about back pain, arthritis, even women’s health. Acne and Skin Conditions is one of many things we can help you with.
Interested in living healthy? Find out more by calling our offce. Call today!
In every cell of our body, there is intelligence. In New Thought, we might refer to it as Spirit. In Acupuncture, we call it Qi, in Vedi medicine [Yoga is rooted in this] it’s called breath. Homeopathy refers to it as Life Force.
It’s confusing to think of this energy as Spirit because it’s not it’s an essence of Spirit. It is intelligence that flows through a system acupuncturists call meridians. In Vedic or Middle-East acupuncture [far older than Ayurvedic or Chinese medicine], the Chakras which connect to meridians are also part of the system of creative energy.
These systems have names like Heart or Liver, in fact, all organs have a ‘meridian’ name and there are powerful meridian systems too like triple warmer to describe the 3 parts of the torso [upper/middle/lower]. The Pericardium, which isn’t an organ, is a Meridian too. It is the protective sheath around the heart. All meridians lead to the head/mind and an originate invitro in the Conception and Governing “vessels.” These run up the center of the body or down the back of the body where the spine is respectively.
Energy And The Emotions
Strangely, we have something called ‘race thought’ that also happens with emotions. Humans form a ‘group opinion’ about something and then it’s a common term or belief.
If someone experiences a romantic break up, we say they have a ‘broken heart.’ In Chinese/Vedic medicine, we use acupuncture ‘points’ on the heart or pericardium to treat this emotion.
Physical symptoms develop if the root emotion and mental power are not put back into balance. With a ‘broken heart’ emotionally we’re crying, sad, and unhappy. Mentally the patient may close off love from others, even Divine Love.
Physically if untreated the person experiences heart conditions including HPB.
Because meridians are all connected, other organs are affected. Small intestine and the Heart energy are partnered in Energy Medicine.
Audio Presentation from a recent Workshop With Debra
Meridians Are Energy Pathways
When we suffer from a broken heart or romantic issues in our life not only is our Heart Energy affected so is our Small Intestine. This powerful organ’s ‘energy’ influences the patient’s mental clarity, judgment, and powers of discernment. The ability to distinguish relevant issues with clarity before making a decision is attributed to the Small Intestine energy imbalance.
How much does your love life affect your mental clarity? When people don’t feel loved, they often don’t have good judgment. Look at divorce court or custody battles. Think about a time when a loved one passed on, what was your mental state?
When we see how this happens in the body physically, we might see indigestion or trouble with diarrhea or constipation. We have trouble ‘removing’ the nourishment from our food and then eliminating the –non-useable food material ‘to be clear’.
** If we eat food that isn’t clean, healthy, or contains things like preservatives our body doesn’t know what to do with these food contaminants and they have a reverse effect on the heart energy! It makes it harder to be open to receive love for instance. Our real heart suffers from cardiac disease due to diet.**
Dang! What Can I Do!
There is this exchange that occurs in our body. That appears first mentally, emotionally, and then physically. The key is to be proactive in your life. New Thought, is dynamic in this way of guiding us to release beliefs that hold us back from health.
Then our proactive health awareness is how we eat, what we eat, our idea around fitness and how we actively show up in life. This is fitness, but it’s our mental awareness of fitness for ourselves – not the image on a billboard.
Acupuncture Is A Proactive Medicine. Do It When You Don’t Need It.
Because not all acupuncture is the same, it may seem strange to go when you feel good. I can only speak for myself – Vedic/ME acupuncture is much more Spiritual and New Thought/Belief Based.
We ‘check-in’ with centering first. Then it’s a ‘touch’ thing. I sensing and asking questions to determine imbalances in areas of your emotions and mind thought. If you have pain or a physical problem, we now have the answer to this situation. In this example we decide is related say to ‘Heart’ or “Small Intestine’ Energy for instance.
Because we think of pain = acupuncture I want to touch on this.
Pain = Acupuncture Treatment
Let’s take back pain. Most people will have it once in their life or more. Maybe you were on a long plane flight.
Remember the meridians? Energy flows through all of these and the ones in the lower back where many travelers complain they get pain. These are: Bladder, Governing vessels or meridians, and off to the side and down the hips is Gall Bladder channel or meridian.
If we sit too long like a ‘kinked hose’ energy stagnates in the vessel or meridian. If we’re in good health on all levels, it flows once again effortlessly.
This is why when you’re in an auto accident there is emotional and mental trauma that is delivered with the physical and we can have soft tissue/muscle injury that is difficult to treat. The acupuncturist must also treat the mind and emotions or beliefs too.
A Quick Look At What Emotional/Mental Energy These Systems Possess
The Gall Bladder handles making decisions and judgments, as well as providing courage and initiative. This organ is sometimes called the Court of Justice or The General’s Advisor. Although the Kidneys control drive and vitality, the Gall Bladder provides the capacity to turn this drive and vitality into decisive action. The Gall Bladder has an influence on the quality and length of sleep. If the Gall Bladder is Deficient, the patient will often wake up suddenly, very early in the morning, and be unable to fall asleep again. Patient’s who are timid, indecisive, and easily discouraged by slight adversity, are said to have a weak Gall Bladder; conversely, decisive and determined patients are said to have a strong Gall Bladder.
An imbalance in the Bladder can cause such psychological symptoms as persistent fear, lack of decision-making capability and a diminished moral character. If the imbalance becomes chronic, it results in such emotional responses as jealousy, suspicion, and holding on to long-standing grudges.
Governing Vessel controls all the yang energy. When overactive, a stiff and painful neck or lower back occurs along with muscle spasms. The pain is made worse with movement and is better at rest. When there is a deep pain, the head feels heavy, vertigo occurs, and urinary retention and hemorrhoids occur. This meridian is usually activated along with other meridians.
What is Acupuncture?
It is inserting very tiny pins [not needles] beneath the skin….it’s much more, though…. In traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture is linked to the belief that disease is caused by disruptions to the flow of energy or qi, in the body. Acupuncture stimulates points on or under the skin called acupuncture points or acupressure points, releasing this qi. The qi then travels through channels called meridians, according to the Center for Spirituality & Healing at the University of Minnesota.
Did It Really Start In China?
Actually, the oldest documents are from 8,500 BCE in India where it was considered a surgical medicine like C-sections! This is 4,000 years before Buddhist monks went to China with their beliefs and medicine.
Therefore, What Is It Really…
It’s balancing the energy – perhaps the beliefs and disbeliefs in the body. Authentic Acupuncture relates to new thought traditions well because if there is a closed mind or disbelief it can ‘block’ the flow of life-force or Qi in the body and stop healing.
Before the ‘meridians’ can balance the mind must open and believe. Like Ernest Holmes said, we can only heal to the level of our belief – this tends to be true in the use of acupuncture.
**A patient believes they are ‘getting’ old and that’s why they have back pain, yet acupuncture relieves 50% of their discomfort. Now they ‘have faith’ in acupuncture and the care lasts longer, and they may experience further healing.
Therefore, it’s about balancing the energy of the body. All energy flows to the mind and the mind affects the flow.
So there is one style of Acupuncture?
Not all acupuncturists are the same either. I started out a homeopath and natural medicine practitioner. Licensing in acupuncture encouraged me to go back to school for four more years after interning in acupuncture with one of the top acupuncturists for several years. His style was a mix of Asian methods he learned in Asia.
In school, I had to study Chinese – the most known and what the national certification and licensing are based on. I also went on to learn Japanese, Korean, and yes Vedic and Egyptian. I am one of a handful doing Vedic and Middle East in the USA. These are not usually taught here and include Chakras, oils, vibration, and guided meditation. These types of treatments are more Spiritual-emotional based.
They too treat pain, women’s health, aging, digestion, and more.
What’d Ya’ Say? Acupuncture Treats More Things Than Just Pain!
Did I hear right acupuncture treats everything! Actually IMHO is not meant for everything. While we can be found on trauma sites like 911 helping with emergency acupuncture and doing CPR we specialize as providers.
For instance, I specialize in women’s health, aging, and pain management. This is a large area of problems. I have two patients right now working on fertility and I am part of their IVF program of care, and I have a few dozen women and a few men with issues related to aging or health. These include hot flashes, low energy, insomnia, digestion, autoimmune and yes pain from things like migraines to arthritis.
We support Western care often during other times we are the proactive care of choice. Like with injury, we may work alongside your medical doctor and PT to help rehab knee pain pre-post surgery. Alternatively, we may be the proactive care of choice to keep arthritis from progressing and ease the pain. The same goes for TMJ or hot flashes!
I Heard Something That Others Do Acupuncture Or Dry Needling Too!
Colorado is one of the few states left that allow Physical Therapists, Chiropractors, and others to do acupuncture treatment or dry needling without having a 4-year degree in this medical specialty.
In Colorado, a PT can take a 24-hour class and then do acupuncture or what they call dry needling. They are only supposed to do 14 points for a very limited type of pain. Many are practicing medicine, i.e., acupuncture without training and treating many other pain problems. **See Attached document about North Carolina for more on this issue nationwide.
My thoughts… Acupuncture and dry needling are deemed the same thing by DORA in Colorado. Because for a friendship between an employee at DORA and a PT they were allowed to add this to their scope of practice in limited fashion. Many states including Colorado have noted that this is not wise fo
r the public. More people are injured by needles being placed in the wrong place or incorrectly.
Perhaps it’s not in the best public interest and Colorado is likely to start paying attention to the fact most states have laws against this to protect the public.
Insurance – Dry Needling – Acupuncture
The Affordable Care Act – Sec. 2706 Non-Discrimination in Health Care – Colorado HB 11-1186 both mean you have acupuncture whether it’s called dry needling or acupuncture. Federal and State law say it’s part of physical medicine. You must ask questions and make sure you see an Authentic Acupuncturist as your health insurance may now list the benefit. Global health plans like Blue Cross or Medicare do not have to follow these laws.
This is the single reason everyone wants to do acupuncture even if they do not have a state license or have taken the national exam.
I believe healers remember their first patient. “Michelle” had migraines and I had migraines. After many medical doctors and drugs, she wanted to try something new. I was new and different because I do acupuncture and at that time, few people had heard of it. Acupuncture for migraines is an ancient remedy in Chinese Medicine.
Acupuncture For Migraines A Positive Move
Michelle came in excited at the idea she might be able to stop using prescription drugs. I, on the other hand, was nervous! After all, she was my first patient outside of my internship. She didn’t mind coming to my home it felt cozy she said.
It’s hard to believe that was over 20 years ago and today still, my favorite thing to help people with is migraines. Michelle’s migraine success still makes me smile. She didn’t do anything hard. She just used homeopathy, with acupuncture for migraines.
The first thing I notice was the heavy perfume. Michelle didn’t smell it as it wafted around her. On inquiry I discover she had migraines almost daily she told me as I gagged on the heavy scent of vanilla.
As we continued to talk, I found out she loved Victoria Secret and the Bath and Beauty stores at the mall. She had matching garments and matching body lotions for each set of clothing. Interestingly she loved the yellow color pairing it with Vanilla body lotion.
How Migraines and Chinese Medicine Work Together
Yellow is a color we associate with nourishment, support, and digestion in homeopathy. It also is the color in Chinese medicine for the Spleen and Stomach organs that also mean these things. Michelle had matching sets of yellow paired with Vanilla for 4 to 5 days a week.
As we dug deeper, Michelle was overwhelmed too. She was taking care of everyone else. She was the nourisher of her family a typical Spleen personality. Her husband worked long hours, she had to deal with four small kids alone and didn’t feel she had much support. She wanted to make his life as comfortable as possible and wanted to be attractive to her husband. These special gifts made her feel good – plain and simple.
Then the big question, “Have you noticed that your migraines happen on a particular color day?” “Often we know the answer. We sense it, feel it in our gut.
There was an enormous silence. She looked at her hands, then fidgeted her feet a bit. “Ah, maybe on the days I wear yellow?” she said.
Remember I was the nervous one now Michelle seemed uneasy but continued. “I worry a lot. My mom got fat after having kids so I don’t eat a lot. My husband didn’t seem to notice me even though I haven’t put on the weight until I started wearing these attractive undergarments. Now, well I feel appreciated sometimes.”
Homeopathy Along With Acupuncture Can Be Key
Worry and fear are emotions homeopathy and acupuncturists see with migraines due to Spleen and Stomach energy imbalances. Vanilla, a typical base scent in many perfumes and body lotions, triggers migraines for many users or family.
Michelle wasn’t eating enough, she also likely had an allergy to perfumes very common in migraine patients. These are not good things when we think acupuncture and migraines.
It took a few weeks but she stopped using vanilla scented products and we began moving healthy foods into her diet. Her headaches nearly stopped. We did acupuncture twice monthly once we were able to uncover a hormonal imbalance beneath the other problems.
My Inner Health Coach Enters The Picture
Now came the hard part. Talking about her mindset or what I like to call your personal spiritual journey. She worried a lot. Michelle had a story around her childhood and now she was repeating it as an adult.
We dug deep into some beliefs around her role as a mother, wife, and woman. Doing the style of treatment, I practice there is an element of looking at how our attitudes and beliefs interfere with our healing or aid our health.
It turned out Michelle obsessed over how to please others. The stress of trying to be perfect was adding to her migraines. She spent more time focusing on others over what made her happy. A cycle learned as many women from other women in our lives. She set up some special events, weekly personal times and other ideas Michelle came up with to nourish herself.
Within a year, Michelle was headache free. She was happier than she’d been in over a decade. She enjoyed more time with her husband and felt like a better mother. Was it acupuncture, was it the homeopathy or Chinese Medicine? Maybe it was the health coaching It was all of these and her desire to grow.
Health coaches spend a majority of their time working with people in this area as do acupuncturists. This is why some people who are terribly sick get well while those who should heal quickly linger. Belief systems play a significant role in health and wellness. It’s why cancer patients with a healthy outlook on life usually overcome their disease against odds, not in their favor.
Acupuncture isn’t a placebo, though. Our minds are powerful and can override the effects of illness and opposition in our reality. Examples of mental strength abound in stories of people living through battles or war.
3 Quick Questions To Ask Yourself
Do I take time for myself and my health?
Do I focus more on pleasing or helping others forgetting that I have to first care for me to be there for them?
Am I happy most the day living in the moment or do I dwell on yesterday or worry?
Acupuncture, homeopathy, and health coaching are a smart way to balance your life and health. They can help you have more health and happiness. It can help you show up in life for the ones you love in a better way too that set an example of confidence and joy.
images copyrights – Bigstock and Dreamstime
Names of our patients are changed to protect them and their families.
We are in network with most insurance providers, but because of Covid-19, not all plans cover benefits, even if you have insurance. The VA and Tri-West are covering acupuncture and light therapy.
