Is acupuncture useful for eczema?

Eczema is a type of skin disease. Generally speaking, people with weak body resistance and who are in a hot and humid environment for a long time are more likely to develop this disease. When people suffer from eczema, the impact on the human body is relatively large. Many small red particles will appear on the skin surface of the body and are often accompanied by itching. There are many ways to treat eczema, so is acupuncture useful for eczema?

Acupuncture is effective in treating eczema. Acupuncture and acupoint bloodletting are the main therapies used to treat eczema.

Main acupoints: Dazhui, Quchi, Hegu, Fengshi, Sanyinjiao and Ashi points.

Acupoints used for internal accumulation of damp-heat: Yinlingquan, Xufeng, Taodao, Feishu; Spleen deficiency and dampness-excess type: Pishu, Weishu; Blood deficiency and wind-dryness type: Geshu, Ganshu, Xuehai.

Use purgation method to treat damp heat. The rest used the method of equal tonification and equal purgation, 5 times a week. After acupuncture treatment, select the above-mentioned main points and auxiliary points for pricking with three-edged needle to induce bleeding, and then add cupping. The amount of bleeding from each point each time was 0.5 ml, twice a week.

Traditional Chinese medicine classifies eczema into several types:

(1) The syndrome of internal accumulation of damp-heat has an acute onset and a short course, which is seen in acute eczema. The skin is flushed, hot, swollen, with papules, blisters and erosions, much exudation, and obvious itching; accompanied by fever, dry mouth, irritability, constipation, yellow or red urine, red tongue, yellow or white fur, and a stringy, slippery and rapid pulse.

(2) The syndrome of spleen deficiency and dampness has a long course of disease and is often seen in subacute eczema. The skin lesions are red and swollen, the blisters are reduced, there is little exudate, the surface is rough, there is desquamation, itching, accompanied by poor appetite, abdominal distension, loose stools, teeth marks on the sides of the tongue, white and greasy tongue coating, and a slippery or slow pulse.

(3) The course of blood deficiency and wind dryness syndrome is long and is often seen in the chronic stage of eczema. The surface of the lesions is dry, thickened, rough, dark in color, or lichenified. There may be cracks in the joints, accompanied by desquamation, scratches, blood scabs, and pigmentation. Occasionally, there may be exudation and erosion. Conscious itching, especially at night and when emotionally stressed. Fatigue and dizziness, pale red tongue with little coating, and thin pulse.

Using traditional Chinese medicine's external treatments can avoid the problem of side effects from taking medications and find another way to treat and control eczema. Acupuncture and bloodletting, as a purely physical treatment method, have a benign two-way regulatory effect on the human body. They are clinically effective in treating eczema and are safe, reliable, and have no toxic side effects. They follow the principles of TCM differentiation and treatment and "strengthening the body's resistance and eliminating evil" to treat eczema patients, so as to achieve the effect of "maintaining positive energy within and preventing evil from interfering."