Rosacea is an inflammatory skin disease. The onset is generally transitory and manifests itself with emotional stress, alcohol intake, and intake of hot and / or spicy foods. Over time, the condition often becomes fixed and chronic with little or no change in intensity.
Traditional Chinese Medicine recognizes that the causes of rosacea are the stagnation of qi (energy) that generates heat in the digestive organs: the liver, stomach and gallbladder. The internal tracts of the digestive organs flow through the surface of the face, the nose, the cheeks and the sides of the face, revealing a condition of internal heat and stagnation within these organs.
What Causes Rosacea?
1) Stress, both emotional and physical, is the leading cause of rosacea. One of the first areas of the body to respond negatively to stress is the digestive system. Acute stress weakens digestive function, and chronic stress greatly weakens it. Many modern people have significant intolerances to certain foods. The problem is not so much the food itself, but the person’s ability to handle and process certain foods. The digestive system has the constant task of converting food into energy and blood. Because it has a significant workload, it is especially important that it remains strong, allowing proper circulation and function of each of the organs involved.
2) Two other causes are poor nutrition and bad eating habits. A diet that is abundant in rich, fatty foods and chocolate requires much more digestive energy to process. These foods tend to weaken digestive function and cause simultaneous stagnation of energy in that area as well. Also, wine (especially red wine), coffee (tea is a better option), and spicy foods are very hot and fuel the pre-existing heat and inflammation of the condition.
3) To support the digestive process, the ideal is to eat in a calm and relaxed environment. Today, many people eat in the car, on the run or in a chaotic environment. Meals should be simple and for those who have rosacea and / or food intolerances, a suitable combination of foods is recommended.
4) An environment that is hot will also add to the pre-existing internal heat condition by mixing it internally. Generally, people diagnosed with rosacea will tend to see it get worse as the outside temperature rises.
Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine offer the ideal solution for treating rosacea. Acupuncture can be used to correct the function of the central nervous system, minimizing the negative effects of stress and making a person more resistant to negative stressors. This alone will help regulate and strengthen the digestive system. Treatment can also be aimed directly at restoring proper function of the digestive system.
There are many Chinese herbal formulas that can be used to safely and effectively eliminate rosacea, many of which have been used for hundreds of years. The herbs in these formulas reduce heat, regulate qi, and promote movement in organs, restoring circulation to the digestive system. Often, quite quickly, the condition of renewed internal balance is reflected in the internal pathways of the face.
Conventional treatment for rosacea includes antibiotics and topical creams. This is the wrong treatment for this condition because none of these solutions address the root cause of the condition. A person suffering from rosacea will have to use these medications indefinitely and antibiotics cannot be taken indefinitely, as the use of antibiotics will upset the delicate balance of flora in a variety of areas of the body.
“Your health is the foundation of your life.”
June 7, 2010
By Lisa Bernazani, M.Ac., Lic.Ac., Chinese Herbal Medicine
Middle Path Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine, Cambridge, MA