To understand Chinese way of treating acne better we are to understand what is Chinese medicine.
In plain and simple words, Chinese medicine is a multi-practice oriented method with special reference to acupuncture and prescription of herbal formulas.
The theoretical basis of Chinese medicine was developed in China for about 2,500 years. Nature and health & disease were viewed in the notion of two indispensable forces Yin (female) and Yang (male). Diseases were looked as an imbalance between Yin and Yang. Therefore, a Chinese doctor treats different diseases with different Chinese herbs that restore the balance.
Health and disease and nature were further expanded into other concepts:
Three fundamental substances
Five elements
Six environmental forces
Seven emotional factors
Eight principal symptoms
Twelve internal organs
Fourteen meridians, and other notions.
According to Chinese medicine, imbalance within any of the above causes different diseases.
Cause of Acne
Traditional Chinese remedy believes that the six external environmental forces cause different diseases including acne. The six forces are:
Wind
Cold
Heat and summer heat
Dampness
Dryness
Fire
When an environmental force causes acne, it becomes the underlying imbalance responsible for it. Chinese physicians suggest different Chinese herbs to reinstate the balance.
What Chinese Herbal Medicine does?
In Chinese herbal treatment, mixtures of herbs are selected for effects that can be divided into four groups:
Supplementing or strengthening
Consolidating or redistributing qi (energy) and vital fluids
Dispersing or circulating qi and fluids, to relieve stagnation or accumulations of heat, cold, or dampness
Purging, to relieve conditions related to blockage or excess and sometimes to eliminate toxins from the body
In the case of acne, Chinese physicians generally believe it as a result of the environmental force of heat. When a person has a weakening digestive system, coupled with a higher dietary cholesterol intake, the body will produce excessive toxic substances that flow into the bloodstream and body fluids. This condition shows itself as an imbalance due to the overflow of Yang, causing excessive heat.
To restore the imbalance, in Chinese herbal treatment method, herbs that have the effects of relieving stagnation or accumulation of heat, and of purging toxins from the body, are generally advised for treatment.
Homeopathic acne products have turned out to be extremely fruitful for many. This has brought some serious competition among the homeopathic acne product manufacturers. This is good for acne sufferers. However, it has also paved the way for some low quality or rather unsafe products in the markets.
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