Skin Conditions
Skin problems are an external manifestation of an internal problem. The naturopathic approach to skin conditions involves addressing the underlying causes of skin problems and in most cases, teaching people how they can lessen or even eliminate their problem on a long term basis, without the use of drugs. Conditions like acne, eczema, psoriasis, rosacea, chronic fungal or bacterial infections, seborrheic dermatitis, chronic hives, diaper rash, and dermatitis herpetiformis all typically respond very well to the naturopathic approach.
Conventional medicine typically approaches skin problems with topical treatments, most commonly corticosteroids. Topical steroids often provide immediate relief from symptoms, but do not cure the problem. Rather, they suppress the body's inflammatory signals so rashes only appear to get better. Suppression is concerning because there is the potential for the condition to be pushed deeper. In practice I often see children whose eczema has been suppressed with corticosteroids develop asthma. Eczema, on the surface, may not seem related to asthma, however in the cases of these children the asthma is a deeper expression of the suppressed eczema.
In addition, corticosteroids can decrease immune function in the skin making the skin more susceptible to bacterial or fungal rashes. People using topical steroids to "treat" eczema may be more likely to develop impetigo which is a bacterial (staph or strep) infection in the eczema affected areas.
As was mentioned before, skin conditions are an external expression of an internal problem. The internal problem must first be addressed before the skin condition can heal.
Find out more about natural medicine's approach to:
Acne
Eczema
Read Dr. Esposito's articles about skin conditions on the Skin Health articles page.
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