The number one question to ask about your skin care.

With so many different advertisements for both skin care products and treatments, we so easily get caught up in a frenzy of overconsumption, often times without any real help. Month after month, year after year, we may spend hundreds of dollars on our skin, but is it really doing any good?

So the number one question I tell everyone to ask themselves is this, “Is your current skin care regime working for you?” This question is particularly for those suffering with chronic skin disorders like psoriasis, eczema, acne, rosacea, etc. Are you actually getting better? Is your skin healing? Are you having fewer flare ups?

If you are getting better, then stick with it. Hopefully long term gain will be achieved and you will not have any dependancy on any product, or service, other than a good moisturizer and sound nutrition.

How easy it is to convince ourselves that a certain expensive product (because of the way it was extracted, or cold pressed, or what have you), or treatment (because it originated in France or Taiwan or is based on some fancy technology), is helping us, when in fact a whole year may have gone by and yet our skin is not much better than it was before. This goes for those all too often diagnosed “food allergies” like wheat, dairy, soy and eggs. If your skin still isn’t any better, and you have been avoiding these things for the past year, why do you think you are still allergic to those foods? Shouldn’t your skin be better by now?

I see this all the time in my patients. They come to me claiming they are allergic to some foods (usually based on some “new age” method of allergy testing) and yet the problem still exists. This makes no sense to me. If the problem was related to an allergy to a certain food, then the avoidance of that food should allow the skin to clear up – correct?

(Of course many people do have food allergies and/ or sensitivities, and these people should absolutely avoid these known culprits.)

The same is true for the long list of expensive vitamin supplements, lotions, creams, etc. that may have actually been prescribed by a “natural health” care provider. Again, if your skin is not doing any better after taking these products for say 4 or more months, then chances are they are not the right treatment choice for your skin problem. Maybe they are good for something else, just not your skin problem. Be honest with yourself.

Again a simple and easy question to ask, “is my current skin care regime working for me?” If it is not, then try something else. Try a different angle, like I suggested to me wife Gillian so many years ago.

Even if you have tried Chinese herbal medicine in the past and didn’t find good results. Question the approach. What was the skill set of your practitioner? How much training in dermatology did they have? How much actual success did they have with your particular problem? What kind of herbs did they use – raw and dried that you cook as a tea (better option), or was it in a capsule or powder format? It is important to ask questions.

When I treat a patient’s skin, depending on the actual problem, I usually like to see some type of change by the 8th or 12th week. If there is no obvious change by that time, then I will usually give up and recommend that they try something else. Skin disorders can be extremely stubborn and as such there really is no one perfect way to achieve success. I feel confident in my skills and I see many amazing changes in my patients, but it is certainly not perfect, and it is certainly not for everyone.

Always remember that different approaches do exist. Stay open and be honest with yourself as to your progress, or lack of. Ask questions and always remain hopeful and positive.

Wishing you health,

Dr. Trevor Erikson

 

Healing from the inside out

While the glossy ads with promises to cure every skin disease under the sun sound promising, they are usually nothing more than a bandaid. Whether it is a steroidal based cream or a bees wax based calendula salve, relief of symptoms may occur, but they in no way represent a cure of any sort. These remedies are only temporary at the best of times.

The truth is that the majority of  chronic skin disorders are stemming from inside the person, not just the outside. Different causes related to the nervous, hormone, immune, digestive, and circulatory systems are where the problem lies. Why else would a woman’s acne get temporarily better when they go on the birth control pill? Why do people with psoriasis have a higher risk of heart disease?  Why would certain food items trigger one’s eczema to flare up? The answer is very simple – because the problem is on the inside.

That is why proper treatment has to involve medicines that are ingested into the body, so as to correct the root causes of the problem. Good therapy for most skin disorders is a process of “healing from the inside out”. Creams, salves, lineaments, washes, ointments, or whatever product that one applies to their skin is good and can actually be extremely useful, but is of course limited in its ability to reach the depths of ones internal environment, where the real problem is.

Chinese medicine has always held this to be true, offering a wide range of treatments that suit an individuals needs. When I was a student Doctor in the dermatology ward of a busy hospital in Chengsha, China, I would see roughly 60 patients every morning. The range of skin disorders was huge, everything from psoriasis to the various forms of eczema from acne to warts, from vitiligo to rosacea, from rubella to peri-oral dermatitis. Every single patient, with the exception of many fungal disorders, would be prescribed a custom fit herbal tea to drink daily, as well as an external remedy to apply directly to the skin. Results were usually good, depending on the severity of the condition being treated.

Without the internal medicine, results can be superficial. Consider a story my very first herbology teacher, Dr. Terri Willard, told me way back in 1991. While not a doctor of Chinese medicine himself, he did have lots of good thinking and advice. He said,

“To remove the smell from a stinky garbage can, you have to clean it with soap and water. Scrub it out! Spraying lysol overtop will only hide the real problem, which is that the can needs a good clean.”

Consider the role of herbal medicines, for the treatment of most any skin disorder, to be a way to clean out the inside world in order for proper healing to occur. Combined with good dietary nutrition, herbal medicines are the best way to “heal from the inside out.”

Wishing you health,

Dr. Trevor Erikson

A trip to see a (Chinese medical) dermatologist

Many people inquire as to what to expect when they come and visit me, so I thought I would take a few minutes to illuminate the process.

First off, although the title seems broad, as in what to expect seeing any Chinese medical dermatologist, this blog piece is really about what people can expect coming to see me.

I am a Doctor of Chinese medicine who specializes in the natural treatment of skin disorders and different allergic conditions like asthma and hayfever (allergic rhinitis) – which are often related. (To get an understanding as to the depth of my training you can read my bio).

Upon a first visit, I spend the majority of my time gathering information about you. This includes the current skin or allergic problem that you now face and all the different ways in which it manifests and is helped or aggravated. I want to know about your family history, as many problems do have a hereditary link which is important to understand (being genetic does not mean the condition cannot be treated however). I want to know what you do for a living, ie if you are a health care worker having to wash you hands a lot, how you manage stress, any emotional links to your health condition, etc. I then want to know your overall health state; the health of your digestion, menstruation, sleep, aches and pains, headaches, energy levels, breathing, etc.

In Chinese medicine we also take note of the colour and shape of your tongue and the quality of your pulse. The findings of these two ancient investigations help us understand the inner workings of your body.

The last, and by far the most modern, way I gather information is to photograph your skin. The pictures I collect help both of us tremendously. It helps me in the times you are not present in the clinic to look with closer detail at your problem. It helps both of us remember how you used to be, so that we can properly judge if you have made improvements or not. I feel that the addition of the camera into any Doctor’s clinic, focusing on skin, is a total must.

I remember an 11 month old baby, I treated a couple of years ago, who came into the clinic wearing socks on his hands (a very common occurrence with the youngsters) so that he wouldn’t would be able to scratch his body – which was covered head to toe in eczema. The mother was exhausted and overwhelmed with the care she was giving her son, claiming that he would wake about every 30 minutes through the night in agony from the itch.

I proceeded to gather all my information, ending as I mentioned with the photographs. Several months later the mother came in with her son, frustrated that he was still itchy and was unsure if the treatment had worked or not. We then dug up his photos and from the site of them the mother came to tears as she remembered how bad he used to be.

The baby was no longer head to toe in eczema, but rather only had a few patches on his inner wrists and ankles. Yes he was still itchy and uncomfortable, but certainly no where near the degree he was at upon his first visit. The baby was also sleeping much better, now that the itch was much less. He only woke about 1 or 2 times in the night, rather than every 30 minutes as had been doing. (Improved sleep in toddlers is a good indicator that their level of comfort is improving).

The photographs in this babies case proved to be a powerful tool to monitor progress. Without them the child’s mother would have left feeling totally depleted and without any hope that her son would ever recover. Seeing the photos gave her increased faith in the power of herbal medicines. She was recommitted to the work of administrating the medicines to her child.

After I have gathered enough information, I then need to come up with a diagnosis. First off, I need to determine exactly what it is that you have. Do you have eczema or a fungal infection? Do you have vitiligo or tinea versicolour? The diagnosis of the actual skin disorder, in combination with your overall health state, allows me to create a detailed diagnosis of your problem. The diagnosis is what determines your treatment plan.

A sample diagnosis may look something like the following:

Psoriasis due to heat in the blood with fire toxin and wind.

You can see that the above diagnosis uses a well defined and known western disease name (Chinese medicine also has many names for psoriasis, but we usually stick to the western name in english), along with some added Chinese medical terminology that refers to distinct and deeper qualities of the psoriasis – thus making the original diagnosis of psoriasis much more refined.

A step further would like this:

• Psoriasis – skin rash with well defined characteristics and behavior
• Blood heat – refers to psoriasis lesions that are quite red in colour, probably still quite active, and has an easy to elicit auspitz sign (easily bleeds with pinprick points when scratched)
• Fire Toxin – the psoriasis is particularly aggressive, more widespread on the body, thicker lesions, and possibly a browner looking scale
• Wind – refers primarily to itch (not everyone with psoriasis has an itch) and the amount of scaling that is produced.

As you can see, the above presentation of psoriasis is very unique to one individual. Someone with psoriasis that is say only very lightly on the back of their scalp and is a very light pink colour, will have a totally different diagnosis and a totally different treatment plan/ formula of herbs.

The above diagnosis is also just referring to unique characteristics of the psoriasis itself. The information gathered about digestion, sleep, and other general health related findings will be used when it comes to designing a tailor made treatment plan.

After the diagnosis is finished, the treatment plan is designed. This will usually include some dietary and lifestyle adjustments, but most importantly (and unique to Chinese medicine) a herbal formulation will be made. Herbs may be prescribed to be used just as a wash, a tea to drink, or both. I may also prescribe one or more creams that I make specifically for my patients needs.

This whole process takes about an hour. Afterwards, it is really all up to you – the patient. Follow up visits are only about 20 minutes or so and are just a means to gather more information and monitor progress. They happen about every 2 to 3 weeks.  I encourage everyone to try to stick with their treatment plan for the length of time that I recommended. This is truly the only way we are going to know if the program will work for you or not.

Wishing you the best of health.

Dr. Trevor Erikson

Chinese medicine treats skin disorders effectively well!

Chinese herbal medicine is powerful. I have seen it help 30 year old psoriatic lesions disappear, chronic eczematous skin turn healthy, and acne stricken amenorrhic (non-ovulating) woman start menstruating regularly and become pregnant. Many would call the healing attributes of Chinese medicine to be “miraculous” but, to the Doctor of Chinese medicine, an individuals return to health is just a normal everyday occurrence.

Yes many health conditions are still very stubborn, severe, and impossible to treat, it is just that the time tested holistic theories of Chinese medicine offer another perspective. Another angle that may have been missed by the narrow focus of the modern microscope. I do believe that the scientific rigor of allopathic medicine will eventual discover how and why Chinese medicine can work so effectively, but until then “miraculous” is a fitting term.

One of the main reasons that Chinese medicine can be quite effective at treating many health complaints is that the Doctor practicing it may have obtained specialized training in the areas they are interested in. This is obviously the same as western allopathic medicine, where Doctors take on further studies to become a dermatologist, a cardiologist, or even a reproductive endocrinologist. A typical hospital in China that focuses on natural medicine, will have many floors of departments dedicated to these same areas of specialization. If you have a heart problem, then you go to the Chinese medical cardiologist who will be very skilled in listening to your heart – offering treatments of acupuncture, herbal medicine, and even pharmaceutical medicine when needed.

Here in North America, Chinese medicine is relatively new. Most practitioners are similar to a GP or MD in allopathic medicine, in that they are “generalists”. They have finished a regular 3 to 5 year program, became licensed, and then set up a practice. Their skill is as good as what their general training offered. This may be good for many health complaints, but it may not be good enough for the more specific and stubborn issues. This is why I always like to educate people on the need to question their health care provider about their skill level. Ask them how much extra training they have received in knowing how to treat the problem you or your loved one has. What is their experience? How confident are they?

It actually goes for anything in life. When I go to a new hair salon, I always want to see the one who is good at cutting “crazy” curly hair. When my wife and I were developing a piece of land on Pender Island, we searched out the best excavator operator, one who would make the landscape that much more beautiful. The man we found, Ron Hensha, actually had an art degree from Emilie Carr! With Ron’s combined skill in using both big machinery and  a paintbrush, he transformed the house building site into one that looked as if it were always there – a part of nature, rather than one opposed to it. One can never go wrong in searching out the best when it comes to the problem they want addressed.

I personally feel very privileged to work at Acubalance wellness centre, as I know that all of us have taken many extra hours of training in the field of reproductive medicine. The majority of us have also successfully become Fellows of the American Board of Oriental Reproductive Medicine (FABORM), one of North America’s first attempts in creating specialized Chinese medicine designations. Because of our training we have had the opportunity to help hundreds of couples overcome their fertility problem, thus improving our clinical confidence – the much needed link between knowledge and success.

Dr. Lorne Brown, the clinical director and founder of Acubalance, founded a continuing education school called Pro-d seminars, where-by he seeks out the best Doctors in the world to share their skill and wisdom on a variety of specialized topics. Their actual motto is “knowledge, confidence, success”. It is because of the integrity of the programs that Pro-d offers that Doctors in the west have the ability to focus their skills and better their clinical outcomes.

I myself am a FABORM, having spent many hours training in reproductive medicine and taking the time to challenge the exam 2 years ago in the United States. I also took extra training in dermatology and have personally spent hundreds of hours flying back and forth between both China and London England studying with the best Chinese medical dermatologists in the World. I knew that Chinese herbal medicine was effective for treating skin disorders because I saw first hand the benefits my wife, Gillian, received.

Gillian struggled with eczema for 22 years before being pretty much cured with herbal medicine. The Doctor who treated her had years of experience in helping others overcome their skin issues. Watching Gillian heal motivated me to seek out the best training I could find, so that I would have the confidence to replicate the experience I had watched Gillian go through. I knew that I would need extra training because the basic 14 hours of dermatology training I received in my 5 year long Doctor program would not be good enough!

So yes, Chinese medicine can treat skin disorders effectively well, as it can for many other issues like infertility. The secret to success is in seeking out the practitioners who have dedicated their lives to deepen their knowledge and skills. As it is only through constant focused study and application of knowledge, that the best results will show up.

Merry Christmas everybody!

Dr. Trevor Erikson