Skin Conditions: Which works best, Herbs or Acupuncture?

Bonny Williams interviews Ken Lloyd, who has been teaching Chinese herbal medicine for almost 15 years and has been the course leader on several UK courses. He has studied extensively in China and in the UK and is well known and highly respected for his clinical expertise.

Would you say that herbs are better for treating skin conditions than acupuncture?

It is generally true that out of all the therapies, by far the most effective for treating skin conditions is Chinese herbal medicine; there are no two ways about that.
However, for certain skin conditions, acupuncture could be of great assistance. For example, acute urticaria, neuro-dermatitis, herpes zoster are examples where acupuncture and herbs work well together.

I would also say that, although herbs treat skin conditions very effectively, acupuncture is often a great support where the condition has an emotional root. This makes it particularly good for blood heat and blood stasis conditions, which can appear following some sort of sudden and dramatic emotional shock, or persistent stress as in such as psoriasis or neurodermatitis, (skin inflammation due to neurological causes).

For example, take the case of a psoriasis patient who had been to see an eminent Chinese herbalist who specialises in skin conditions. His condition did not improve significantly using herbs but he later found that with acupuncture treatment, which looked at the emotional and physical aspects of his condition, his psoriasis was transformed. This leads me to suspect that the psoriasis in that particular instance, probably had very strong emotional base.

The skin is an eliminating organ and it eliminates about 20% of the body’s waste (through sweat). The lungs, on the other hand eliminate about 70% of the body’s waste via gases and water vapour. The skin and the lungs are very closely connected in terms of elimination. Elimination of wastes is a physical action which is potentially quite toxic because sometimes the human body tries to eliminate more waste through the skin than the skin is evolved to do. This can cause stagnation, heat, toxins and inflammation. Because herbs have a very strong physical presence and action on the body, you can actually obtain a much stronger physical treatment principle in terms of skin conditions than you would be able to with acupuncture. This is because acupuncture works on the qi dynamic - whereas herbs have a very substantial draining, clearing as well as nourishing and restoring function. With skin, invariably, the whole structure is damaged by the skin condition, so as a practitioner you first need to clear the condition then to nourish and repair the skin. Herbs are excellent for this clearing and repairing role and can encourage the bodies’ natural healing process.

I am a student of dermatology, I am not a specialist and I continue to study. I’ve been to China to study dermatology; Nan Jing, Ku Ming, Hangzhou and recently, Chengdu. This is not because I’m interested in skin as a speciality, but because of the number of people who are referred to me as a Chinese herbalist, with skin conditions. Because I practise Chinese herbal medicine, patients expect me to know how to treat skin conditions. To be honest, if I had not gone to China and received extra clinical tuition, I would not treat skin conditions, I would refer them to somebody who is specialised in them. Dermatology is very precise and I am still in the learning process. If you don’t know what you’re doing, it’s very hard to get results.

You have said that treating emotionally based conditions is possible with herbal medicine. Are there any particular herbs which you would use to do so?

In terms of emotional problems, there are a group of herbs that have direct effects on the emotions but will also affect skin conditions. So it is possible to take a classic dermatology formula and modify it so it has effects on the emotions and the mind at the same time as treating the skin. For instance I was in Chengdu, with Professor Zhong in the dermatology department. One of his specialities was to use the bark of various herbs i.e. mu dan pi, di gu pi, bai xian pi. One of the herbs he used was called he huan pi. He huan pi is very good for moving depression and clearing irritability and anger and it’s also a bark. The theory is that the bark of the tree is like the skin on a human being and you can use the qualities of different barks to affect the skin in different ways. He huan pi is mainly a herb for the shen and the hun, calming the mind and the emotions, but it does also have another effect; it actually reduces inflammation – such as abscesses and boils on the skin. So it’s very good for using for acne with herbs like mulberry bark (sang bai pi), and wolfberry bark, (di gu pi). But, if the person is very stressed or has insomnia or emotional problems, I would also advise them to receive acupuncture, yoga or meditation, and maybe see a counsellor or psychotherapist; whatever I felt was appropriate to work alongside their herbal treatment, in a more “shen” focused way. Where a condition is mind and emotionally based, lifestyle changes are usually necessary.

What is the most common skin condition you treat?

Eczema is the most common skin condition by far and seems to be on the increase. Eczema is a broad term, which is why in Chinese herbal medicine there are hundreds of different formulas for treating the various types of eczema. But in terms of an increase in autoimmune conditions (like some types of eczema and asthma etc), there is no doubt that there is a huge rise in their numbers. With autoimmune conditions, you have an immune system which is over-reactive and over-sensitised. To me, it is quite obvious that autoimmune conditions would increase, given the amount of toxins and chemicals in our environment, which challenge the body’s immune system and cause the immune system to become overactive. Also, vaccinations penetrate disease into the shao yang level which the body cannot expel; the theory being that you are primed, so that when you meet the real disease, you are ready for it. But if you carry all these diseases in your system for years, you are diseased but you are not producing excessive symptoms which may come and go quickly, you are producing low key symptoms, which remain lodged. That sort of aggravation, I believe, causes autoimmune conditions. By placing a mixture of diseases onto the shao yang level, you disrupt the activity of the immune system and then it becomes oversensitive, over reactive and will cause congestion at the membrane level (mo yuan – shao yang). So it does not surprise me that a lot of children seem to develop eczema shortly after having vaccinations.

Are you still learning Chinese medicine?

Oh yes. I am still very much a student. You become obsessed. The main obsession in Chinese Medicine as far as I am concerned, is how little I know. You just cannot know enough and that feeling is all consuming. There is a continuous pressure, like the night before an exam, it is that kind of feeling and it never goes away, unless you retire (which is a very attractive proposition!). However, retirement is out the question. I am told in China you are not really knowledgeable and experienced until you reach your 70s – that gives me many more years of work and study!