Recently I have had an unusually large number of new patients coming to me with complaints of allergies and allergy-like symptoms—and all before the influx of patients suffering from springtime hay fever are expected to come in for treatment. Many of the complaints have been dermatological in nature. All of a sudden (or seemingly so), adults with no history of seasonal, food or environmental allergies nor history of any type of skin disorder are finding themselves increasingly hypersensitive. Most have undergone extensive allergy testing, but even when the foods they are thought to be allergic to are eliminated from their diet, the symptoms do not disappear. I would like to present three cases I’ve seen recently of ‘itchy skin,’ all with rather different presentations and different histories—and now they are finding relief with Chinese medicine! In the next entry (coming very soon, I promise!) I will discuss how Chinese medicine understands these conditions and how acupuncture and variations of two classical Chinese herbal formulas have been helpful in alleviating the condition and building up their core strength so they will be less vulnerable to the ‘itch, itch, scratch, scratch’.
Case 1:
A man in his early 40s has been suffering from ‘itchy skin’ for one and a half years. It began in the summertime. He is strong and athletic and bikes and plays basketball weekly. The itchiness worsens after activity and sometimes if he just scratches it. Areas on his limbs, chest, stomach, and scalp break out into welt-like hives, or uticaria. But in general, the itchiness aggravates him more when he is stationary, especially while sleeping. Four years ago during the summer, he started noticing hay fever symptoms of itchiness, nasal congestion and difficulty breathing. Claritin relieved the symptoms for one year but then ceased working. Around the same time, he was working as an engineer in a chemical plant. A few years ago, he had a couple of false positive HIV blood tests but subsequent tests have all come out negative. After a series of allergy tests to attempt to determine the cause of his reactions, he found that he was allergic to apples, pears, peanut butter and melon. He eliminated these foods from his diet but still continues to present with the same issues. This is when he decided to try Chinese medicine.
Case 2:
A woman in her late 20s came in with the main complaint of ‘itchy skin’ which began four years ago after she was “heartbroken.” The skin rash presents as small red bumps on her torso that is triggered by stress, exercise, or hot and humid weather. The bumps do not meld to form patches but at times they form pustules and exude clear liquid. The condition is worse in the summertime. Ever since she was a child, she has had sensitive skin that easily turns pink and red, especially when she wears synthetic fabrics. She also had sore throats often as a child. She is lactose-intolerant and recently has noticed allergic reactions (hives) to nuts. Although she says her torso feels warm to the touch, she herself feels cold. She is often thirsty and sometimes has nightsweats. Her gums occasionally bleed. The patient has smoked cigarettes for 10 years and drinks alcohol and coffee regularly. Emotionally, she has been feeling “stuck” and not sure of her next step professionally and with her intimate relationships.
Case 3:
A woman in her 30s came to see me also with the main complaint of ‘itchy skin.’ This patient differs from the other two because she clearly has a much longer history of allergies. She has had a history of ‘eczema’ since she was a child, although the diagnosis was not confirmed. She also had asthma as a child. It appears in small concentrated areas on her body and tends to move around. It is worse around her waistband or around the seams of her clothing, wherever there is constriction. But she also notices it on her limbs, her eyes, back, buttocks, knees or more recently, on her face. But in general, it is located on her lower extremity. It first appears as small red bumps that itch intensely. The more she scratches, the worse it becomes until they meld together to form patches. Then when the itchiness ‘settles down’, small dark discolored spots remain. She has treated it with topical corticosteroid cream that has helped to resolve some of the patches, but then they simply appear in another area. The itchy skin is exacerbated by direct contact, heat and humidity as well as very dry weather. It is worse in the extreme temperatures of winter and summer. The patient also suffers from other allergy symptoms such as sneezing, itchy nose, eyes and throat. She has seasonal allergies and is allergic to dust, dander. She also has an interesting symptom where the drastic change from darkness to light causes her to sneeze. These allergy symptoms seem to run in the family. The patient tends to feel cold and her energy is low. She is rarely thirsty and her appetite is low. She finds that her mood is general even keeled but she would like to feel more enthused. This is when she came in to see me.
Stay Tuned!
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