Skin problems

Bob loves to play basketball a lot, he plays during breaks and won’t return to the classroom until he’s satisfied. The summer is around the corner, as usual, Bob seizes every moment he could have to play basketball, yet to discover he now has a hard time concentrating in classes, having a itching feeling all over his body.

“Ahhhh, it has been soooo humid and hot these days, I can hardly sweat. It feels like all the heat gets restricted within my body!”

“What the…!? Rashes merge on my hands, my legs and my chest. They are soooo itchy, I can’t concentrate to listen to what my teacher says!”

Kevin’s skin condition hasn’t been very good since he was a child. His skin is so dry that it often gets chapped. To make matters worse, Kevin often feels dizzy and exhausted during the day. He also tends to get thirsty easily, in spite of his regular water consumption.

“Ahhhh, how come my skin is not only dry but also itchy!! What is happening to me??”

Scratching can only ease the itchiness for a short period time before the discomfort dominants him again. Sometimes he scratches so hard that he peels off parts of his skin, causing bleeding wounds.

What Doctor Lu gets to say:

Itchiness, dryness, rashes are usually minor problems which won’t threaten lives in normal cases. However, they could be REALLY bothersome like guerrillas. They cause minor damages in a long period of time, decreasing the life qualities of patients significantly. Yet they are hard to be terminated completely, so whoever confronts these problems has better be mentally prepared, having awareness that this could be a long battle. Be patient to make progress gradually.

The first thing you can do is to examine your dwelling surroundings. If you manage to live in a humid or rainy environment, it could be easy for you to accumulate Dampness inside your body. Despite taking some herbs to exclude the Dampness, it’s also a good idea for you to turn on the dehumidifier regularly, keeping your surroundings dry. 

Some people’s skin problems result from allergy. The allergens could be the fir of pets, the dust in the air or the consumption of milk or seafood like shrimps, lobsters…etc. When encountering skin problems, you can be aware if there are any potential allergens existing, to avoid or exclude the allergens to prevent the symptoms.

Skin is a physical barrier protecting human bodies from exterior pathogens. If you manage to scratch so HARD to cause wounds, you are opening a door to welcome all kinds of germs, viruses, parasites to get inside your body and have a party. You may feel some inflammation, swelling or pain. The worst case scenario is sepsis, meaning germs running all through your blood vessels, which could kill you.

The Prescription 消風散(Shiao Fung San, AKA The wind killer) contains herbs with cold attributes such as 

牛蒡子(Nio Bang Ts, Fruits of  (Arctium lappa L.) )

蟬蛻(Chan Tui, Shell of (Cryptotympana pustulata Fabricius) )

to extinguish the Heat

herbs with dehumidifing attributes such as

蒼朮（Tsang Chu, Rhizomes of (Atractylodes lancea (Thunb.) DC.) )

木通(Mu tong, Stems of (Clematis armandii Franch.))

to exclude the Dampness

The Prescription 消風散(Shiao Fung San, AKA The wind killer) best suits for rashes caused by Wind, Heat and Dampness.

The Prescription 當歸飲子( Dang Gui Yin Ts) is aimed for patients suffering from lack of blood and dryness.It contains 

Prescription 四物湯( Soup of four, essential blood supplementing materials)

 and 

何首烏(He Sho Wu, Roots of (Polygonum multiflorum Thunb.) )

 to supply patients with blood.

It also contains herbs with wind-killing attributes such as

生薑(Shen Jiang, Rhizomes of (Zingiber officinale Rosc.) )

防風(Fang Fung, Roots of (Saposhnikovia divaricata (Turez.) Schischk.))

荊芥(Jin Jie, Ground parts of (Schizonepeta tenuifolia Briq.))