Acupuncture, a natural technique and remedy for dry skin

The skin is the largest organ of the body and it is much, much larger than your lungs, liver or heart. Traditional Chinese medicine knows that the way to healthy skin in the winter, or any time of the year begins internally rather than externally.

In western countries, the skin care industry has become a multi-billion dollar venture. However, most of the skin products available in the market today contain harsh chemicals or drugs that usually do nothing to treat the underlying cause of a skin problem, and in certain instances may even worsen the problem. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), on the other hand, adopts natural techniques and remedies it has been using with great success for thousands of years. Some TCM practitioners, in fact, specialize in the treatment of "dermatology" conditions. Instead of utilizing a treatment to the skin, those practitioners focus on the internal problem, enabling the skin on the outside to be healthy enough to heal itself.

TCM practitioners view the body as one system consisting of interrelated parts. They believe that all disorders, including winter or dry skin, which outside may look as if they are caused by external forces – do really have underlying causes that bring about internal imbalances between yin and yang, blood flow, Qi, and blockages of a number of energy vessels within the body. In winter or dry skin conditions, TCM practitioners know that external environmental pathological factors are responsible and they invade the body causing the imbalances in the body.

In order to resolve dry skin the TCM Practitioner would need to:

-Elevate the level of Yin in the blood, and repair and re-nourish the damaged skin

-Relieve red itchy skin and remove toxins from the skin

– Balance the internal organ systems, bring back internal balances and eliminate blockages of Qi that are causing or contributing to the itchy or dry skin by using acupuncture and herbal therapy

-Boost the immune system and lessen the body’s sensitivity to cold and other negative environmental hazards

 
Specific Treatments
One herb that is used in Chinese herbal therapy for the treatment of dry skin is Wolfberry. Practitioners of TCM believe that Wolfberries strengthen and nourish the blood, kidney and liver. This may not be a mystery for western scientists since Wolfberry plant is rich with powerful anti-oxidants like riboflavin, beta carotene, thiamine, linoleic acid and vitamin C. Wolfsberry is usually sold as Goji Berry and can be found in health food stores in dried or liquid forms.

Some of the other natural ways to treat Winter or Dry Skin include:

-Drinking copious amount of water to keep your skin hydrated

-Adding olive oil to your diet – this can help your skin stay fresh and soft. Olive oil is laden with minerals, nutrients and vitamins to help preserve the health of your skin.

-Adding oilatum or olive oil to your bath water to preserve the moisture in your skin