Chinese Medicine Eczema Diet

Eczema is an inflammatory skin condition, also known as atopic dermatitis. While you may have tried topical creams to help calm the inflammation and itchiness, this does not get to the root cause of eczema. Dietary habits can directly affect the health of your skin and improve the symptoms of different kinds of eczema, including atopic dermatitis, seborrheic dermatitis, nummular eczema, and dyshidrotic eczema. Although eczema can affect any part of the body, it most often affects the hands, insides of the elbows, backs of the knees and the face and scalp.

Chinese Medicine’s View on Eczema

Eczema is a skin ailment that is thought to be caused by a combination of internal organ disharmony and external pathogenic factors in Chinese medicine for eczema. The root cause of eczema is said to be a weak digestive system which causes a build up of dampness-heat in the body, as a result, the body contracts external ‘wind,’ which manifests as eczema. The most common reason of a weakened digestive system is an unhealthy lifestyle such as diet. 

When there is a buildup of dampness and a blood deficiency, organ disharmony can arise. The spleen and lung are the major internal organs linked to eczema. Internal organ disharmony combined with external factors such as pathogenic ‘wind’ and ‘heat’ can trigger symptoms of eczema such as dry skin, rash, itching. 

• Pathogenic Dampness: Another common pattern associated with eczema in Chinese Medicine is “dampness”. Dampness can result from a poor diet eating foods that are too raw, cold, sweet, or damp forming foods . Learn more about damp diet here. The spleen is in charge of transforming food into useful components like as qi and blood, which nourish our bodies. When the spleen is weakened by an unbalanced diet, too much cold/cold food,  nutrients are converted into internal dampness rather than Qi and blood.

When internal dampness accumulates in the body for a long time, it causes internal heat.

• Pathogenic Heat:  In Chinese medicine, one common pattern associated with eczema is ‘heat’, heat in the lungs to be more specific. If left untreated over time this will weaken the Lung Qi which can lead to further weakness in the immune system. Heat is characterised by redness and irritation. Heat can dry out fluids that moisturise the skin, therefore causing dry, cracked and itchy skin.

• Pathogenic Wind: You may find that eczema flare-ups occur more frequently or get worse in the winter and spring months. Because there is more wind in the weather during these months, chronic eczema patients are more likely to experience recurring episodes of eczema. Itching is the most common symptom of this pattern.