Varicose Eczema research
Alternative & Complementary Therapies

• Acupuncture
• Hypnotherapy and Psychotherapy

Acupuncture & Varicose Eczema

Acupuncture has traditionally been successfully employed in China to treat most illnesses. There is little doubt that acupuncture is an excellent therapy for people suffering with this condition as it works through the nervous system and energy channels in the body. Treatment has been shown to cause the brain to release endorphines and encephalins (natural pain killers), boost the immune system and calm the nervous system.

There are several studies suggesting that acupuncture can be very helpful in the treatment of eczema although none to our knowledge relating specifically to varicose eczema. One study in New York, USA revealed that within an average of nine treatments, 50% of patients had complete or almost complete clearance of skin lesions and a further 25% experienced two-thirds clearance of skin lesions! (1).

Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine which is practised by many acupuncturists, has also been shown to help eczema. Research has shown that even severe widespread atopic eczema responds well to Chinese herbal treatment and produces significant clinical improvement(2).

Traditional acupuncturists treat the whole person rather than a disease and therefore attempt to get to the root cause of the problem rather than treating the symptoms and, like other holistic practitioners, will consider all lifestyle and environmental factors before commencing treatment.

• (1) Acupuncture treatment for psoriasis: a retrospective case report. Liao SJ; Liao TA New York University Dental College, New York. Acupunct Electrother Res (ENGLAND) Jul-Sep 1992, 17 (3) p195-208
• (2) A controlled trial of traditional Chinese medicinal plants in widespread non-exudative atopic eczema. Sheehan MP; Atherton DJ Department of Dermatology, Hospital for Sick Children, London, U.K. Br J Dermatol (ENGLAND) Feb 1992, 126 (2) p179-84

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Hypnotherapy and Psychotherapy & Varicose Eczema

All physical diseases including cancer, heart disease but particularly skin complaints have been helped with Hypnotherapy and Psychotherapy. The power of suggestion and mental imagery is a tool all too often overlooked but which can be of immense help to eczema sufferers by not only alleviating irritation and controlling any pain, but also in helping heal the condition.

Remember that eczema itself is a stress-related disease and although varicose eczema is triggered by factors relating to the varicosity, stress may play a part. If you suspect this may be the case, Hypnotherapy and Psychotherapy are both excellent aids to help control emotional stress. (2) There has been several studies reported in the medical journals all confirming the benefits of hypnotherapy, psychotherapy and stress management (see yoga and meditation).

Psychological tests have revealed that eczema sufferers tend to be noticeably more anxious than non-sufferers and as levels of anxiety are reduced the skin condition improves proportionately. For this reason, most clinicians and researchers agree that stress affects the course of eczema and psoriasis and reducing stress levels has a positive effect on the course of the disease. Emotional factors have been shown to have a strong correlation with onset of the disease and also with flare-ups. Further more, several documented case studies have revealed that hypnosis can offer a successful treatment for sufferers.(3)

• (2) Psychological stress and psoriasis: experimental and prospective correlational studies. Gaston L; Crombez JC; Lassonde M; Bernier-Buzzanga J; Hodgins S Psychiatry Department, McGill University, West Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Acta Derm Venereol Suppl (Stockh) (SWEDEN) 1991, 156 p37-43 Can psychotherapy help patients with psoriasis? Price ML; Mottahedin I; Mayo PR Department of Dermatology, Brighton Health Authority, Sussex, UK. Clin Exp Dermatol (ENGLAND) Mar 1991, 16 (2) p114-7
• (3) Stress and psoriasis. Kantor SD Psoriasis Research Institute, Palo Alto, California 94301. Cutis (UNITED STATES) Oct 1990, 46 (4) p321-2

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