By Dr. Amy Duong (bio below)
As a part of my clinical practice, I use acupuncture to treat acute and chronic medical conditions. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, qi or energy flows in networks or channels, similar to our blood flowing in blood vessels. Health may be defined as an abundant and free flow of qi in the body.
Acupuncture vs Acupressure
Practitioners of acupuncture use needles to unblock these meridians throughout the body. With acupressure on the other hand, needles are not required. Pressure can be applied with finger pads to certain points and can similarly help contribute to the body’s ability to adjust the imbalances in qi flow. This makes it simple to practice acupressure for eczema at home!
Pressure Points for Eczema
Through my personal journey with eczema and as a practitioner of acupuncture, I've developed an insight on the use of acupuncture and acupressure for eczema - specifically for relieving the itch. I remember as a young girl, my eczema usually flared at the insides of my elbows and behind my knees. I would itch these areas and cause open lesions of red, flaky skin. During my studies, I found that these two areas are most commonly affected by inflammatory skin conditions because they perform two important functions: release heat and relieve itching. In Traditional Chinese Medicine they have two points, related to these parts of the body, that can be targeted specifically for the treatment of eczema and other skin conditions that express themselves as internal heat with the red lesions and the persistent itching.
Large intestine 11 Point
The point near the elbow is called Large intestine 11 and is an important point for practicing acupressure for eczema. This point is located at the lateral edge of the inner elbow crease near the elbow bone. This point has the action to clear heat, cools the blood, and alleviates itching.
Urinary Bladder 40 Point
The point behind the knee is called Urinary Bladder 40. This point is located at the back of the knee, midway on the crease. This point cools the blood and clears heat, which makes it indicated for eczema and itchiness.
Photo credit: A Manual of Acupuncture by Peter Deadman
How to Self Apply Acupressure at Home
A great home remedy for itchy skin from conditions like eczema is to apply pressure to these points. You can try to apply pressure yourself or have a partner press on these two points for period of 1-2 minutes with steady stimulation using your thumb to rub in a circular motion. Try this daily for 1-2 weeks regularly and determine if you find any relief in the sensation of heat, the number of lesions, and itchiness. Hopefully it will work for you as well as it did for those in this clinical study proving the affects.
Bio: Dr. Amy Duong completed her Naturopathic Doctorate at Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine in Tempe, Arizona, where she also trained in Acupuncture. She offers general naturopathic care with a special focus on skin disorders including eczema, acne and psoriasis as well as anxiety, depression and digestive concerns. Currently, Dr. Duong is based in Connecticut where she sees many lovely patients of all ages with common skin conditions and other medical concerns in her naturopathic medical practice.
Please visit Dr. Amy Duong’s website for more information and to work with her through phone or Skype consultations. Dr. Amy’s patients come from around the world and it’s her passion to help everyone on their path to clear skin. Stay in touch through Instragram or check out her informative YouTube videos. You can read her previous articles for our blog here.