To Treat Your Vitiligo Take Acupuncture
Introduction: Vitiligo is a kind of
refractory, autoimmune locally, or systemically generalized depigmentation
spots caused by the disappearance of melanocyte function in the skin.
Acupuncture is extensively utilized for treating vitiligo in China.
Vitiligo
disease treatment with acupuncture and TCM can help not only with
repigmentation, but can help address the underlying causes of autoimmune
disease, and mental health concerns,
all at the same time.
The
development of this autoimmune condition that affects the skin’s appearance can
occur due to a particular imbalance, or a combination of factors. Some of
the TCM
diagnostic patterns that pertain to
vitiligo include:
·
Liver wind with Kidney
deficiency
·
Spleen and Stomach
deficiency
·
Qi and Blood
deficiency and/or stasis
·
Too much internal heat
Depending
on accompanying symptoms, your acupuncturist will observe which organ systems
need nourishing and/or clearing, and will tailor a treatment plan for each individual
case. A combination of acupuncture treatment and herbal supplements will be
recommended to help address your condition.
Acupuncture
needles, applied to specific points, can
help to improve circulation and blood flow to areas of the skin and activate
cells to help restore natural skin color. Other points will be chosen to help
move Qi and strengthen the liver and kidneys, as well as reducing overall inflammation and
boosting immune function.
Topical
herb creams made from traditional Chinese herbal remedies can be effective
for helping to stimulate melanin production. Chinese herb formulas designed to
be taken internally as a tea will work to nourish the liver and kidneys, dispel
wind and clear heat.
Acupuncture
and herbs can be used either as an alternative or adjunct treatment for
vitiligo. TCM treatment will also work for vitiligo in children, and can be
particularly helpful as a gentle modality that does not cause unwanted side
effects.
Acupuncture is also showed good result
with some oral and local Unani and Ayurvedic Medicine.
Miracle point: The Vitiligo miracle point is located on your middle finger. To locate
the vitiligo miracle point find the joint that is near the tip of your middle
finger, push in to find a point that is sensitive, sore, tender or painful that
is the vitiligo miracle point.
Acupuncture Points:
Acupuncture works by
correcting the imbalances in the flow of qi in the body and the underlying
imbalances leading to Vitiligo. It also improves the immune system. Acupuncture
works by decreasing inflammation, promoting metabolism of the lesion locations
in order to foster melanocyte synthesis.
If the vitiligo progressing,
the treatment will first work to slow its progression and stop the
inflammation. If the condition is stable, acupuncture works to stimulate
the regrowth of the melanocytes to re-pigment the skin.
The acupuncture
treatment will include points to correct the underlying imbalance as well as
acupuncture close to the vitiligo that get more Qi and Blood to circulate in
the area. Points such as KI 3, Liv 3, Ren 4, Ren 6 boost the kidneys and liver.
Surface needling with a plum blossom needle close to or over the depigmented
areas can be a helpful tool for increasing the circulation and stimulation of
the skin.
Here
are some acupuncture points for Vitiligo
1.
LI4 (Hegu): This point is located on
the back of the hand, between the thumb and index finger. It helps to improve
circulation and promote healing.
2.
SP10 (Xuehai): This point is located
on the inside of the leg, about two finger-widths above the knee. Apply
acupuncture needle on this point for 30 minutes to help improve blood
circulation and promote healing.
3.
ST36 (Zusanli): This point is
located on the outer side of the leg, below the knee, and about one
finger-width from the tibia. This point helps to improve digestion and
strengthen the body.
4.
LI11 (Quchi): This point is located
on the outer side of the elbow, at the end of the crease when the arm is bent.
This point helps to improve circulation and promote healing.
5.
BL13 (Feishu): This point is located
on the back, between the shoulder blades, at the level of the heart. This point
helps to improve circulation and promote
healing
CONCEPT OF VITILIGO
IN UNANI MEDICINE:
Vitiligo has been defined by ancient Unani physicians as a skin disease. Its
etiology and treatment has been discussed in detail in the classics of Unani
Medicine. According to Jalinoos (Galen) (130-200 AD) as mentioned in the
manuscript Moalijat-e-Buqratiya (l0th century AD), the cause of Vitiligo is the
weakness of Quwwat-e-Mughaiyarah wa Mushabbiha (transformative faculty) in the
organs. 46 Rabban Tabari (810-895 AD) while describing the etiology of Vitiligo
in his famous book Firdaus al-Hikmat says:
“Fasad-ud-dam
(impairment of blood) and Buruda t-ud-dam (coldness of blood) are the main
causes of Vitiligo. If the digestive faculty of the body cannot digest the food
properly the blood of the whole body becomes impure. When this impurity occurs
due to Balgham (phlegm) or coldness, appears the Vitiligo."
Unani Medicine for Vitiligo:
In Unani System of Medicine (USM), many single drugs such as-
1.
Habbul-Neel (Ipomoea
nil)
2.
Atrilal (Ammi majus)
3.
Babchi (Psoralea corylifolia)
4.
Panwar (Cassia tora)
5.
Kharbaq Syah (Helleborus niger)
6.
Sheetraj (Plumbago zeylanica)
7.
Saqmooniya (Convulvulus scammonia)
Unani formulations in
different dosage forms such as-
4. Iyaraj-e-Loghazia
5. Habb-e-Bars,
6.
Habb-e-Sakbinaj
7.
Habbe-e-Hindi
8.
Tiryaqul Bars
9.
Tila-e-Bars
11.
Roghan-e-Bars
12.
Safoof-e-Hindi
13.
Safoof-e-Kemri
14.
Safoof-e-Kala
Bichua
16.
Arq-e-Tezab
17.
Marham-e-Bars
18. Zimad-e-Bars
Fire needle therapy: It has been reported as an effective treatment
for vitiligo. Fire needle combined with conventional vitiligo treatments had a
higher efficacy confidence interval and respectively and a greater effect
on restoring the color of the area of the skin lesion increasing the pigment
point of vitiligo and improving the cytokine and effectual time than
traditional methods. Limb lesions were more effectively treated when the
treatments included fire needles, whereas the therapeutic effect of fire
needles on either the head or neck or torso lesions was not significantly
different compared to that without fire needles. No statistically significant
differences in adverse effects and recurrence rates during the follow-up period
were observed between treatment with and without fire needles.
Fire needle therapy combined with other
conventional treatments is useful in treating vitiligo.
Conclusion: National
and international articles, journal and practical experienced showed that
acupuncture is effective treatment for vitiligo with some traditional herbal
medicine.
Dr. Md. Moksed Ali
Resident
Physician
Govt.
Unani and Ayurvedic Medical College and Hospital
Mirpur-13,
Dhaka, Bangladesh
References:
1.
Essential of Chinese Acupuncture
compiled by
Beijing
college of Traditional Chinese Medicine
Shanghai
college of Traditional Chinese Medicine
Nanjing
college of Traditional Chinese Medicine
The
Acupuncture Institute of the academy of the Traditional Chinese Medicine
2.
Acupuncture for vitiligo
Jisen
Zhao,Xueqing,RuiRui Hou,Dong Guo
3.
A New Therapy for Vitiligo Using
Fire Needles
Ying
Luo,Wei Qian,Ting Dai,Yi Ru,Xiaoying Sun,Le Kuai,Liu Liu,Meng Xing,Qi
Zheng,Ying Zhang Xi Chen and Huaibo Zhao