Homeopathy: Your skin’s best friend

The skin reflects our inner health and outer well-being. It provides the ‘connect’ between internal illnesses and external chaos on the surface. Most treatments suppress the real cause. They treat just the surface, not from deep within. Homeopathy aims to treat illnesses —from the base. In other words, it treats the cause — emotional, or stressful, triggers. It does not suppress; rather, it scours the problem from deep within and clears it from the ‘root.’

Picture this. When you see an eczematous patch on your skin, you instinctively reach out for a skin ointment. The effect is remarkable — but, the real problem is you have risked exchanging your dermatitis [eczema] with an unrelated internal disorder. For example, asthma, migraine or tummy upset.

Any skin eruption, as homeopathy suggests, is a defence process. It’s the body’s natural reaction to battle the invader [bacteria; germs]. Homeopathy also suggests that skin problems heal best when they are removed from the level of the skin and out of the body. When your face, for instance, is covered with rashes, your body has not come to terms with the eruption through its natural healing processes. When you apply a powerful cream, you hinder its healing processes. You now drive the ‘surface’” trouble inwards — to a deeper level.

Eczema, psoriasis, acne and warts are all external expressions of some internal, underlying reaction in the body’s in-built control mechanism. When eczema, for instance, is suppressed, there’s often a flare-up of asthma symptoms. This is reason why homeopathy uses natural medicines made from substances that actually cause symptoms in large doses, but in minuscule [micro-doses], stimulate the body’s own defences to get rid of the illness. In simple terms, homeopathy uses an internal medicine to treat external skin upheavals — safely and effectively.

Homeopathy also suggests that all of a given individual’s symptoms are interconnected. For a person who presents with acne [pimples], skin allergy and so on, homeopathy attempts to find a single remedy — not multiple remedies. This is because homeopathy does not treat the skin problem alone. It treats the individual presenting with the illness — because each of us is different and unique. Not all of us show the same physical, emotional or psychological symptoms, or sensitivities, in health and illness.

Unlike conventional medications, homeopathic medicines for skin disorders work with the body’s own healing agents. They act naturally. They reduce the healing time and also prevent future recurrences. However this may be, it is imperative to seek professional homeopathic treatment for tangible, sustained, long-term good results.

Self-Help

• Do not scratch, or pick at the skin. This may lead to [re]infection. Worse still, your skin problem may expand with a vengeance
• Do away with strong soaps that give a dry feeling — wash with an aqueous natural herbal cream or emollient. After washing, pat the skin dry
• Don’t rub the skin forcefully
• Cotton clothing is ideal wear
• Eat a balanced diet; avoid fast- or junk-food
• Avoid the use of refined carbohydrates, along with caffeine, alcohol, and tobacco
• Exercise regularly; reduce weight, if you are overweight
• Make sure your bowel functions well. Take natural fibre [e.g., flaxseed]; drink plenty of water

Reduce stress through relaxation techniques, or yoga.