Even though we think of TSW as a modern condition that’s been on the rise since the advent of steroids, the Chinese documented symptoms of TSW conditions over thousands of years ago.
TSW Thru A TCM Lens
From early observations, the Chinese recognized that extreme skin conditions could erupt from injudicious usage of other medicines. They noticed that skin conditions always presented on a continuum with HEAT on one end and DAMP on the other. Heat in modern terms includes: erythema or redness, bleeding, swelling, the actual feeling of warmth and; Damp in modern terms includes: weeping, oozing, crusting, edematous skin. The Chinese realized that every case of TSW had some combination of both elements and thus, every presentation fell somewhere on this continuum.
The Chinese also noticed that continued, aggravated or mistreated levels of Heat and/or Damp could lead the skin in two further directions: 1) TOXIN–which includes: infection, widespread erythema excessive scaling or even exfoliative scaling and body chills even though the skin has a burning sensation, or 2) YIN DEFICIENCY–which modern people would loosely translate to the drying out of bodily fluids expressed externally as dryness, scaling and lichenified skin, or internally as 3) MIDDLE DEFICIENCY expressed as digestive issues like difficult bowels, darker-hued urination, unquenchable thirst and lastly, what we now call weak gut function, food intolerances, compromised microbiome.
The last element of TSW coined by the Chinese was WIND, which translates to itch or the likelihood for the condition to move from area to area.
Why Are These Factors Important?
By identifying and categorizing the characteristics of TSW, plotting where on the continuum a patient lands between heat and damp, determining the severity of each element and assessing its relationship with other systems and symptoms; the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) TSW diagnosis system identifies each patient’s presentation as unique. As such, TCM TSW treatment lends itself to treating each unique case with a customized approach. This is exactly how herbal medicine is administered.
In our next article, we’ll examine how TCM TSW treatment is customized via herbal medicine to meet individual patient’s needs.
Need Help with TSW?
If you are looking for answers to TSW for yourself or a loved one, here’s a video that describes what an initial consultation is like, and provides more information on the herbal medicine approach to dermatology.
Want to Learn More?
Click here for our free e-course “Taming TSW,” and you will also receive our Amethyst Holistic Skin Solutions Newsletter. Both will give you interesting information about Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and TSW via articles, before/after pictures, case studies of Amethyst TSW patients. Feel free to click the icons below to share this article with someone who may benefit.
About the Author
Dr. Olivia Hsu Friedman, LAc, DACM, Cert. TCM Dermatology is the owner of Amethyst Holistic Skin Solutions and treats TSW patients via video conferencing using only herbal medicine. Olivia serves on the Advisory Board of LearnSkin, is the Chair of the American Society of Acupuncturists Board of Directors, and is a faculty member of the Chicago Integrative Eczema Support Group sponsored by The National Eczema Association.