Wisdom of Dis-ease 7: Message of Eczema 疾病的智慧：系列 7 – 湿疹的启示

A middle-aged lady came to consult me for her generalized eczema which lasted for some time. The itch was unbearable, causing her sleepless nights. On the first visit, I prescribed a Homeopathic medicine accordingly. However, at the follow-up after one month, there was not a bit of improvement. This led me to put on my thinking cap as to why she did not respond to the prescription.

Further inquiry led me to the cause of the sickness. Apparently, she was involved in a charity society. She noticed some discrepancy in the management. However, there was no way to voice out what she witnessed. She harboured anger at the management but there was no where and no way to tell anybody. With that, I prescribed the Homeopathic medicine, Staphisagria.

At next follow-up, she felt much better emotionally. Though she did not voice out to anybody of the discrepancy she witnessed, she was able to accept and come to term with reality. Of course, her skin eruption disappeared totally!

The common practice of treating eczema is by application of cream and taking anti-histamine medicine to stop the itch. The effect is worse when steroid cream is applied. Application and anti-itch medicine only drive the problem deeper into the body. When the effect of these medicine is over, the eczema again resurfaces. Often time the eczema becomes more severe than before. From my clinical observations, the worse scenario of suppression of eczema (for that matter, any skin eruption) is that another more severe inner illness may manifest. Commonly, we see suppression of eczema resulting in asthma in children. For adults, many other illnesses could manifest upon suppression of skin eruption, ranging from joint pain to cancer.

In this case, the unexpressed anger manifested itself through the eczema. It was a channel of release for her unexpressed anger. Once the anger was treated, skin eruption disappeared.

As a matter of fact, most illnesses are related to the disturbance of the psyche. Homeopathic medicines are effective in stabilising emotional disturbances and making people more compost and at peace. Thus, it is very effective in psychosomatic illnesses.

一位中年女性，因为全身都是湿疹而来看诊，痒到不能安眠。

在第一次的看诊时，根据她的病况，我开了一个顺势疗法药物。但是，一个月后她来复诊时，皮肤一点都没好转。这时，我得动下脑筋，深入探索为何她一点都没进展。

深入了解之后，发现了病的来龙去脉。她在一个慈善团体服务，发现了一些管理成员做了一些不符条规的事务，内心感到很不满、愤怒及不公平。但她切不能透露真相。因此，我开了另外一个顺势疗法药物 Staphisagria.

一个月后她来复诊，压抑的愤怒消了，情绪上轻松多了。虽然她还是没透露真相，她比较可以接纳事实，因而为此事释怀。当然湿疹也痊愈了！

平常处理皮肤病的方式是搽药膏和服止痒药。很多时候药膏含类固醇。药膏与止痒药会把皮外的病转移到体内。当药效过时，皮肤问题卷土重来，而且通常比没搽药膏之前还要严重。从我的临床经验，这种的压抑方式，会引发另一个更加严重的内在病况；常见的是孩童因压抑湿疹而造成哮喘。而在成年人方面，可能引发其他更严重的内在病，轻者可能关节炎及其他，重者则是癌症。

这个案显示了压抑的愤怒展现在皮肤病。皮肤病是她表达愤怒的管道，以让体内的脏腑不受影响。当压抑的愤怒处理后，皮肤状况就痊愈了。

其实，许多病症源自与情绪的干扰。顺势医疗法药物能对症情绪的困扰，调整内心的混乱，安顿心情，对身心病(psychosomatic illness)有特效。