Chinese medicine, developed over more than 2,500 years, refers to a number of practices, especially acupuncture and the prescription of herbal medicine.   A view of nature, health and disease, and the concept of two big essential forces, Yin and Yang, came into existence along with other concepts.  While viruses and bacteria are thought to be the primary cause of disease in Western medicine, in Chinese medicine diseases are caused by six environmental forces: wind, cold, heat and summer heat, dampness, dryness, and fire.  

One of the most important ideas in Chinese medicine is that disease is seen as a loss of balance of Yin and Yang, opposing forces.  When an environmental force causes a disease, it becomes the main imbalance responsible for that disease.  Thus, a Chinese medicine doctor will treat and focus more on the main imbalance, not the disease.  Herbal medicines are the main source used to reestablish the balance of Yin and Yang, recovering the body to healthy circumstances.  

How does Chinese herbal medicine work?   

In Chinese herbal medicine combinations of different herbs, customized for each person’s unique pattern of harmony and disharmony, are used for their effects that can be divided into four categories:  supplementing or strengthening; redistributing Qi (energy) and vital fluids; removing or circulating Qi and fluids, to relieve stagnation or accumulation of heat, cold, dampness, etc.; and purging to relieve conditions related to blockage or excess and sometimes to eliminate toxins in the body.

In the case of acne, doctors who practice Chinese medicine consider it, generally, to be a result of the environmental force of heat.  When a person has a weakening digestive system with a higher dietary cholesterol intake, the body’s heat increases producing more toxic substances that flow into the bloodstream and body fluids, so hair follicles become trapped, causing bacterial buildup and inflammation.  

This condition might worsen at adolescence, premenstrual, or mild menstrual cycles due to hormonal action, poor diet, stress, and some contraceptives.

Chinese medical treatment of acne involves herbal medicine, a combination of several herbs such as dandelion, red sage root, and others, which work to destroy the bacteria; and acupunture generates energy to maximize the effectiveness of the herbal medicine.