Psoriasis is a common chronic skin condition that affects approximately 2-4% of the world’s population. The symptoms are usually red and white scaly patches on the top layer of the skin. These patches will gradually peel off over time, accompanied by constant itching, swelling and pain. Imagine a never-healing wound where scabs form and fall off over and over again. The causes of the disease, like those of most other chronic diseases, are unknown. Western medicine defines it as an immune-mediated disease. As with most other chronic diseases, there is no cure and it can be controlled only by using constant medication, although in the most severe cases there are no effective methods of controlling the symptoms. People with severe psoriasis often suffer both physically and emotionally, as the disease damages the patient’s appearance. Many of these patients tend to wear long-sleeved clothing and head gear to cover the affected areas in order to keep the symptoms hidden while in public.

One of my relatives in Taiwan developed psoriasis about three years ago. Through her healing process, my understanding of the disease was broadened and the theory of TCM was reaffirmed. My relative’s psoriasis was on her scalp, underarms, forearms, chest, back and lower legs. Though the affected areas were not particularly large, they were, as I have described, spread out across various parts of her body. During the early stages, when the symptoms first appeared, she went to several hospitals and received different opinions from doctors. When the diagnosis of psoriasis was eventually confirmed, she was devastated by the news. ‘I still have the little pamphlet explaining the disease that I got from the hospital right after the diagnosis,’ she said. ‘On the first page of the pamphlet it said “Psoriasis cannot be cured, but through medication the symptoms can be reduced.” The thought that I’d have to live with this condition for the rest of my life was awful. Not only was the disease not curable, but the likelihood of the symptoms becoming worse over time was extremely distressing.’

When analysing the disease on her behalf, I used three major TCM concepts: (1) the lungs govern the skin; (2) the skin is a main detox passage for the body; and (3) the meridians are passageways for body fluids.

Concept 1

The first concept was the TCM theory that the lungs govern the skin. TCM asserts that the lung system, meaning both the organ and the meridian, governs the distribution of water in the body. This is not to say that the lung system is responsible for the physical distribution of water, but rather that it governs the body’s function in distributing water. When the body’s lung system is low in energy, the body will lack the ability to distribute water properly. The most recognisable symptom is dry skin. Our skin requires a certain amount of moisture to protect its surface. When skin dryness occurs, the skin becomes vulnerable to various skin diseases. Moreover, a lack of water within the body will cause the meridians to become less fluid, making it difficult for the body to remove waste within the meridian. A build-up of waste inside the lung meridian will also create various skin conditions.

Concept 2

The second TCM concept that I used says that the skin is the main detox passage for the body alongside the liver and the kidneys. In other words, a sizeable proportion of the body’s toxins are released through the skin. A major source of toxins in the body is the intake of inorganic substances. As we observe in nature, only plants are able to absorb inorganic nutrients such as minerals directly from the ground. Animals can absorb these nutrients only indirectly, either by consuming plants or by consuming other animals that have absorbed these plants. The same goes for humans. With the exception of salt and water, most of the food sources we consume are organic. I do not think any of us have ever been at a dinner table where we were served rocks or metal to eat. Thus, it is reasonable to believe that the laws of nature dictate we should consume organic foods rather than inorganic. However, due to modern-day science, the amount of inorganic substances that humans consume has increased (see below). The human body can digest and process some of the inorganic substances it consumes, but others will become toxins in the body. Luckily, our body has a superb detox system. Through our liver and kidneys, it is able to remove toxins. But the detox process may sometimes become the cause of some common skin conditions.

This is because one of the main passages for disposing of toxins is through the skin. When our skin comes into contact with inorganic substances, it absorbs them as toxins but it is able to remove them through the skin instead of utilising the internal detox system of the liver and kidneys. One analogy that I use is the common toxicity found in fish skin. Fish skin often becomes toxic when the water the fish lives in is polluted. The human body is also able to prevent toxic material from entering its internal organs. It makes sense that it works this way since these toxins can cause major damage to our kidneys and liver. The removal of toxic substances is the cause of various chronic skin conditions. In other words, some skin diseases are merely the symptom or the side-effect of our body’s detox process.

In the modern world, our lives are filled with inorganic and toxic materials. Processed foods, in particular, are one of the main sources of toxins for modern-day humans. In order to lower costs and maintain a uniform product, food companies will often include chemical-based food additives in their products. The research that is done to ensure these additives have no long-term ill effects on human health is often limited. It is also extremely difficult to prove there is a correlation between these additives and various diseases. Since animals do not consume inorganic substances in nature, perhaps it is not to our benefit to consume these substances either.

Besides food, there are many other sources of toxins in our daily lives. Common cosmetic products such as hair gel and hair dye contain harmful chemicals that may enter through contact with our skin. Home detergent as well as home cleaning products may also contain harmful chemicals. Living in the modern world, absorbing toxins is inevitable. However, that does not mean we should give up any attempt at a healthy lifestyle. We should use this knowledge to limit the toxins that our body ingests and improve our body’s detox functions, so it can remove these toxins once they have entered it.

Concept 3

The third concept that I used in healing my relative’s psoriasis is the concept of our meridians as passageways for body fluid. The fluidity of our meridians determines our body’s ability to pass nutrients to and remove waste from our cells. If our meridians become congested, the body will no longer be able to remove waste properly through these passages. The additional waste that clogs our meridians over time may become the source of the symptoms of psoriasis.

Redefining the symptoms of psoriasis

Another important step in analysing psoriasis besides using the above TCM concepts is to rethink the disease as a whole. It is crucial to review the symptoms of psoriasis in relation to the cause of the disease. The central logic of modern medicine in its response to diseases is to assume that the symptoms are a sign of body malfunction, possibly caused by external pathogens. Sometimes, when such pathogens are absent, the malfunction is taken to be caused autonomously. TCM takes a different approach to the problem and assumes that the body is intelligent and that it has a strong self-healing system. When reviewing a symptom of any disease, TCM considers the possibility that the symptom may be caused by the self-healing process rather than simply being the result of bodily malfunction. When we consider that the symptoms of psoriasis may be the result of the body’s self-healing process, the possibility of a complete cure for the disease emerges.

The path to curing psoriasis

Let us therefore assume that the symptoms of psoriasis are the result of the body’s self-healing process. During the process of removing toxins via the skin, the body develops the various symptoms of psoriasis. Methods of healing the disease become apparent; the body needs to do the following two things:

  1. Reduce or eliminate the intake of the toxins that are causing the condition.
  2. Allow the body to complete the removal of the toxins that are already in the body.

Examining my cousin’s daily habits, I discovered that she had dyed her hair for the past 15 years. Hair colouring, as we know, involves treatment of the hair with various chemical compounds. Since a large proportion of her psoriasis symptoms were located on her scalp, it was reasonable to suspect that the toxins might be related to the hair-dye chemicals. Moreover, she had a habit of using hair spray for hairstyling. Hairspray is another product that is mostly made up of inorganic chemicals.

With these possible causes in mind, I formulated a plan for healing her psoriasis:

  1. Make sure that she received adequate sleep so that her body could maintain a high level of body energy. This is essential for the body to proceed with its self-healing process.
  2. Reduce the intake of toxins. In this particular case, she was to stop using hair colouring and hairspray. Besides abandoning hair products, she made a serious effort to improve her daily diet by reducing the intake of food additives and preservatives.
  3. Daily massage of the bladder meridian and daily hair combing. The bladder meridian is essential in the process of removing waste. Making sure the meridian is fluid will help the body speed up the detox process. Hair combing follows the same idea. Since most of the symptoms were located on her scalp, hair combing could improve the meridian fluidity near the affected area.

It is important to note that the healing process may be lengthy. There may be no apparent progress in the first few weeks or months. In my relation’s case, after the first month of following the above three points of healing, she did not experience any changes to the affected areas. However, she noted that while the areas already affected by psoriasis did not improve, there was no spread to additional areas. After six months of massage and healthy living, the affected areas gradually began to reduce. In the next three months, the psoriasis on her arms and legs disappeared. The psoriasis that was on her scalp took a further three months to go. Within about one year from the start of applying these methods, her psoriasis was completely cured.

For my relative, the first six months of the treatment were the most difficult. Because progress was minimal, she often questioned the effectiveness of my approach and the validity of the reasoning and considered returning to modern medications. I encouraged her to employ a nothing-to-lose attitude in confronting these doubts. First of all, there is no scientific proof that psoriasis will worsen without treatment. Secondly, the current medical treatments are aimed at containing the symptoms rather than curing the disease and in some cases, these treatments will merely lead to increased symptoms in the long run. Why not attempt to cure the disease first, before using the conventional methods? After all, if my methods had not worked, she could still have gone back to the default treatment.

Doubt is the greatest deterrent to the success of this treatment. On several occasions, my relative felt disappointed at the lack of progress and even when it did occur, she questioned whether it was sustainable or if the improvement was just temporary. Only when the psoriasis on her scalp had mostly gone and the bald spots that were caused by the condition were filled with new hair did my relative feel confidence in these methods.

After the successful experience with my relative, I was able to advise many others who were troubled by psoriasis and many of them achieved various degrees of success in healing their condition. I also shared the story on my website and received many positive emails regarding its effectiveness. While I do not claim that this method is suitable for all sufferers, as there are many forms of psoriasis as well as people who are genetically predisposed to it, this is nevertheless a method built on the foundation of TCM philosophy. From my personal experience, it is generally effective in curing the condition. If you are not content with containing the disease by the use of drugs to avert its symptoms, I encourage you to try this method, which offers the possibility of a complete cure.

Hair loss: my own experience

Hair loss is a common condition in men over the age of 30. In recent years, studies have shown that hair loss is starting at a younger age, which suggests that it is a major issue in today’s world. While in itself not life threatening, it may indicate other health issues. I would like to share my own experiences with hair loss and the insight that I have gained in explaining its causes.

I experienced hair loss when I was around 35 years old. As I recall, at the time, every morning when I woke up I would discover strands of hair on my pillow. As any other man in his 30s would be, I was distraught at this sudden loss of hair and tried many different methods to stop it. At first I suspected it was food-related. MSG was commonly used in cooking in Taiwan at the time and I suspected that it might be the cause. However, after I eliminated MSG from my diet, my condition continued to worsen. I tried various other food therapies as well as some common hair restoration products, yet none was successful in stopping the hair loss. What began as a receding hairline led to balding of the entire front area of my head by the age of 40. By the time I was 45, the only hair I had left was on the back of my head and along the temporal area. The front and center areas of my head were completely bald.

As I learned more about TCM and developed a deeper understanding of the human body, I began to understand the reason behind my hair loss. Through many years of changing my living habits and practising various healing methods, I was able to stop my hair loss and even to grow hair back in some areas that were bald. Throughout this process I realised that while it is much more difficult to restore hair in areas that are completely bald, slowing down the rate of hair loss or even stopping it is much easier. I believe that this knowledge is especially helpful for those who are in the early stages of hair loss, as the problem can easily be solved following TCM-based methods.

The cause of my hair loss can be attributed to two things – the thinness of my hair strands and the thickness of my scalp. Studies have shown that the average person’s hair is around 0.05~0.15 mm in diameter. I remember measuring my own hair using a mechanical draft ruler, back when I was still a college student, and my hair measured 0.05~0.06 mm, which was at the lower end of the average hair diameter range. TCM attributes the thinness of hair to a weakness of the kidney system and asserts that the cause is mostly hereditary. There is an old saying in Chinese: ‘Kidney Qi is the Qi before birth’. As I have explained, the concept of Qi is synonymous with energy which, when used to describe a particular organ system, means the general condition of the system. So the condition of the kidney system is determined before birth. Hereditary reasons aside, poor living habits – such as lack of sleep and over-exhaustion – can cause the kidney system to weaken as well. My own weakness in the kidneys was a combination of hereditary factors and being late to bed. I remember that after I started going to college, I rarely went to bed before midnight. Constantly going to bed late lowered my body energy, which contributed to the weakening of my kidney system and therefore to the thinness of my hair.

The second reason for my baldness was the thickness of my scalp. Several meridians travel through the scalp. The bladder meridian, as well as the gallbladder meridian, has passages that travel through this area (see Figure 6.1). These meridians tend to become less fluid as a result of an abundance of cold Qi (see page 31) absorbed by the scalp. Over time, these clogged meridians lead to the scalp becoming thicker, which hinders hair growth.

The absorption of cold Qi occurs when the head is exposed to cold. Certain habits tend to contribute to this problem. The habit of not blowing your hair dry after a shower is one of the most common causes. A lot of men, myself in the past included, wash our hair and then tend to let it dry naturally. People who do that on a regular basis will likely develop a thick layer of fat underneath the scalp. We can test this by pressing two fingers down on the top of the head. The thickening feels like a layer of jelly between the scalp and the skull, whereas with a thin and healthy scalp, one can easily feel the skull without much resistance. The thick layer under the scalp is a sign that the meridians in that region have lost their fluidity. A clogged meridian makes it more difficult for the hair follicles to absorb nutrients. Over time, these hair follicles will lose their function due to a lack of nutrients and gradually become dormant, resulting in hair loss.

After practising hair-combing for over a year, along with healthy living habits, I noticed a significant thinning of my scalp tissue. As my scalp returned to its original healthy condition, areas of my head that were previously bald began to grow thin strands of hair. While I do not expect my hair to return to the lushness that it had when I was in my 20s, the hair that I have now is significantly more than when I was 50.

As I have discovered from my own experiences and the experiences of people who have tried my method of hair combing, back massages and healthy living, it is much easier to stop hair loss than it is to regrow hair when one is already bald. If someone has just discovered that he or she is experiencing hair loss, by practising hair combing and taking simple precautions, such as always blow-drying hair, they can stop the process of hair loss in a matter of weeks.