Chinese Medicine Dermatology: I Will Never Stop Learning For You

If you have followed me on social media at all through recent years, you already know my dedication to my patients and to Chinese Medicine Dermatology.  I strive to be the best practitioner of Chinese Medicine I can possibly be.  I want to offer the best diagnostic and treatment skills to my patients.  When I formulate topical products, I want to craft the best natural skin care products for my customers/patients/other practitioners.  As an educator, I want to level-up the way Chinese Medicine is practiced and perceived in the United States.  I will never stop learning for you.

Dermatology in Chinese Medicine Diploma Course

Last month, I completed the Chinese Medicine Dermatology Diploma Course for the second time.  Taught by the world-renown Chinese Medicine Dermatology expert Mazin Al-Khafaji, this diploma course spans a year of regular classes where we are thoroughly trained to diagnose inflammatory skin diseases and effectively treat them using Chinese Herbal Medicine.  I first completed this program in 2015 in London.  Such specialized advanced training in Chinese Medicine Dermatology is not readily available in the English-speaking world outside of China.  So upon learning this course would be offered in Chicago, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to take it again.

Dermatology can be quite the challenging specialty.  Basic skills involve understanding the anatomy of the skin, identifying the various types of skin lesions and understanding them within the Chinese Medicine perspective (i.e. what underlying energetic imbalances are indicated by the existence of each lesion type),  and  even understanding the different types of itch (yes, in Chinese Medicine we identify 11 unique kinds of itching!).

Next, of course, comes the ability to diagnose a skin disease… combine the lesions seen with the patient history in order to form a clinical impression of what disease process is underway (sometimes this is SO obvious…other times it is not).  Once we are clear on the skin disease, we can interpret the condition  based on which TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) patterns of imbalance are at play and from what depth in the body the inflammation is originating.  THEN we decide on the medicines (herbs) that will comprise the prescription for the patient.

Skin diseases studied in the Chinese Medicine Dermatology Diploma Course

• Psoriasis

• Perioral Dermatitis

• Viral Warts (including Molluscum Contagiosum)

• Stasis Eczema

• Lichen Planus

• Rosacea

• Pompholyx Eczema

• Herpes Simplex

• Herpes Zoster (Shingles)

• Atopic Eczema

• Fungal Infections

• Pityriasis Versicolor

• Vitiligo

• Alopecia Areata

• Nummular Eczema

• Impetigo

• Acne

• Lichen Simplex

• Seborrheic Dermatitis

• Urticaria (Hives)

Advanced Training in Chinese Medicine Dermatology

Just 2 short weeks after completing the diploma course in Chicago, I attended the first Master Class in Chinese Medicine Dermatology.  Taught by Mazin Al-Khafaji (of course!), this class was held in San Diego – such a lovely city, though I was inside in a dark room, frantically scribbling notes for 2 days straight so I didn’t get to enjoy as much of the surroundings as I would have liked.

The Master Class was amazing!  SO MUCH advanced dermatology training. We studied difficult cases of atopic eczema, psoriasis, granuloma annulare and other relatively common but challenging skin diseases.  We learned new herbal approaches to treating these conditions if our traditional approaches might prove less effective.

Another awesome aspect of this course was that the crème de la crème of Chinese Medicine Dermatologists were in attendance and I got to connect with colleagues who have become wonderful friends.  It warmed my lonely heart to be among my own tribe.

So what does all my training mean for YOU?

For patients, it means I am now even more skilled in diagnosing and treating skin diseases (using totally natural medicine!).  If you live anywhere in the U.S. I can treat you.  The Zi Zai Dermatology clinic offers remote consultations using Skype (or Zoom if you prefer).  We cook up your herbal prescriptions for you in our top-notch pharmacy where we employ the same large herb cooking machines currently used in the TCM hospitals of China.  Then we ship your herbs and skincare products directly to you!

For other practitioners of Chinese Medicine, I have more knowledge and experience that I want to share with you to help YOU get better clinical results with your patients.  Now that all my continuing education classes are completed (for now, anyway), I will have more ability to interact on our Tribe of Zi Zai Professional Forum (Facebook group for practitioners of Chinese Medicine).  I also will be able to schedule time in the Zi Zai lab to formulate the new herbal skin care products that I have been wanting to make for a long time.  I am currently working to move our practitioner catalog of topical products to the same shopping software as our Online Herbal Dispensary for your convenience.  We have also added several new herbs to our pharmacy  – that means an ever-growing catalog of herbs for you to incorporate into your herbal formulas when you use our Online Herbal Dispensary to fill your prescriptions.

For consumers, I finally will be able to budget time dedicated to bringing new all-natural skincare products to you.  You are going to be excited about our extended line of lip care products and our brand new line of pet products.  I have been meaning to make these for some time now and I am super thrilled that I finally can devote time do it!