Ayurveda always takes a holistic approach and believes that skin disorders are due to an imbalance of dosha’s or energy. At Highland Ayurveda, I work with patients to develop a specific treatment approach, with excellent and lasting results in around 3 months. Before exploring the research from modern medicine which is now starting to understand the need for a more holistic approach, here are a few of my recent case studies to enable you to see for yourself.
Patient 1: 12yr old suffering from eczema, itchiness, pain, infected blisters; angry and withdrawing socially.
Symptoms included: severe pain and itching requiring bandages at night, blistering, infection affecting face and whole body. During flare ups skin is blistered, swollen, very painful and infected, badly affecting his face. This has been ongoing intermittently for the last 5yrs with antibiotics, 1% facial steroid cream twice daily, 0.1% steroid cream, bandages, paraffin moisturisers, bathing products and antihistamines failing to stop flare ups continuing. Mental and emotional impacts increasing with anger and frustration at the lack of improvement so that he is avoiding school and not wanted to leave the house or socialise.
After 13wks of treatment: Symptoms vastly improved after Ayurvedic holistic treatment, no steroids or prescription medication. No itchiness or pain, resulting in a happy and confident child.
Over 3 months symptoms improved significantly, and he started High School feeling confident and happy. No need for prescribed steroid creams or other medication, no itching, or issues, except dry skin and scars healing, after many years of suffering. Through Ayurvedic consultations, he now understands that symptoms may return, but if they do, he will be able to treat early signs and symptoms himself, preventing a flare up. This will be by modifying his diet, regulating his mood, or changing his lifestyle habits, empowering him to take ownership of his own health. He continues to use Ayurvedic moisturiser and oils to heal the skin for the next few months, but no longer requires consultations.
Patient 2: Shaunna, 34 suffering from inflammatory dermatitis.
Symptoms included: Extreme itchiness, pink, purple rash spreading rapidly. Bleeding and infected with severe pain, requiring antibiotics, antihistamines and steroid creams. Rashes and bumps spread to her face, neck, head, and chest leaving the skin ‘sunburnt’ red, very painful, itchy. Progressed so that there was continual shedding from head, face, and neck multiple times per day all over her body. With increasing anxiety, and frustration Shaunna, tried multiple prescription treatments and holistic treatments whilst awaiting her dermatology appointment including diet and lifestyle changes, none of which resolved the issues. Shaunna, who was living in the Midlands, contacted me whilst on holiday in Scotland feeling desperate, hopeless, and overwhelmed with life.
After 12wks of treatment: All of Shaunna's symptoms had resolved and her overall health and happiness was significantly improved, with lasting results. Shaunna describes her experience below..
‘’I was feeling very let down and hopeless after being on many different medical treatments for a skin condition that appeared suddenly last year. I was waiting months to see a dermatologist while the condition got progressively worse. The inflammatory outbreak was causing a lot of pain and discomfort when I came to Tish, at Highland Ayurveda. It has been the only thing that worked and after 3 months of treatment my issues are completely resolved.
I appreciate my health more than ever before because of the entire experience and will be forever grateful.
Tish has a warm energy, she is attentive, honest, and knowledgeable. She embodies the qualities you look for in a Ayurvedic practitioner. She helped me out when I was feeling very let down and hopeless after being on many different medical treatments and waiting months to see a dermatologist. I came to her when I was visiting Scotland and having a very bad inflammatory outbreak on my skin causing a lot of pain and discomfort. It's been about 3 months now and I feel like I can do things normally in my life again. I would recommend Tish to anyone, she is wonderful and reliable. It has been pleasant working with her and she has helped me so much for which I'm truly grateful.
Why does holistic Ayurvedic Treatment work?
Skin disorders can impact every aspect of life, and can have life changing consequences. The largest ever UK government study on Mental Health and Skin Disorders in 2020, found:
· 60% of people in the UK, have, or have previously had, a skin condition.
· 25% of the population consult their GP each year for a skin complaint; many more suffer in silence.
· 98% of patients reported that their skin condition affects their emotional and psychological wellbeing.
· 5% had associated suicidal thoughts and 20% were offered antidepressants.
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With every UK dermatologist having responsibility for about 80k patient, only a 1/3 patients are seen by a dermatologist within a month and many wait much longer. The government report found that there was an urgent need for the NHS to provide holistic care to treat the mind and skin together, due to impact on education, career, relationships, social, sexual and leisure activities with long-term impacts from isolation, embarrassment, shame, depression, and anxiety. The NHS has a long way to go to achieve this, but thankfully Ayurveda has always taken a holistic approach.
At Highland Ayurveda, most patients with skin disorders (including rosacea, herpes, dermatitis, hives, acne) experience relief from all of their symptoms, with significant improvement to their health and happiness after 3mths of treatment; this can take longer for deeper rooted issues and psoriasis. This is possible because we work together, taking a holistic approach which considers all aspects of life. I focus on identifying the root cause, and work with the patient to either remove, or adapt to the causative factors, with thoughts, emotions, diet and digestion as a key aspects. This enables lasting healing, empowering patients to understand how to heal themselves, and is one of the fundamental differences with Ayurvedic treatment compared to modern medicine. Patients are healed of their symptoms, and as people, they begin to recognise signs and symptoms and modify their lifestyle, diet, mental and emotional health in order to avoid recurrence.
The current NHS guidelines recommend emollients, topical steroids, bandages and wet wraps, oral steroids, immunosuppressants, biological drugs, antihistamines, antibiotics, and antidepressants. There is no focus on dietary advice, although the link between skin disorders and food allergies is still being researched thus there is no ‘clinical evidence’. At Highland Ayurveda, my aim is to use herbal remedies for as short a time possible, transitioning to home remedies that the patient can easily make at home, at the appropriate time. There are no steroids or harsh medicines, everything is natural and herbal with diet and lifestyle advice being a key aspect. The focus on gut health, digestion , natural detoxification, and specific foods that are right for the individual is the other key difference between allopathic and Ayurvedic treatment.
How does it work?
At Highland Ayurveda, I identify the imbalance and root causes during an initial 90min consultation, where we discuss lifestyle, relationships, mental and emotional factors. I then prepare a draft Treatment Guidance which we refine during a 45min appointment. This includes lifestyle and nutritional advice, natural herbal remedies and talking therapy as required. Success is based on continuous 2-way feedback with regular consultations to assess progress and modify treatment and guidance as symptoms improve. We take a whole person approach, and talking therapy is often a key aspect, as are lifestyle changes.
I hope you enjoyed reading this, there is truly no better feeling than to see the joy on someone's face, when they realise they have the power to heal themselves, after being told for many years that they will suffer for life, unless they use harsh medication. If you would like more information please book a free consultation at www.highlandayurveda.com or contact tish@highlandayurveda.com