Conventional vs. Holistic Medicine: Which is Best for Healing Perioral Dermatitis?
When it comes to healing perioral dermatitis, there are two routes to choose from: conventional medicine and holistic medicine. While both aim to heal perioral dermatitis, they differ significantly in their approach, treatments, and conditions. Understanding the key differences will help you make an informed decision and figure out which one is best for you.
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APPROACH: Disease-centered vs. Health-centered
In conventional medicine, the approach is disease-centered, meaning that physicians aim to reduce or eliminate the symptoms of the illness, but not the illness itself. The root of the issue is not addressed, rather it is suppressed. Since the disease is not really gone there’s a good chance that the symptoms will return. Sometimes, worse than before. A good example of this is when steroid creams are prescribed for perioral dermatitis or eczema. Initially, this might reduce the redness and itchiness, but it’s only a matter of time before it comes back with a vengeance. The big take away here is that conventional medicine does not take into account the mental, spiritual, and emotional aspects that may contribute to disease. As a result, the person as a “whole” is not treated.
Holistic medicine, on the other hand, offers a comprehensive health-centered approach. It is based on the principle that in order to rid the body of disease and live disease-free all factors need to be considered, including the mind, body, AND spirit. Holistic practitioners believe that these elements are interconnected and illness must be treated in a way that restores balance and health to each one of these components. In other words, instead of simply treating the symptoms, the aim is to identify and address the underlying imbalances that might be contributing to illness. For example, instead of using a bandaid approach to reduce the symptoms of perioral dermatitis (redness and itchiness) at the surface level, natural practitioners dig deeper in an attempt to understand why you
are experiencing these symptoms in the first place.
TREATMENTS: Medication vs. Natural Remedies
Physicians use treatments such as surgery, pharmaceutical drugs, and medical devices to treat the symptoms of disease. For example, it is common practice to prescribe medication for perioral dermatitis. The most commonly prescribed treatments are topical ointments, like metronidazole and steroids, as well as oral antibiotics. These medications work by suppressing the symptoms, but they do not treat the underlying cause which is why perioral dermatitis may come back or may never subside in the first place. For some people, all it takes is 4-6 weeks of medication to get rid of perioral dermatitis. For others who aren’t so lucky, it can return weeks or months later after the initial success. If there is no improvement, they may then be prescribed oral antibiotics, which are detrimental to the health of the gut. Ironically, antibiotics, in both the topical and oral form, can disrupt the balance of bacteria in the gut and further exacerbate perioral dermatitis.
Holistic medicine uses natural remedies, mind-body practices, and alternative therapies to address illness and health issues. It encourages a balanced lifestyle through a nutritionally rich diet, stress management, proper supplementation, physical activity and emotional well-being. Treatments used in healing perioral dermatitis can include natural remedies like herbs, acupuncture, homeopathy, and supplements, as well as practices such as yoga and meditation. These therapies stimulate the body's innate healing abilities to restore balance.
CONDITIONS: Acute vs. Chronic
Conventional medicine is highly effective for acute conditions like infections, injuries, and life-threatening emergencies, where quick and decisive action is often necessary. However, its approach to chronic conditions is limited, often focusing on symptom management rather than addressing the underlying causes.
Holistic medicine is particularly beneficial for managing chronic conditions, as it aims to uncover root causes and work on long-term health strategies. Perioral Dermatitis is a chronic condition as it does not develop overnight; it starts to occur well before it appears on the skin. That’s why the holistic method of healing can be so successful because all factors are considered and addressed. When the root causes of perioral dermatitis are identified, it’s easier to keep it away for the long term. This is what sets holistic medicine apart from conventional medicine; it’s a long term solution.
So, what option is best for healing perioral dermatitis? At the end of the day, there is no silver bullet. Conventional medicine promises a quick solution to healing perioral dermatitis, but as we know, perioral dermatitis is not an acute condition. This is why medication doesn’t always work. 90% of the people I see have already tried the conventional route and either had no success, or they experienced initial success only to have it return weeks, months, or even years later. Treating a chronic condition like perioral dermatitis successfully requires identifying and addressing the root cause(s). This is not easy to do as it takes dedication and time, something conventional doctors don’t have a lot of. Their short appointment times aren’t conducive to the detective work required to determine the underlying imbalances that lead to perioral dermatitis, and it’s different for every person.
That’s why working with a holistic practitioner is so beneficial. They have the experience to be able to identify imbalances more quickly. They also take the time to dive into a person’s health history and consider other important factors like environmental triggers, emotional well-being, lifestyle habits, physical activity, sleep habits and so much more. Above all, they are able to uncover those pesky blind spots and provide accountability, which is key to healing the skin.