Skin Affections

It must be realised that the treatment of a so-called 'skin disease' is in a great majority of cases a problem of internal medicine.
The skin is not only a protective covering well-equipped with sensory nerve endings as alarm signals, it is also a very important excretory organ and intimately associated with the well-being of the body as a whole. In many illnesses there is widespread disorder in the body and the skin shares in the disturbance. The skin eruption may be the most obvious symptom but the internal under¬lying disorder must be envisaged and dealt with if any cure is to be hoped for.
Consequently the cure of a skin trouble may be anything but straightforward, and the homoeopathic physician with his approach to the patient as a whole and his method of individual investigation is well-equipped to deal with these complex problems.
A sensitive skin may, of course, be injured or irritated by direct contact with some chemical irritant, cosmetics, dyes, detergents, industrial chemicals, even medicaments applied with good intent or in response to fashion or popular acclaim. In this case the 'fly in the ointment' must be sought out and avoided sedulously.
But more often the trouble is within and the skin disturbance is a response to internal irritants, food poisons, toxic drugs, autogen¬ous toxins manufactured within the body, or to emotional stresses which upset the hormone balance and cause disorder in the circulation.
In general it is best to beware of ointments which often make matters worse by interfering with the excretory function of the skin. If the affected area is very dry and scaly pure olive oil may be applied.