Advances in Integrative Dermatology

Katlein França, Torello Lotti, Katlein França, Torello Lotti

• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell
• Year: 2019
• ISBN:
  9781119475880
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Medicine
• Subtopic: Dermatology

An authoritative overview of contemporary approaches to integrative skin health

The popularity of integrative medical treatment of skin disorders has increased significantly in recent years—requiring practicing clinicians to keep pace with continuingdevelopments in dermatological research and methods. Advances in Integrative Dermatology offers a comprehensive survey of this dynamic field, providing up-to-date information on both preventative and therapeutic approaches to skin health. Combining clinical medicine with complimentary treatment plans, integrative dermatology provides an innovative perspective to individual patient care.

This essential text explores new research in areas including the effects of stress and pollution on the skin, the importance of high-quality sleep, complementary methods of averting skin conditions, and more. Recognizing the impact skin disorders have on physiological, psychological, and emotional health, editors Katlein França and Torello Lotti illustrate key components of inclusive skin health strategies, such as therapeutic diets and nutritional supplements, topical botanicals, and other complementary therapies. Filling a significant gap in current literature on integrative dermatology, this valuable resource:

• Answers the common questions asked by patients in real-world dermatology practices
• Addresses pervasive misconceptions of integrative dermatological methods and principles with evidence-based review of current practices
• Examines contemporary research in the diagnosis and treatment of dermatological disorders
• Presents comprehensive treatment options for a wide range of conditions such as rosacea, melanoma, and psoriasis

Advances in Integrative Dermatology is an indispensable volume for physicians seeking to incorporate holistic techniques into their practices, expand their knowledge of integrative medicine, and provide the best possible care for their patients.

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Advances in Integrative Dermatology: Modifying the Concepts from the Past to Change the Future of Dermatology

Katlein França^1,2 and Torello Lotti¹

¹ Centro Studi per la Ricerca Multidisciplinare e Rigenerativa, Università degli Studi Guglielmo Marconi, Rome, Italy

² Department of Dermatology & Cutaneous Surgery; Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences; Institute for Bioethics & Health Policy, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA

“Every writer creates his own precursors. His work modifies our conception of the past, as it will modify the future.”

Jorge Luis Borges

Introduction

Medical practices that reside outside the mainstream medical structures have existed for centuries. [1] The origins of medicine are deeply rooted in civilization's cultural beliefs, experiences, and observations, and those practicing medicine believed that the body and the mind were not two separate entities. In the 1600s Rene Descartes, in an attempt to protect the body from spirits, separated the body from the mind. This was the beginning of evidence‐based medicine where the understanding of parts would lead to an understanding of the whole [2]. Subsequent developments such as antibiotics, other pharmaceuticals, anesthetics, and sterile surgical procedures gave a different perspective to medicine [3]. In particular, the discovery of antibiotics in 1928 boosted the pharmaceutical model we have today which emphasizes drugs as a primary means to treat disease. In Western civilizations, complementary and alternative medicines (CAMs) only began to re‐emerge after the 1960s with the awareness that chronic diseases were replacing acute diseases as the predominant health problem, and that a reductionist pharmaceutical model alone could not be sufficient for the prevention or treatment of these chronic diseases [4].

Different concepts and terms were given to describe the Integrative Medicine field: holistic medicine, alternative or complementary medicine, and then complementary and alternative medicine(CAM) [5]. The authors of this chapter understand that Integrative Medicine encompasses the coordination of conventional medicine with complementary therapies. The same concept applies to the Integrative Dermatology field. The skin is the largest organ of the human body interacting with other organs and responding to psychological, endocrines, and nervous stimuli through the Psycho‐Neuro‐Endocrine‐Immune system [6]. The integrative approach consists of a comprehensive evaluation of the physical, biological, psychological, social, and environmental overlapping aspects that affect the patient's life, offering them conventional and complementary therapies with scientific basis. The integrative approach is based on the concept that every human being has a “diffuse brain” that commands a cross‐talk of messengers (cytokines, neuropeptides, hormones, grow factors, etc.) involved in the Psycho‐Neuro‐Endocrine‐Immune system.

This book explores a new kind of dermatological healthcare. It is patient centered, and considers the physical, biological, psychological, social, and environmental aspects of the patient's life. It is based on dermatological healthcare promotion and skin diseases prevention, and embraces evidence‐based conventional and complementary therapies.

Integrative Dermatology: Conventional and Complementary Dermatology

Conventional Dermatology

Also called allopathic dermatology, mainstream dermatology, orthodox dermatology, or Western dermatology, this healthcare model of dermatology is generally taught in traditional medical schools and dermatology specialization programs. It uses evidence‐based knowledge and uses drugs, surgery, and minimally invasive procedures as a form of treatment.

Complementary Dermatology

Complementary dermatology refers to a group of diagnostic and therapeutic disciplines that are used together with conventional dermatology. Complementary dermatology is different from alternative dermatology. Whereas complementary dermatology is used together with conventional dermatology, alternative dermatology is used in place of conventional dermatology [7, 8] (Figures 1.1 and 1.2).

Figure 1.1 Integrative dermatology: combination of conventional dermatology and complementary dermatology.

Figure 1.2 Pillars and principles of integrative dermatology by França and Lotti.

Pillars of the Integrative Approach

Physical Findings

What does the patient present, and is visible to the physician?

Greeting the patient is the first step to establish rapport between the healthcare provider and the patient. In general, a handshake seems to be the most appropriate way to start a consultation. However, religious and cultural aspects may interfere in this process, so the healthcare professional should remain sensitive to nonverbal cues that might ind...