polymorphic light eruption

[Guest guest]

OK, this may be a long shot, but does anyone have any experience of

treating this condition? My patient is 36 years old, has had this skin

problem since age 21. It comes up in itchy blisters over her nose, backs

of hands, top of feet, base of neck, on exposure to light, but also

after sweating. They itch, so she scratches, and then they form rather

nasty scabs.

She herself feels that it is more like an extreme version of prickly

heat. It can occur all year round, so even on a bright winters day, but

is obviously more of a problem at this time of year.

She is in fairly good health otherwise, and a chirpy happy good tempered

individual she is too.

I was thinking Tilia, Ephedra and some liver stuff. Any more ideas?

Robyn

[Guest guest]

>

> Reply-To: ukherbal-list

> Date: Tue, 18 May 2004 19:41:24 +0100

> To: ukherbal-list

> Subject: polymorphic light eruption

>

> OK, this may be a long shot, but does anyone have any experience of

> treating this condition? My patient is 36 years old, has had this skin

> problem since age 21. It comes up in itchy blisters over her nose, backs

> of hands, top of feet, base of neck, on exposure to light, but also

> after sweating. They itch, so she scratches, and then they form rather

> nasty scabs.

>

> She herself feels that it is more like an extreme version of prickly

> heat. It can occur all year round, so even on a bright winters day, but

> is obviously more of a problem at this time of year.

Check for porphyria.

> She is in fairly good health otherwise, and a chirpy happy good tempered

> individual she is too.

>

> I was thinking Tilia, Ephedra and some liver stuff. Any more ideas?

Ephedra would be, from your brief description, contraindicated.

jonathan

[Guest guest]

jonathan treasure wrote:

> Ephedra would be, from your brief description, contraindicated.

Why?

Robyn

[Guest guest]

>

> Reply-To: ukherbal-list

> Date: Wed, 19 May 2004 19:06:08 +0100

> To: ukherbal-list

> Subject: Re: polymorphic light eruption

>

>

>

> jonathan treasure wrote:

>

>> Ephedra would be, from your brief description, contraindicated.

>

> Why?

> Robyn

>

I thought you'd never ask

Ephedra is energetically extremely heating and drying. Its use in

subjectively hot sx ( " feels like prickly heat " ), induced by exterior heat

(sun) is, on the surface at any rate, counter-intuitive. Deeper analysis

might compel a revision of that view in any particular case, but its a key

aspect of ephedra indications in general.

jonathan

[Guest guest]

>

> Reply-To: ukherbal-list

> Date: Wed, 19 May 2004 19:06:08 +0100

> To: ukherbal-list

> Subject: Re: polymorphic light eruption

>

>

>

> jonathan treasure wrote:

>

>> Ephedra would be, from your brief description, contraindicated.

>

> Why?

> Robyn

An afterthought, you did not ask about porphyria. But PLE is a " dustbin

diagnosis " . I would not trust it for a minute... And PCT would be a prime

candidate for the Sx you described. AT least needs eliminating.

jonathan

[Guest guest]

Now this is interesting, because that was always my view of Ephedra too.

But several people that I respected told me they relied on it for

prickly heat and another colleague uses it for eczemas of a type that I

would regard as hot and dry. I'd decided my energetic assessment of it

was oversimplified, and without that as a guideline had almost given up

using it. The one exception where I still feel confident in its

appropriate use is hayfever - and uh-oh, we have another dry and (at

least superficially) hot problem! How do you use Ephedra, ?

Didn't ask about porphyria because, ta-da, it was on my own list of

differentials (and rather proud of my own cleverness I was too!) Not

that I know anything about it of course, but I was planning to trawl the

list archives, because I vaguely remember some past discussion. Any

words of experience to share that may not be in archives?

Robyn

jonathan treasure wrote:

>Ephedra is energetically extremely heating and drying. Its use in

>subjectively hot sx ( " feels like prickly heat " ), induced by exterior heat

>(sun) is, on the surface at any rate, counter-intuitive. Deeper analysis

>might compel a revision of that view in any particular case, but its a key

>aspect of ephedra indications in general.

>

>jonathan

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

>

> Reply-To: ukherbal-list

> Date: Wed, 19 May 2004 21:58:22 +0100

> To: ukherbal-list

> Subject: Re: polymorphic light eruption

>

> Now this is interesting, because that was always my view of Ephedra too.

> But several people that I respected told me they relied on it for

> prickly heat and another colleague uses it for eczemas of a type that I

> would regard as hot and dry. I'd decided my energetic assessment of it

> was oversimplified, and without that as a guideline had almost given up

> using it. The one exception where I still feel confident in its

> appropriate use is hayfever - and uh-oh, we have another dry and (at

> least superficially) hot problem! How do you use Ephedra, ?

I don't. I have a 32 ounce bottle that's been sitting almost full on my

shelf for yonks. Sometimes in Minor Blue Dragon, but that's about it.

I stand to be corrected but in TCM ephedra would usually not be indicated

for sun induced prickly heat - cooling herbs like Quing Hao (sweet annie)

tend to be used for " summer heat " issues.

> Didn't ask about porphyria because, ta-da, it was on my own list of

> words of experience to share that may not be in archives?

Well I answered a question about it a while back. I have worked with several

cases. Look in the archives. Important point is that a urinary porphyrin

screen is useless, you need serology.

j

[Guest guest]

No idea why, Robyn, but Hypericum comes to mind; something to do with

melatonin, perhaps?

Alison Morton.

>

>Reply-To: ukherbal-list

>To: ukherbal-list

>Subject: polymorphic light eruption

>Date: Tue, 18 May 2004 19:41:24 +0100

>

>OK, this may be a long shot, but does anyone have any experience of

>treating this condition? My patient is 36 years old, has had this skin

>problem since age 21. It comes up in itchy blisters over her nose, backs

>of hands, top of feet, base of neck, on exposure to light, but also

>after sweating. They itch, so she scratches, and then they form rather

>nasty scabs.

>

>She herself feels that it is more like an extreme version of prickly

>heat. It can occur all year round, so even on a bright winters day, but

>is obviously more of a problem at this time of year.

>

>She is in fairly good health otherwise, and a chirpy happy good tempered

>individual she is too.

>

>I was thinking Tilia, Ephedra and some liver stuff. Any more ideas?

>Robyn

>

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[Guest guest]

Robyn, further to your conversation with Jonathon, I'd be really interested to

know which book/s you found most useful when learning about energetics. I'm

really struggling with this - feel I'm being far too symptomatic at the moment

and really want to move on.

Regards

Sue

polymorphic light eruption

OK, this may be a long shot, but does anyone have any experience of

treating this condition? My patient is 36 years old, has had this skin

problem since age 21. It comes up in itchy blisters over her nose, backs

of hands, top of feet, base of neck, on exposure to light, but also

after sweating. They itch, so she scratches, and then they form rather

nasty scabs.

She herself feels that it is more like an extreme version of prickly

heat. It can occur all year round, so even on a bright winters day, but

is obviously more of a problem at this time of year.

She is in fairly good health otherwise, and a chirpy happy good tempered

individual she is too.

I was thinking Tilia, Ephedra and some liver stuff. Any more ideas?

Robyn

List Owner

Graham White, MNIMH