Seborrheic Dermatitis

Seb derm2_KimSeborrheic dermatitis (SD) is a skin disorder found in oil-gland rich regions of the scalp, face and trunk that vary from mild (such as dandruff/eyelid scaling) to severe. Skin, often along the scalp hairline, may appear mildly scaling or have thick adherent crust on a red base.

Mild immune system abnormalities (T-cell depression, activated alternative complement pathway), autonomic nervous system imbalances, and some medications (cimetidine, griseofulvin) may all contribute to SD. Since fungus naturally colonizes skin, affected skin patches are susceptible to fungal infection.

Usually, SD can be identified visually, without biopsy. Treatments include: avoiding scratching; discontinuing hair products; dandruff shampoos containing selenium, tar, sulfur or zinc; antifungal creams or shampoos (like ketoconazole); and calcineurin inhibitors (like tacrolimus/Protopic). Topical steroids may work for a short time, but often produce a “rebound effect”: more severe SD recurrence when medication is discontinued. Very severe manifestations sometimes require oral medications, and should be managed by a dermatologist.[1]

Seborrheic dermatitis can be refractory to both conventional and Eastern treatments. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, SD signals a complex of underlying imbalances: immune system (“Wei Qi”) derangement, “Lung/Heart” and “Lung/Liver” System Disharmonies, and “Deficiency Heat” affecting “Fluids” and “Blood”. Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine address these underlying problems. Chinese home remedies related to building the Blood System, like goji berries, or Ayurvedic ones, like topical oils, may help as well.[2, 3]

Learn more about Seborrheic Dermatitis

X

These brief overviews of conditions represent distillations of basic and current medical reviews from the following sources:

[1] Conventional Medical Sources

“Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine: Volumes 1 and 2, 18th Edition”. Dan Longo Anthony Fauci, Dennis Kasper, Stephen Hauser, J. Jameson, Joseph Loscalzo. McGraw-Hill Professional; (July, 2011)

Medscape eMedicine Physician’s online resource. Various review articles:

Allergic and Environmental Asthma: an Overview of Asthma
William F Kelly III, MD  Associate Professor of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences; Staff physician, Division of Pulmonary/Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center

Allergic Rhinitis
Javed Sheikh, MD  Assistant Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Clinical Director, Division of Allergy and Inflammation, Clinical Director, Center for Eosinophilic Disorders, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

Food Allergies
Scott H Sicherer, MD  Professor of Pediatrics, Jaffe Food Allergy Institute, Mount Sinai School of Medicine of New York University

Atopic Dermatitis
Brian S Kim, MD  Clinical Instructor, Department of Dermatology, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania

Seborrheic Dermatitis
Samuel T Selden, MD  Assistant Professor Department of Dermatology Eastern Virginia Medical School; Consulting Staff, Chesapeake General Hospital; Private Practice

Psoriasis
Jeffrey Meffert, MD  Assistant Clinical Professor of Dermatology, University of Texas School of Medicine at San Antonio

Urticaria
M Scott Linscott, MD, FACEP  Adjunct Professor of Surgery (Clinical), Division of Emergency Medicine, University of Utah School of Medicine

Cholinergic Urticaria
Robert A Schwartz, MD, MPH  Professor and Head, Dermatology, Professor of Pathology, Pediatrics, Medicine, and Preventive Medicine and Community Health, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-New Jersey Medical School

[2], [3]
  • “Acupuncture Energetics: A Clinical Approach for Physicians”. Joseph M. Helms. Medical Acupuncture Publishers; 1st Edition. (1995)
  • “Foundations of Chinese Medicine: A Comprehensive Text for Acupuncturists and Herbalists”. Giovanni Maciocia. Churchill Livingstone; 2 Edition (July, 2005).
  • “Diagnosis in Chinese Medicine: A Comprehensive Guide”. Giovanni Maciocia. Churchill Livingstone; 1st Edition (January, 2004).

4. “Chinese Scalp Acupuncture”. Jason Ji-shun Hao, Linda Ling-zhi Hao and Honora Lee Wolfe. Blue Poppy Press; 1st Edition. (November, 2011)

5. Ege MJ, Mayer M, Normand AC, Genuneit J, Cookson WO, Braun-Fahrländer C, et al. Exposure to environmental microorganisms and childhood asthma. N Engl J Med. Feb 24 2011;364(8):701-9. [Medline]

6. Tsai JD, Chang SN, Mou CH, Sung FC, Lue KH. Association between atopic diseases and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in childhood: a population-based case-control study. Ann Epidemiol. Apr 2013;23(4):185-8. [Medline].

7. JPEN J Parenter Enteral Nutr. 2012 Jan;36(1 Suppl):68S-75S. doi: 10.1177/0148607111426276

8. Rubio-Tapia A, Kyle RA, Kaplan EL, et al. Increased prevalence and mortality in undiagnosed celiac disease. Gastroenterology.2009;137:88-93.

9. Thompson T. Gluten contamination of commercial oat products in the United States. N Engl J Med. 2004;351:2021-2022.

10. Häuser W, Janke KH, Klump B, Gregor M, Hinz A. Anxiety and depression in adult patients with celiac disease on the gluten free diet. World J Gastroenterol. 2010;16:2780-2787.

11. Am. J. Epidemiol. (2013)178 (12):1721–1730doi:10.1093/aje/kwt234

12. Addolorato G, Di Guida D, De Rossi G, et al. Regional cerebral hypoperfusion in patients with celiac disease. Am J Med. 2004;116:312-317.

13. Sapone A, Lammers KM, Casolaro V, et al. Divergence of gut permeability and mucosal immune gene expression in two glutenassociated conditions: celiac disease and gluten sensitivity. BMC Med. 2011;9:23.

14. Biesiekierski JR, Newnham ED, Irving PM, et al. Gluten causes gastrointestinal symptoms in subjects without celiac disease: a double-blind randomized placebo-controlled trial. Am J Gastroenterol. 2011;106:508-514.

15. Yamini D, Pimentel M. Irritable bowel syndrome and small intestinal bacterial overgrowth. J Clin Gastroenterol. 2010;44:672-675.

16. Wahnschaffe U, Schulzke J-D, Zeitz M, Ullrich R. Predictors of clinical response to gluten-free diet in patients diagnosed with diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2007;5:844-850.

17. Hadjivassiliou M, Grunewald RA, Chattopadhyay AK, et al. Clinical, radiological, neurophysiological and neuropatholgical characteristics of gluten ataxia. Lancet. 1998;352:1582-1585.

18. Hadjivassiliou M, Boscolo S, Davies-Jones A, et al. The humoral response in the pathogenesis of gluten ataxia. Neurology. 2002;58:1221-1226.

19. Dieterich W, Ehnis T, Bauer M, et al. Identification of tissue transglutaminase as the autoantigen of celiac disease. Nat Med. 1997;7:797-801.

20. Korponay-Szabo IR, Halttunen T, Szalai Z, et al. In vivo targeting of intestinal and extraintestinal transglutaminase 2 by coeliac autoantibodies. Gut. 2004;53:641-648.

21. Hadjivassiliou M, Maki M, Sanders DS, et al. Autoantibody targeting of brain and intestinal transglutaminase in gluten ataxia. Neurology. 2006;66:373-377.

22. Tengah CP, Lock RJ, Unsworth DJ, Wills A. Multiple sclerosis and occult gluten sensitivity. Neurology. 2004;62:2326-2327.

23. Hadjivassiliou M, Sander DS, Grünewald RA. Multiple sclerosis and occult gluten sensitivity. Neurology. 2005;64:933-934.

24· Lever R, MacDonald C, Waugh P, Aitchison T. Randomised controlled trial of advice on an egg exclusion diet in young children with atopic eczema and sensitivity to eggs. Pediatr Allergy Immunol. Feb 1998;9(1):13-9. [Medline].

25. Branum AM, Lukacs SL. Food allergy among children in the United States. Pediatrics. Dec 2009;124(6):1549-55. [Medline].

26. Fleischer DM, Burks AW, Vickery BP, Scurlock AM, Wood RA, Jones SM, et al. Sublingual immunotherapy for peanut allergy: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled multicenter trial. J Allergy Clin Immunol. Jan 2013;131(1):119-27.e1-7. [Medline]. [Full Text].

27. Hand L. Probiotics may protect infants from allergy, but not asthma. Medscape Medical News [serial online]. August 19, 2013;Accessed August 25, 2013. Available at http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/809604.

28. Elazab N, Mendy A, Gasana J, Vieira ER, Quizon A, Forno E. Probiotic Administration in Early Life, Atopy, and Asthma: A Meta-analysis of Clinical Trials. Pediatrics. Aug 19 2013;[Medline].

29. O’Connel RA. SPECT brain imaging in psychiatric disorders: current clinical status. In: Grünwald F, Kasper S, Biersack HJ, Möller HJ, eds. Brain SPECT Imaging in Psychiatry. Berlin: de Gruyter; 1995:35-57.

30. Grasby PM, Bench C. Neuroimaging in mood disorders. Curr Opin Psychiatry. 1997;10:73-78.