Tongue Acupuncture as an Alternative Method for Treating Rosacea–A Case Report

Abstract

Rosacea is a chronic inflammatory disease of the skin characterized by facial papules, pustules, erythema, and telangiectasia. Emotional factors such as stress and anxiety may induce and aggravate the symptoms of rosacea. It is hypothesized that tongue acupuncture, a technique that has been used successfully in the treatment of various neurological and psychiatric diseases, could be beneficial in relieving rosacea symptoms. This study evaluated the immediate effect of tongue acupuncture at specific anatomical points in the treatment of rosacea. A case study was conducted on a 27 years old woman with the diagnosis of rosacea, complaining of redness, pustules, burning sensation, stinging, and itching on the face. The study used the tongue acupuncture points of heart, stomach, lung, and head. The temperature was measured with the thermograph (FlirE5) at room temperature (20 °C) within 1.0 meter distance from the patient and 1.5 meter distance from the ground. For this, photographs were taken three times, first, before starting the tongue acupuncture treatment, second, directly after the stimulation of the points, and third, fifteen minutes after acupuncture. A difference was observed fifteen minutes after acupuncture in the average temperature of the regions, right cheek (32.9 °C), left cheek (33.1 °C), and nose (33.6 °C). However, in the other regions, the temperature was maintained or slightly raised. The present study indicates that tongue acupuncture has immediate and slight effects over facial temperature, and can provide some relief in the symptoms. Further studies on a larger sample size must be conducted for a better understanding of the mechanisms of tongue acupuncture on dermatologic diseases such as rosacea.