Speaker: Kenneth Proefrock, NMD

Rash is a very broad medical term defined as a widespread eruption of skin lesions. They can vary widely in appearance, with causes ranging from insect bites to HIV and reactions to medications, they can affect one part of the body or cover a large area. Rashes can be dry, moist, bumpy, smooth, cracked, or blistered. They can involve pain, itching, and color changes. There is a vast spectrum for how skin rashes manifest in patients with more and less pigmentation and this is an arena of medicine fraught with controversy (most skin rashes are presented in photos of less pigmented people in the medical literature, but most skin manifestations of STI’s are presented with photos of people of with more pigmentation–a significant effector of bias when that distortion is presented to medical students). Some rashes will clear up on their own, some respond to herbal remedies, and others might be a sign of something more serious that needs to be addressed differently. We will discuss the many reasons for skin rashes and the underlying mechanism for their presentation, including skin infections from bacterial, fungal, viral, or parasitic infections, allergies, and medications. We discuss the internal and topical botanical medicine interventions that have a history of use and we discuss their rationale, we also discuss concepts of suppression vs. healing.

Related product: The PowerPoint for this recording is available here: 2025 Medicines from the Earth Herb: Conference Book Download (PDF)

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Continuing Education:

Naturopathic Physicians: This recording has been approved for 0.5 general + 1.0 pharmacy CME credits by   

• Oregon Board of Naturopathic Medicine (OBNM)

More information on our Continuing Education Program