Table 6. Complementary/alternative therapies used for atopic dermatitis.

Treatment	Description	Overall implications
Acupressure	Use of a small titanium bead to massage an acupoint on the arm 3 times weekly to relieve pruritus and lichenification	Studies limited by small number of subjects, absence of placebo and unmonitored application
Acupuncture	Use of acupuncture needles to relieve allergen-induced itch intensity vs. placebo or antihistamine
Aromatherapy/massage	Use of manual therapy for stress-relief is adjunctive in treatment of atopic dermatitis symptoms; improves sleep disruption	Counselling and the use of relaxation therapy could have confounded any potential beneficial effects of the intervention; a much larger and better designed trial of a more representative population is needed; aromatherapy oils may be a contact allergen
Traditional herbs	Use of various kinds of medicinal plants alone or in combination with others as a decoction by boiling them in water taken as a ‘tea’ or applied directly to the skin	Most extensively studied in this list; clearly reported and blinded multinational trials which focus on outcomes such as quality of life and adverse events (e.g., contaminant steroid toxicity, hepatotoxicity) are necessary; quality control is a key issue