Complementary therapy for atopic dermatitis and other allergic skin diseases: facts and controversies

The term complementary or alternative medicine encompasses numerous diverse therapeutic concepts, ranging from as herbal medicine, diet with essential fatty acids, and probiotics, to acupuncture. The main focus of these treatment methods is inflammatory skin disease, in particular atopic dermatitis. Although integrative medicine enjoys increasing popularity, particularly in industrialized countries, clinical studies that meet the double-blind, placebo-controlled standard are rare or nonexistent. The aim of this contribution is to provide the various concepts of integrative medicine.