My interest in holistic medicine began when I developed a severe case of atopic dermatitis after moving to Japan.  It's quite a common disease here, even given the pet name "atopi" in Japanese.  I went to 10's of doctors and received all kinds of topical steroid cremes that only got rid of the painful rash temporarily, but as soon as I stopped using the creme it would come back worse.   I asked every doctor about what may be causing my atopi but none could give me an answer.  None of these doctors ever asked me about my lifestyle, my job, what I was coming into contact with, nothing.  The cremes worked for a while, but my body became resistant to most of them and I was wary of being dependant on them for the rest of my life so I started to search for the cause of the atopi myself.  I stopped using many soaps and detergents, tried drinking only bottled water, and even started growning my own vegetables organically.  The atopi problem continued. 

Then I started researching herbs and experimenting with different natural cremes and salves. I learned about what inbalances in the body cause skin problems. About two years of trial and error later, I was able to manage my atopi with a homemade salve and a few herbs but I didn't know why they worked exactly.

Holistic medicine has helped me see atopi not as an enemy to be beaten, but as a sign that all is not well in my body.  I know when I have a flare up that I have sleep well, take herbs that support my liver, and relieve a bit of stress. Like my own little canary in a coalmine.