Peter Lio, MD: Atopic Dermatitis and Integrative Therapies

While new therapies for atopic dermatitis are on the horizon, clinicians can still look to complementary treatments to help mitigate disease or medication-related symptoms.

In an interview with HCPLive®, Peter Lio, MD, Clinical Assistant Professor of Dermatology & Pediatrics, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, touted the utility of such integrative therapeutic options.

“I do think in atopic dermatitis there are a number of places where we can leverage an integrative approach,” he said. “And I stress that it’s integrative because I’m not trying to say don’t use any conventional medicine.”

In fact, he stressed, unconvetional therapies can be brought into a treatment regimen in order to fully optimize the patient treatment experience. Certain therapies can work to address side effects or augment the effects of a primary treatment course.

Some examples he mentioned were topical coconut oil as a potential antimicrobial agent, topical sunflower seed oil as an addition to moisturizers, and oral hempseed oil as a potential antiinflammation and skin barrier treatment.

“Another thing I do like as well is L-histadine,” Lio said. “There’s some data to show that, [when administered] in vitro and in vivo in patients, [...] their filaggrin production goes up. And we know that many patients with atopic dermatitis are filaggrin deficient, and so this may be able to bolster it.”