Dermatological Conditions
Note: This talk was given to an audience of nearly entirely either naturopathic physicians and/or students.
Radio Interview with Dr. Sharif on Naturopathic Dermatology
Dr. Sharif’s articles on dermatology
Homeopathic Dermatology
The excerpt below is from an article originally written by Dr. Sharum Sharif, ND on NDNR.com. Read the full article there.
In my general, primary care practice, 1 out of every 4 patients has a skin disorder/condition. As many of you know, treating skin conditions/disorders can be challenging, to say the least. I believe they are even significantly more difficult to treat without the aid of homeopathic remedies. I have researched the homeopathic treatment of skin conditions for many years now, and have gathered numerous “before & after” photos and videos of various skin disorders (from my own patient population), many of which can be found on my website, HomeopathicDermatology.com. My goal in this article is to simplify homeopathic prescribing for naturopathic doctors who would like to have an additional effective tool in their toolbox for treating skin disorders but who are intimidated by the complexity of homeopathy.
According to Savely Yurkovsky, MD, “Even though classical homeopathy, for nearly 250 years, and Traditional Chinese Medicine, for 5000 years, have been rendering consistent observations, tying skin conditions to the health of internal organs, the conventional dermatologists still remain in a dangerous, trigger-happy ‘cortisone mode,’ concerning the majority of skin problems.” I believe that most naturopathic doctors would resonate with this statement.
Homeopathy Kisses Warts Goodbye: A Gentle Alternative to Conventional Wart Treatments
The excerpt below is from an article originally written by Dr. Sharum Sharif, ND on NDNR.com. Read the full article there.
My primary care naturopathic practice has a focus on natural dermatology. I utilize a variety of naturopathic therapeutics to address skin diseases of all types, including warts, but my primary tool is homeopathy. I have successfully treated a few hundred patients with warts over the last nearly 2 decades, and I would like to share my findings with colleagues here to contribute to a world free from warts.
When properly selected, homeopathic remedies are nearly always completely curative with long-lasting effects. In my practice, I have only seen a single patient whose warts returned after successful eradication of all of his warts with homeopathic treatment.
This page is dedicated to educational materials on various skin conditions. There will be many more pictures and videos that will be uploaded on this page as time goes on.
In a homeopath’s view, if a disease manifests itself on the skin, it actually indicates that the body is externalizing symptoms, which in a way is better than having internal symptoms that would suggest far more serious issues. Yet, skin conditions often affect individuals profoundly, leading to low self-esteem and deeper emotional issues. It is a sad fact that, by the time clients with skin problems visit a homeopath, they would have already been subjected to a variety of oral, topical and even injectable suppressive medications.
By far the majority of skin conditions are caused by either poor diet and/or poor internal organ health. The main exceptions are skin conditions that are caused by direct contact to irritating substances (such as poison ivy), hazardous substances (such as various industrial chemicals), infectious agents (such as fungi), too much heat (causing skin burns), or even too much sunlight.
The effect of diet on skin health is of paramount importance. Not drinking sufficient amounts of water on a daily basis, eating foods that negatively impact our health (i.e. allergenic foods, processed or junk foods, and genetically modified foods), overeating, not eating sufficient amounts of healthy foods (including vegetables and fruits), eating hastily, drinking too much liquid with meals (which can disturb digestion by diluting the digestive juices in our stomach), consuming excessive amounts of unhealthy drinks such as alcohol, soda pop, or coffee can all be detrimental to our skin health. Put differently, we don’t develop a skin rash due to cortisone cream deficiency! However, we might develop a rash due to deficiency of a nutrient(s) which could have been brought on by either a poor diet and/or poor digestion.
Even though there are pharmaceutical creams and drugs that can alleviate various skin conditions, such unnatural therapies are hardly ever curative in nature. In other words, you often become dependent on the use of such therapies indefinitely, and the rash returns soon after you stop using them.
To truly cure a skin condition, patients often need to make some dietary changes (for example eliminating one or a few food allergens or drinking more water) and/or take up a naturopathic detoxification/cleansing program to optimize the function of the main internal organs, namely, liver, intestines, and kidneys.
It’s noteworthy that some patients are told that their rash (namely acne) is caused by hormonal imbalance, and are put on birth control pills. Even if that may be true, the real cause of hormonal imbalances can still be found in the person’s poor diet and/or poor internal organ health, most specifically their liver.
There is yet one more aspect to healing skin conditions. There are often times when the patient’s deep and inherent tendency to develop skin problems needs to be directly addressed using homeopathic remedies. We all have a different make up which in homeopathy is called constitution. Some constitutions are more prone to various skin conditions. For example, the Nat mur (Natrum muriaticum) constitution is more prone to dry skin conditions such as eczema. Or, the Thuja constitution is more prone to warts. Yet, individuals with the homeopathic Pulsatilla constitution often tend to suffer from a dry mouth. To address these deep tendencies, patients will need to take their constitutional homeopathic remedy which can be identified by a skilled homeopath. In many cases, I find that homeopathy is the single most effective therapy in treating skin conditions. In other words, even if patients make the required dietary changes and go through a comprehensive detoxification program, they might still suffer from skin conditions UNLESS they use homeopathic remedies.
At Whole Health Clinic, we specialize in homeopathy, naturopathic detoxification (i.e. organ health optimization) as well as food allergy testing and nutritional counseling. Using the above therapies/approaches, satisfactory results can be achieved in treating nearly all skin conditions including acne, eczema, psoriasis, warts, and various other rashes that are not diagnosable by dermatologists. It’s noteworthy that skin conditions that are often difficult to diagnose and/or treat by conventional pharmaceutical treatments are often the easiest to treat by natural therapies.
N's Eczema
| Before Treatment | During Treatment | After Treatment |
 |
 |
 |
Kezia's Staphylococcus Infection and Treatment
| Before Treatment | After Treatment |
 |
 |
“Before I met Dr Sharif my eczema was out of control. I even developed an excruciatingly painful Staphylococcus infection on that eczema. My skin was peeling at an alarming rate and I had boils and blisters on both hands. Expert allopathic Dermatologists had me on steroids and antibiotics for weeks but these didn’t bring relief and in fact my skin developed an allergic reaction to the topicals.
“Dr Sharif prescribed the right homeopathic remedy and within hours my skin began to settle. This time I did not need to have a nurse drain and dress my blisters. They quietly emptied themselves on their own. My skin grew back and the pain which used to keep me up all night, was gone. After weeks of hospital visits and painful treatments I am so grateful that Dr Sharum helped me get a full recovery within days just from one zoom consultation and two simple remedies. When she saw the results my other doctor was amazed at how fast and complete my recovery was.” Kezia from Kenya
More Pictures of Kedzia's Treatment
Noah’s Story
| Before | After | |
 |
 |
 |
Eczema runs in my family. I needed a year off work when it got so severe. Not surprisingly, all our kids have had it, our youngest son particularly badly. He scratched, cried, and bled, waking up several times a night for years. Long clothes and baths were pure torture. We respectfully followed the usual conventional route of family doctor, pediatrician, dermatologist, and allergist. They said because of family history there was no cure, only control through anti-inflammatory creams (corticosteroids) and avoiding allergens.
From my own experience, this is not true at all. Natural medicine healed my skin years ago, so we sought a local naturopath who later referred us to Dr. Sharif, saying that our son would be in the best possible situation under his care.
Our son’s case was complicated, beyond eczema itself. However, the referring doctor was correct; I am convinced our son would not be improving without the insight and care of a gifted naturopath/homeopath like Dr. Sharif. He rationally explores all angles until the right remedy is found. Our son’s eczema has improved significantly in stages, without steroids. Meanwhile, Dr. Sharif has since helped our entire family, in addition to numerous friends and other family members. Mostly he finds the right remedy immediately! We see him through virtual visits and obtain the remedies he prescribes at local stores or online.
Lily’s Condition and Treatment
 Lily Sept 4 |
 Lily Sept 12 |
Mother’s report on Lily’s condition:
Our daughter, Lilyana, had a tongue and lip tie revision when she was 3 days old. Two days after her procedure she started developing a rash on her face. It appeared on her cheeks and spread to her nose and eyes. I messaged my midwife and she forwarded my messages to a pediatrician who said that it could be neonatal pustulosis. A benign condition and no treatment necessary. If she’s feeding well, just watch. The naturopath who preformed the tongue and lip tie procedure suggested that the break outs were due to hormonal imbalances and to leave her skin alone and just keep an eye on it.
I felt as if something else was wrong, so we scheduled an appointment with Dr. Sharif at Whole Health Clinic who examined her and recommended a homeopathic remedy. We started giving her the remedy twice a day and then slowly increased the dose to 5-6 times a day. Her rash was at least 50-60% improved within 24-36 hours. Day by day, it continued to improve dramatically, and it was over 90% better within 5 days. The last touch-ups took another 2-3 days. We were so surprised and thankful that we were able to find answers to our concerns and that Lilyana responded so well to the remedy.
Severe psoriasis improves after 9 years with Homeopathy
Before
After
“I have been suffering from psoriasis for the last nine years. I tried dermatologist prescribed ointments, UV therapy, acupuncture, naturopathy, etc, but nothing seemed to work. Last February, as the temperature dropped to freezing level for weeks, I started noticing skin on my hands and feet breaking and peeling off, leaving scary red lesions. Since I had never tried homeopathy, I decided to give it a try. I fortunately found Dr. Sharif who prescribed a homeopathic remedy (some tiny white granules) in addition to changing certain eating and drinking habits. He also put me on a few supplements such as Omega 3 fatty acid, Vitamin A and Vitamin D3. In couple of months a completely new layer of skin began to develop everywhere where I had psoriasis (on my hands and legs), and the rashes started to disappear. I am very hopeful and excited that I may be able to get rid of this annoying skin condition for ever.”
Severe eczema improves in 1 week with a homeopathic remedy.
This teenage boy’s constitutional homeopathic remedy is Natrum mur. The key features of his severe eczema on the elbows (dry, deep and bleeding cracks in his skin) perfectly matched the key features of a homeopathic remedy called Petroleum. Therefore, instead of recommending the remedy Natrum mur at his initial visit, I prescribed a daily dose of Petroleum 12c which nearly completely alleviated the eczema in a week. Note: There are numerous homeopathic remedies for eczema. Refer to your homeopathic practitioner to find the correct one.
Erysipelas improved nearly 90% overnight with a homeopathic remedy.
This man’s constitutional homeopathic remedy is Natrum mur. The key features of his severe erysipelas on his left cheek (swollen, painful, hot, reddish/purple mottled skin) matched the key features of a homeopathic remedy called Lachesis. A single dose of Lachesis 200c nearly completely alleviated the erysipelas in a day. Note: There are numerous homeopathic remedies for erysipelas. Refer to your homeopathic practitioner to find the correct one.
According to Wikipedia, “erysipelas is an infection of the upper dermis and superficial lymphatics, usually caused by beta-hemolytic group A Streptococcus bacteria on scratches or otherwise infected areas. Erysipelas is more superficial than cellulitis, and is typically more raised and demarcated.”
Homeopathic remedy reverses acute redness and swelling of lips within minutes.
Jody’s constitutional homeopathic remedy is Phosphorus. However, her swollen lips problem (with sensations of burning and stinging pain) was not responding to the remedy Phosphorus, but did respond well to the remedy Apis which is indicated for skin problems with the keynotes of burning sensation, stinging pains, swollen and tense edema, and redness.
Detoxification of the internal organs such as kidneys & liver can sometimes take precedence over homeopathy.
A patient with a homeopathic “constitution” called Sulphur with chief complaint of systemic itching. John had all the physical keynotes of Sulphur and the mental/emotional characteristics of Sulphur, qualifying his homeopathic “constitution” as Sulphur. After months of taking homeopathic Sulphur and demonstrating only a partial response, I started him on kidney and liver cleansing/drainage using UNDA numbers. His itching immediately started to dramatically improve day by day, and he was itch free in a matter of weeks. He had revealed to me how he would go long hours every day without proper hydration (not enough water, and too much Kool-Aid and coffee). I believe his kidneys had become sub-optimally functional due to poor hydration over a period of years, and the kidney detox must have corrected the imbalance in his kidneys.
A constitutional homeopathic remedy helps with severe itching.
This man had severe itching prior to his micro-adenoma surgery. Although his severe itching surprisingly improved with the surgery, he continued to suffer from some itching even after his surgery. After a few months of trial and error, we found that his body needed one dose of his “constitutional” homeopathic remedy, Lycopodium, in a low potency (of 12c) once a week. To make matters even more educationally interesting, his doctors had found out about the brain mass when he had told them about the visual changes (disturbances in color detection) he had been experimenting. The visual changes had improved greatly with the surgery, but he had continued to suffer from them until he took his “constitutional” homeopathic remedy for a few months. He presently has no visual disturbances or systemic itching as long as he takes one dose of Lycopodium 12c weekly.
Psoriatic arthritis improves with natural medicine.
Severe eczema alleviated in a few days…
Warts
Heather, Before
Heather, After
Numerous warts alleviated with homeopathy within nearly 2 months
The numerous warts on this boy’s trunk were completely alleviated within 2 months by the administration of two consecutive doses of his constitutional homeopathic remedy, Pulsatilla. There was only one wart left uncured by the remedy. There are no viable conventional therapies for warts other than burning them off! Burning warts is not a cure as they often return. This boy’s warts have never returned within the last several years that I have known him. His hives were the result of his liver not being able to process the fish oil supplement he was consuming. Support to his liver function was ultimately what cured the hives.
Child Wart Problem solved.
Nearly 7 warts disappear in 2 months with 3 doses of a homeopathic remedy
Warts
Homeopathic treatment completely alleviates warts in a few months in a man who had warts on his hands for decades
See More Videos
Chronic and painfully dry skin successfully treated within two weeks
Biotherapeutic drainage/detoxification helps clear sarcoidosis skin rash.
Carolyn has advanced sarcoidosis, a very serious autoimmune condition that can negatively impact the health of many of the internal organs/tissues, including heart, lungs, eyes, and skin. Prior to seeing me, Carolyn had tried numerous other therapies, including pharmaceutical medications and even natural supplements. However, she continued to feel very ill overall. At her first visit, I offered her 3 main therapies: First, application of castor oil on her entire abdomen, covering the liver area. Second, an UNDA number to help with liver function (i.e. to drain or detoxify the liver). Third, an UNDA number to help with kidney function (i.e. to drain or detoxify the kidneys.) As you can see here, in a matter of weeks, she has had numerous improvements in just about every part of her body (including her skin) by getting these toxins out of her primary organs of elimination, intestines, liver and kidneys. I see dramatic improvements in most of my patients by simply starting this basic protocol.
(Note: The choice and the dosing of the therapies is very critical. I would advise against starting these therapies on your own without the supervision of a naturopathic doctor who is versed in Biotherapeutic Drainage (i.e. UNDA numbers, Gemmotherapies and Gammadyns/Oligotherapies ) and detoxification. Unfortunately, Biotherapeutic Drainage has not yet worked its way well into the field of naturopathic medicine in North America, and continues to be on the fringes of naturopathy, let alone conventional medicine. In contrast, these therapies are utilized by many medical doctors in Europe.)
Homeopathy helps when all else fails…
This young lady had a very disfiguring rash all over her face, neck and upper chest. She had sought various therapies, including naturopathic treatments as well as acupuncture, with no avail. One dose of the homeopathic remedy Psorinum completely alleviated her skin condition within a few weeks after years of suffering. She needed to have a second dose within a couple of months. After two years, she is still stable, and needs to redose her remedy once every few months.
Isaac’s skin condition was treated effectively with dietary changes and natural medicines. Conventional drugs had not been helpful to him.
Isaac’s feet, before :
Isaac’s hands, before:
I came to Dr. Sharif on a referral from another Dr. who could not figure out my issues. Dr. Sharif told me at my first visit that he would stay with me until we figured out what was wrong. It took 9 months of trying different diets, remedies and lots of supplements, but I am now cured of my full body hives. He stayed with me through each month, making adjustments to my supplements until we found some that worked. Not all Dr.’s will commit to keeping you as a patient knowing the road ahead is long and unknown. I appreciate the support in finding the balance in my health.
Jennifer G.
Case of chronic hives
Trying to find out what have caused my Chronic Urticaria know as Hives, Dr. Sharif suggested cleansing vital organs and finding out what’s causing all of my symptoms. First, we went ahead and treat my gut since 70-80% of our immunity starts at the gut itself. We treated my gut with healing herbs in a liquid form and in caps and most importantly Probiotics is vital.
We then went ahead with the Liver cleansing and that’s one of the most important part of the process of my healing. We live in a toxic world and our liver takes a heavy toll, as stress, unhealthy chemicals in process foods, the liver is at full optimum working condition.
Patience is the key in healing and I had so little of it. Right now I am 80-90% better than before I met Dr. Sharif. I thank him very much for this and I couldn’t have done it by myself.
My remedy helped me with the process while it elevated my mood and calmed my body as it heals. Definitely helped with my healing journey.
JL
Alan’s skin condition treated effectively with simple dietary changes and homeopathy
Severe case of eczema
“In the course of 7 months, I became very ill with chronic eczema and recurring staph and impetigo infections that covered my face. I became very depressed, sleeping all of the time, hating the thought of getting out of bed to deal with the redness and itchiness. Anxiety also kicked in every time I looked in the mirror: dry, flakey, red. My neck was always swollen and stiff, but at the time didn’t associate this with the eczema. It took over my life, my career, and was hospitalized after every round of antibiotic was finished. The prednisone and antibiotics were a quick cover-up, and actually made the problem worse after every round..
The dermatologist concluded it was weather and environment. I would frantically wash my sheets and towels between each use, cover my face and neck in steroids, and overall lived in fear and complete misery. Every time my eczema broke out, my face and neck would also become covered with a secondary infection of impetigo or staph. And again I would go, to get another antibiotic prescription from the ER or dermatologist if I could even wait that long.
n
I ended up moving back to Washington where I had seen Dr. Sharif in the past. I immediately booked an appointment. He looked at me, listened very carefully and asked me specific questions. He said it was the worst case of eczema he had ever seen (he said this on a “good” day of eczema). He immediately concluded it was a food allergy of some sort and immediately signed me up for blood work.
The blood food allergy test in has saved my life. I am not using that word lightly. After long months of frustration and depression of hiding in bed, I finally had my life back. The test was extremely accurate and the results concluded I was severely allergic to eggs. After cutting out eggs as the main culprit and also honey and sunflower seeds, my skin has had a dramatic improved.
Dr. Sharif is more than a doctor, he really is a healer and has the most compassion and care for his patients. He did not give up on my condition and really got to the bottom of the issue. I have never been happier in my entire life. I still tell friends and family “I’d never thought I’d see the light”. Not only did my rash, infections and flakiness go away, but I have much more energy, my head is clear, my extreme anxiety has disappeared and I have a clear grip on my life and future.
Lastly, Dr. Sharif has given me a homeopath remedy which has helped dramatically with my focus and ability to pay more attention to detail. Moreover, if I do have a mild allergic reaction to something environmental, the remedy clears it up in less than 24 hours. I truly thank Doctor Sharif and he really cares about the wellness of his patience. He does not do this for the money, in fact, there are free articles and information on his website for a variety of conditions. If you are reading this and have been suffering from a chronic issue, especially a skin condition, please do yourself a favor and see Dr. Sharif. I wish to tell the world about food allergies, homeopathy and Dr. Sharif’s practice.”
Cassie
Impetigo responds well to homeopathic treatment.
Herpetic-type lesion on a child’s lower lip alleviated within a few days with a homeopathic remedy.
Mother wrote: My son’s tongue was better within 48 hours and his lip is almost completely back to normal in 4 days.
Styes and chelazions can be treated effectively using homeopathic remedies.
Note how the chelazion disappears over a period of 4 days.
A naturopathic doctor’s own personal experience with psoriasis and her homeopathic treatment
I first started noticing lesions of psoriasis on my scalp at the age of 10 or 11. My mother was adamant to find a cure as she knew I was extremely self-conscious about this health problem. I had tried most commonly prescribed topical corticosteroid creams with only short lasting improvement. The scalp lesions continued to appear intermittently for years until about 5 years ago when my scalp broke out with severe psoriasis plaques. This time they continued to stay and that was the beginning of my ‘true struggle’ to finding a solution.
As a naturopathic doctor, I thought I knew how to start treating my psoriasis with a naturopathic medicine approach (such as healing the gut; anti-inflammatory diet; immune system regulation). After following all of these approaches (through self-prescription and seeing other NDs) for more than a year, I saw only mild improvements. After a year into this journey, I started treatments with an ND with primary focus in classical homeopathy. After numerous remedies (from Mercury to Sulfur etc.) I saw only 20-30% improvement over the 1.5 years of working with him. Throughout all this time, I was following the fundamental dietary aspects (gluten & dairy avoidance). I gradually stopped my consults with this doctor, who truly tried and intended to help me.
Almost 3 years into my struggle with psoriasis, I met Dr. Sharif at the AzNMA conference in Scottsdale, Arizona. I truly believe my attendance to that conference was determined by fate. I listened to his lecture on ‘visual homeopathy’, which was completely new to me. Being intrigued by what ‘visual homeopathy’ could offer me in my search, I started consulting with him. I am happy to report that after almost 2 years of working with him I am 95% better.
The first remedy that Dr. Sharif prescribed was my constitutional remedy, Lycopodium 200 CH. It started to address my long-standing issues such as abdominal bloating, intense sugar cravings, easy constipation and it also began to gradually heal my psoriasis. We tried alternating between 200CH and 1M over a year and psoriasis improved by about 50% specially the recently forming lesions on my torso. Dr. Sharif followed with prescribing “Mezereum” 12CH (daily dosing at the beginning followed by as-needed basis). This remedy was based by on the intense dryness of my scalp lesions and severe itching. I noticed a further improvement of 30-40% specially on my body lesions and slightly less on the scalp.
I was continuing to use Lycopodium at 12CH or 200CH as needed, which was keeping my other digestive & general symptoms at bay. About 2 months ago, Dr. Sharif prescribed the remedy “Petroleum” 12CH, which has made the most significant difference, thus far, for my scalp lesions. This remedy was chosen based on the persisting dryness of my entire scalp and specially the lesions. Over a week, I noticed seeing an almost 50% improvement on my scalp, where lesions began to get smoother and less itchy. Today, I am happy to report that I have minimal itching and all of the lesions are equally better by 90-95%. I only have a few lesions on the anterior hairline with a slight raised appearance. I have full certainly that with Petroleum I will see full resolution of my psoriasis, very soon.
I have never been so impressed by the power of homeopathy and the amazing results one may get from it. More importantly, I have never met any physician with such expertise and knowledge in homeopathy & most naturopathic modalities like Dr. Sharif. It has been a real blessing having known him and I’m forever grateful for what he has done for me.
Regards,
Dr. Leila Sahabi, ND
Treating Eczema Naturally, Before and After
These are before and after pictures of a patient’s neck with chief complaint of eczema all throughout the body. His eczema appeared to respond well to a combination of therapies, including dietary changes, probiotics, naturopathic cleansing/detoxification, and homeopathy.
Rapid Recovery of Swollen Gums and Infected Tongue With Homeopathy
