I went to Dr Erikson in September 2013 with acute eruptions on my skin that had been diagnosed for several years as psoriasis, which turned out to be a totally incorrect diagnosis. I first went to a dermatologist in 2008 who, along with many other specialists in Vancouver, confirmed that I had psoriasis and proceeded to treat me for it, to no avail. The ointments they prescribed gave me some relief but, after a while, my skin became thin and cracked and the problem persisted.
I kept going back to my GP in considerable pain and she kept sending me to specialists who kept on prescribing ointments and finally one suggested I take cortisone injections. She also told me: “You will never be cured”. This option did not feel right to me and so I went to a naturopath in Vancouver who began a regime of homeopathic medicine, put me on a very restricted diet but this, too, had little impact. I felt healthier and lost weight, but unfortunately my skin condition worsened.
In short, I spent nearly five full years trying to find relief for my condition.
When I went to Dr. Erikson in September 2013, I was in acute pain, itchy beyond description, with bleeding sores and most critically, I was in despair. I felt there was no way out for me. I had asked a friend who is a doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine if she could suggest someone because I had heard that there was a good record of healing in this school of medicine. My friend sent me Dr. Erikson’s name and, when I looked at Dr Erikson’s website, I liked the feeling I got of a caring medical practitioner, one who understood the very specific miseries that accompany skin afflictions and conditions.
Dr. Erikson’s diagnosis and treatment changed my life. He said I did not have psoriasis; instead I had a specific kind of eczema (nummular eczema with vitiligo underneath). I began to drink his herbal tea and within the first three days of his treatment I began to heal. Thereafter, he continued to treat me, from September 2013 to December 2014 and slowly but surely I began to get better. As of December 2014, I no longer take any medication. I have small areas that are dry and need extra moisturizing than the rest of my body but nothing more. I have normal skin now, am free of sores and itches and I eat everything – in moderation.
A major element in his treatment is that he shares information. He takes photographs of the skin eruptions (discreetly, so that one’s identity is not disclosed) and shows these to the patient every time one visits. In this way, one gets an excellent sense of the progress being made. He has no hesitation in explaining any kind of question one might have –whether it is about his medicine or the origins of Chinese dermatology or his own experiences as a healer.
Dr. Erikson is a highly skilled, experienced and compassionate physician. He instills hope but is also realistic; he understands and accepts one’s limitations and lifestyle and does not advocate radical new regimes of diet or lifestyle that may be impossible to maintain. He is a healer. I know he changed my life and I will be grateful to him forever.
– Almas Zukiuddin (Past Burnaby resident)
Copyright © 2019 Dr. Trevor Erikson