Beauty is only skin deep (or so we are told) and you shouldn’t judge a book
by its cover. But when it comes to better health and well-being, skin is
often an important indicator of what’s going on below the surface. As a
practicing naturopathic physician and licensed acupuncturist, I’ve learned
to appreciate the significance of outward symptoms - that is, the cover of
the book - because they often reflect what’s going on inside of the body, where
the underlying roots of health problems tend to exist. Admittedly, treating the
roots of a problem is more challenging than just talking about them (and indeed
more challenging than merely treating the symptoms). But it is through this
perspective that I view health and try to put it into practice.
When treating patients with skin conditions, for example, I am often asked,
“If the problem is with my skin, then why aren’t you treating it directly?” The
answer, of course, is that skin conditions usually develop below the skin in
areas that may seem completely unrelated. The skin, from this perspective, is
like a useful barometer for what is going on inside the body. In fact, one of
the first things I ask a patient with skin problems is the state of their
gastrointestinal tract.
That may not seem intuitive at first, but consider this example: “Allergic urticaria”
is an increasingly common skin problem, in which the skin develops fluid-filled welts
with itching. Treating it with topical ointments will only serve your short term
interests. The problem, rather, involves the integrity of the gastrointestinal tract
and an allergic reaction.
As the digestive tract deteriorates, perhaps due to repeated exposure to certain foods
or persistent inflammation, the ability to properly absorb protein is impaired. As a
result, an allergic reaction can occur which releases histamine into the system. This,
in turn, is what causes the welts to develop.
The focus of treatment in this case is to look at the integrity of the digestive lining
and the ability to properly digest and absorb protein. Restoring the digestive lining
is necessary, and this can be achieved through a daily intake of Sangster’s L-Glutamine,
an amino acid and one of the preferred fuels for the gastrointestinal tract. If the source
of the problem is a persistent inflammation, then licorice root extract can help restore
normal balance.
In the meantime, offering relief to the symptoms of allergic urticaria is indeed possible.
There are a number of useful strategies for treating allergies. To help temper the release
of histamine, for example, bioflavinoids such as quercitin or rutin (or Sangster’s ALRG
Plus which is high in bioflavinoids) can be effective.
PSORIASIS
Now let’s consider a different example: psoriasis. Psoriasis is a very common skin condition
in which skin cells proliferate so quickly that they accumulate and give the skin a silvery
scale appearance. Standard treatment often includes use of corticosteroids.
Psoriasis is partly a hereditary condition and a person’s genetic makeup can not be changed.
There are other factors that contribute to the expression of the disease that can be influenced.
How rapidly skin cells divide, for example, is largely influenced by the balance between two
substances, cAMP and cGMP, which slow down and speed up skin proliferation respectively. If a
person isn’t digesting or absorbing proteins properly, toxic polyamines (such as putrescine or
cadavarine) may form in the large intestine, which in turn can encourage psoriasis by affecting
the ratio of cAMP to cGMP. Other compounds such as endotoxins can also form in the intestine
and promote psoriasis.
So again we can see that what goes on inside your body - in this case, digestion and elimination
- can manifest itself on the outside.
Fortunately, there are a number of ways to stimulate digestion, absorption and elimination with
botanical (plant-based) medicine and Chinese medicine. As a very simple start, make sure you’re
getting enough fiber in your diet - fruits, vegetables, bran, or a fiber supplement such as
Sangster’s Herbal Fibre - as fiber helps to bind polyamines and endotoxins and eliminates them
with the stool.
If you’re not digesting protein properly (e.g. gas and bloating after eating meat), try one
teaspoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice ten minutes before meals to promote hydrochloric acid
secretion to break down the protein (though this is not appropriate for those with over-secretion
of hydrochloric acid) or Sangster’s Mega Digestive Enzymes.
Maintaining healthy colonic flora (that is, the balance of good to harmful bacteria in the large
intestine) also encourages proper elimination. In many cases, a three week course of acidophilus
or lacto-dophilus (friendly bacteria that help proper large intestine metabolism) can go a long
way to promoting elimination and improving skin conditions in the process.
ACNE
Healthy eating habits can go a long way in treating acne and minimizing the intake of highly
processed foods, high fat, and high sugar will definitely serve your complexion. But acne is
also hormonally related and testosterone (which is elevated in pubescent males) encourages the
production of sebum and keratin, both of which can block the skin pores. Once the pore is blocked,
a bacterial infection can occur and cause the redness of the blemish (which is why antibiotics are
often used for treating acne). Interestingly, supporting liver function can help treat acne, as
the liver is responsible for processing the hormones that cause it. Botanicals such as silymarin
(the active ingredient in Sangster’s Milk Thistle) and taraxicum can help promote proper liver
function. As well, Sangster’s herbal combination LIVR is specifically designed to help liver function.
Suffering from a skin condition can be difficult and even depressing. It goes without saying that
healthy-looking skin is something that most people want and the multi-billion dollar skin care
industry attests to this fact. But caring for your skin, and indeed your whole body, is best
achieved from the inside out. With a little research and some basic changes in lifestyle,
healthy skin is something we can all have. Beauty, it would seem, is more than skin deep.
By Dr. Gordon Sims ND
Dr. Sims is a board certified Naturopathic Physician and licensed Acupuncturist.
Caring For Your Skin... From The Inside Out
