I can tell the source of your inflammation by looking at your skin.
Chinese medicine identified patterns of skin irritation thousands of years ago.
Why these patterns are not used in modern dermatology is mind blowing as they are quite accurate.
There are 14 channels on the body that correspond to organs and systems within your body.
Taking a look at a map of the acupuncture channels and matching up the location of your skin issues to the channels is eye opening.
At the end of this email I’ve included images of the acupuncture channels for you to see what matches your condition.
Eczema behind the knees, in the elbow creases, or on the hands is related to lung and bladder channels as well as the small intestine, san jiao (or triple warmer) channels, which are known as the lymphatic and fluid flow channels.
What does this mean for someone with these conditions?
With eczema the body struggles to detox through the lymph as well as the lungs, bladder and small intestine.
Yes, your lungs are considered a detox organ.
They are also the container of grief.
Eczema often shows up when you’re dealing with something emotionally and the body is hanging onto that emotion.
Psoriasis shows up on the outside of the elbows, front of the knees and throughout the body.
It’s linked to the need for “thick” skin to get through something emotionally.
Psoriasis is related to poor lymphatic flow as well as microbial imbalances within the small intestine.
Overgrowth of yeast is often a big factor in psoriasis.
Eczema and psoriasis are signs of compromised circulation and detox.
Whether it’s an allergic or emotional response creating a flood of histamines that’s slow to clear from the liver and body…
…the goal is to optimize histamine detox and clearance.
Histamine is the body’s warning neuro chemical.
The key to eczema and psoriasis is reducing histamine triggers while optimizing your detox mechanisms.
The following is what I recommend to improve your skin health:
- non-toxic closest to nature food
- filtered air and water
- create a practice that helps with emotional balance
- reduce or eliminate high histamine foods in the diet
- clear underlying infections – dental, skin, sinus and gut
- optimize liver detox and histamine clearance
- enhance lymphatic circulation and detox
Yes, there are fancy gut strengthening protocols and millions of supplements.
Sadly, many of them on not effective if the basics outlined above are not in place.
Taking a daily over the counter allergy medication can be helpful but it’s a bandaid you’ll have to take for years or life.
Eliminating sources of reaction triggering histamines is a more sustainable way to work with skin conditions.
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Evaluate for all possible sources of histamine triggers:
- emotional upsets aka things that agitate or annoy you
- allergens
- underlying infections
I’ve found it takes 6-12 months of daily work to begin the process to put histamines in check.
Supplements like glutamine and Tributyrin for the gut lining are incredibly helpful.
Herbal formulas to help the liver clear histamines like Histamine Nutrients by Seeking Health and Histamin X for total body clearance.
Acne and rosacea over 40 are common and show up in the stomach, gallbladder and large intestine channels on the face.
For most adults, acne can be a result of poor digestion, a microbiome imbalance or a liver that’s not optimally detoxing hormones and other toxins.
It could be from excess alcohol or even xeno-estrogens coming from heated and cooled plastics in foods or drinks and anything that’s put on the skin such as, lotions, perfume, cologne or other hygiene products.
Diet is a huge factor here!
Fried foods and seed oils in chips, crackers and snacks being the biggest culprits.
Yes, even “whole grain” and “organic” crackers, snacks and breads often contain seed oils that bog down your liver.
Anything that messes with the liver has the potential to hinder your entire digestive function.
You can trace rosacea back to a gut-histamine issue that could be due to food, preservatives and/or a pesticide sensitivity.
Apples and dairy are common sensitivities with rosacea.
Rosacea is often a sign of microbiome imbalances linked to bacterial or yeast overgrowth.
Where do I start to reduce inflammation in my skin in general?
- Ditch all processed foods: seed oils (ex: canola, safflower, sunflower, corn) sugar of all types, corn syrups, food dyes, additives and preservatives. This includes processed meats.
- Avoid alcohol
- Make sure you’re drinking from a carbon filtered water system that’s 1/2 your body weight in ounces – I use a Berkey.
- Sweat daily and do a light lymphatic drainage massage when you wash off in the shower.
- Detox your liver using the Quicksilver Liver Sauce + Ultra Binder – see my protocol HERE – up to 2-3 times a year
- Balance your gut microbiome after the liver detox – take Candibactin-AR by Metagenics + Argentyn 23 Silver – see my microbiome balance for skin conditions protocol HERE
- Take a high quality probiotic like Natren Healthy Start protocol after you’ve detoxed and balanced your microbiome
- Then if symptoms still persist start to work on reducing high histamine foods like: strawberries, cocoa, chocolate, almonds, hazelnuts, pineapple, papaya – especially if you eat them on a daily basis and more than one
- Clean up your air quality with a air purification system, change the filters in your home monthly, get allergen covers on your pillows and bed.
- Focus on eating 35 grams of fiber a day
This is a great place to start internally.
Externally for the skin I like using simple non-toxic butters that do not contain alcohol.
Coconut or shea butter without any preservatives are great options to keep the skin hydrated.
For rosacea and acne – simple cleansers are ideal – see Credo Beauty for options.
Anti-inflammatory topical creams may be needed while you’re working on your detox, circulation and microbiome balance.
Compounding pharmacies have great blends for rosacea.
Tretinoin and clindamycin topically are helpful for adult acne while you’re working on cleaning up the inside of the body.
The idea is to get off of the topicals asap.
Assessing your testosterone and DHEA levels are crucial for adult acne.
If you are taking progesterone, acne is a side effect when dosage is too high or not being metabolized effectively.
If your skin is very dry I highly recommend using a hyaluronic based moisturizer like Finlay & Green’s moisturizer.
It’s my go to for preventing dryness on my face and elbows during the winter months.
Skin does dry out with age and will inflame faster when in contact with wind and chemicals in your skin care and make up products.
Over 40 it’s wise to take a second look at your daily products and opt for non-toxic alternatives.
Your skin inside and out is more sensitive with age, give it some love in the form of hydrating hyaluronic acid and good fats that it is missing out on!
I use Finlay and Green exclusively for my entire body, not just my face as I’ve found it helps hydrate immediately.
Playing in the sun and sea I found using a heavier layer as a mask at night helped my skin rehydrate faster from sun exposure.
Plus it quickly calmed and hydrated slight sun burns too!
For those of you who’ve become sensitive to aloe, Finlay and Green’s moisturizer is an aloe-freefin alternative!
Click HERE to check out Finlay & Green’s moisturizer and use the code DRK20 for 20% off your order!
Here’s to clear skin,
Dr. J
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