5/24/2017 1 Are You Itching for Healthy Skin? Cindy Klement, MS CNS, MCHES Our Largest Organ • The skin is considered an organ system because it is large and complex • It is our external body covering • The skin of an average adult weighs 8-10 pounds and averages an area of about 22 square feet • The skin insulates and cushions the deeper body organs from bumps, cuts, chemical and thermal damage, and the bacteria that live on it • Modified cholesterol molecules located in the skin are converted to Vitamin D by sunlight
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5/24/2017
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Are You Itching for Healthy Skin?
Cindy Klement, MS CNS, MCHES
Our Largest Organ
• The skin is considered an organ system because it is large and complex
• It is our external body covering
• The skin of an average adult weighs 8-10 pounds and averages an area of about 22 square feet
• The skin insulates and cushions the deeper body organs from bumps, cuts, chemical and thermal damage, and the bacteria that live on it
• Modified cholesterol molecules located in the skin are converted to Vitamin D by sunlight
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The Skin
• Part of the immune system
• Helps with temperature regulation
• Skin is considered the 3rd kidney
• Largest sensory organ
Sensory Organ
• The skin has a rich capillary network controlled by the nervous system
• The cutaneous sense organs are located in the skin - touch, temperature, pressure, and pain receptors
A Mini-Excretory System
• There are over 2 million sweat glands on the body
• They are richly supplied with nerve endings that cause them to secrete perspiration, taking large amounts of body heat with it
• Sweat glands aid the liver by eliminating water-soluble toxins by creating a fever to open sweat glands and force elimination through the skin
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Back Up System
• Skin is not a primary organ of elimination, it is a back up system for the liver and kidney
• Sweat takes the load off the kidneys
Skin
• Oil glands keep the skin soft & moist
• When oil ducts have to eliminate toxic fat, due to a congested liver, they become inflamed resulting in pimples, blackheads, acne, boils
• Problems with the skin usually mean a problem with your colon, liver and or kidneys
Layers of the Skin
• Epidermis is the outer layer (5 layers deep)• Thickness varies: eyelids are .05 mm and
palms and soles of feet are thickest at 1.5 mm (0.059 inches!)
• Top layer is made of dead, flat skin cells that shed every 2 weeks
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Layers of the Skin
• Dermis varies in thickness• .3 mm on eyelid, and 3.0 mm on the
back
• The types of tissues in the dermis are collagen and elastin
• Hair follicles are situated here, as are the sebaceous (oil) glands and sweat glands
• Blood vessels and nerves course this layer
Layers of the Skin
Adipose Tissue• A layer of fat and connective tissue
• Houses larger blood vessels and nerves
• Important in the regulation of temperature of the skin and the body
The Health of the Skin Depends on the Function of Internal Organs
• For instance, the digestive tract breaks down nutrients needed for healthy skin
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Liver & Kidneys
• Liver processes nutrients needed for healthy-looking skin
• Kidneys and liver eliminate toxins which bypass the body’s first line of defense
• Many forms of skin eruptions signal that there are problems with the liver, kidneys, thyroid, or intestines
Endocrine Glands
• Thyroid: processes fats, so dry skin is often linked with thyroid issues
Lymphatics & Circulation
• Good flow of blood and lymph to the skin is needed to maintain that “healthy glow”
• Excess blood flow results in redness
• Deficient blood flow and lymphatic stagnation creates a pale, pasty complexion
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Skin Issues: Dermatitis
• Inflammation of the dermal layer of the skin
• Symptoms include: rashes, dry and itchy skin, redness, swelling, “weeping,” crusting and scaling
Skin Issues: Eczema
• Chromic Inflammation of the Skin (i.e., chronic dermatitis)
• On the towels you use, the sheets you sleep on and the clothes you wear (dryer sheets)
• Used to clean your home
• On your skin: body washes, deodorants, lotions, creams, shampoo
The Difference?
• Quercus Penducalata - The bark of the oak tree. A strong astringent which reduces inflammation and prevents infection
• Quassin - Bitter alkaloid obtained from the wood of Quassia amara. Used to poison flies. Toxic to humans.
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What Else Harms the Skin?
• Lack of hydrochloric acid
• “Housewife Dermatitis”
• Synthetic clothing where the skin can’t breathe properly
• pH balance either too acidic or too alkaline
Anti-Bacterial Soaps
• They change the ecosystem of skin and allow more harmful bacteria in
• Skin has a slightly acid pH on the surface to discourage harmful microbes
• Soaps are highly alkalizing and disrupt the mantle
What Else Harms the Skin?
• Contact irritants can cause itching such as sweating, wool, and detergents
• Skin damage caused by scratching releases inflammatory cytokines and further stimulates itch
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Food Sensitivities/Allergies
• Food allergies, especially to egg, soy, milk, wheat, fish, shellfish, and peanuts are implicated in 1/3 to 1/2 of children with atopic dermatitis
• These foods can induce edema and urticaria and thus cause persistence of the cycle of itch, scratch, and rash
Stress Affects the Skin
• The relationship between psychological stress and atopic disorders is “bidirectional”
• Lack of sleep and physical suffering cause irritability and worsen mood disorders
• Self-reporting of itch severity is increased when depression scores are elevated, similar to the relationship with pain scores
Clay Cleans the Skin
• Some Native American tribes living in areas where water was scarce kept their skin clean with clay
• They simply rubbed the wet clay all over the body and then waited until it dried and dusted it off
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Cleaning Inflamed Skin
• Soaking in a lukewarm bath for 10-20 minutes is ideal, or lukewarm showers may be taken if preferred
• Essential oils can be added to the bath after the skin surface is wet
• If even plain water is irritating during acute flare ups, 1 cup of kosher salt added to the water will help
After the Bath
• Lightly pat the skin with a towel and immediately apply an emollient over the entire skin surface to retain moisture
• Application within 3 minutes improves hydration, whereas beyond 3 minutes surface evaporation has a drying effect
• Virgin coconut oil provides added benefits
Assist Detoxification Processes
• The best way to increase elimination through the skin is with a sweat bath
• Start by drinking lots of water or herbal tea
• Sudorific herbs enhance perspiration, such as ginger or yarrow, and move blood to the surface of the skin to help open the sweat glands to promote elimination
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Dry Skin Brush and Sweat
• Saunas
• Sweat Lodges
• Hot tubs
• Hot baths with essential oils or herbs
Dr. John R. Christopher’s Bath for Skin Rejuvenation
• 6 white oak bark (capsules emptied)• 3 marshmallow• 3 mullein• 1 lobelia• 3 black walnut• 6 chickweed• 2 burdock
Gently simmer (don’t boil) 30 minutes, and mist onto skin or bathe in brew
Aromatherapy Sweat Baths
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Natural Insect Repellant
• 20 drops of eucalyptus essential oil
• 20 drops of lavender essential oil
• 10 drops of geranium essential oil
• 2 oz. water
• Witch hazel
Nutrients Needed for Skin
• Fat soluble vitamins A, D, and E
• Water soluble B complex and vitamin C
• Zinc, sulfur, silicon
• Essential fatty acids
• Protein
• Water
Top Food Sources of Vitamin A
• 1 cup carrots = 20,000 IU
• ½ sweet potato = 12,400 IU
• 1 oz. Liver – 10,190 IU
Where are you getting 5,000 iu Vitamin A every day?
• Studies have indicated that probiotics play an important role in preventing or controlling skin allergies in children, recurrent ear infections, dental decay, and chronic diarrhea
• Researchers in Finland administered probiotics to pregnant women and to their babies who were considered at high risk for developing allergies for six months after birth. By the time the children were 2, the probiotic cut the incidence of eczema in half.
Elimination Diet
• Food allergies affect 10% to 40% of children with atopic dermatitis
• Wear loose-fitting clothing made of cotton, silk, or other natural, smooth fibres
• Avoid wool
• Launder new clothes before wearing to remove formaldehyde and other chemicals
• Use liquid detergent, ideally without fabric softeners or optical brighteners, and consider an extra rinse cycle
Check the Humidity
• Humidify in the winter with a goal of 30% to 40% humidity
• Air conditioning in the summer decreases sweating as a trigger and prevents the growth of mold
Reduce Exposure to Dust Mites
• Avoid rugs in bedrooms, wet mop floors, use mattress covers, and launder bedclothes weekly in hot water
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UPCOMING EVENTS
WEIGHT LOSS CHALLENGE
Make sure to promote this to all of your clients, family and friends! This is open to all NSP Members.
Super Trio
• Super Supplemental - 12 essential vitamins and 10 minerals, and extra amount of B-vitamins, all in a nutrient-dense base of:Alfalfa, asparagus, broccoli, cabbage, kelp, hesperidin, lemon bioflavonoid, rose hips, acai, carrot, cranberry, pomegranate, spinach, tomato, choline, inositol, mangosteen, white grape, apple, pear, orange, pineapple, cherry, strawberry, and blueberries