How To Treat Skin Conditions By Healing The Gut

Do you live in Ottawa? Are you looking for ways to treat skin conditions naturally?

If so, you are in the right place.

Today, I will write about how to treat skin conditions naturally by healing the gut.

Let’s begin by saying why I am talking about skin conditions.

Why Are We Talking About Skin Conditions?

A Personal Story

Firstly, I have a personal story of a skin condition.

As a Teenager in my mid-twenties, I had terrible acne.

As a teenager and at University, it affected my self-confidence.

I managed to resolve my acne while I was back at University, for a second time, studying Naturopathy and Osteopathic Medicine.

One of the projects our Naturopathy lecturer set us was choosing food and avoiding it for two weeks.

I chose dairy products.

After two weeks, I realized that my acne had magically disappeared.

Dairy products, specifically lactose, are common acne triggers.

Limitations Of Orthodox Medicine

Secondly, the solutions for skin conditions prescribed by medical doctors treat the symptoms and usually have side effects.

Examples of medications include the following:

• Corticoid steroid creams
• Antihistamine medication
• Anti-Fungal creams

Prevalence of Skin Conditions

More and more people are presenting with skin conditions in my practice, particularly eczema and chronic hives.

Around 15 to 20 percent of Canadians suffer from eczema, and about 17 percent are diagnosed with its most typical type, atopic dermatitis (AD).

Let’s now look at common skin conditions.

What Are The Common Skin Conditions?

Eczema

Eczema, as I said above, is widespread.

Eczema can appear in different areas of the body.

Atopic Dermatitis presents more on the back of the hands and the eyelids.

Eczema goes through cycles of being red and itchy to scaly, cracking and bleeding.

Evidence is accumulating that establishing the gut microbiome in early life influences the development of atopic eczema.

Psoriasis

Psoriasis is often hereditary or runs in families.

It is typically found on extensor surfaces, for example, the front of the knees and the back of the elbows or forearms.

Psoriasis is found more commonly on the scalp than eczema.

It presents as a dry and flaky raised patch.

Hives

Hives or Chronic Spontaneous Urticaria (CSU) are present more often.

People with CSU will have daily hives with antihistamines.

Hives can appear over the whole body or in specific areas.

They can be triggered by something such as cold, or the trigger can be unknown.

Autoimmunity is thought to be one of the most frequent causes of CSU.

Let’s now look at why I look at gut health first as an avenue to treating skin conditions naturally.

Why Look At Gut Health First?

Research

Many studies prove the gut-skin connection.

The Gut-Immune System

70% of the immune system is found in the gut.

Pillars of Health

Gut health is one of the five pillars of health most holistic health practitioners use when helping clients.

Organs of Elimination

The primary organs of elimination are the gut, liver and kidneys.

The skin is a secondary organ of elimination.

So if digestion is not working well, toxins will be released through the skin, leading to symptoms.

Let’s now look at what testing is helpful for gut-skin issues.

What Testing Is Helpful For Gut-Skin Issues?

Is GUT Testing Necessary?

Gut testing, such as stool testing and SIBO breath testing, is often unnecessary because I can usually determine the nature of the issue in the gut through a thorough case history and muscle testing.

Blood Testing For Gut-Skin Issues

Decreased nutrient absorption is typical for poor gut health, particularly Vitamin B12, Iron, and Vitamin D3.

Blood testing is requested through your Family physician.

Food Sensitivity Testing

Blood testing for food sensitivities is available through your Family Doctor, but it does not give the whole story and can appear overwhelming.

Again, I prefer using muscle testing to determine food sensitivities, which are more sensitive and specific to the issue.

Let’s now look at the treatment steps for treating gut-skin conditions.

What are the treatment steps For treating skin conditions by healing the gut?

Step 1: Calm Things Down

If you suffer from chronic hives, taking a histamine-stabilizing supplement such as Quercetin plus Nettles can be helpful in the short term.

A supplement containing natural anti-inflammatory substances, such as Inflammatone by DFH, can be helpful if you have high inflammation.

Step 2: Get Things Moving

If you suffer from constipation, you do not have a bowel movement daily, and it is essential to get things moving.

Constipation will encourage the growth of pathogens and fungi in the gut.

Supplements that can encourage bowel movements include the following:

• Magnesium Citrate
• Lemon water
• Vitamin C
• Bitters

Step 3: Diet Changes

The following are dietary changes based on the testing results.

• Removing food sensitivities
• Removing high FODMAP foods if a bacterial overgrowth is present.
• Removing high histamine foods
• Removing processed sugar if a fungal infection is present.

How strict you need to be depends on the severity of the symptoms, but usually, I say that if you can follow the diet for 80% of the time, you will get 95% of the benefit.

Step 4: Addressing The Microbiota

Addressing the Microbiota means dealing with bacterial, fungal and pathogen imbalances and overgrowth.

Many studies show a link between Microbiota health and skin conditions.

The treatment steps to treat the Microbiota include the following:

• Step 1: Probiotics, including Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium blends, Saccharomyces boulardii, a beneficial yeast, and soil-based blends, are usually Bacillus species.
• Step 2: If probiotics are insufficient, I will prescribe anti-microbial herbs.

Step 5: Identify and Treat Past Emotional and Physical Emotional Traumas Affecting Gut Health

When treating skin conditions, especially in adults, past emotional and sometimes physical traumas in the body usually affect gut function.

I can identify past traumas through muscle testing and use acupressure in treatment.

The treatment works by helping the body process the trauma so it no longer affects gut function.

Now It’s Over To You

Do you have eczema, hives or psoriasis?

Have you considered that your gut health might be at the root of your skin problems?

Leave me a comment below.

Do You Need Help?

If you need help, I suggest you book a free functional medicine discovery session with me to determine whether my functional medicine approach fits your child’s needs.

Disclaimer

The information provided on this website is for educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose or treat any disease. Please do not apply this information without first speaking with your doctor.