Skin problems? Look inside
You might think that skin problems are on the surface, but most skin problems originate in your body, not just on your skin. A dermatologist – a skin doctor – might seem to be a logical place to start, but all too often such a doctor is trained to deal with just the skin. It is important to see the symptom not as the problem to be covered up but rather as an important clue as to what’s really going on…and what to do about it so it’s truly taken care of.
A summer topic
Summer seems to be when we think of our skin the most. During the summer we are enjoying the outdoors, swimming, gardening, hiking and other outdoor activities, and exposing our skin to the sun and to others. We want our skin to look and feel good. But this is also the time when the heat of summer causes the flare-ups we dread the most.
On top of any year-round problems, now there’s sunburn, and the nagging question about whether you should be tanning or applying sunscreen, as well as itchy things like insect bites and poison ivy or oak. If your skin tends to be dry, the sun can make it drier and flaky; if it tends to be oily, the sun can bring out the oiliness as well as the associated acne and pimples. In many skin-related ways, the sun is not your friend. With the hotter weather, more skin is visible, and any skin imperfections are now more noticeable. So summer is a good time to take care of these things.
Eczema and psoriasis
Eczema and psoriasis tend to flare up in the summer. Eczema is a condition in which itchy, scaly rashes develop in patches. It can be caused by allergy, especially to wheat and corn, or to nickel, which is found in some metal dental work. It can also be caused by a yeast overgrowth, which can be controlled by following a yeast-free diet. Psoriasis is similar to eczema, and shows up as itchy, thickened, scaly patches on the skin, usually starting on the elbows, and is considered by some to be an autoimmune disease that can lead to a kind of arthritis. Like eczema, it can be due to allergy. Both conditions can be helped with omega-3 oils such as fish oils.
What do earrings and your dentist have in common, and what does this have to do with your skin?
Here’s one you probably haven’t thought of: if your earrings cause your earlobes to itch, or your ring causes your finger to itch, you may need to see your dentist. Huh? That’s right – the culprit causing the itching is most likely nickel, found in inexpensive jewelry…and also in some dental work. If you’re reacting to the metal in your jewelry, you likely have an allergy to nickel, which means that you are probably also reacting in other ways to the nickel in your teeth. Nickel is found in most metal dental work other than fillings, such as crowns, braces, and posts. Your red, itchy earlobes are simply an early warning system that says that you may need to have your dental work taken care of. You could just live without wearing earrings, but be advised that nickel in dental work could be causing some serious problems, and that itching skin just did you a favor by clueing you in.
Those rosy cheeks could be something else
Rosacea and lupus can cause pink cheeks in characteristic patterns. Lupus is an autoimmune disease, which means that your immune system isn’t working properly. It is vital to find out why your immune system is not working properly. There are things such as eliminating toxins from your life, detoxifying, or a change in diet that can be
done. In fact, allergies and sensitivities, which commonly cause skin problems, are also related to the immune system, so similar treatment approaches can be of benefit.
Your itchy toes can be more than just itchy toes
Athlete’s foot is a fungal infection, as is jock itch, and they can occur together. Both of these can worsen along with summer sweating, and both of them are more than just itchy and inconvenient. They can mean that you have a fungus infection that affects your whole body, and may well account for your brain fog, female yeast infections, fatigue, or sugar cravings.
You didn’t know that your morning donut habit and your flaky toes are related? It’s funny how the body works. The sugar is fungus’s favorite food, and, once fed, it happily grows and multiplies in those warm, sweaty places. A yeast-free diet deals with the fungus where it actually lives – in your body, not just your feet. This diet is discussed in detail in the book Detox or Disease, written by Dr. Bill Kellas and Dr. Andrea S. Dworkin, and is for sale on this website.
The cause may be outside, not just inside
Not all skin problems come from the inside, though. You might have a topical, or surface, reaction to things that touch your skin, things such as cosmetics, suntan lotion, fabric, or laundry detergent. Or it can come, ironically, from that cream you’ve been using to try to clear things up. Although the cause of the problem might be on your skin, the solution doesn’t lie in putting something else on your skin to try to fix it. Dig deeper to find the actual cause.
What other kinds of skin problems are there?
In addition to those skin problems mentioned, there are age spots, rashes, eczema, psoriasis, hives, warts, and those odd bumps on the backs of your arms or on your eyelids. All of these can be related to causes that can affect your whole body, and your whole body is where you live.
Your skin problem could be more serious than you think. That odd growth that’s been there for months or years and doesn’t hurt or itch could be skin cancer, although certain kinds of skin cancer, caught in time and treated properly, shouldn’t cause any future problems. You need to get that evaluated, though, and we have an MD on staff at Center for Advanced Medicine who can do just that.
So what can be done?
Your skin problems should be evaluated by practitioners who will look at the skin-related symptoms, and at whatever else is going on with you, your blood tests, and your diet. Even if you don’t see a relationship between all these things, they can. They will come up with a treatment plan that really gets to the root cause. You might even come away with more than just your skin problem fixed!
