The Healthy Skin Show

Latest Episodes:

071: Why You Probably Have Nutrient Deficiencies (If You Have Skin Rashes) Sep 15, 2019

Show notes

As you probably know by now, your skin is VERY nutrient hungry. Deficiencies can be a root cause helping to drive dysfunction in your skin as well as skin rash flares.

It usually comes as a shock when clients who eat a really fabulous whole foods based diet discover that they are nutrient depleted.

There are a number of reasons why and I figured that I’d take a moment to answer one of the most common questions I’m asked by nearly every single client -- “how could this have happened if I’ve been doing everything right?”

In this episode:

How you can end up with nutrient deficiencies even when you’re doing everything right with your diet
What percentage of skin rash clients have nutrient deficiencies
4 reasons why you can end up with nutrient deficiencies
Simple steps to take to figure out if you have deficiencies

Quotes:

It's not uncommon for labs to appear within the normal range or for your doctor to not test thoroughly enough. But what might shock you the most is that 100% of my clients all have nutrient deficiencies. Obviously the deficiencies vary from person to person, but what is similar is this sense of shock especially when they’ve been eating so well for a long period of time. They thought they were doing everything right only to discover that the nutrition wasn’t getting absorbed.

Despite what most of us think, your body does not make every nutrient that it needs to thrive. Most nutrients critical to life and your body’s biochemistry (especially what supports healthy skin) must be taken in from food unless you’re supplementing. Poor food quality obviously has a negative impact on your nutrient levels because there are certain levels of specific nutrients that your body requires daily. That’s why periods of low nutrient intake deplete the stores and put you at a deficit.

Ready to figure out your skin’s root causes so you can finally fix your skin + break free from meds + flare ups?

My virtual clinic works with adults worldwide struggling with eczema, psoriasis, rosacea, urticaria, hives, dandruff, perioral dermatitis + more.

Trusted by 1000+ clients, we get results WITHOUT restrictive elimination diets.

Schedule an assessment call at skinrepaircall.com

070: Stopping The Itch In Children & Babies w/ Dr. Elisa Song Sep 12, 2019

Show notes

Chronic skin rashes are frustrating at any age, but they're particularly heartbreaking to see in young children. My guest today has some incredible tips to share about preventing and treating eczema (and itchy skin in general) in children.

My guest today is Dr. Elisa Song, MD. She is a holistic pediatrician, pediatric functional medicine expert, and mama to two crazy fun kids.

In her integrative pediatric practice, Whole Family Wellness, she’s helped thousands of kids get to the root causes of their health concerns and helped their parents understand how to help their children thrive – body, mind, and spirit – by integrating conventional pediatrics with functional medicine, homeopathy, acupuncture, herbal medicine, and essential oils.

Dr. Song created Healthy Kids Happy Kids to share her advice and adventures as a holistic pediatrician and mama.

Join us as we talk about childhood eczema: root causes, triggers, treatment, and how to try and prevent it.

Have you healed your child's eczema holistically? Tell me about it in the comments!

In this episode:

Hidden root causes of eczema in children and babies
Can a mother's microbiome affect the microbiome of the child growing inside her?
What issues can manifest due to topical steroid use in children?
Possible testing parents can consider for their child's gut
The importance of zinc
Parasites and the problem with conventional parasite testing
If eczema seems to run in your family, how to try and prevent your child from developing it

Quotes

"Mama's gut microbiome can impact the health of the developing baby inside you and also the health of the baby once the baby's born." [6:07]

"The problem with steroids is that they're just suppressing the symptoms." [8:52]

"Zinc is often really critical to help support the healing of the lining of the gut." [15:34]

"Parasites are kind of a double edged sword because if we have parasites very early on in life, it can actually train our immune system to have a healthy immune response." [17:34]

Links

Find Elisa online

Healthy Kids Happy Kids

FREE Guide: Choosing your child's probiotic

Follow Elisa on Facebook | Instagram | YouTube

Ready to figure out your skin’s root causes so you can finally fix your skin + break free from meds + flare ups?

My virtual clinic works with adults worldwide struggling with eczema, psoriasis, rosacea, urticaria, hives, dandruff, perioral dermatitis + more.

Trusted by 1000+ clients, we get results WITHOUT restrictive elimination diets.

Schedule an assessment call at skinrepaircall.com

069: Is Psoriasis A Gut Problem? Sep 10, 2019

Show notes

I’ve long found that psoriasis clients have connections to gut and liver issues even if they have absolutely no symptoms.

Because I’ve mentioned before that there are 16 root causes of chronic skin rash conditions like psoriasis, what I’m about to share with you pretty mind-blowing!

I stumbled across a paper in a major dermatology journal that details some really incredible information that in many respects flies in the face of how we currently address psoriasis.

The question that I’m left with is… why isn’t this making its way down to the doctor’s office?

If you’ve only been told that psoriasis is a skin problem, get ready to have that notion completely flipped on its head!

In this episode:

Ground-breaking paper discussion by Dr. P. Haines Ely published in 2018
Many connections between psoriasis and gut problems
Why poor protein breakdown (from your diet) could be a major factor
Gut infections commonly found in psoriasis
Hidden trigger for itchy psoriatic lesions
Ties between Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease and Psoriasis

Quotes:

Polyamines are byproducts of protein purification. Their high levels present in psoriatic skin means that you aren’t properly breaking down and absorbing dietary protein and ultimately allows your microbiome to ferment them. And then we’re shockingly seeing these polyamines out in the skin of those with psoriasis.

If you’ve ever wondered — is psoriasis caused by a leaky gut? The answer is YES. He then goes on to state that “Recent data confirms the presence of gut-derived bacterial DNA in psoriatic blood. The species identified included Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae…”

Ready to figure out your skin’s root causes so you can finally fix your skin + break free from meds + flare ups?

My virtual clinic works with adults worldwide struggling with eczema, psoriasis, rosacea, urticaria, hives, dandruff, perioral dermatitis + more.

Trusted by 1000+ clients, we get results WITHOUT restrictive elimination diets.

Schedule an assessment call at skinrepaircall.com

068: Vitamin A & Zinc Connections To Skin Rash Symptoms w/ Chris Masterjohn, PhD Sep 05, 2019

Show notes

Some vitamins and minerals have a key role to play in our skin health. Unfortunately, many of us are either slightly or very deficient in these nutrients, which can cause symptoms to manifest on our skin.

My guest today is Chris Masterjohn, PhD. Chris earned his PhD in Nutritional Sciences from the University of Connecticut in the summer of 2012.

He served as a postdoctoral research associate in the Comparative Biosciences department of the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and as Assistant Professor of Health and Nutrition Sciences at Brooklyn College, part of the City University of New York.

Chris now works independently, producing educational content about nutrition.

Join us as we talk about the importance of different micronutrients for the skin, and how to address nutrient deficiencies.

Have you managed to improve your skin health with nutrition? Tell me about it in the comments!

In this episode:

Chris's eczema story
Why is vitamin A important for skin health?
Information on zinc and the skin
Chris's favorite food sources of vitamin A
Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet

Quotes

"Probiotics are so individual that different probiotics are gonna work differently for different people." [2:42]

"If you have active eczema, you really should try to only wash your hands when you absolutely need to for essential hygiene." [4:58]

"Skin problems are not just about nutrition, but nutrition is a very important part of it." [6:51]

"In addition to making the [skin] surfaces smooth and not over keratinized, vitamin A is also playing a critical role in the immune system. And so if your vitamin A is deficient, then you don't have the defense against the bacteria and fungi that shouldn't be there." [11:11]

Links

Find Chris online

FREE Course: Vitamins and Minerals 101

Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet Use code FUGO for 20% off!

Chris's articles on balancing fat-soluble nutrients

How to Cook Liver and Make it Taste Not-Bad by Chris Masterjohn

Follow Chris on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube

Ready to figure out your skin’s root causes so you can finally fix your skin + break free from meds + flare ups?

My virtual clinic works with adults worldwide struggling with eczema, psoriasis, rosacea, urticaria, hives, dandruff, perioral dermatitis + more.

Trusted by 1000+ clients, we get results WITHOUT restrictive elimination diets.

Schedule an assessment call at skinrepaircall.com

067: Best Stress Relief Tips For Skin Rashes Sep 03, 2019

Show notes

If you feel like stress is one of the biggest factors driving flares, itching, and just generally making your skin worse, you aren’t alone.

Stress is one of the 16 root causes I’ve talked about before that can drive and worsen skin rash conditions.

You might not be able to cut everything that stresses you out from your life. But you can do something about the stresses that you can’t necessarily control.

And the way that you can do that means paying attention to and tapping into the power of your breath (believe it or not). All in the name of some of the fastest, cheapest, and best stress relief out there.

I share this with my private clients and so I thought in today’s episode, I’d share this with you!

In this episode:

What to do if you can’t eliminate stress in your life
Connection between stress levels and how you breath
Jennifer’s top 3 breathing exercises that can drop stress levels in 2 minutes or less
Tips for practicing breathing exercises (especially if you’re a newbie)
Best way to integrate a breathing exercise into your daily routine

Quotes:

A shallow breath is equated with an increase in anxiety and stress. So when you’re all stressed out and panicked or feeling really upset or distressed, someone will say, take a deep breath.

The reason is that as your stress levels rise, your body will respond by taking shorter and shallower breaths that only fill the upper portion of the lungs. But when you take long, deep breaths, it signals to your mind that you are safe and that everything is okay.

Here’s the thing about stressors…Part of the process to decreasing your stress exposure is to untether yourself from people and experiences that pile on the stress. But it might not be possible to eliminate everything that creates anxiety and overwhelm. Think of it like those thunderstorms that pop up in the middle of the afternoon that you can't control. You just have to run for cover and wait it out. My point is that while you can’t stop a thunderstorm from rolling in, you do have the power to control how you react to it.

Ready to figure out your skin’s root causes so you can finally fix your skin + break free from meds + flare ups?

My virtual clinic works with adults worldwide struggling with eczema, psoriasis, rosacea, urticaria, hives, dandruff, perioral dermatitis + more.

Trusted by 1000+ clients, we get results WITHOUT restrictive elimination diets.

Schedule an assessment call at skinrepaircall.com

066: Navigating The Shame Response Living With Skin Rashes w/ Ali Shapiro Aug 29, 2019

Show notes

Skin rashes can lead to self-destructive patterns of behavior. We might isolate ourselves more and more to avoid judgment from others, leading us to give up healthy social relationships and activities. My guest today shares how to overcome these negative patterns.

My guest today is Ali Shapiro, MSOD. Ali is the creator of Truce with Food®, host of the top-ranked podcast Insatiable, a holistic nutritionist, integrated health coach and rebel with a serious cause.

She’s academically, practically, and empathetically aware of how the medical system, diet culture and body positivity movements all have their own flavor of crazy.

Ali created her Truce with Food method while in graduate school at the University of Pennsylvania, where she earned her Masters in Organizational Dynamics, which is like getting an MBA in the change process, where she drew from her decade plus of working with real life clients and her own personal healing journey from having cancer as a teenager.

Join us as we talk about the three patterns of behavior human beings usually follow in situations of trauma (such as that caused by a chronic skin condition).

Have you managed to overcome isolating behavior patterns? Tell me about it in the comments!

In this episode:

Ali's story with skin issues
Feeling misunderstood and isolated
The three patterns we follow when we're in psychological conflict
How to get out of those patterns

Quotes

"I know what it's like to have that visible feeling of I'm wrong or I'm not enough." [3:17]

"You not only have the visible issues, but then when you go to try to fix it and you can't figure out what's going on or you go to the dermatologist and they try to tell you something that doesn't work, it starts to erode this sense of self-trust and the sense of enoughness." [4:38]

"We often block ourselves from the very thing that we need. And it creates a self-fulfilling prophecy where we are isolated, we are misunderstood, and we feel rejected." [8:58]

Links

Find Ali online

Take the Comfort Eating Quiz

My appearance on Ali's podcast, Insatiable: Pros and Cons of the Elimination Diet

Healthy Skin Show episode 31: How to Thrive Emotionally Living with Chronic Skin Rashes w/ Nitika Chopra

Follow Ali on Facebook | Instagram

Ready to figure out your skin’s root causes so you can finally fix your skin + break free from meds + flare ups?

My virtual clinic works with adults worldwide struggling with eczema, psoriasis, rosacea, urticaria, hives, dandruff, perioral dermatitis + more.

Trusted by 1000+ clients, we get results WITHOUT restrictive elimination diets.

Schedule an assessment call at skinrepaircall.com

065: Why Protein Is Good For Your Skin (And Solving Skin Rashes) Aug 25, 2019

Show notes

Have you ever wondered if protein is good for your skin? For the record… it is, especially if you plan on rebuilding healthy skin.

And one thing that I’ve found working with clients is that many people aren’t eating enough protein.

In fact, most people are quite surprised to discover just how low (suboptimal) their protein intake is!

This macronutrient is critical not just for building healthy new tissue, but for many other things in your body.

In this episode, I’m going to share with you why protein intake is so important and answer all of the questions you have about it!

In this episode:

Why protein is good (and necessary) to stop skin rashes
Animal vs Plant protein – which is better?
Why you can’t just use collagen
How to figure out how much protein you eat now
Recommended protein intake for chronic skin rashes
Suggestions of healthy protein sources

Quotes:

You may have heard that you should cut back for the sake of your health (and that of the planet). But when your skin is compromised, it then becomes critical to get enough macronutrients like protein as well as micronutrients to refill the proverbial well.

Not getting enough protein is one of the biggest problems I see in my clinical practice when someone is hoping to rebuild healthy skin. They try their best based on all the information they find online, but the recommendations made for healthy people may not work for them. They are often surprised to discover that a higher protein intake improves symptoms overall as long as we ensure that it’s digested and absorbed.

Ready to figure out your skin’s root causes so you can finally fix your skin + break free from meds + flare ups?

My virtual clinic works with adults worldwide struggling with eczema, psoriasis, rosacea, urticaria, hives, dandruff, perioral dermatitis + more.

Trusted by 1000+ clients, we get results WITHOUT restrictive elimination diets.

Schedule an assessment call at skinrepaircall.com

064: Alternative Eczema Tips To Be More Comfortable During A Flare w/ Jennifer Roberge Aug 22, 2019

Show notes

Eczema can cause hopelessness, especially when conventional treatments do not work. After years of stress and pain dealing with her son's eczema, my guest was able to not only put her son into remission, but also went on to create natural products specifically designed to soothe eczema flares.

My guest today is Jennifer Roberge, the founder of The Eczema Company and the award-winning blog, It's An Itchy Little World.

Propelled to find a solution for her son’s struggles with eczema, Jennifer has established herself as the go-to resource on holistic healing methods for eczema.

After years researching the best products for eczema, Jennifer created YoRo Naturals: products for sensitive skin, including the best selling Manuka Skin Soothing Cream. She is also the creator of the highly anticipated NEW line of clothing for eczema: Remedywear with soothing zinc.

Join us as we talk about some tips to be more comfortable during eczema flares.

Has dry or wet wrapping made it easier to deal with your eczema? Tell me about it in the comments!

In this episode:

Jennifer's journey with managing her son's eczema
Dry wrapping vs. wet wrapping and how they can help eczema
How did Jennifer get into the world of natural creams and salves?
YoRo Naturals and Remedywear

Quotes

"With wet wrapping, you take a bath for about 20 minutes. Then you lightly pat dry your skin. You put on a layer of cream. Then you take a layer of damp clothing—clothing you put in warm water and then wrung out really well, so it's moist but not dripping wet. And then you put it on the skin and then you wear a dry layer on top of it. And you sit for at least two hours this way." [11:18]

"Baking soda baths, apple cider vinegar baths...they're really good alternatives to the bleach bath that a lot of the physicians recommend, which is pretty toxic." [13:02]

"I started the Eczema Company with carefully curated, natural, very safe products that I knew that worked for my son." [15:39]

"I wanted to be able to provide options...We know that there's not one miracle cream out there, right? You'll see people talking about, oh, this miracle product, and people have called some of our products miracles. But it was a miracle for that person; it doesn't mean it's going to be a miracle for the next person." [16:12]

Ready to figure out your skin’s root causes so you can finally fix your skin + break free from meds + flare ups?

My virtual clinic works with adults worldwide struggling with eczema, psoriasis, rosacea, urticaria, hives, dandruff, perioral dermatitis + more.

Trusted by 1000+ clients, we get results WITHOUT restrictive elimination diets.

Schedule an assessment call at skinrepaircall.com

062: Eczema Food Triggers From An Eastern Medicine Perspective w/ Dr. Pamela Langenderfer Aug 15, 2019

Show notes

Eczema is a multifaceted condition. There is no single root cause that is the same for everyone. My guest today, a physician who put her eczema into remission, will discuss the impact on food, as well as the eastern approach to healing skin rashes.

My guest today is Dr. Pamela Langenderfer. Dr. Pam is a naturopathic doctor and acupuncturist who believes that food is the foundation to optimal health. She has found that when people change their nutrition, 50% of their symptoms will often improve. As she says, "You cannot out supplement or out medicate a poor diet!"

Dr. Pam grew up on a farm and was an avid athlete. One would assume that she was really healthy, but this was not the case. She had chronic ear infections as a child, which resulted in many rounds of antibiotics. She also had severe eczema and asthma, which resulted in chronic steroid use. This ultimately wreaked havoc on her gut, skin and hormones.

Dr. Pam spent the first half of her life feeling awful all the time, knowing there had to be a better way to live. This ultimately led her to seek out a career as a naturopathic physician and acupuncturist.

Join us as we talk about how a diet high in Omega-6s and histamine can play a role in eczema flares.

Have you seen improvements in your skin by reducing the amount of Omega-6 fatty acids in your diet? Tell me about it in the comments!

In this episode:

Dr. Pam's eczema story
Information about what is means to count macros
Importance of the Omega-6 to Omega-3 ratio
The concept of "wind food" in Chinese medicine
Temporary elimination of certain foods
Foods rich in Omega-3s

Quotes

"Macros are essentially tracking how much protein, how much fat and how much carbs you're eating." [6:45]

"Eczema is an autoimmune disease." [8:08]

"When you have excess Omega-sixes from poultry, from nuts, from seeds, it actually can convert into arachidonic acid and it becomes pro-inflammatory." [8:47]

"The best advice I give to people is that if you don't want to have to eliminate something, then eat everything. So that way you don't develop an intolerance to it." [13:58]

Links

Find Dr. Pam online

Dr. Jerry on the Healthy Skin Show: Stress-Response-Skin Rash Connection

The Best Labs To Figure Out Your Skin Rashes

Ready to figure out your skin’s root causes so you can finally fix your skin + break free from meds + flare ups?

My virtual clinic works with adults worldwide struggling with eczema, psoriasis, rosacea, urticaria, hives, dandruff, perioral dermatitis + more.

Trusted by 1000+ clients, we get results WITHOUT restrictive elimination diets.

Schedule an assessment call at skinrepaircall.com

063: Dyshidrotic Eczema: How It Changed My Life Forever Aug 11, 2019

Show notes

Living with skin rashes is hell. You’ve probably heard my say this before, but you may not know my personal journey overcoming Dyshidrotic Eczema.

Dyshidrotic eczema can affect both the palms of your hands as well as the feet. Fortunately, I only had it on my palms.

But that said, it drastically changed the quality of my life and my understanding of what it is like to live with chronic skin rashes.

I would never wish this upon anyone (even my own worst enemy… if I had one).

It’s my hope that through sharing my own story, you will understand WHY doing this work and changing the way that we approach and address chronic skin rashes is so important.

In this episode:

My worst moment living with dyshidrotic eczema
What makes dyshidrotic eczema different than other forms of eczema
How having eczema wrecked my quality of life
Steps I took to stop my eczema flares (and how long it actually took)
Why I started Skinterrupt and the Healthy Skin Show

Quotes:

I got all of these little paper cuts in the joints of my fingers and could no longer move my hands. My eczema in the summertime was completely different. It was red, angry, itchy, oozing, burning, but this whole dried out business was something entirely different. As I walked to the hotel from the train station, I was in so much pain — crying as I dragged my bag down the street because holding the bag was incredibly painful. I found my way to a Whole Foods and I remember breaking down in the skin care aisle. I was so desperate for some sort of relief!

“We don't really know what causes eczema, but a steroid cream can reduce the inflammation and keep the moisture locked in with Vaseline,” the doctor said. I blinked twice. “Vaseline?” First of all, I have cuts all over my hands that don't really heal because I'm constantly bending my fingers to do pretty much anything. You want me to put vaseline (derived from petrochemicals) on my hands? Secondly, I don't really know how I'm supposed to function in life with Vaseline all over my hands from a very practical perspective. Everything I touch — my clothing, my cats, my husband, my home — everything will be covered in Vaseline!

Ready to figure out your skin’s root causes so you can finally fix your skin + break free from meds + flare ups?

My virtual clinic works with adults worldwide struggling with eczema, psoriasis, rosacea, urticaria, hives, dandruff, perioral dermatitis + more.

Trusted by 1000+ clients, we get results WITHOUT restrictive elimination diets.

Schedule an assessment call at skinrepaircall.com