General Factsheet

Skin problems could mean anything from diagnosed conditions such as eczema, psoriasis and dermatitis to problems where no-one is certain what’s going on, as in urticaria, rashes, strange wheals, itching and flaking on various parts of the body.

I always feel like I have to be a bit of a detective with skin conditions, as the cause is not often obvious!

Some can be an allergy to a food or non-food like washing-up liquid. Often removing some of the main allergenic foods for a while will solve the problem. For non-foods, you can have skin prick tests to help you identify what you are reacting to. However, we take it a step further than this and try to discover why you are reacting to what should normally be a harmless substance. This is generally an immune system problem, an overloaded liver or a leaky gut.

In naturopathic medicine, we see skin as one of the major routes used by the body to eliminate toxins. Skin conditions commonly occur as a problem of body toxicity, most especially as the result of bowel toxicity, especially if the problem is fungal. So, we will generally start treatment with a detoxification programme.

It is vitally important, from a naturopathic viewpoint, that skin conditions should not be suppressed with steroid creams and the like; rather that the pressure of elimination is removed from the skin by making sure the bowel and liver are not overloaded.

If it’s not bowel toxicity, sometimes the skin simply has become too alkaline rather than acidic as it should be. This happens when the skin is not receiving the nutrients it needs to function properly. The treatment then is to ensure the correct nutrients. Often, people suffering with skin problems are not producing enough stomach acid. See the factsheet on this here.

Treatment very much depends on your case and particular circumstances. However, generally we will use a ‘healthy skin’ diet, rich in the foods that feed the skin properly and avoiding those foods that will block the skin’s healing process. We will give you a supplement programme designed to address your particular case.

Sometimes, we may make a cream, lotion, gel or oil for you to use. We will also use homeopathic remedies to help you.

Published Articles

You might also want to check out some of my published articles as an agony aunt for Skinsmatter.com.

Important

Remember - always check out with your health practitioner or GP before starting anything new especially if you are taking any other medicines, are pregnant or trying to conceive or have high blood pressure. See here for more advice on interactions with meds and general cautions.