Light on the Skin: Why Is Our Skin Sensitive to What's Happening Inside and Outside Our Body?

The skin, among its many roles, helps maintain normal body temperature, prevents the loss of body fluids, protects us from solar radiation, and at the same time, produces essential vitamin D for our health. The skin serves as a barrier between us and the environment, protecting us against diseases and other hazards. It must be understood that the skin is not impermeable; therefore, everything you apply, spray, or makeup on your skin will be absorbed through the skin into the bloodstream and from there to other organs. Many people develop allergies to certain cosmetics and sometimes even to external factors like chlorine added to pool water, scents from air fresheners in restrooms and department stores, furniture and carpet cleaning agents, laundry soaps and softeners, and more.

In the summer, we expose our skin more, and some may experience more bites, scratches, sunburns, and jellyfish stings. Those who suffer year-round from symptoms appearing on the skin, such as psoriasis, atopic dermatitis (skin asthma), seborrhea, urticaria, fungal infections, acne, and others - sometimes the summer worsens the symptoms, and sometimes it improves. However, the itching, tingling, burning, discomfort, and appearance often bother those with these conditions. Apart from bites and scratches that can be treated quickly and easily externally, other skin symptoms require more complex treatment, finding the primary cause of the symptom, and a combined treatment for both the cause and the affected skin.

I call "skin disease" a symptom because most "skin diseases" are skin reactions to an internal physical or emotional/mental factor, such as stress, tension, anxiety, food allergies, digestive, urinary, and lymphatic issues – which are responsible for waste elimination and are not functioning correctly for various reasons. Thus, skin serves as a waste removal organ when necessary. Emotional "waste" not properly processed should also be considered – repressing emotions like anger, resentment, and other negative and repressed feelings over time. At some point, the body will "vomit" them out. Treating skin symptoms requires thorough investigation and diagnosis of the cause through comprehensive questioning of the sufferer and tailoring a specific treatment that includes addressing the discomfort and appearance of the skin symptom and appropriately dealing with the cause, whether emotional and/or physical. The treatment usually includes dietary changes, adding dietary supplements and/or custom medicinal herbs, and sometimes recommendations for cosmetics and other substances in contact with us.

Simple rules for protecting and treating troubled skin:

• Avoid pre-packaged foods containing unidentified substances.
• Avoid cow's milk products entirely for two weeks. If there is an improvement, continue as such.
• Avoid overly scented laundry soaps and softeners.
• Try to "scrub" less in the shower – this washes away the skin's natural protection (and the water contains enough chlorine).
• Choose natural, scent-free cosmetics.
• Instead of body cream, try coconut oil, olive oil, or almond oil.
• For those with moist symptoms, use natural and clean aloe vera gel.
• Drink infusions of nettle, chamomile, and passionflower for relaxation and waste drainage.
• "Unload emotional burdens" by talking and sharing with a friend or a suitable professional (psychologist, social worker).
• If you are reapplying the same ointment daily and the symptom persists, it's a good enough sign to understand that the root problem needs to be treated.

Refreshing Drink (Also for the Skin)

In a blender or a cup with an immersion blender, add:

A cup of melon cubes

3 stalks of celery, finely chopped – preferably organic

A small and organic bunch of parsley

¼ cup of aloe vera juice or a teaspoon of aloe vera gel from the garden

¼ cup of fresh or frozen berries.

Blend everything together and drink to satisfaction.