What’s with Your Skin?

by Leon Tan, B. Sc. (Nutrition) USA

Our skin is the largest organ in our body and comprises of 3 layers. The outer of the three skin layers, the epidermis, comprises the skin surface of dead ‘horny’ cells, and underlying ‘prickle’ cells, which move upward to replace them as they are shed. The epidermis also contains melanocytes, cells that secrete melanin, the pigment responsible for varying skin colour.

Under the epidermis is the middle layer, or dermis, a bulky fibrous and protein layer containing hair follicles, sweat, and sebaceous (oil-producing) glands, and specialized sensory receptors for conveying information about touch, temperature, and pain. Mast cells in the dermis respond to physical or chemical damage by releasing histamine, a substance leading to allergic responses.

Your hair follicles rely on your sebaceous glands to bring on the shine. Connected to each follicle in the dermis layer is a tiny sebaceous gland that releases sebum onto the hair. This lightly coats the hair with oil, giving it some shine and a little waterproofing.

Finally there is a layer of subcutaneous fatty tissue that gives the skin its feeling of softness and plumpness and acts as insulation against the cold. The blood vessels supplying nourishment to the outer skin layers are carried in this layer.

Our skin forms a remarkable protective barrier against the outside world, helping to regulate our temperature and fluid balance, keeping out harmful germs and chemicals, and offers natural protection against the sun. It has the ability to grow hair, sweat, produce oil for self-lubrication, and give an accurate perception of touch, heat, cold, and pain.

Common Causes of Skin Problems

Skin problems come in various forms, from very mild to very serious. Not only does it affect a person physically but it also can have emotional and psychological ramifications. The following are some examples of skin problems: acne, athlete’s foot, boils, dandruff, eczema, hives, psoriasis and rashes.

Now what causes skin problems? The following are the most common causes of skin problems:

1. Food allergies (acne, eczema, hives, rashes)
2. Depressed immune function (psoriasis, boils, rashes)
3. Nutritional deficiencies (dandruff, acne, psoriasis)
4. Exposure to allergens (hives, eczema, rashes)
5. Poor hygiene (athlete’s foot, acne)
6. Stress (acne, eczema, psoriasis)
7. Combination of one or more of the above.

I will cover the top 3 causes of skin problems in this article.

Food allergies

Food allergies occur when a person’s immune system generates an antibody response to the ingested food. Almost any food can cause an allergic reaction in someone especially when the person has poor immune functions or nutritional deficiency. When someone has a food allergy, the immune system responds inappropriately.

First, an antibody called immunoglobulin E (or IgE) is produced that circulates in the blood. During digestion of the problem food, tiny protein fragments prompt certain cells to produce that specific IgE against that food. The IgE then circulates and attaches to the surface of the mast cells. Mast cells are found in all body tissue especially the skin. The next time that food is eaten, the protein reacts with the specific IgE on the mast cells to trigger the release of chemicals, such as histamine. Activated mast cells in the skin can produce hives, or eczema.

It is not easy to find out to which food you may be allergic. The food allergy test done at a Doctor’s clinic not only is expensive but the results tend to be either inconclusive or not 100% accurate.

Also, the root cause of food allergies may be due to the inability to digest certain types of food, e.g. dairy, gluten etc. This is normally due to having either a small amount or the complete lack of the appropriate digestive enzymes meant to break down that particular food type.

Several years ago, my youngest brother Daniel had eczema on his leg behind his right knee. We tried to identify to which food he was allergic by eliminating the types of food that were known allergens.

However, his skin problem did not improve. During that period of time, we brought in n.Zimes PA Plus and he began taking it. Within a few weeks, his skin condition improved and completely disappeared.

Mdm. Goh’s son also was afflicted with skin problems which went away when he started drinking fresh juices made from the Alpha Juicer. So his skin problem could have been due to either the lack of beneficial enzymes or phytonutrients in his body (or both).

Depressed Immune Function & Nutritional Deficiencies

The immune system is designed to shelter you from disease. It will protect you, if you keep it in top shape.

The immune system is equipped with glands, cells, organs, and proteins to fight off flu. colds, even cancer.

With all of the diseases in the world ready to invade your body, your immune system must be prepared to battle these scourges.

How kind are you to your immune system?

Do you make it work twice as hard by eating devitalized, junk foods?

The poor immune system has to then extract small amounts of nutrients from these foods and limp along, disposing of the non-nutrients anywhere it can.

These foods usually end up as fat around the stomach, thighs, and etc…as an advertisement of the quality of our diet.

If an unhealthy diet continues, nutritional deficiencies will occur. Toxins and poisons will afflict the blood via the colon, which is clogged. The kidneys will try to filter out the impurities, and when they can’t handle all of the responsibility, the bloodstream carries the waste to the lungs, which try to eliminate it in the form of mucus.

However, the lungs can only deal with a certain amount of congestion and the blood stream tries one last frantic effort to get rid of the poisons via the pores of the skin. The skin is the largest eliminating organ there is. Poisons in the blood stream will then manifest themselves as pimples, rashes, psoriasis, and assorted other skin problems.

Two Paths to Take

When skin problems occur, you have two paths that you can take to handle the problem. You can choose to take the medical path or the natural healing path.

Most people will choose to take the medical path by using drugs like steroids, antibiotics and anti-histamine to control/suppress their conditions. This path is a ‘convenient’ and ‘easy’ way to handle the problem.

However, drugs usually bring temporary relief and not permanent cure. In other words, you will have to keep on taking the drugs to suppress the symptoms. This path will not lead to a complete recovery of the condition.

The natural healing path is a narrow and tougher path to take. The brave ones who embarked on this path not only found permanent recovery from their conditions but also found that their overall health improved.

The body is wonderfully created in such a way that it can self-heal, self-rejuvenate and self-repair if it is provided with the right essentials. We, at NewLife™, designed a nutritional programme to do just that.

This nutritional programme has helped countless of people over the years. However, this programme is only for someone who has the self-discipline and determination to stay on it until his/her condition improves.

How long does it take to stay on the programme until one sees improvements? The short answer to this question would be: It depends…But I am sure after reading this article to this point you wouldn’t be satisfied with a short answer. So here is the long answer:

It all depends on the ability of the body to rebuild itself. For example:

1. Mr. Lim took 1 week for his itchiness and rashes to go away.
2. Mrs. Tan followed 2 weeks of the NewLife™ Detoxification & Rejuvenation Programme (DRP) for her dermatitis around her eye area to disappear.
3. Another gentleman took 2 years for his very serious Psoriasis to heal.
4. Sunny had bad acne on his face for many years. After 1 week of the DRP, his acne disappeared permanently.
5. On the other hand, we also know of several persons who gave up halfway and continued to depend on their medications.

There are 2 functions of the nutritional programme:

1. Detoxification
2. Health Building.

To begin the nutritional programme, one goes through the Detoxification & Rejuvenation Programme (DRP) for 2 weeks. If no improvements occurred during this period, then it is a sign that the body still needs more time to rebuild itself.

We would then recommend that NewLife™ Health Building Programme (NHBP – Page 24 of the DRP Booklet) be followed for at least 3 to 6 months.

While on the nutritional programme, healing reactions might occur. In other words, the skin problems might become worse before it improves. Healing reactions are positive signs that poisons are being removed from the body. It is only temporary, paving the way to better health.

We have seen that healing reactions were even more severe if medications were taken to suppress the symptoms. This goes to show that medications do not remove the skin problems away from the body but suppresses the symptoms within the body.

The following are the list of recommended supplements that may be taken in conjunction with the ones found in the DRP and NHBP:

Supplements	Dosage	Comments
	50 mg 4 X daily.	Promotes circulation & necessary for healing. (Contraindications: Patients presenting with hepatic insufficiency, hepatitis, or hepatic cirrhosis should receive a maximum of 100 -150 mg daily. Patients with a history of bleeding ulcers, or gastritis, and patients concurrently receiving prednisone, other steroids, or anticoagulants like coumadin should not take Niacin. Not to be taken during menses or bleeding.)
	3 oz. 2 X daily on empty stomach.	A necessary detoxifying tea.
	5 tablets daily in divided dosage.	Enhances immune function.
	1 tablet 3 X daily.	An important anti-stress supplement.
	2 teaspoons with each meal and before sleep.	Aids digestion and also as systemic enzymes.
	5 tablets daily.	Supplies balanced minerals. Needed for good skin tone.
	10 minutes daily or few minutes several times a day.	Promote lymph flow and improve immunity.
	1 hour at right abdomen area daily.	Removes toxins from Lymphatic system; reduces inflammation.
	Rinse the body after shower with 2 tablespoon of ACV in 1 liter of distilled water.	Provides the right environment for healthy skin cells. Relieves inflammation almost immediately.

Side Effects of Commonly Used Drugs for Skin Problems

STEROID: Oral steroids and topical steroids are commonly prescribed to treat skin problem. They are used to relieve swelling, itching and inflammation, such as dermatitis, eczema, psoriasis, and severe allergic reactions.

Even for topical steroid cream, steroid can be absorbed into the body through the skin. The risk of their side effects depends on the strength of the steroid, the length of application, the site treated, and the nature of the skin problem.

The most common side effects reported with the short-term (days to weeks) use of steroids include a bigger appetite, weight gain, upset stomach, headache, mood changes, and trouble sleeping. Some people may also have upswings in blood sugar and blood pressure.

Side effects associated with long-term (months to years) use of steroid therapy include weakening of the immune system, elevations in cholesterol levels, and weight gain. Long-term use may also cause brittle bones, fat deposits on the face and back, thinning of the skin, and cataracts in the eyes. In children, long-term use of oral steroids may cause stunted growth.

ANTIBIOTIC: A drug used to treat infections caused by bacteria and other micro-organisms. Common side effects include nausea, diarrhoea, and stomach pains.

However, as antibiotics destroy both the bad and the good bacteria (which help prevent overgrowth of any bad organism), antibiotics are a common cause of yeast infection (fungal infections of the mouth, digestive tract and vagina).

Also if you take antibiotics when you do not need them, some bacteria that the medicine cannot kill will mutate and become harder to kill. These tougher bacteria are called antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and they can cause longer and more serious infections.

To treat them you may be prescribed with a different, stronger antibiotic that costs more. A stronger antibiotic may have more side effects than the first medicine. The wide spread use of antibiotics is considered one of the main causes of immune system disorder. If antibiotic use is not curtailed, we may soon approach the day when untreatable infections are rampant?

ANTIHISTAMINE: Antihistamines are drugs that neutralise the effects of histamine, a product released in the body tissues during allergic reactions. Antihistamines have many side-effects such as drowsiness, congestion of the bronchial tubes, abnormal nasal secretions, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, constipation, dizziness, elation or depression, loss of appetite, irritability and difficulty in urinating.