Your Skin

Let’s talk about all the nutrients we need to take care of our biggest organ, your skin! Carotenoids are not synthesized by the human body, so they must be obtained from the diet. Good dietary sources of lutein and zeaxanthin include leafy greens, such as kale, spinach, and lettuce, as well as broccoli, corn, peas, carrots, oranges, and eggs. Among the most concerning insults to the skin seen in healthcare settings are infection, skin cancers, allergies/sensitivities, and autoimmune diseases. For infections, underlying the vulnerability to protract these infectious insults can be an injury-wound opening access to the inner body. With skin cancers, allergies/sensitivities, and autoimmune conditions, the microenvironment terrain becomes the challenge to assess and know how to treat with considerations of potential antigenic dietary intake, environmental exposures, inflammation, pathogenic triggers of subclinical chronic infections, insufficient or deficient nutritional status, emotional and biological stresses, and genomic propensities. Wounds/wound chronic infection/post-op surgical wounds, Skin cancers such as Basal cell carcinoma, Squamous cell carcinoma, and Melanoma, Atopic dermatitis/Eczema, Psoriasis, Cracked lesions on or around lips and mouth, Dermatitis Herpetiforme (extremities and/or truncal), Acne/Cystic acne,  Blistering diseases, Pemphigus vulgaris, Pemphigus, and Vitiligo all involve your diet on a molecular level. The treatment for some of these and to help your skin out include: Vitamin C, Biotin, Linoleic acid, Gamma linolenic acid, Arachidonic acid, Saturated fats, Short-chain fatty acids (SCFA), Medium-chain fatty acids (MCT), CoQ10, Vitamin E, full spectrum tocopherols/tocotrienols, Vitamin D3 (dose per blood test vitamin D25OH/VDR genomic), Vitamin A retinyl palmitate (if indicated by testing vitamin A retinol), Protein, Amino acids, Collagen, Carnosine, Honey (medical), and Aloe vera. For healthier skin you want to limit trans fats, acrylamide, rancid oils, hydrogenated fats, heat processed vegetable oils, high oleic-vegetable oils, antibiotics, and hormone - containing animal fats.

Integrative and Functional Medical Nutrition Therapy by: Diane Noland, Jeanne A. Drisko, Leigh Wagner

Stress and Sleep

 Sleep and circadian rhythm have a great influence on the integrity of the immune system. Chronic stress impacts every biological and psychological system. When the chemical microenvironment is under long-term stress, it pushes the immune system response into chronic inflammation and increased acidity. The vicious cycle continues until the threshold of resilience and adaptation is exceeded, leading to vulnerability to many chronic diseases including damage to lipid structures and influencing the eicosanoid metabolism. The health of the immune system is dependent on the lymphatic system, which is supported by movement. The lymphatic circulatory system does not have a pump as compared with cardiovascular circulation. The lymphatic vessels are “pumped” by physical activity with arm and leg movement, abdominal breathing, laughing, etc. Remember learning cell structure back in school? All of those structure components ultimately allow the cell to function optimally, which in turn allows the tissues and organs that these cells comprise to work effectively. With a properly working cell membrane, essential nutrients are able to be adequately absorbed into tissues, while harmful waste is removed and excreted. Cells are able to effectively communicate with one another, a necessity for cells to work together to form tissues. Hormone sensitivity and utilization increases when the proteins that form hormone receptors on the membrane are intact. The overall health of our cell membranes, in addition to their ability to function at maximum capacity, is largely dependent on one’s diet and lifestyle habits. However, many are unaware that even our most subtle nutritional choices have the power to influence our bodies down to the molecular level, particularly in regard to the state of our cell membranes. Knowing how vital the role of a cell membrane is in the grand scheme of the human body makes knowing what causes harm to these membranes equally as important. Since cell membranes are composed of over 50% lipids, consuming a diet that is low in fat is damaging to the membrane. Chronic stressors can also cause inflammation in the body, which can lead to programmed cell death, so it is important to manage stress.

As we hopefully all remember, the Mitochondria are known as the powerhouse of the cell. There are many factors that can cause immense damage to the mitochondria. These include, but are not limited to, statin drugs, antibiotics, chronic stress, age, cigarettes, hyperglycemia, excessive arachidonic acid, excessive exercise, persistent organic pollutants (POPs), and heavy metals There are many diseases and illnesses that can be traced back to membrane damage or dysfunction. Fatigue is often the first indication of cell damage, due to membrane malfunction. When the membrane is damaged, cells may not be able to signal efficiently and hormone receptors may not work as well, resulting in either the overstimulation of hormone targets or the lack of hormone activity. There are numerous other illnesses that can result from dysfunctional mitochondria. Among these are neurodegenerative disorders, including Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Huntington’s, bipolar, as well as cardiovascular disorders, such as diabetes, metabolic syndrome, atherosclerosis, and obesity. Mitochondrial dysfunction can also lead to gastrointestinal and musculoskeletal disorders, including fibromyalgia and muscular atrophy, as well as chronic infections and even cancer.

Integrative and Functional Medical Nutrition Therapy by: Diane Noland, Jeanne A. Drisko, Leigh Wagner