The Importance of Your Skin
Welcome!!! I hope you’re as excited as I am for each of these posts!
I often have patients ask “why is all of this so important” well... Here’s why.
Our bodies function from how we bring in nutrients from our diet and through our skin, yes… our skin!
The skin plays a key role in the balance of many nutrients like sodium and Vitamin D. When we sweat, we lose electrolytes like sodium, that’s why sweat is salty, that must be replenished from what we eat and drink. Vitamin D, which is both a vitamin and a hormone, plays a wide variety of roles. It helps nutrients get attached and be able to be used, like calcium, it is essential in many cell functions in the immune system, brain, muscle health, and so many more! But here’s the deal… it’s hard to get enough Vitamin D because the major source is from the sun. If you live in places (Indiana for example) where there is not good UV penetration, or you wear sunscreen and long sleeves all year, you can’t get enough sun exposure to get Vit D absorption and it is the number one deficiency I see. Vit D deficiency can cause a wide variety of symptoms form chronic pain, to brain fog and depression, and chronic illness. It is easy to have evaluated and I would recommend being tested yearly. I have found, both in practice and in my life, the “normal range” given by most laboratories is far too low, optimal function occurs when you Vit D (25-OH Vit D) is between 50-100 and most people need to be on a daily supplement. Some providers like weekly supplementation, but in my mind your cells are depending on it every day, giving a daily dose works more in line with your bodies normal process.
We have already hit on a key nutrient, vit D, in our body that can play a huge part, but it can’t be gotten from our diet in sufficient amounts, and if you don’t consume fortified diary you’re not getting any from what you eat. Supplements and a healthy amount of sun, in individualized increments given your risk for other conditions is key.
The other thing our skin does is absorb chemicals and release toxins. This is important, because if you’re like most Americans, you’re using up to 12 body care products per day (https://www.ewg.org/research/survey-finds-use-personal-care-products-2004-what-means-your-health ). Each of those products can contain up to 112 chemicals that we are applying to our bodies. But why is this important? Many of the chemicals added to products in the US are banned around the world… the FDA only bans 11 additives... whereas Europe bans over 1600 ( https://www.ewg.org/news-insights/news/2022/10/personal-care-product-chemicals-banned-europe-still-found-us ). This is important to consider because many of these have been banned due to know interference with our body’s major functions, like hormone regulation. Please know, I am not trying to scare you, but open your eyes to the fact that our health must be in our own hands… We are the ones buying and using the products, foods, and supplements, we need to be educated in order to make the right decisions for our health at any given time. All hope is not lost here through, there are many brands standing up to this and holding themselves accountable, my favorite few are; Monat, for hair and skin care, Melaleuca for cleaning and laundry products, and Hello Bello for diapering. You can check out sites the EWG.org for a more comprehensive list.
The next time you head out to stock up on products check to see what is in them. Make sure you’re not adding anything to your system that might be making you feel bad or worsening any illness you already have. Also, have your primary care provider check your electrolytes and vitamins, these are key to proper functioning of every cell.
Until next time.
