013: What's Really Going On Behind Adult Acne? w/ Brie Weiselman
Most people think of acne as a teenage affliction. But there are many adults with pimples, many of whom even had great skin as teens. Brie Wieselman studies an often overlooked cause of chronic acne in women. Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is more common than many people realize. Even though it can lead to a number of conditions, as you are about to hear, it is totally manageable with expert help.
Or, listen on your favorite app: iTunes (Apple Podcasts) | Spotify | Stitcher | TuneIn
Brie is a digestive and hormonal health specialist who works with women around the world in her online practice. She also specializes in helping people with a range of digestive issues so that they can build a healthy microbiome. Her programs integrate functional and Chinese medicinal approaches. I have personally worked with Brie several times and can vouch for her knowledge and expertise.
In today’s episode, we dive deep into the issues surrounding PCOS and why acne is more than just a simple skin condition, but can potentially be a sign of a more complex hormonal imbalance. We look closely into some hormonal issues and how they are connected to the skin. The hormonal component of understanding skin issues is complex and it’s important to find an expert like Brie when dealing with it.
Have you wondered if a hormonal condition like PCOS could be causing your acne? What have you done to address it?
Let me know in the comments!
In this episode
- Some of the common causes of chronic adult acne, many of which people don’t even know they have
- What polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) looks like and why it’s more common than you might think
- What questions you should ask your doctor if you are concerned you might have a hormonal imbalance
- Why acne is often a symptom of a much more complex problem
Quotes
“I’m talking about women with acne. And this could be any aged woman with acne, so it really could be applied to somebody in her teen years, but this becomes more obvious when it’s acne that showed up either a little bit later in life or that persisted after the teen years despite treatment.” [1:56]
“People with PCOS are born just more susceptible to developing a sensitivity to our insulin and that will drive this problem. That can be managed with diet, lifestyle, nutrition, and other therapeutic steps once you know what’s happening, but before it can just look like this bunch of symptoms that’s showing up in someone.” [8:02]
“No one is looking at the big picture and educating their patients and saying ‘Hey, you have this condition. Here’s what it means to live with it and here’s how to keep yourself healthy over your whole life” [11:13]
Links
Take Brie's Healthy Hormones Quiz here!
Watch Brie's Hormones & Skin Rash Interview during the Eczema & Psoriasis Awareness Week
Follow Brie on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
012: How Essential Oils Can Help Clear Up Hormone-Related Skin Issues w/ Dr. Mariza Snyder
Hormones are a huge piece of the wellness puzzle, and unbalanced hormones can certainly lead to a whole host of skin issues. However, there’s more and more evidence showing us the role that essential oils can play in helping to rebalance hormones. This is particularly true when it comes to stress management. That’s why I’m super excited to share today’s guest with you.
Or, listen on your favorite app: iTunes (Apple Podcasts) | Spotify | Stitcher | TuneIn
Dr. Mariza Snyder is many things. She’s a functional practitioner and the author of six amazing books. For the past ten years, she has been giving talks and lectures at wellness centers, hospitals, conferences, and corporations on hormone health, essential oils, nutrition, and detoxification. Even more, Dr. Mariza is the host of the Essentially You podcast which helps people find empowerment in their health and wellness journey.
In this interview, we dive into some of the amazing roles that essential oils can play in your wellness journey. From helping to get stress under control to balancing hormones to help clear up your skin, essential oils are a great tool to have in your toolkit.
Are essential oils part of your wellness practice? Tell me about it in the comments!
In this episode:
- Essential oils as a key part of the hormone balancing solution
- Why getting stress under control goes a long way to a healthy hormone balance
- Methods for applying essential oils in ways that are kind to your skin
- Safely using essential oils to treat baby’s skin rashes
- A breakdown of Dr. Mariza’s new book and how it can guide you in your use of oils and hormone health
Quotes:
“So often what I find is that when we’re in the middle of these journeys, when we’re struggling with our hormones, when we’re struggling with energy issues, when we’re having mood swings or cravings, that we can utilize the power and effectiveness of these oils, and they literally produce a result in about a minute.” [3:24]
“Your body just doesn’t know what to do with stress and it causes more skin irritations.” [11:51]
“So often women are like, what is happening inside of my body that’s causing this biochemical reaction? So I really want to give women some context. If we don’t feel well and our bodies aren’t working the way that they used to, I want women to really say, ‘now I have a really clear understanding of what’s happening in my body.’”[14:26]
Links:
The Essential Oil Hormone Solution: Reset Your Hormones in 14 Days with the Power of Essential Oils
Follow Dr. Mariza on Facebook | YouTube | Instagram | Pinterest | Twitter | Linkedin
Find all of Dr. Mariza Snyder’s books
Dr. Mariza’s hormone balance recipe cheat sheet
Essentially You podcast - Hidden Reasons Why Skin Rashes Won't Go Away -- with Jennifer Fugo
011: The Role Of Probiotics When It Comes To Skin Health w/ Kiran Krishnan
Welcome to part two of an incredible and mind-blowing interview I had with microbiologist Kiran Krishnan. Here we continue our conversation about the link between the gut and the skin and the role that probiotics can play in maintaining a healthy microbiome.
If you haven't listened to part one with Kiran, please head here to listen to it first!
Or, listen on your favorite app: iTunes (Apple Podcasts) | Spotify | Stitcher | TuneIn
My guest, Kiran Krishnan is deeply involved in the nutrition and dietary supplement market. He has a strict research background having spent many years in research and development in molecular medicine and microbiology. He is also the co-founder and partner in his nutritional research and development company Nu Science Trading. Most notably he is the co-founder and chief scientific officer at Microbiomes Lab where he makes MegaSporeBiotic, one of my all-time favorite probiotics.
In this part of the interview, we talk about how we can use probiotics as a natural defense to ward off bad bacteria from our skin. In fact, you can apply many probiotics directly to your skin to help with many issues and we discuss how to best do that. The right probiotics can even help you tackle certain more hard to control issues like candida overgrowth.
Have you had success using probiotics to treat a chronic skin issue? Tell me about it in the comments!
In this episode:
- How good bacteria on your skin will provide a defense against the bad bacteria you don’t want there
- Just what spore-based probiotics are and their unique benefits for you
- Kiran’s dos and don’ts for applying probiotics topically to make the good bacteria on your skin happy
- Coconut oil's role as an antimicrobial and how it can kill both helpful and harmful bacteria
- What makes candida overgrowth so hard to get rid of and how probiotics can help
Quotes:
“One of the things that we know about the skin is there’s a couple of classes of important bacteria that keep the skin healthy. But once you start to get an overgrowth of a bacteria like Staphylococcus aureus you end up with eczema, dermatitis, and so on. So it's just a matter of switching the types of bacteria that are growing on the skin.” [17:36]
“You know who wants sugar on your face? Fungus. Fungus will love the sugar on your face, so be careful with that. A lot of people suffer from fungal overgrowths on their skin…. You want to be careful of using sweet things, because that’s what the fungus likes.” [28:29]
“Candida overgrowth is a symptom of other issues going on. It’s an opportunistic fungus. The moment your immune system and the rest of your microbiome is suppressed for whatever reason, it will start blooming and overgrowing.” [29:42]
Links:
Listen to Pt 1 of my talk with Kiran here!
Why Coconut Oil Isn't Good For Your Skin (article)
Follow Kiran Krishnan on Instagram
Get MegaSporeBiotic & other Microbiome Labs products HERE
010: How Your Skin Health Is Tied To Your Whole-Body Health w/ Kiran Krishnan
We’re increasingly realizing that your skin does not exist in isolation. Its health is tied to the health of the rest of your body, particularly your gut. But how can you take care of your gut’s biome in a way that is healthy both for it and for your skin?
Or, listen on your favorite app: iTunes (Apple Podcasts) | Spotify | Stitcher | TuneIn
Kiran Krishnan is a microbiologist who studies this connection. He is deeply involved in the nutrition and dietary supplement market. He has a strict research background having spent many years in research and development in molecular medicine and microbiology at the University of Iowa. Additionally, he is the co-founder and partner in his nutritional research and development company Nu Science Trading.
Most notably he is the co-founder and chief scientific officer at Microbiomes Labs that makes MegaSporeBiotic, one of my all-time favorite probiotics that I use with chronic skin clients (as well as those with chronic GI issues).
Today we talk about new ground-breaking research that is ongoing in the skin rash world.
Kiran’s research has revealed many connections between your skin’s health and the health of your gut’s biome. We get deep into how our skin is part of a complex and extensive system. This was a very enlightening conversation for me and it will be for you too!
Have you used probiotics to address a condition with your skin? Let us know how it went in the comments!
In this episode
- The latest research and scientific breakthroughs concerning chronic skin problems
- How your skin’s health is dependent on so many other parts of your health, particularly your gut
- The two most important components of your skin’s health and how you can keep them healthy
- Why it’s a good thing to have certain bacteria all over your skin
Quotes
“Skin is your biggest reflection of the health of the inside of your body.” [3:27]
“What we’re coming to understand is that there is an amazing ecology on your skin’s surface and that ecology determines so much of what happens to your skin and how it reacts to the world around you. In the large part, that ecology is controlled by the ecology in your gut.” [4:17]
“If you know that if you eat sugar or certain carbohydrates and would break out or you’d get a rash, that comes from those bacteria producing higher levels of ammonia or unfavorable gasses that would actually affect your circulatory system and cause an inflammatory reaction in the skin rather than that repairing action that butyrate does.”[14:38]
Links
Follow Kiran Krishnan on Instagram
Interested in trying Megaspore? CLICK HERE to create a profile and purchase some!
Watch Kiran's talk in the Eczema & Psoriasis Awareness Week!
009: Rebuilding Your Gut Health w/ Summer Bock
What does gut health have to do with your skin? At first glance, it might not seem like much. One is on your inside, the other on the outside. But they’re both part of the same complex system that is your body and if you want healthy skin, then you need a healthy gut.
Or, listen on your favorite app: iTunes (Apple Podcasts) | Spotify | Stitcher | TuneIn
My good friend Summer Bock is a leading gut health expert who literally coined the term “gut rebuilding.” Being certified in integrative nutrition, she combines traditional herbal medicine with modern research and her background in microbiology so that she can help people around the world. Summer is the founder of the Better Belly Project and the CEO at Guts and Glory. She also makes a mean sauerkraut, something I’m personally too scared to attempt.
In this episode, we look at the ways that a healthy gut resembles a balanced ecosystem. When we disturb that ecosystem by doing things such as taking antibiotics, that has a ripple effect that plays out in the rest of your body, including the skin. We discuss how to reconnect and tune in to your body to focus on chronic issues that have been overlooked so you can take control of your health.
Have you noticed a connection between your skin and your gut’s health? Tell me about it in the comments!
In this episode
- The ways in which your gut is a complex ecosystem, kind of like a rainforest
- The role that antibiotics have in creating skin conditions
- What a healthy poop is like and how it is a useful daily check-in on your health
- The link between histamine imbalances and many intense symptoms and conditions
Quotes
“I think you have to view your gut and your intestines as a rainforest. So if you have healthy, wonderful gut flora and gut ecosystem, then you have this whole entire rainforest living in there.” [3:15]
“I think that cleanses are misleading. I’ve watched my friends and even myself do cleanse after cleanse and you feel good when you’re doing it. Then you stop and everything comes back.” [12:44]
“You can see your skin. You can't see what’s going on in your gut. So we use the skin as a mirror to tell what’s going on inside.” [19:04]
Links
Follow Summer on Facebook
008: Identifying The Chemical Triggers Behind Your Skin Flare Ups w/ Jennifer Brand
It’s well known that the source of many skin problems lies in the gut. In fact, you may have a sensitivity to a natural chemical in your food that is triggering an issue with your skin. The tricky part, though, is often identifying just what the chemical cause of that trigger is.
Or, listen on your favorite app: iTunes (Apple Podcasts) | Spotify | Stitcher | TuneIn
My friend Jennifer Brand knows all about this. She’s a certified nutrition specialist and an integrative functional and clinical nutritionist with a bachelors in nutrition and dietetics as well as two masters degrees in public health and human nutrition. Jennifer enjoys taking into account her clients’ unique biochemistry using conventional and functional tests combined with a thorough case history while addressing problems using holistic and natural means.
In this chat, Jennifer and I talk about common chemical triggers that occur naturally in food but can cause major flare-ups and problems in your skin without you even realizing it. We go on to discuss what you can do to try to identify a potential food trigger and how you can take charge of your gut and skin health by eliminating the chemicals that are causing problems.
In this episode:
- How impaired gut health impacts the skin’s health in myriad ways
- The differences between food allergies, intolerances, and sensitivities
- Some common chemical triggers you might want to watch out for in what you eat
- Simple steps you can take to see if you have a food sensitivity
Quotes:
“As you know, health begins in the gut. It’s where 80% of our immune system is located. So when we have impaired gut health, it impacts all the systems of the body including the skin.” [2:58]
“When you’re doing an elimination diet … if you don’t see results in one to two weeks, stop right there, it’s something else. It should help quickly if you remove these things.” [8:29]
“If you’re finding that you are sensitive to these natural chemicals, it really warrants a look at your gut-health. That really does involve working with somebody who can help guide you through the process.” [14:34]
Links:
Watch Jennifer’s interview at the Eczema & Psoriasis Awareness Week
Do you have low stomach acid? Take this test to find out
Further discussion on IgE vs IgG responses
007: How To Combat Your Chronic Skin Issues By Helping Your Liver w/ Dr. Alan Christianson
If you’ve got thyroid issues, weight to lose, or chronic skin conditions like eczema or psoriasis, an issue with your liver may be at the root of it all. Too often we fixate on other things when it’s really the liver that is driving many aspects of our health. My guest, Dr. Alan Christianson believes that understanding that the liver is an important organ and being aware of its functions and taking good care of it is crucial to healthy living.
Or, listen on your favorite app: iTunes (Apple Podcasts) | Spotify | Stitcher | TuneIn
Dr. Christianson is a naturopathic endocrinologist who focuses on thyroid function, adrenal health, and metabolism. He’s been practicing medicine in Scottsdale since 1996 and is the founding physician behind Integrative Health. He’s also the New York Times bestselling author of Adrenal Reset Diet, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Thyroid Disease, and The Metabolism Reset Diet. You may even recognize Dr. Christianson from his many appearances on national media such as Dr. Oz, The Doctors, and The Today Show.
In this interview, Dr. Christianson and I sit down to talk about one of my favorite subjects, liver health. We discuss his findings in which Dr. Christianson has tied metabolism issues to liver function. We talk about how to best take care of your liver in order to prevent or repair more obvious manifestations of liver problems that show up on the skin.
Dr. Christianson also shares a preview of his new book which is aimed at helping people reset their metabolism by taking better care of their liver. It is all super empowering to realize that we are in control of our body’s functions and health if we stop long enough to understand it.
Do you struggle with your metabolism? How aware are you about the current health of your liver? What have you done to help care for your liver? Let me know in the comments below!
In this episode:
- The surprising connection between the liver, metabolism, and chronic skin issues
- How the liver manages blood sugar in ways many don’t realize
- Rebalancing liver function to help maintain a healthy weight
- First steps to take if you think a liver issue may be the underlying cause of a bigger problem
- Why you should be aware of your liver’s fuel capacity
- What to look for in your standard blood panel to see how your liver is doing
Quotes:
“Most waste that the liver processes, it tries to send out through bile, which we would poop out or other things we would pee out. But when that can’t work as well, a lot of those same wastes go out through the skin. That’s often one of the base components of much worse skin disease.” [2:04]
“Most people who have struggled with their weight or their liver functions in some way - their glucose after meals isn’t from their meal. 70-80% of it comes from their liver releasing it.” [4:13]
“When your liver is at fuel capacity, everything over that capacity is hard on it.” [13:32]
“The exciting thing is that in the course of just a few weeks you can completely shift your liver function, and get it from where it’s holding you on a tightrope where too much is weight gain and too little is exhaustion, to where you have some leeway again.” [15:39]
Links:
Find Dr. Alan Christianson online
Follow Dr. Christianson on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube | Pinterest
The Metabolism Reset Diet by Dr. Alan Christianson
006: How To Tweak Your Diet To Combat Candida w/ Ricki Heller
Some rashes, like candida and eczema, can seem to last forever! You might have tried a dozen different creams, seen specialist after specialist to no avail. Ricki Heller shares today why you should not give up. There is hope. You just need to be persistent!
Or, listen on your favorite app: iTunes (Apple Podcasts) | Spotify | Stitcher | TuneIn
My good friend, Ricki joins me today to tell her story dealing with candida caused skin rashes. Ricki has spent 19 years following an anti-candida diet and now she helps people eat, cook, and live well so they can focus on healing and enjoying their lives. She’s the author of three best-selling cookbooks in addition to writing for a whole bunch of magazines and websites. She’s just amazing at helping people learn to love their food regardless of how restrictive their diet is.
Ricki’s shares her own story of changing her diet to overcome her skin rashes. I believe it’s so important to hear Ricki’s story. When the process of ridding herself of her rashes looked bleak, she hung in there and persisted. Now she lives a rash free life.
She’ll be back again in a future episode to talk about eating sugar-free by making use of alternative sweeteners. I hope you’ll join us then!
Have you had candida related complex? Tell me about what helped or didn’t in the comments!
In this episode:
- Ricki’s story of finding a treatment for her candida rashes
- What a candida rash actually looks like
- Staying positive when a skin condition just won’t go away
- Lifestyle changes and natural remedies you can use to help you get relief
Quotes:
“Candida is just so persistent... So even though I had been feeling good for a while, as soon as I started feeding it all that sugar, and all those processed foods, and refined foods, I think that’s what tipped the scales and boom, my body just said I can’t handle this. It has to come out somewhere.” [6:27]
“I truly believe that our bodies are meant to be healthy and want to heal. If you give the body what it needs, it will heal.” [10:24]
“As long as things were getting better, no matter how small the improvements, I knew I was moving in the right direction and that eventually, things would clear up.” [11:15]
Links:
Get Ricki’s free ebook: Top 10 Quick and Easy Anti-Candida Recipes
Follow Ricki on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Pinterest
Check out this article on low stomach acid
Take the low stomach acid test
005: How Hormonal Birth Control May Be Contributing To Your Skin Condition w/ Dr. Jolene Brighten
For many women, the decision to stop taking birth control comes with the unintended and generally unforeseen consequence of skin issues like acne and rashes. The truth is, your hormones are taking an unexpected roller-coaster ride and your body is just trying to regain its balance.
Or, listen on your favorite app: iTunes (Apple Podcasts) | Spotify | Stitcher | TuneIn
My friend Dr. Jolene Brighten knows a thing or two about this. She’s a functional medicine and naturopathic medical doctor and the founder of Rubis Health, a clinic specializing in women’s hormones. Recognized as a leading expert in post-birth control syndrome and the long term effects of hormonal contraceptives, Dr. Brighten helps her patients find a healthy balance between conventional and alternative medicine.
In this interview, Dr. Brighten and I look at the seldom discussed effect that birth control pills can have on your skin, whether you take them currently or have in the past. As always, talking with Dr. Brighten was so enlightening. She is full of information, that as a woman, I wish I had learned years and years ago.
If you haven't checked out her book yet -- GET IT HERE! (I highly recommend it!)
Have you experienced unexpected effects when you stopped birth control, specifically that may be tied to your skin? Leave a comment!
In this episode:
- What “post-birth control syndrome” is and what the common symptoms are
- The effect that birth control can have on your body’s nutrients
- What happens to your hormones when you go off of birth control
- Tests you should ask your doctor for if you’re struggling with a hormonal issue after stopping birth control
Quotes:
“If you’re on hormonal birth control now and you’re like, this is my jam and I want to stay on it, let's talk about how to keep you safe. And if you’ve already come off you may be experiencing post-birth control syndrome.” [2:47]
“Your body has to detox, it has to get things out. But if you’re not getting things out through the channels of elimination, like urine and breathing and pooping, your skin becomes the place where your body pushes that out. It’s not betraying you. It’s trying to keep you super safe!” [5:44]
“I advocate that women get a full thyroid panel every single year as part of their yearly exam, sooner if you have symptoms.” [15:22]
Links:
Get Dr. Brighten’s free post-birth control syndrome diet ebook
Beyond the Pill by Dr. Jolene Brighten
Find Dr. Jolene Brighten online
Follow Dr. Brighten on Instagram | Facebook | Pinterest | YouTube
004: A Groundbreaking Approach To Treating Atopic Eczema w/ Dr Richard Aron
When topical steroids and other treatments don’t work to clear up eczema, we can get pretty desperate for a solution. If your dermatologist has run out of options, my guest, Dr. Richard Aron, might have what you’ve been looking for.
Or, listen on your favorite app: iTunes (Apple Podcasts) | Spotify | Stitcher | TuneIn
Dr. Richard Aron is a world-renowned dermatologist with a focus in atopic eczema. Based in Cape Town, South Africa, he is the creator of the Aron Regimen. By examining the causes of atopic eczema and the common flaws in conventional treatment, Dr. Aron has developed a totally different approach to treating it.
In this episode, Dr. Aron shares his groundbreaking treatment regimen and how he discovered it. Perhaps the most interesting part of it is its simplicity. It involves taking normally available medicines and combining them in such a way that can be used throughout treatment and adapted for patients of all ages.
Have you reached a dead end in treating your eczema? Tell me about it in the comments!
In this episode:
- An explanation of Dr. Aron’s unorthodox approach to diluting medicines when treating eczema
- Why treating the root cause of eczema is the most important thing you can do
- The potential synergy of antibiotics and steroids for sustainability treating eczema in patients of all ages
- Doctors you can contact if you think the Aron Regimen could help you
Quotes
“I have done something that confounds common sense in the sense that I've taken a steroid that we all use and is widely available, I've taken an antibiotic… and I’ve taken those two active products and put them in a moisturizer.” [4:21]
“The skin is almost certainly infected if the condition is chronic. The key thing which will give you the best chance of healing, which may lead to remission, it may give the body the chance to heal from within, is controlling infection.” [17:23]
Links
Follow Dr. Aron on Facebook
Dr. Aron's Patient Facebook Group
Get my list of root cause skin tests!
Other practitioners recommended by Dr. Aron:
