The Art of Healing Blog

Healthy skin has a developmental cycle of around 28 days. Normally a young keratinocyte gradually changes as it moves through the different layers of the epidermis. It flattens, develops keratin, loses its nucleus and eventually becomes part of the protective outer layer of skin. In psoriasis this cycle is dramatically accelerated to just four or five days, so the maturation process is incomplete. The cells reach the surface before they are fully ready. The result is the thic

Two people may both have eczema, acne, dry skin or recurring rashes, yet the factors contributing to their symptoms can be quite different. For one person, diet may be important. For another, stress may clearly aggravate the skin. Someone else may need to look more closely at the products they are using, their general health, or the pattern of symptoms as a whole.

The reason I became interested in skin conditions is because of the sensuality of the treatment.

Herbalists usually see symptoms as the body's way of trying to restore internal balance, so although they may give you a lotion to ease the immediate symptoms, they may also prescribe remedies which aim to deal with the root cause (liver over-load, for example and stimulate the body's own healing powers.

There is something wonderfully simple about dry brushing. No complicated routine, no expensive equipment and no long list of products, just a brush and a few quiet minutes before your bath or shower.

A skin disease is rarely just a problem on the surface. The root cause usually lies much deeper within the body. The first task of the homeopathic physician is to do detective work to find the underlying cause. Most skin conditions can be traced back to a hormonal imbalance, a digestive problem, a weak liver, or an overactive immune system. However, the detective work doesn’t stop there. A dedicated homeopath digs even deeper. If, for example, a skin problem is caused by a ho

If you look at the medical history of your patients you’ll find that many serious conditions began with a skin problem. I’ve recently read a few books on a homeopathic approach to dermatology. In Skin: A Homeopathic Approach to Dermatology, Farokh J. Master explains how skin diseases can be removed in their totality by the carefully selected internal remedy without transference or recurrence. The author gives a detailed account of all the major skin conditions with their caus

Psoriasis is usually thought of as a disease of the skin, but Edgar Cayce looked at it very differently. He believed that the visible plaques were often the final expression of disturbances taking place much deeper in the body, particularly in the digestive system, circulation and processes of elimination.

One of the frustrating things about psoriasis is its unpredictability. Your skin may improve for weeks or months and then, seemingly without warning, the redness, scaling and irritation return. Sometimes there is an obvious explanation. At other times, it can be difficult to understand why a flare has happened at all.

Psoriasis appears on the skin, so naturally this is where most attention goes. We see the redness, plaques and scaling, and the obvious question is what we can put on them to make them disappear. John O. A. Pagano asked a rather different question: what if the skin is not where the problem begins? For more than forty years, Pagano developed an approach to psoriasis that looked inward, particularly toward the digestive tract, elimination, nutrition and the intestinal barrier.

Rosacea is a common inflammatory skin condition that primarily affects the face, especially the cheeks, nose, forehead and chin. It often begins with a tendency to flush or blush easily. Over time, the redness may last longer and become more persistent. For some people there may be burning, sensitive skin, visible blood vessels, spots or pustules. The eyes can also be affected. Rosacea was once called acne rosacea, but the name is misleading. Although some forms of rosacea ca

There are thousands of synthetic chemicals in your beauty products, many of which are skin irritants, skin penetrators, endocrine disrupters and carcinogins. Here are some you should definately avoid. Parabens prevent the growth of bacteria, mold and yeast in cosmetic products. These chemicals have been identified in biopsy samples from breast tumors. They are found in makeup, body washes, deodorants, shampoos and facial cleansers. Synthetic colors are derived from coal tar s

Home remedies for psoriasis from the book Home Remedies: what works: thousands of Americans reveal their favorite, home-tested cures for everyday health problems by Gale Maleskey