Dr. Danti And The Case Of The Recurring Dry Skin
As a child I loved to read Encyclopedia Brown Books. The stories centered around a young brainiac who adored Sherlock Holmes, and who, like his hero, investigated mysterious occurrences in his neighborhood. I always learned interesting scientific facts and the stories were fun to read.
As an acupuncture practitioner, I am called on to solve health-related mysteries when patients come to my clinic with various symptoms. Recently, an interesting case has engaged my sleuthing skills. I have noticed recurring dry skin in many of my patients, and I decided to look into it. I followed the clues, starting with the change of seasons. We are entering Fall, the season of the metal element governed by the lungs and their partner organ, the large intestine. As the Fall season begins, we start to feel the effects of the dry air and the cooling down of temperatures. Just as we see leaves dry out and curl up as the cold weather sets in and the internal moisture in the tree is consolidated, our bodies go through a similar process to preserve the moisture in our skin and the circulation throughout our bodies.
As our regular readers are aware, the lungs govern the emotions of sadness, mourning and grief as well as the feelings of inspiration and the spiritual. The lungs also guide the skin in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Our largest organ, the skin requires a lot of moisture and blood to keep it soft and youthful and prevent it from excessive drying.
Interrogating the Suspects—Lungs, Heart and Liver
The lungs govern qi and aid the heart in the circulation of blood, a necessary process to maintain soft, moist skin. The heart, the lungs and the liver together are responsible for the emotions and circulation in the body. The state of health of the emotions and the quality of circulation can directly impact the skin. If these organs are not functioning properly, it can result in toxins and heat remaining in the bloodstream leading to skin flare-ups such as rashes, eczema or pimples. These skin issues have a damp or moist quality to them in TCM, but the clue to the problem is that they are caused by heat, and result in dry skin. Heat in the lung and liver can be a result of lifestyle choices such as eating spicy foods, consuming drugs and alcohol, or because other organs are inflamed due to internal heat. Too much heat causes the body to exhaust its internal moisture, forcing it to be pulled from the skin to continue normal internal organ functions. Heat also leads to constipation further drying the body as the blocking mass draws blood and fluid to aid in its movement. The holding of this waste is inflammatory and toxic, becoming its own heat source in a vicious and unhealthy cycle. Excessive heat often leads to insomnia. The body is in imbalance and constantly attempting to repair and restructure, even when it (and you!) should be at rest during the night. Insomnia can lead to a myriad of larger health issues with dry skin a direct result of continuous lack of sleep.
The most common cause of dry skin is a deficiency of blood, which is an issue of the liver and kidneys. These organs regulate hormones in TCM. As our bodies age and change, women nearing or in menopause have more dry skin than men and other age groups. The blood of the kidneys and liver have roles in everyone’s health and bodily functions, but particularly women because of the monthly loss through menses for 30+ years. If this blood is not replaced and replenished, there is a deficiency and aspects of the body start to suffer. Organs are more easily affected by stress, anxiety, fear and overwork, leading to weakened functioning. Hot flashes and night sweats further deplete moisture in the body, leading to dryness, not only of the skin, but mouth, hair, nails, eyes and other mucous membranes. Again, in a vicious cycle, this dryness often leads to insomnia, emotional outbursts, and headaches. This is why we often explain health in terms of balance in TCM. Bodily functions are interrelated and interdependent, and in a domino effect, one imbalance leads to another.
Observation and Gathering Clues
When Encyclopedia Brown was on a case, he would ask many, many questions just as we do in TCM, to determine what is happening. He would poke around the “scene of the crime”, observing, and trying to fit the pieces together to come up with a solution to the mysterious occurrence. As a Doctor of Chinese Medicine, I proceed and investigate in a very similar manner. I gather background information about a patient including nutrition and food choices, lifestyle, water intake, stress level, and medications taken. A patient’s answers to these questions will give me clues to why their dry skin is occurring. Observing the health of their skin, hair and nails I gather clues that help me to determine if it is a secondary or tertiary symptom that brought them into the Acupuncture by Andrea clinic. This will help me to understand and resolve their complaint, and lead me to identifying and resolving their overall health issues.
Dry Skin and the Pathogen Heist
Dry skin is not always a main concern for clients, but it is a clue to underlying conditions and can help me to understand other health issues a patient may be experiencing. When the lung is compromised, so is our health and immune system. The lungs are our first line of defense to the outside world. Soft, moist, and abundant with blood, the lungs are the most external of organs with a direct connection to the outside world through the skin and the nostrils. The lungs govern qi and aid the heart in the circulation of blood, keeping the skin moist and supple, and resistant to the external pathogens prolific in the cold winter months. If our defenses are weak from exhaustion and overwork, we are not circulating qi and blood the way we should, the skin is dry and we are susceptible to invasion by pathogens. The circulation of blood properly ensures the warmth of the body, but if lung qi is weak, our limbs will be cold.
The skin is in charge of circulating qi throughout the entire body system. We are born with a defensive shield and it is our skin! When pathogens invade the first place they inhabit is between the skin and the tissue. If we are strong, get acupuncture treatments and take our herbs in time, we can ward off deepening of the illness.
Solving the Mystery of Dry Skin
As Encyclopedia Brown got closer to solving the crime, this normally calm, collected kid sleuth would get so excited! He would jump around excitedly as he zeroed in on the culprit, and I was doing much the same as we got nearer to uncovering the mystery, the whodunit moment! I may not jump around when I piece together a patient’s symptoms, but I am extremely excited when I see the clues presented by their symptoms and I can begin to solve the mystery of their illness.
In TCM, the emotions are an extremely important aspect of our overall health. Physical manifestations of internally held emotions can lead to a myriad of problems.
If we remember the dry and listless fall leaves that lack the vigor of growth and life, dryness in our skin can result from grief due to loss or fear and despair of the future. Qi isn’t circulating and blood isn’t flowing outward, but instead stagnating inside due to our emotional longing. As the body draws inward, closing off activity, the qi and blood fail to circulate. Our skin and hair become dry and brittle, our eyes are dry and blurry, and our fingers and nails start to show age. If our grieving continues for prolonged periods, we begin to age faster than we should.
Acupuncture will help with not only getting unstuck in our physical bodies, but in our emotional selves as well. Treating specific points on the lung meridian for grief and dryness, blood will begin to move and circulate and lung related complaints will diminish. Skin will begin to soften and moisten as blood begins to flood into our largest organ feeding all of the organ and life-sustaining systems in our bodies.
Dr. Danti has collared another criminal. Mystery solved!
Preserve skin moisture and avoid illness by adding these foods and formulas to your diet:
Foods
Fish
Green tea
Chocolate
Walnuts, almonds,
Apple, grapes, avocado,
Asparagus, broccoli, carrot, garlic, onion, pumpkin, squash, sweet potato, tomato