In today's episode, I'm going to talk about why addressing gut health issues through a holistic, functional medicine lens can lead to significant improvements in skin conditions like eczema, psoriasis, acne, dry skin, providing a more comprehensive and sustainable solution than conventional treatments alone. So make sure that you listen right till the end, because you could get a lot of insights, a lot of inputs about what you can do, what are the root causes and how you can address them. That's all coming up next right here on Embrace Your Healing Journey podcast. 

Welcome to Embrace Your Healing Journey, a podcast for women with autoimmune and other chronic conditions to help them navigate their illness without fear of isolation and uncertainty, and find relief from their symptoms. Your body is your guide and ally in healing. If you're ready to embrace this journey with compassion and awareness, then the show is for you. Tune in weekly as I, a Functional medicine certified health Coach, deliver tips and insights that demystify the healing process, guiding you towards the relief you deserve so that you can feel healthy and happy once more. 

So in each episode, I share pieces of poems, stories, and inspiring quotes that may help you to draw strength from. Then stay motivated on your healing journey. These are all, uh, you know, books that have touched my soul, that I have, that have moved me, inspired me, and continues to inspire me till today. So this excerpt is from one of the most unique books I have actually read. 

It's called If Your Body Could Talk by Jackie Sharples. This amazing book has been written entirely from the point of view of your body, so it's as if these are letters written from you know, that each person's body would tell them if it could talk. So it's addressed to a woman, and each chapter is a letter from that woman's body to her. So it's amazing. So this particular letter is for Amanda. And her body says to her in this letter, 

before you ate lunch and dinner today, I heard you say something. In fact, I hear you say this all of the time. Hmm. What do I feel like eating for lunch? What would be yummiest? What is the quickest thing I can whip up for dinner? Most of the time you consult at taste buds and you your schedule before eating. But what about me? I taste buds and your emotions. Get that food for a few seconds and then it's left for me to deal with it. I understand you are busy, but only eating. What is quick to prepare rules out a lot of other options. The only way I can get what I need, including the raw materials I need to repair ourselves, to rebuild myself and to function, is if you give them to me, I'm counting on you to get me all the raw materials I need. I struggle to function properly without them. I dream about the day I hear you ask, what does my body need to eat for lunch? I fantasize about the day. When it comes time for lunch, you realize that you haven't eaten a vegetable yet, so you choose a giant mixed salad for me, or the night when you choose to cook a meal from scratch that takes you 40 minutes to cook instead of five minutes to reheat. I look forward to hearing those dreamy words soon. What does my body need to eat? Your body. Love always.

 Your body is in this a beautiful way of reminding ourselves that the food that we are eating, you know, they are so important for our overall health and well-being. And we're going to talk a bit about that as we connect our gut health to the health of our skin. Right. But it's I think it's a beautiful way to start today's episode. So now back to today's episode. I remember a time when my daughter's skin used to be so dry, so dry. It was like this, you know, never ending bottom of a well where you choose to soak up all the moisture that needs to apply on it. This meant that I was moisturizing her with, you know, thick creams at least five times a day, if not more. And this was throughout the year. This was during the monsoons, during. Summer during winter. It didn't matter how dry the weather was and her skin could never retain the moisture. It was always dry. So it was like this bottomless pit sucking all the moisture in. And no matter how expensive and you know how good quality the creams and the those products were that we used on her skin, her skin always remained dry and I could never understand why. And and all I had was the topical medications I had tried, you know, we tried the phototherapy and we were trying our best to keep her eczema under control. And finally when that stopped working, too, she was first put on oral steroid because her skin was so bad, so inflamed, and she was at risk for developing, you know, major infections. 

And finally, over a period of five years, she was put on three different immunosuppressive medications. That's what finally sort of suppressed her symptoms dry skin and somehow, to some extent got her eczema under control. But never her skin was never really free of the dryness. The the kind of wounds that come with eczema. It was never really ever 100% fine. And it was much later that I found out that the only way her skin would heal would be from the inside out. And that's what I'm going to talk about today that got skin action, that cut skin connection. And I wasn't aware of of it at that time. And it was only when I did address her gut health that her eczema disappeared. And it took time. And it was certainly not easy, but it was all worth it. When she went off her medication and her skin became smooth and supple and moist the way it should be for a nine year old child. 

And I've shared this story in details in the very first episode of this podcast. How I Heal My Daughter, severe health issues when conventional medicine failed, and you can go and listen to it. So if you're struggling with persistent skin issues like eczema or acne or even more severe conditions like psoriasis and maybe even multiple, you know, uh, different, uh, symptoms, skin symptoms, dryness, hives, you know, you may be, uh, dealing with uncomfortable and frustrating symptoms, like, all of these can go hand in hand. You may or may not have a diagnosis. Uh, as I said, you may notice dry, itchy patches of skin that become red and inflamed or even painful cystic acne. These skin problems can really take a toll on your self-confidence and overall quality of life, because it shows on your skin. And it is exactly what happened to my daughter. It happens to many people with skin conditions, but you have to remember that your skin is not the only thing affected by gut health imbalances. It's just one of those things. 

In fact, you may almost also experience digestive issues like bloating, abdominal pain, irregular bowel movements, gas, indigestion, constipation, even diarrhea and these symptoms along. With brain fog, fatigue. Mood swings can obviously feel you, uh, leave you feeling less than your best. You might find yourself dealing with food sensitivities or autoimmune conditions in extreme cases. Um, you know how to recognize that these diverse system is connected somehow, connected to your gut health. That's that's the connection that I want to make for you today. Because the real problem causing your symptoms is likely an imbalance in your gut microbiome. That's a collection of microbes that reside primarily in the lower part of your intestine. And it can lead to a condition called leaky gut syndrome. And when this delicate balance of bacteria in your gut is disrupted, it can cause the lining of your intestine to become more permeable. That means it can allow partially digested food particles, toxins, and bacteria to leak into your bloodstream. They're not supposed to be there in your bloodstream,.

You're supposed to have only nutrients passing in. That's why this gut lining is supposed to be semi-permeable. But if it becomes more permeable than it should be, that means the joints become more loose. Then it starts allowing all these things to pass into your bloodstream, thus triggering an immune response. So this increased or enhanced intestinal permeability, as it is called, or it's also known as leaky gut. It triggers an immune response and that leads to chronic inflammation throughout your body. And imagine this happening day in and day out every time you're eating something, eating a food. And as a result of this, you may actually develop more and more food sensitivities. Because when food particles escape through the damage gut lining, the immune system recognizes them as foreign invaders, and it mounts a strong immune response. And over time, this can lead to more and more food sensitivities or intolerances to specific foods. So again, further aggravating your gut health issues and contributing to further skin issues. 

So as you can see, this can become like a vicious cycle, right? And you can somehow get stuck in this. And inflammation is a key factor. Inflammation is you know, there's nothing wrong with inflammation. It keeps us alive. It's a natural immune response. When the immune system is reacting to something protecting us, it throws out this inflammatory chemicals. That's absolutely normal and necessary. The problem is chronic inflammation. When it's happening day in and day out in response to things that shouldn't be actually well tolerated, like food. And it's a key factor in development, you know, of an aggravation of skin conditions like eczema, acne and rosacea. But it can also contribute to a wide range of other health issues like this you may not know about. It can be such as nutrient deficiencies because you're not getting, you know, digesting and absorbing the foods that you're consuming. It can lead to further, as I mentioned, further sensitivities and intolerances, autoimmune conditions right down the line, mood imbalances such as anxiety and depression. And. Chronic fatigue and brain fog. So your gut microbiome that means the collection of microbes, which includes bacteria, viruses and other East and other microbes, also play a crucial role in regulating your immune system. And that is really essential for maintaining healthy skin. That's the gut skin connection. 

And when your gut health becomes compromised, your immune system may become overreactive or under reactive. And let's say you don't want either. It has to be in balance. So you need to bring it into balance. Otherwise it can lead to inflammation or a reduced ability to fight off infections. If it's overreactive then you can actually develop allergies, eczema, uh, asthma, you know, and it's reacting to many other things. And uh, when you when it's under reactive, then you somehow become more and more susceptible to the cold and the viruses and the infections, plus factors like a nutrient poor diet which is high in sugar and processed foods, overuse of antibiotics and medications, environmental toxins that come in through your, you know, uh, through the air when you're breathing to the foods that you're consuming. If you're not, if you're consuming a lot of packaged or processed foods and even your personal care products, etc. that you're putting on your body, all of these can contribute to weakening gut barrier so that, um, gut lining, which contains majority of immune cells. And I've talked about it earlier, if that barrier gets compromised, that that can cause a huge problem. That is where the leaky gut, uh, issue begins, actually. And it can manifest as various skin conditions, enzyme, as I mentioned, other health concerns. 

So by addressing these underlying gut health issues such as bacterial imbalances, leaky gut syndrome, food sensitivities, you can target the root cause of your symptoms and experience significant improvement in your skin health and overall well-being. Even the other health issues that you might be facing and a comprehensive, comprehensive gut health program can provide you with the tools and the support that you need to restore balance. Because you see, it's all about balance. Uh, it's neither. Extreme is usually good in all of these cases. It's all about providing balance. You know, either you want a good balance of pathogenic microbes to beneficial microbes, that that proportion has to be just so right. You don't want an overgrowth of the pathogenic microbes which then creates that. That's the imbalance we're talking about. We call it gut dysbiosis. 

So you may have tried various approaches to solve your skin and gut health issues, but you find that they're not providing you with sustained relief. And some, uh, and some of the things that happens typically and something that you may have tried would be maybe topical treatments or creams, ointments or treatments. They may give you temporary relief from itching, redness and inflammation, but they don't address the underlying gut health issues. So these topical. Positions of informants. Banded solutions. This is exactly the reverse of so many years. For so many years with our daughter. This is why we were just going after Bandit Solutions. Antibiotics. Your doctor may prescribe antibiotics to treat acne, other skin infections. And again, they may be effective in the short run, if at all. But they can also disrupt your microbiome, leading to further imbalances and, uh, you know, aggravating health issues in the long run, plus restrictive diets. So you may have tried various diets. So cutting out dairy, gluten, sugar. And these are certainly helpful and necessary, but they still may not address the full scope of your gut health issue. And again, you need an overall strategy that takes into account your unique body's requirement. Uh, stress management stress can play a huge role. And of course, stress management techniques like yoga, deep breathing, and meditation are certainly important and helpful, but by itself they are often not enough. Right. And last but not the least, over the counter remedies, which is which includes supplements like probiotics or digestive enzymes. You know, a lot of people take supplements to support their gut health. And again, it is necessary, but they still need to be tailored to your specific requirements for what you need. You may need additional, uh, you know, HCL support, hydrochloric acid support. If you are all also suffering from low stomach acid, which is also very, very common. So in a lot of and the kind of, you know, probiotics are also important. So there's a lot of customization that is also needed. Because the problem with many of these approaches is that they still focus a lot on managing symptoms rather than address the underlying gut health issues. So instead of relying on temporary fixes or these kind of isolated approaches, you need to take a holistic, comprehensive approach. So here are seven specific things that you can do. Number one identify and eliminate. Eliminate food sensitivity so you can work with the healthcare professional like a functional medicine practitioner or a health coach, one who understands what food sensitivities, you can go through an elimination diet or food sensitivity testing. 

I recommend both actually. And by removing these trigger foods and then gradually reintroducing them, you can pinpoint which foods are contributing to your gut and skin issues. And because you are removing them for a while, that can also lower. That does also lower inflammation and calm immune system, and a lot of symptoms actually recede on their own. Uh, secondly, you can heal your gut lining, which is focus on consuming nutrients and supplements that that support the gut lining integrity that is your gut barrier, um, such as collagen, L, glutamine, zinc, certain gut healing supplements that are available and even gut feeling foods like bone broth, fermented vegetables and healthy fats. So there are many things that you can do between, uh, food and as well as supplements. And I shared, uh, you know, the entire. If our step by step process of, um, you know, improving your gut health. 

In episode number five, a step by step guide towards addressing your gut health, I'm going to put that in the link below. Then supporting your gut microbiome. So promote a healthy balance of gut bacteria by consuming probiotic rich foods. So all the foods that are, you know, rich in beneficial bacteria like kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi, naturally fermented pickles, um, uh, you know, yogurt, etc. all of these can be really beneficial. And even high quality probiotic supplement can help you in this. Number four is to reduce inflammation. So adopting an anti-inflammatory diet rich in nutrient dense foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, omega three fatty acids, right. So that can also really support your gut health. Number five is managing stress because chronic stress can contribute to gut dysbiosis and skin flare ups. That is a connection between uh, there is certainly a connection between the gut and the brain as well. So if you're stressed and chronically so, that affects the health of your microbiome. So, you know, you have to incorporate regular stress management practices like meditation, deep breathing, yoga or engaging hobbies that you enjoy. Number six prioritize sleep. This is something that is overlooked a lot. People will focus on foods. We will focus on supplements, exercise, but sleep is often overlooked. Sleep is essential for gut health, skin rejuvenation and your overall wellbeing, so aim for 7 to 8 hours, maybe even nine hours of quality sleep. Uh, you know, you need to work on this and I'll probably do a future episode on this topic. And number seven, consider targeted supplements. So again, work with someone, maybe a functional medicine practitioner who knows, uh, you know what kind of supplements you will need. What are the kinds of top quality supplements, how to tailor it for you? So omega three fatty acids, vitamin D, gut healing supplements, which includes a combination of zinc in aloe vera, collagen and glutamine. And there are many options available for you today. 

So I spoke about the seven things that you can do right now. Number one, identify and eliminate food sensitivities. Number two, heal your gut lining. Number three, support your gut microbiome. Number four reduce inflammation. Number five manage stress. Number six prioritize sleep. And number seven consider targeted supplements. So by taking this kind of a comprehensive, tailored approach to your gut and skin health, you can work towards addressing the root causes. Because when you do that that's when you start seeing reduction in symptoms and within the intensity of the symptoms, the severity, the reduction in the flare ups, all of these things start subsiding, right. And you will certainly see some improvement. On the other, the level at, you know, the extent of the improvement will actually depend on the damage that has already been. But there will be improvement nonetheless. 

But remember, healing takes time and consistency. So be patient with yourself and don't forget to celebrate the small victories along the way. So addressing your gut health is crucial. That's what I'm talking about today plays a central role in your overall wellbeing, including your skin. And I am focusing on skin today, but it affects every aspect of your wellbeing. Because when your gut microbiome is out of balance and you're experiencing some new leaky gut syndrome or enhanced intestinal permeability food sensitivities, it can actually have downstream effects

 Which can create further health problems down the line. So by targeting the root causes, you can achieve healthier skin, clearer skin obviously, because you are healing the lining, reducing inflammation. And you can see significant improvements in skin conditions like acne, eczema, and psoriasis. Psoriasis is an autoimmune condition. Eczema is a form of an autoimmune condition, but they're definitely connected to the gut health and leaky gut. Acne also has a has a connection with your gut microbiome. The health of your gut microbiome. Actually it determines the health of your skin. Reduce number two is reduce inflammation throughout your body. Chronic inflammation. As I just spoke about, if your immune system is constantly reacting to the foods that you are consuming, it is at the core of many health issues. It's not only involved in skin problems, but also in joint pain and autoimmune disorders, amongst other healthy other diseases.

 So again, addressing that health, reducing inflammation, you will experience a reduction in symptoms and, you know, improvement in overall well-being. Number three is identify and manage food sensitivities. So it is you know it is important that you do all of this because you if you don't identify what your food sensitivities are, they can create a whole host of digestive issues, skin flare ups right. And uh, it impairs nutrient absorption. So it affects your energy as well. Number four is, uh, bringing your immune system back into balance because your immune system needs to be strong and well-regulated. It needs to be appropriately tolerant. That means it should react when it needs to, and it should actually not react. You know, um, when there is, when it when there's no threat.  But a lot of times the immune system actually starts to respond, reacting to things which are not supposed to be a threat like foods. Uh, number five is enhanced intestinal, uh, nutrient absorption

And damage gut lining can actually impair your body's ability to absorb essential nutrients. That is key for your overall well-being. And, of course, improving, uh, mood and mental wellbeing. Your brain is definitely connected to your gut. So when you actually focus on gut health, you experience improvements in your mood, anxiety and depression, and finally in. Edgy level straight. . Because you're not able to absorb these nutrients from food. Your body is not able to produce the energy that it needs. Uh, you know, we have the powerhouse of the cell, which is your mitochondria. It needs certain key nutrients in order to function optimally, including magnesium. And one of the things that we are mostly deficient in is actually magnesium. 

When we have poor gut health, a lot of the minerals do not get absorbed. Well, that includes magnesium. Um, and then we actually have a problem with energy production, and we we will end up dealing with fatigue and it can become chronic fatigue as well. So investing in your gut health is an investment in overall well-being. But you need to be very, very focused on making sure that your gut is taken well care of. Your protecting it from all these influences. Because by this is your this is the root cause for many of your conditions. Many of your symptoms. And uh, if you have an autoimmune condition, then certainly autoimmune condition, if you have eczema, if you have psoriasis, which is also an autoimmune disorder, uh, and even acne and even other, you know, um, seemingly unconnected symptoms. 

So by focusing on in a comprehensive approach, you can actually experience transformative and lasting results. That's true for many people, including my daughter, and that's certainly true for you. If you have any questions, you can connect with me on Instagram at the rate and in Toronto. Thank you so much for joining me today for this episode of Embracing. Embrace your Healing Journey. 

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