Episode 121: The Gut-Skin Connection
Today I’m kicking off part one of a two-part series on the connection between gut health and skin health. (Find part two here!)
Many of you already know that your skin is your largest organ, but we often forget that addressing skin conditions often requires us to go beyond topical solutions. Conventional/allopathic medicine tends to focus on the organ in question. For skin issues, the "solutions" are always skin-focused with treatments like dermatology, steroids, cortisone creams, Acutane, etc. They work from the outside.
The truth of the matter is that skin is almost always an inside job. Sometimes it's hormones. Sometimes it's overburdened detoxification pathways. Often it's gut-related. Functional medicine likes to take a step back and ask, what's driving the imbalance? What are the triggers? Where did it start? How can we address the root so the organ can self-heal? These are the questions I ask in my practice, and how I attempt to address skin issues from the inside-out.
This episode is allll about the connection between gut health and skin health. I go into detail about these connections and explore how what we put IN our bodies can affect how we look and feel OUTside our bodies.
In this episode:
Why sound byte nutrition does us a huge disservice [1:34]
New registration dates for Erin Holt Health programs [6:48]
Big (and little) shifts that are happening on the pod [8:11]
Business transparency, back end decisions, sponsorships and my continued commitment to YOU, the listener [11:16]
Why skin is an inside job [14:19]
Gut/skin/inflammatory issues: decoding the chicken/egg situation, and the valuable role functional testing plays with this [16:54]
Your skin, your gut and the unique connection they share [19:50]
Turmeric, curcumin and the therapeutic effect they have on the skin [22:55]
Nutrients the skin loves [25:14]
The specific way skin conditions are tied to gut health [27:54]
The first step to take in healing your skin [30:24]
How identifying food sensitivities can help your skin [33:52]
The drawbacks to elimination-style diets [35:52]
How digestion is a top-down process [38:59]
Hydrochloric acid: what it is, physical signs you might be low in it and the ways your body utilizes it [40:19]
Common reasons behind low stomach acid [46:20]
Natural ways to increase stomach acid [47:11]
Interesting H.Pylori statistics [49:37]
“Skin is actually one of the first and sometimes only places to show that there is a problem in your gut.”
Resources mentioned:
Organifi Gold powder (Enter code FUNK at checkout for 15% off!)
Eat to Achieve (Available for free within the Funk’tional Nutrition Collective)
Carb Compatibility Project (Available for free within the Funk’tional Nutrition Collective)
Your Hormone Revival (Only available within the Funk’tional Nutrition Collective)
Vibrant Wellness Food Sensitivity Testing
Blog: How to Heal Your Dry Skin
Study: The Gut Microbiome as a Major Regulator of the Gut-Skin Axis
Related episodes:
78: How to eat for true gut health
87: Eczema, Skin Rashes & What You Need to Know with Jennifer Fugo
88: All Things Gut: H. Pylori, GERD, SIBO, Candida, CBD & More
Learn More About Gut Health & Healthy Skin
Beyond the Pod:
BeautyCounter - Hormone-safe Skin & Personal Care
