Without This, You Would Be Naked

QUESTION: Without This You Would Be Naked

ANSWER: Skin!

by Julie Mitchell

Fun Facts About Your Skin: Did you know your skin is the largest and fastest growing organ you have? If you’ve ever had a severe sunburn it took about a month for your skin to move through the stages of swelling, blistering, peeling and restoration. That’s because your 19 million skin cells completely renew themselves every month. This organ is working to replenish 30-40,000 old skin cells every day without you even being aware of it. Skin cells start off fat and square deep within and move their way to the surface called the epidermis flattening as they move up. Once there, they flake off and the process starts all over again. In just 1 tiny inch of the skin there are: 650 sweat glands, 20 blood vessels, 60,000 melanocytes, and 1,000+ nerve cells! Truly an amazing system God has given us! It protect us from harsh elements of the environment, keeps our organs inside, keeps us warm, and allows us to feel His creation with our own sense of touch.

“You clothed me with skin and flesh, and knit me together with bones and sinews.” Job 10:11

5 Thought-Provoking Concepts about Your Skin:

1. Sunlight is not to be feared

• Stanford University researchers found sunlight prompts the synthesis of Vitamin D in the body which causes immune cells to travel to the outer layers of the skin where they are available to protect and help repair damage such as that caused by sun exposure.
• Sunlight helps promote the neurotransmitter serotonin which boosts mood and helps us feel calm and focused.
• According to a study, in a 30-minute period while wearing a swimsuit, people will make the following vitamin D levels:
  • 50,000 international units (IUs) in most Caucasian people
  • 20,000 to 30,000 IUs in tanned people
  • 8,000 to 10,000 IUs in dark skinned people
• Determining the healthy amount of sunlight exposure has several factors to consider:
  • Time of day, strongest exposure is 10am-4pm
  • Time of year, position of earth to sun gives stronger exposure May-September
  • Type of skin you have, fair skinned individual’s short periods of time due to burn factor while dark skinned individuals can be out longer to raise Vitamin D levels naturally

2. Dry skin represents what is going on inside and outside this organ

• Oregon State University research shows omega-6 and omega-3 essential fatty acids (EFAs) are crucial to skin function and appearance. Both dietary and topical supplementation with EFAs can have profound effects on the fatty acid composition and drainage of the skin. As a result, addition of various EFA-rich oils can control the inflammatory response in both dermal and epidermal layers of the skin.
• When the skin is exposed to the sun’s heat and UV rays, it dries out the skin (less water moisture and skin’s natural essential oils) causing higher possibilities of the outer skin surface to burn. Solution: before sun exposure, drink 15-30oz of water and apply natural oils like olive oil or coconut oil to areas of body that will be exposed to sun. This hydrated, oil rich skin will be less likely to burn and will allow body to make the natural immune strengthening Vitamin D.
• If you prefer to protect your skin from the sun, apply the natural sunscreen below to protect from UV rays. Supplementing Vitamin D3 may be needed if you run low in Vitamin D. With a simple blood test that your doctor can perform, you can find out what your level is.

Natural Sunscreen Recipe:

½ cup olive oil

¼ cup beeswax and coconut oil

2 T zinc oxide

10 drops doTERRA lavender essential oil

Directions:

1. Put olive oil, beeswax and coconut into glass mason jar with lid loosely placed on.
2. Put jar in pan with 2 inches of water.
3. Put on low heat and when all ingredients are melted, add zinc oxide and lavender then stir or shake to blend.
4. Pour into containers, preferably glass jars because of heated oils or could move to another container once it has cooled.
5. Lather on when needing protection for the sun, reapply regularly.

3. Proper water intake keeps skin moist

• One of my Core 4 Foundational Principles is drink half your body weight in ounces of clean pure water daily. Doing this will have profound effects on the largest organ. Don’t like to drink water, not a problem…Camel Up! try drinking 15-20 ounces in thirty seconds 3-5x day.
• University of Wisconsin Health says the skin is an organ, and just like any other part of the body.  And skin cells, like any other cell in the body, are made up of water. Without water, the organs will certainly not function properly or at their best.
• Water gives the skin a natural face lift, less wrinkles. If your skin is not getting enough water, the lack of hydration will present itself by turning your skin dry, tight and flaky. Dry skin has less resilience and is more prone to wrinkling.

4. The skin is a secondary drainage pathway

• If the skin is presenting symptoms like eczema, psoriasis, acne, warts, dry, itchy skin it could be because one or more of the main drainage pathways (liver, lymph, lungs, large intestines, kidneys) are blocked. Since healing comes from within the body, finding out where the imbalances are inside can help support the outside expression through the skin.
• Setting up an appointment at The Nutrition and Wellness Center or with a similar clinician to find out what is going on under the hood of the skin, might be just what you or a loved one needs to support the movement toward a smoother, healthier outer covering.

5. Dry brushing the skin promotes body wellness

• As mentioned above, the body filters and drains toxins out through a number of organs, glands, and systems: large intestines, kidneys, liver, lungs, lymphatic system, sinuses, and the skin. Dry skin brushing supports the detoxification of the skin and provides a gentle internal massage.
• Dry skin brushing helps exfoliate the skin and removal of dead dry skin. It helps open up clogged pores and lets the skin shine.
• Dry brushing can be a preventative for dry skin, thus stimulating skin renewal that is super soft to the touch

One Way to Dry Brush the Body…

a. Begin with your feet and brush vigorously in circular motions.

b. Continue brushing up your legs.

c. Proceed to your hands and arms.

d. Brush your entire back and abdomen area, shoulders and neck.

e. Use circular counter-clockwise strokes on the abdomen.

f. Lightly brush the breasts.

• HOW WE SUPPORT SMOOTH AND HEALTHY SKIN AT THE NUTRITION AND WELLNESS CENTER:  Barlean’s high quality flax oil and Metagenics high quality fish oils in the Wellness Packets.