Naturopathic Solutions For Skin & Hair Conditions
Your skin is the largest organ in your body, though we don’t usually think of it as an organ.
Its job is to protect you from the pathogens wandering around in the environment around you. Without it, you wouldn’t last very long.
Like any organ, your skin is prone to certain conditions. Unlike some organs, these conditions tend to be more immediately obvious.
Have you looked in the mirror lately and noticed your skin doesn’t look quite right?
If so, Dr. Sheila can help.
Naturopathic Solutions For Acne
Acne is the most common skin condition in the world. No matter who you are, you’d be hard pressed to find someone who hasn’t had to deal with the occasional pimple now and then.
How does acne work? It’s a result of the pores in your skin becoming clogged. Your pores are the small holes in your skin, and they’re connected to glands just below them which produce a substance called sebum. Sebum is made of fatty acids, cholesterol, triglycerides, and other substances. It’s one of the key ingredients in your skin oil.
In the right conditions, sebum travels from your oil glands and up the follicle, the path connecting the two. This is the same path your hair takes to sprout from your skin. From there, it makes it to your skin’s surface and keeps your skin healthy and lubricated.
However, sometimes the sebum mixes with dead skin cells and hair, creating a clump that plugs your pore. The bacteria trapped under the plug cause your pore to swell, which grows a pimple.
In general, acne is not a serious health concern. However, it can be indicative of a deeper health issue, like a . On top of this, acne can be painful and uncomfortable, causing issues of self esteem and self confidence.
If you’re dealing with acne as an adult, you’re not alone. Studies show acne has followed nearly half of North Americans into adulthood.
Dr. Sheila can help.
There is no one factor that causes acne. However, a number of factors may contribute to your flare-ups, including:
- Genetics – if your parents struggled with acne, it’s likely you will too
- Hormones – a hormonal imbalance may trigger breakouts
- Food – food allergies and sensitivities may manifest themselves in acne breakouts
- Stress – increased stress levels can trigger acne breakouts
- Drugs – certain pharmaceutical drugs may cause acne breakouts
- Skincare habits – if you wash your skin too often, or not often enough, it may cause acne
- And more
Whatever it is that’s causing your acne breakouts, trust Dr. Sheila to work to uncover the cause. From there, she’ll provide you with a treatment plan. The goal is to clear up your skin by addressing the root cause of your acne breakouts.
Adult acne can be frustrating, but there are naturopathic solutions available.
Contact Dr. Sheila to find out more.
Naturopathic Solutions For Eczema
Eczema is a frustrating autoimmune condition that affects your skin. When you have eczema, your immune system attacks your skin, creating an inflammation reaction.
This inflammation generally manifests itself as dry, itchy, red patches. They most commonly show up in areas where your skin folds, like the inside of your elbows.
We don’t know exactly what causes eczema just yet. However, a number of factors seem to be at play, including:
- Immune health
- Environmental triggers
- The presence of other autoimmune conditions
- Genetics
- How old your mother was when you were born
- Overall inflammation
On its own, eczema is not generally life-threatening. However, it can be frustrating, painful, and difficult to deal with. As well, because eczema flare-ups cause itchiness not relieved by itching, it’s not uncommon for those with eczema to scratch themselves raw looking for relief. This is more common in children. Having frequent open wounds on your body can lead to a greater risk of contracting other diseases.
Currently, there is no known cure for eczema. However, Dr. Sheila can still help you manage your eczema symptoms.
By identifying and removing your eczema triggers, Dr. Sheila can help you keep your symptoms at bay. This includes triggers in food or your environment.
As well, digestive issues are more common in those with eczema. Dr. Sheila will provide you with a treatment plan designed to optimize your digestive health.
Eczema can make life more uncomfortable than it needs to be. Trust Dr. Sheila to work to bring you the relief you deserve.
Naturopathic Solutions For Psoriasis
Psoriasis is an autoimmune condition affecting your skin. There are a number of different forms, but the most common is plaque psoriasis.
With plaque psoriasis, your immune system attacks your skin cells as though they were a pathogen. As a result, new skin cells grow faster than they normally would to compensate. This causes them to build up into thicker patches, known as plaques. The reason why this happens is not yet fully understood.
We do know a number of different factors can cause a flare-up of psoriasis, including:
- Genetics
- Injury
- A bad sunburn
- Certain pharmaceutical drugs
- Chronic stress
- Certain other infections
As well, if you have psoriasis, you’re at greater risk of developing other conditions, such as:
- Crohn’s disease
- Diabetes
- Obesity
- Metabolic syndrome
- Depression
- Heart disease
- Psoriatic arthritis
There is currently no known cure for psoriasis, but naturopathic medicine can still help you control your symptoms.
Dr. Sheila’s approach to psoriasis includes identifying what may be contributing to your psoriasis as well as calming your immune response. Contributing factors may include stress, obesity, the presence of certain medications, the use of drugs or alcohol, or personal hygiene. In general, these don’t cause psoriasis, but they may make your flare-ups more severe and more frequent.
From there, she’ll provide you with a treatment plan designed to address these factors, as well as limit the severity of your symptoms.
Psoriasis isn’t fun, but naturopathic medicine can make it an easier condition to live with. Contact Dr. Sheila today to find out how she can help you.
Naturopathic Solutions For Damaged Hair and Hair Loss
When we think of treatments for our hair, we often think of it as pure vanity. This is only partially true.
It’s nice to have healthy looking hair. But if you’re losing your hair, or it’s dry and brittle, this may be a sign of a deeper issue.
In particular, health conditions associated with damaged hair and hair loss include:
- Poor nutrition
- Hormonal imbalance
- An eating disorder
- Hypothyroidism
- Menstrual issues
- Severe and prolonged stress
- Alopecia
- Ringworm
In some cases, your hair issues can be addressed with simple lifestyle changes. Maybe you’re washing your hair too often, using the wrong type of shampoo, or heat treating it too much. If these factors don’t help, though, it may be a deeper issue.
Contact Dr. Sheila to get to the bottom of your hair woes.
Other Skin Conditions
The above conditions are some of the more common skin conditions Dr. Sheila faces in her practice.
However, she offers solutions for a wide variety of other skin conditions as well.
These include, but are not limited to:
- Shingles
- Rosacea
- Hives
- Warts
- Lupus
- Keratosis
- Herpes
Contact Dr. Sheila
Do you have a skin condition that makes life more frustrating?
If so, there is hope.
Dr. Sheila offers solutions for a wide variety of skin conditions.
Find out how naturopathic medicine can help you address your skin condition.
Contact Dr. Sheila today!