Debora Novick1*
1Novick Integrative Medicine, USA
*Correspondence author: Debbie Novick DC CH, Novick Integrative Medicine, 171 Saxony RD, Suite 107, Encinitas, CA 92024 USA; Email: [email protected]
Published Date: 28-07-2023
Copyright© 2023 by Novick D, et al. All rights reserved. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Editorial
Over the past 27 years in my functional medicine clinical practice, I have had 10 or more patients present with chronic and acute cases of eczema. After taking a thorough history, ordering blood tests and food intolerance panels, all of them were positive for signs and symptoms of intestinal permeability and positive IgA markers to predominantly; gliadin, agglutinins and casein, as well as a plethora of other food proteins, due to the nature of molecular mimicry. After placing patients on an antigen free food plan for 3-6 months, prescribing demulcent herbals, L-glutamine, anti-inflammatory supplements, and counseling them on stress reducing strategies, there was a resolution of the eczema and a healing of the intestinal lining. There is a misconception in traditional allopathic medicine that the problem resides at the dermis, where the symptomatology is observed and expressed. However, the skin is just a reflection and extension of the inflammatory cascade occurring at the intestinal lining which leads to the erosion of the tight junctions of the microvilli, which causes intestinal permeability [1,2]. These erosions open the door to undigested proteins which end up in the enteric blood vessels, subsequently triggering white blood cells to tag these proteins with antibodies. These proteins are almost identical to body tissues (molecular mimicry) , leading to autoimmune reactivity. Eczema is a direct expression of this immune system response and loss of oral and self-tolerance. The road to healing the tight junctions begins with an elimination food plan that excludes all the proteins which have become antigens. I have found it necessary to prescribe demulcent herbs such as; slippery elm, aloe vera gel, marshmallow root, deglycyrrhizinated licorice, rhubarb, immunoglobulin compounds, turmeric, vitamin D3/K2, glutathione, resveratrol and omega 3’s, as well as counseling patients on stress reduction strategies, given that production of high levels of cortisol and norepinephrine contribute to erosion of tight junctions [3]. The more a patient unburdens their body from causative factors, the faster the transformation and quicker the necessary scaffolding is built, to provide significant symptom relief and restoration of functional physiological processes that render a vital healthy human being, who is capable of developing immune and chemical tolerance to living in this “modern” hectic world. We live in a world where we spend 80% of our daily lives running from the “tyrannical lion(ness)” inside our busy monkey minds. In “flight or fight mode”, we are running tons of adrenaline epinephrine, norepinephrine, putting out fires, disasters, unknowns, daily to-do lists, answering phone calls, typing on the computer, driving around freeways, and encountering angry, impatient beings along the way. We are also near-constantly bombarded by lights, sounds, smells, EMF’s, microwaves, 4G and now the 5G radiation grid, toxins, infections, and stressors of all kinds [4]. Taking time to counter these daunting and relentless “flight or fight” drivers is imperative if we are to survive as beings and as a collective species. Stimulating your parasympathetic nervous system is a MUST when leading patients towards successful restoration of health and wellness.
In addition, here are a few more strategies that are attainably turned into lifetime lifestyle habits and which you can enlighten your patients with:
- Spend time touching people you love with tenderness and love. Intimacy is critical for optimum human health
- Mindful eating – taste every ingredient, chew, pulverize that food before you swallow, be one with food being consumed, think of it as sacred nourishment, not an emotional crutch. Take 20 minutes to eat each meal, because it takes that long for your nervous system to register its fullness
- When eating, have pleasant happy conversations or sit quietly looking at a calming view
- Splash cold water on your face daily
- Engage in the yoga restorative pose for 15 minutes a day imagining you are at a resort or nature scene having the time of your life, relaxed serene, joyous, and calm. If your monkey mind jumps in, redirect your thoughts to your desired images.
- When upset or triggered, STOP everything, eyes closed for 2 minutes concentrating on respiration, following the breath in and out, in through the nose out through the mouth. Then reassess the stressor; it is possible to respond instead of react regretfully
- Watch a sunset, take a walk on the beach or around a park, get out into nature and ground the body, lay on grass, sand, dirt, connecting with Mother Earth and its healing balancing electromagnetic frequencies humans rely on for our existence here
- Pray, meditate, quiet the mind, SELF CARE is the name of the game here!
The gut and brain barriers must be kept intact for the entire body to be in a healthy functional state. If one is leaky the other is likely to be too. Clinically there is nothing more important than to teach patients the importance of these foundational concepts. If these barriers are leaky, it is like having a house without a roof, doors, windows, or screens open to the elements. The natural state of tubes within tubes is no longer intact. Everything from the external environment that is not properly processed in the digestive tract or inhaled is now a potential trigger for brain and gut inflammation. Who lives in the gut? The immune system 80% of it! If this system goes awry then autoimmunity and cancer are a certainty. An immune system that over reacts or sits silent and says nothing, are both recipes for disastrous consequences. The direct road to chronic devastating debilitating mysterious or well-known diagnosable illnesses. We now know that our microbiome is a vital and essential part of both body and brain health. They carry our DNA, produce neurotransmitters, maintain gut barrier health help manage and control the entire microbiome population, the more diverse it is the healthy we are. In nature diversity equals health and vitality of ecosystems and creates abundance [5].
Conflict of Interest
The author has no conflict of interest to declare.
References
- Cusick MF, Libbey JE, Fujinami RS. Molecular mimicry as a mechanism of autoimmune disease. Clin Rev Allergy Immunol. 2012;42(1):102-11.
- Nusrat A, Turner JR, Madara JL. Molecular physiology and pathophysiology of tight junctions. IV. Regulation of tight junctions by extracellular stimuli: nutrients, cytokines, and immune cells. Am J Physiol. 2000;279(1):G851-7.
- Lammers KM, Lu R, Brownley J, Lu B, Gerard C, Thomas K, et al Gliadin induces an increase in intestinal permeability and zonulin release by binding to the chemokine receptor CXCR3. Gastroenterol. 2008;135(1):194-204.
- Gareau MG, Silva MA, Perdue MH. Pathophysiological mechanisms of stress-induced intestina damage. Curr Molecular Med. 2008;8(4):274-81.
- Majamaa H, Isolauri E. Evaluation of the gut mucosal barrier: evidence for increased antigen transfer in children with atopic eczema. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 1996;97(4):985-90.
Article Type
Editorial
Publication History
Received Date: 01-08-2023
Accepted Date: 21-08-2023
Published Date: 28-08-2023
Copyright© 2023 by Novick D, et al. All rights reserved. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Citation: Novick D, et al. Observed Causal Relationship Between Eczema and Inflammatory Bowel Diseases. J Dermatol Res. 2023;4(2):1-2.
