Happy New Year!
As I sit and write this, my first post on this blog, and my first in 2015, most of North America is covered in cold weather, below freezing temperatures and the winter chill has locked it's grip on us as the new year begins. If you are like me, the recent cold weather ushers in the winter dry skin season. I have been told by friends who, like me, also suffer with dry skin triggered by the cold. Over the year I have learned a few tricks for dealing with the dry skin of winter. I'll take this opportunity to share some of the all natural holistic approaches that have helped me dealing with winter skin flare ups and dry skin in general.
Because the winter is the time to rest (hibernate) and reflect (digest). I have chosen to use rest and nourishment as the keys to bringing the body and mind back into balance. We will begin and end with habits, sleeping, eating, drinking, and yes....even BREATHING! You may be surprised to learn that breath is very important ...the skin is closely correlated to the lungs in both traditional chinese medicine and ayurveda. We'll discuss a few simple breathing techniques that have worked for me... and I hope will work for you as well!
Go to sleep and wake up at the same time everyday. Sleep becomes very important when bringing yourself back to balance. Good sleep habits are important in maintaining both mental and physical health. Going to sleep and waking up at regular times becomes even more important when handling stress or illness. There have been unnumbered studies done which demonstrate the importance of sleep and lowered levels of stress (as measured objectively by lower cortisol levels, and subjectively by an individual's sense of well being). My sleep goal is to sleep for, least seven, and no more than ten hours each night.
[Sleep Tip - When I am tossing and turning and can't sleep, I have found valerian root capsules provide the best relief helping me doze off faster and stay asleep longer. I also have tried tart cherry juice as a sleep aid, this also works to help you stay asleep. ]
Eat less at each meal and eat more meals. Eating is the next key to improving not only your skin's health but your overall health as well. We all know that we are what we eat. Eating less processed food, stay away from overly spicy food, and stop eating before you feel FULL. Processed foods contain preservatives that can effect your sleep, your breathing and your drinking habits. Salty foods may cause you to drink more (which may cause you to wake up in the middle of the night). Also preservatives like MSG can affect your dreaming, give you a headache or create mysterious aches and pains if you are sensitive. A great secret to eating healthy is to be creative! I try to stay away from preservative laden foods and stick with more natural alternatives. That doesn't mean everything you eat needs to be organic. For example: you can try eating sliced chicken or turkey in place of prepared salami, ham or bologna can rid your diet of preservatives and lower your sodium intake as well...I'll leave the rest ot your imagination now that you likely see where this is heading.
[Eating Tip - try eating more fats and oils. Use ingredients like, avacado oil, olive oil, coconut oil, nuts, nut butters, seeds, even a little bacon ...high in sodium I know, but try and find bacon without preservatives if sodium isn't an issue for you.]
Drink more water, drink less alcohol and no sugar based sodas. Water is important to hydrate your system from the inside. We'll talk about topical creams in a minute but simply increasing your intake of water can improve your dry skin within a few days. Sugar, in large amounts, overstimulates the nervous system, increasing heart rate, blood pressure and stress levels (by increasing cortisol levels in the blood). Alcohol, ditto on that, and both sugar and alcohol can prevent deep sleep and deep relaxation which are both critical factors in calming the nervous system. Calming the sympathetic nervous system (and activating the parasympathetic) helps reduce inflammation. I have found it also reduces the itchiness of dry skin.
[An additional drinking tip- Try switching to tea in place of coffee, it also has caffeine and has anti-inflammatory/antioxident properties as well.)
Be careful with topical creams and lotions, and don't rely on topical solutions alone. Topical creams should only be used in conjunction with a holistic plan that includes the entire body and mind. We read everyday about miracle creams that will cure our dry spots, our wrinkles, age spots etc...Yes, they will work, for awhile. But they fail to deal with the underlying issues that are the root cause of our symptoms. One topical solution that has worked for me for sudden flare ups is 1 part tea tree oil, 1 part lavender oil and 2 parts vitamin E oil. Try this and see if it works for you. It is a clean, simple preparation that anyone can make themselves that will provide positive relief for dry patches and the red itchy spots that happen when the weather gets suddenly colder.
[Topical cream tip- Stay away from most commercially manufactured skin creams, they have carriers and other ingredients like alcohol that will make your skin drier!]
Learn how to breath correctly. Now that we have discussed sleeping, eating, drinking and topical solutions, let's talk about another habit that has a very powerful effect on your skin and well as the internal bodily processes that effect the overall nervous system as well as the skin. I'm talking about breathing. We all breath, but we don't all breath in the same way. Learning to breath, properly using the diaphragm, is vital to calming the body and the mind. Our breath effects our thinking, our emotions and even our dreaming (this I've learned from my own experience).
How To Do Diaphragmatic Breathing: Put your hands on your abdomen. Breath in. Did your hands rise or fall? If your hands rose, and the abdomen expanded on the inhale you are breathing correctly. Congratulations! Keep it up. If your abdomen contracted on the inhale you are breathing in your chest. Not so good. Learning to breath deep from the abdomen, could change, not just your breathing, but your whole life!
Simply focus on breathing into your hands with the hands placed on your belly. If you take away nothing else from this article, this should be it! As you inhale the abdomen should rise, as you exhale abdomen should fall. A great way to become aware of your breath is to lay down with your stomach pressing against a hard surface. Breath slowly, deeply and calmly. As you inhale press the abdomen against the floor as you exhale let it contract. Once you can feel the correct movement then turn over onto your back and place your hands on your belly, feeling the breath rise and fall, inhale up, exhale down. Over time this way of breathing will become second nature to you. I find it helpful, even after you learn the correct way to breath, to place the hands on the belly periodically to increase your awareness of the flow of breath in and out of the body.
[Breath Tip - My personal practice of pranayama also includes more advanced exercises. Using diaphragmatic breath as the basis, I also do alternate nostril breathing, both with and without retention, and shushmna breath, balancing the flow of the breath in both nostrils. These methods are more advanced breath control techniques and should be studied with the guidance of a qualified yoga teacher. If you were to do only the Diaphragmatic Breathing method described above by keeping your hands on your belly and breathing slowly, deeply and calmly you will extract tremendous benefit.]
There you have it! You have learned about creating a holistic approach for dealing with winter skin issues. I know it's a lot of information! Take what you feel comfortable with and use it. I want you to know that it took me years to learn these methods and create a practice of nourishment and healing rest including them all. You might want to start by trying to create blends of essential oils that will work for you. Be aware that everyone is different. Embrace that difference by learning what works best for you personally. Learn what nourishes and calms you. Enjoy the journey to wholeness that you have embarked on. When it come to your own healing, only you can see the path, and only you can walk it. Namaste.
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