‘Tis the Season, for Fruit in Season: Natural Skin Care with Pomegranate

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6a00e55255b4628834017eea950060970d-200wiWhile sharing about natural skin care is my passion, but at this time of the year, the Holiday season, with all of its joys and stresses of family and friends, I think it is appropriate to talk heart to heart. It is certainly a time that I have been reflecting on all that I have to be grateful for, even while floating in the national and global crises and the storms of the holiday season.

So I want to offer thanks to all of those of you who have touched my life in any way, and for all of those of you whom I have had the joy of being able to help in some way or another, for that brings true joy to my life as well.

Right now, pomegranates are in season. They are big, ripe, juicy, and on sale at your local fruit and vegetable market. They have juicy purple seeds now which contain juice that has bioflavonoids which are very beneficial for your heart. The hard seeds inside, and white inner pulp, although not as tasty to eat, also contain bioflavinoids which benefit the heart and the skin by taming free-radicals. They also smooth and firm the skin by promoting collagen and elastin production.

Eating some of that white pulp inside the skin and chewing the seeds of the fresh fruit is even better for you than drinking the juice (the white pulp is where the bioflavinoids are). Now, that’s natural skincare. So pick up a few pomegranates at the market now if you are so inclined, and enjoy not only the taste, but the benefit they will bring to those very important blood vessels in your skin and your heart. Feel the joy in your heart that they are here for you in this Season.

Happy Holidays, from my heart to yours.

To your health,

Dr. Alan M. Dattner, MD

Holistic Dermatology & Integrative Medicine
New York, New York

 

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As always, the content of this blog is for information and education purposes only, and should not be used to prevent, diagnose or treat illness; please see your physician for care.

What’s Toxic Wast Have to Do with You?

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6a00e55255b4628834017d43214905970c-200wiIf you saw the movie The Incredible Shrinking Woman back in 1981, you’d have a comical view of how toxic chemicals might be affecting us. In the film, Lily Tomlin begins to shrink uncontrollably after being exposed to the wrong mix of chemicals in her home.

While this is an absurd and comical exaggeration, many chemicals do have mysterious and potentially toxic effects on the body. In fact, a large portion of the people who come to my holistic dermatology practice find their skin disease is somehow related to environmental toxins or allergens the body has come in contact with.

Toxins can be spread through the air and into the lungs, as side-stream smoke or factory pollution. They can come in the water, from plastic water bottles or leakage from factories into aquifers, or acid rain. They can come from the food we eat, in the form of pesticides, additive food colorings, flavorings, preservatives, or rancid oils. And they can come through the skin, from cosmetics, soaps, dish detergent, clothing dyes, etc. 

Please do not take this information as an argument that you should fear your environment. Humans are an adaptable race and will continue to live on regardless of toxins. But some of us will find our bodies have a harder time filtering out the increased toxins and allergens in our environment.

If an unexplained or un-treatable disease is affecting you, you can begin to arm yourself with detailed information about the chemicals you are exposed to in your daily life. Then, you have the opportunity to heal your condition. In the next blog, I’ll outline some alternatives to hazardous cleaning products.

To your health,

Dr. Alan M. Dattner, MD
Holistic Dermatology
New York, New York

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As always, the content of this blog is for information and education purposes only, and should not be used to prevent, diagnose or treat illness; please see your physician for care.

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Photo credit:

Guy Gorek / Foter.com

Sunlight Controversy: How much sun is enough? How much is too much?

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6a00e55255b462883401901b9799c7970b-200wiThe controversy over sunlight benefit versus danger rumbles on, with new data on both sides of the question.  From the American Academy of Dermatology meeting, two very different pieces of information stand out favoring cautious sunlight protection.  A study recently reported showing an increase in the incidence of melanoma for people who had used tanning beds before the age of 35.  Early damage from excessive light exposure shows up later.
Other studies reported showed that exposure to two times the MED (the minimal amount of light necessary to cause redness of the skin) caused 100 times the amount of messenger RNA for collagenase (the enzyme which breaks down collagen in skin.)  Collagen is the fibrous substance which gives the skin its shape and strength.
Breakdown of collagen is associated with aging and wrinkles.  One half the amount of sunlight necessary to cause redness increased the collagenase activity fourfold.
Furthermore, even one tenth the amount of sunlight exposure necessary to cause redness caused some increase in collagenase activity.
All of the data which was presented demonstrated the various aspects of the process of sun damage leading to aging, at the molecular level.  The speaker is a respected authority on the science of skin aging , so the data appears valid.  I have reviewed other studies in the past which show similar findings, which also lends credibility to his argument.  I will discuss the benefits of sunlight and vitamin D production in later blogs, which inform the other side of this
controversy.  If you sign up for my monthly newsletter, I will email you the top five tips to minimize the effects of solar damage.
Regardless of controversy, sun exposure is a double edged sword with both benefits and dangers.  Living a full life exposes us to both those benefits and dangers; finding the right balance and using protective supplements and
topical antioxidants is the best we can do.To your health,

Dr. Alan M. Dattner, MD

Holistic Dermatology
New York, New York

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As always, the content of this blog is for information and education purposes only, and should not be used to prevent, diagnose or treat illness; please see your physician for care.

Integrative Knowing and Holistic Health

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6a00e55255b4628834017eea958fbc970d-200wiThere is a kind of knowing that comes from immersing yourself in the various kinds of information about a subject. You acquire a sense of what is so, and what will be declared later to be proven and agreed to be so. This knowing is not so much psychic as it is integrative; it involves piecing together a lot of different kinds of information into a pattern that makes sense.

Imagine having a jigsaw puzzle that only has 25% of the puzzle pieces. As you begin to lay the pieces out, a picture starts to appear. At some point, though you don’t have the rest of the pieces, the image will become recognizable with the right pair of eyes.

It is important to state here that the conclusion reached is based on a scattering of bits of data, and cannot be in any way considered a proven conclusion in either legal or scientific terms. It may become that later, when more of the puzzle is laid out, but now it is in the “pre-knowing” stage.

Much of integrative and holistic medicine occupies this area of pre-knowing. I have been either blessed (or cursed) with this kind of pre-knowing for much of my life. I say blessed because it has been very exciting to find my way into areas of science before they become popular or even accepted. Cursed, because I have done studies and tried to get more funding in these areas many years before the ideas became acceptable or before the techniques to do good studies had been developed.

Indeed, I left some areas of interest, such as “psycho-immunology” as much as eight years before they were renamed psycho-neuro-immunology and become acceptable. Fortunately, holistic dermatology is now coming into its own. I hope to continue contributing to this field for the benefit of many.

To your health,

Dr. Alan M. Dattner
Holistic Dermatology
New York, New York

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As always, the content of this blog is for information and education purposes only, and should not be used to prevent, diagnose or treat illness; please see your physician for care.

Dr. Dattner invited to Adivsory Board of The American Botanical Council

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6a00e55255b4628834017d41a03d1f970c-320wiI am pleased to announce that I have been appointed as a member of the Advisory Board of the American Botanical Council, a leader in providing objective information on the various uses of herbs in both healing the body and in commerce I will act as an expert advisor on herbs and the skin.

Herbs are very helpful for a variety of skin issues. Many of the herbs I have been using for years are just now appearing in products on the exhibit floor of the American Academy of Dermatology national meeting. For example, licorice and curcumin are being incorporated into anti-inflammatory herbal preparations. Green tea extract and red wine resveratrol are being used as part of the antioxidant mix in anti-aging products applied to the skin.

I look forward to sharing more with you in the future on natural and herbal skin care.

To your Health,

Dr. Alan M. Dattner, MD
Holistic Dermatology
New York

From the ABC:

ABC Welcomes New Advisory Board Members

The American Botanical Council (ABC) announces the addition of several new members to its Advisory Board. These esteemed individuals — with diverse academic backgrounds ranging from analytical chemistry, oncology, and pharmacognosy to environmental science, aromatherapy, and Traditional Chinese Medicine — are committed to promoting healthier living through herbal and plant-based medicine. Advisory Board members volunteer their time to peer review articles that appear in HerbalGram, HerbalEGram, HerbClips, and various ABC publications. Additionally, HerbalGram editors seek feedback and advice from Advisory Board members on issues such as research questions, article ideas, ABC policies, book reviews, and much more.

The new Advisory Board members include an oncologist, a cardiologist, an endocrinologist, a dermatologist, a nurse/aromatherapist, a nutritionist, a doctor of acupuncture and oriental medicine, a mycologist, a geneticist, two pharmacognosists, two family practice physicians, two natural product chemists, and two environmentalists.

“We are deeply grateful to include these experts on the ABC Advisory Board,” said ABC Founder and Executive Director Mark Blumenthal. “For many of these individuals, receiving official ABC Advisory Board status simply formalizes an already established, long-term relationship in which many of these friends and colleagues have been contributing their time and expertise to ABC and many of its publications as expert peer reviewers. The wide spectrum of scientific and clinical expertise held by these individuals as a group reflects the increasing complexity and sophistication of the modern herbal movement and of ABC’s vital nonprofit educational mission.”

The AHSCP Holistic Skin Care Conference: The Science of Beauty

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6a00e55255b4628834017c33672556970b-320wiI recently was a featured speaker at a conference for holistic skin care professionals, teaching them the basics of my nutritional treatment of skin conditions. the conference title was the AHSCP Holistic Skin Care Conference 2012, held in Kalamazoo, Michigan and sponsored by Elina Organics.

The title of my presentation was, “The scientific basis for treating inflammatory conditions of the skin with natural therapies.” This is part of my effort, along with my blog, upcoming chapter, and upcoming book, of helping more people to understand how important it is to employ Holistic Dermatology in helping people improve their skin.

For more on the conference, click here.

To your health,

-Dr. Alan M. Dattner

Holistic Dermatology & Integrative Medicine
New York

10 Things to Eat for Perfect Skin

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Check out a copy of Prevention Magazine this month; I’m quoted in the current November 2012 issue of

6a00e55255b4628834017d431fd40f970c-200wiPrevention, in their article, 10 Things to Eat for Perfect Skin.

I discuss the relationship between eating sugar and the accelerated breakdown of the collagen and elastin in the skin, leading to wrinkles. Sugar binds to proteins in the skin forming Advanced Glycation Endproducts (or AGE’s). These AGE’s stimulate enzymes that chew up to collagen and elastin, leading to sagging skin. Check out the article for the full story. (Prevention, Nov 2012, p 52)

-Dr. Dattner

Holistic Dermatology & Integrative Medicine
New York

Vitamin D: Back in the News

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6a00e55255b4628834017d431fd656970c-320wiVitamin D is back in the news, with recent studies showing that fewer people need Vitamin D supplements, according to new FDA guidelnes. I disagree with these new guidelines because they’re based on a study I find sorely lacking: 

For example, there was unfortunately no examination of Vitamin D and bone health in this study. Also, the effect of higher vitamin D levels on boosting immunity in such a way as to counteract autoimmune disorders was neither mentioned, nor investigated.

The studies also purport that lower levels of Vitamin D did not affect overall mortality in a totally mixed and kidney disease population. They even mention that Vitamin D was associated with kidney disease and some cancers.

Such studies with no regard for the complex underlying way a supplement acts on the human body (and specifically immune system and bones) can only serve to confuse physicians and the general population. Until I see careful studies of people with different illnesses, and studies that contradict what has been shown in the immune system, I will continue to consider the new lower vitamin D levels recommended as insufficient for certain individuals with disorders of the immune system.

What’s worse, this kind of study and the headline stories about the supposed conclusion of this meta-analysis in the press could harm hundreds of thousands of people who actually do need more vitamin D because of the condition they have or the condition of their immune system.  For example, another recent study showed that people with pneumonia had better survival if they had higher Vitamin D levels, and that the benefits depend on the type of Vitamin D taken (Vitamin D3 possibly being superior to D2).

We will keep you up to date exploring the many aspects emerging on this important vitamin, Vitamin D, as it relates to the skin and the immune system.

To your health,

-Dr. Alan M. Dattner, MD

Holistic Dermatology & Integrative Medicine
New York, NY

Chicken and Rice… Not so nice?

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6a00e55255b4628834017c32896819970b-300wiAlmost like a bad Halloween movie, data (re-)emerged in the press recently that both chicken and rice may be contaminated with arsenic.

Why? Well, turns out that arsenic is used in chickenfeed in the US to prevent certain diseases and make the chickens’ flesh pink. Arsenic finds its way into rice that is grown in soil where crops like cotton were grown before with arsenical pesticides.

Arsenic-based pesticides are also used in potato and tobacco farming, so groundwater and wells near those farming areas may also be contaminated by arsenic. Arsenic is a cumulative poison that builds up in the body, and has been linked to formation of skin cancers as well as cancers inside the body. Wouldn’t you think that a government so conscious about health and health costs would figure out how to get the arsenic out of such basic foods?

Ok, enough worrying, it’s making me sick… would you please pass the organic chicken soup? See this Mother Jones article for more information.

To your health,

Dr. Alan M. Dattner, MD

Holistic Dermatology & Integrative Medicine
New York, NY

Spiritual Health, Part 3

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6a00e55255b4628834017d431fd966970c-320wiSome level of cooperation and compromise between polar opposites based on common goals and commonalities in a shared vision is necessary to bring about a healthy future for everyone. That includes not only the poor but also the wealthiest people on Earth, all of whom have the potential to understand how their own lives could be better by making more enlightened choices for personal, community, and world health in their sphere of influence.

If you are someone who has perhaps given up hope in the past, feeling that your care for your health and the environment was a lone cry in the wilderness, I want to offer a new possibility for you. That you are not alone, and it is worth stepping up to taking a stand for what you care about.

I am finding that I can feel the hand of Spirit in my own life, when I bring that Light into my heart and my actions. I am beginning to realize that I am, I could be, the kind of person I have always wished I could be. I want to invite you to join in the flow of those who feel and act as I do and want to do. Join me in becoming one of the millions, perhaps billions of other humans and creatures on this planet who are doing the same.

If you or someone you know is ready for a transformation, inside and out, contact me at my office here.

To your health,

-Dr. Dattner

Holistic  & Integrative Dermatology
New York