Category Archive for "Uncategorized"

What is natural skin care? [Part 3]

Posted on March 28, 2014 at 11:26 am.

In part two of this series, I discussed how healing most skin diseases involves looking for inflammation. This investigation is a cornerstone to natural skin care, or Holistic Dermatology. What is inflammation? It’s an attack by white blood cells and other chemicals at the site of an irritation, injury, or infection. These chemicals and blood cells have good intentions; they are actually there to facilitate healing.

But as with too much of any good thing, they often end up causing heat, redness, swelling, pain, and sometimes loss of function. It is our body’s defense system gone awry.

And unfortunately, inflammation has been found to play a significant role not only in dermatological conditions, but in common health issues such diabetes, heart disease, allergies, asthma, and arthritis, to name just a few. More on inflammation in part three.

To your health,

Dr. Alan M. Dattner, MD
Holistic Dermatology

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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 is natural skin care? [Part 2]

Posted on March 26, 2014 at 11:21 am.

Written by Dr. Alan M Dattner, MD

What is natural skin care, from the point of a Holistic Dermatologist? An essential part of the dermatologist’s training and knowledge is about the serious internal disorders that may be indicated by a particular change in the skin. Holistic Dermatology extends that to looking for relationships between more common skin disorders and the “concert of conditions” that brought those conditions about.

Because dermatologists normally deal with diseases of the skin, many people think that I deal with surface issues. But the truth is I look at patients’ insides to find out the cause of what is happening on the outside.

Since foods, chemicals, infections, and stress often lead to inflammation, and inflammation is the process that causes allergy, autoimmunity, and many of the diseases of the skin, my burning passion is to identify whatever it is that provoked the immune system to start its virulent attack in the first place. More on this in part three of the “what is natural skin care” series.

To your health,

Dr. Alan M. Dattner, MD
Holistic Dermatology

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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 is natural skin care? [Part 1]

Posted on March 24, 2014 at 11:15 am.

Written by Dr. Alan M Dattner, MD

One of the first questions I get from people upon hearing that I practice natural skin care, or Holistic Dermatology is, “What do you do in Holistic Dermatology that is different from regular dermatology?”

In short, I treat the underlying cause(s) of your skin condition. I treat the “causal factors” that aggravate the unique individual I am seeing. And I keep digging deeper into those causes, like peeling off the layers of an onion, to get to the core.

As often as possible, my prescription for natural care of the skin focuses more on diet, nutritional supplements, and herbs than on drugs and surgery, but I use western modalities when they are the best option for the situation. Also, hidden infection and environmental sensitivity and toxicity are also sought out and remedied as gently as possible. So are emotional conflicts that eat up the individual’s health from the inside out. More on this in part two of this post.

To your health,

Dr. Alan M. Dattner, MD
Holistic Dermatology

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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.

Treating skin naturally: what is right for your body? Part 3

Posted on March 21, 2014 at 11:39 am.

Written by Dr. Alan M Dattner, MD

Even the experts don’t agree. Chinese medicine says don’t eat cold food,
Ayurvedic medicine says don’t eat spicy food most of the time, raw foodists say heat kills the best enzymes in the food. Some say soy is out of the question, others say chicken makes the body alkaline. With so many conflicting kinds of advice about what to eat, how much sun to get, etc., it can be difficul to know what’s right for your body.

I like to look at the arguments and the data coming from both sides of such controversies, and the literature that supports both sides. I like to see who is sponsoring the argument on each side, and follow the trail of the money supporting the studies.

For me, the harder it is to follow the trail of evidence, the more hidden the support, the more I suspect the data to be tampered with. I know that data can be selectively chosen to emphasize a point. I also know that a vast variety of information, from anecdote to in vitro study, from animal work to epidemiology, can point in a given direction. Because making the right choices in these areas are integral to a natural skincare regimen, it’s important to get it right. Begin to become your own detective.

To your health,

Dr. Alan M. Dattner, MD
Holistic Dermatology

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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.

Treating skin naturally: what is right for your body? Part 2

Posted on March 19, 2014 at 11:33 am.

Written by Dr. Alan M Dattner, MD

How can you tell what is the best treatment for your body, even when experts don’t agree? There are so many conflicting opinions and facts in the sphere of health that it can be difficult to tell what’s right to eat, wear, etc. Some swear by avoiding wheat and gluten, some eat only raw foods. Some say dark chocolate is good for you, others say it causes acne.

Part of the answer comes in asking the questions: how much, for whom, and when? Sun exposure benefits come with small amounts of exposure, and what you can tolerate depends on your skin color. Except where there is an absolute toxicity or specific sensitivity, most regularly used products have an ideal level of exposure. Too little water and we dry our; too much and we drown. More on this in part three.

To your health,

Dr. Alan M. Dattner, MD
Holistic Dermatology

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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.

Treating skin naturally: what is right for your body? Part 1

Posted on March 17, 2014 at 11:38 am.

Written by Dr. Alan M Dattner, MD

You Say Tomato…

How do we know what we can compromise on and what we cannot, in the field of health? How do we know what treatment is best for what ailment? What treatment is best for what person? Medicine is not now, nor has it ever been, a field of absolutes. New information often changes how we think about ailments, treatments, and cures. Not to mention the fact that any number of people have different ideas on any number of subjects.

For example, we have been told for years that eating eggs is bad for you. Now it appears that eggs have gotten a bad rap. Someone says that sunlight is bad for you, and someone else says that it is necessary to make Vitamin D.

A dermatologist who writes about the benefits of sun exposure (Dr. Michael Hollick) gets fired from his academic post, while others tell you to avoid the sun as much as possible. These controversies are numerous and rage on regarding soy, milk, coffee, cell phones, childhood vaccines, and pesticide exposure, just to name a few. How do you know what is right for your body, when even the experts cannot agree? Because making the right choices in these areas are integral to a natural skincare regimen, it’s important to get it right. I’ll go into the answers in part two of this post.

To your health,

Dr. Alan M. Dattner, MD
Holistic Dermatology.com

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.

Carpe Cold: Seize the Cold

Posted on November 17, 2013 at 10:00 am.

Written by Dr. Alan M Dattner, MD

While I generally deal with holistic dermatology, I have lots of experience with integrative medicine as it relates to the immune system. During cold and flu season, I tend to avoid flu vaccine. So, over many years of working long hours in my practice, I have perfected my method for cold and flu prevention and care.

The moment I become aware of a lowered resistence–a sneeze, a tired feeling, an ache in my head or neck–is the moment a cold or flu can be prevented with a regimen of natural remedies. If I wait a bit and don’t catch the symptoms until several hours or a day after that moment, I may not be able to prevent the illness, but I can lessen its severity and duration.

Steps to take at the pivotal moment:

stop whatever you’re doing. Take a nap if possible. If not, rest your eyes for a few minutes.
take a very hot bath, and when you emerge from the tub, bundle yourself up, climb into bed, and let the body “sweat out the cold.” (Be sure not to do this alone, as hot water can increase chance of fainting)
take healthy, regular doses of vitamins A, C, and E
take some echinacea or oregon graperoot
drink hot tea and keep the body full of fluids

Several hours of focused self-care at the right moment can prevent several days of illness, discomfort, and lost work–and it can keep you from spreading a cold or flu to loved ones.

To your health,

-Dr. Dattner

Holistic Dermatology & Integrative Medicine
New York

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

Saving Money and Saving your Skin in Winter

Posted on October 30, 2013 at 12:47 pm.

Written by Dr. Alan M Dattner, MD

In my holistic dermatology practice, I often help patients whose skin suffers in winter. It is possible to both help your skin and save money doing it. I emphasize this because it requires doing something very simple and at the same time very challenging: changing your habits.

Even more, it requires changing the beliefs behind those habits, so I will try to give some additional information beyond what was in my last blog, to help you make these changes.

If you have ever done dishes or wet work, with your hands in and out of water repeatedly for a while, you know how your skin becomes dry and chapped. This is because you are washing away the oils and the salts which hold water in our skin. In the winter when the air is dry (low humidity), bathing washes out the oils from the skin. The belief that we need a shower, especially a long, hot one, to be clean, to wake up, or to feel alive in the morning, needs a second look if your skin becomes dry and scaly in winter. A washcloth under the arm and in the folds does a very nice job between showers, and does not dry out parts of your skin which do not need washing.

The result is that you:

save hot water,
save on lotion
save oils in your skin,
save money on heat,
save fresh water,
safe electricity

Once you have the routine down, you will save time as well.Of course there will be times and situations where you need a shower or bath. Bathing less often, faster, and soaping less areas which do not need heavy cleansing, will keep the moisture in your skin and save you money as well. I repeat the essence of my last message because I have found,
in my 30 yeasr of practice, that people often have to hear it more than once in order to reduce their bathing. Did you?

To your health,

-Dr. Alan M. Dattner
Holistic Dermatology & Integrative Medicine

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 is “Holistic Dermatology” or “Integrative Dermatology”?

Posted on July 29, 2013 at 9:28 am.

Written by Dr. Alan M Dattner, MD

What is Holistic Dermatology or Integrative Dermatology?

I have been incorporating principles of holistic practices into Dermatology for the past three decades.

INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE FOR THE SKIN

A variety of names have been given to this approach, including functional medicine, because it addresses the function of the underlying organs involved; complementary medicine, because it often includes methods which add to or compliment conventional medical techniques; alternative medicine, because it’s an alternative to some of the currently employed conventional techniques, and finally, integrative medicine, because when done well, it integrates the best aspects of conventional medicine with techniques which lie outside of those routinely practiced by MD physicians.

I have also called it Nutritional Dermatology, because much of my work involves dietary elimination, additions, and nutritional supplements. However it is called, I blend conventional and alternative techniques, I address other systems, besides the skin, and I evaluate the whole person.

BOARD-CERTIFIED DERMATOLOGY

As a board-certified dermatologist, I begin by seeking and making a conventional dermatologic and medical diagnosis. I then go on to find out, for the individual involved, what exactly was specific to their situation that caused them to develop the illness.

Most important in this quest is a carefully recalled story history from the patient about the events that preceded the onset of the illness. Knowing how hard this is to do on the spot, I recommend that anyone seeking good holistic care with me, or anyone else, should sit down with a calendar and try to identify when their problem began and what infections, exposures, stresses, new medications, vaccinations, or other foreign materials entering the body could have preceded the event in a matter of days, weeks, or months before the onset.

To your health,

-Dr. Alan M. Dattner, MD

Holistic Dermatology & Integrative Medicine
New York

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

Integrative Knowing and Holistic Health

Posted on July 8, 2013 at 9:39 am.

Written by Dr. Alan M Dattner, MD

There 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

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.

Board Certified Dermatologist

Holistic Dermatology & Integrative Medicine