Holistic Dermatology and Natural Skin Care: What is it?

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“I want to introduce my guest today Dr. Allan Dattner. Thank you for being on the show today.”

“Thank you, I’m glad to be here.”

“As I said in the beginning you are in a fascinating field because there are dermatologist in the world who practice medicine a certain way they’ve been schooled in traditional methods allopathic methods and that leads to certain results and you have come along and you’ve said I want to do something a little different.”

“That’s correct”

“You have a holistic approach which I am very much in alignment with. What I’d like you to do is tell us about your background by how this all started for you. You were in college you became a doctor and what happened after that?”

“Well actually it started while I was in college. I started working at a little laboratory in Rye called Sloan-Kettering and a in a field called tumor immunology which was only occupying one room there. It’s grown logarithmically sense, but that got me very interested in the field lymph. I continue their studies on and off throughout my medical school in afterwards and during my during my fellowship to my residency in finally afterwards at the National Institute of Health the National Cancer Institute in the dermatology Branch. In our work there demonstrated nature in the recognition of the lymphocyte between different kinds of substances. We call it cross-reactive recognition. It was that understanding cross-reactive recognition the let me understand how diet could actually change what the body’s immune system was recognized. How that might pertain to different substances in one’s food causing inflammation or contributing to inflammation. That strengthen my pursuit of the pathway of diet and disease in the skin.”

“Dr. Dattner, so how many years ago was this that you’re talking about? “

“Well that was in the late seventies in 1976 I went to the NIH I left Pelham where I was living. Packed up my belongings and wife where we went down to Maryland. There I worked as a visiting scientist for almost three years.”

“Okay and so that was a long time ago. You must be honor as one of the pioneers in this field.”

“Yes I believe I’m one of the early pioneers, perhaps one of the people who started this field. You probably see my website holisticdermatology.com is number one on Google for that. Probably, because I started so many years ago before other people that into it. After I left there I was hoping to do some studies on nutrition and the immune response, but it was a very difficult thing to find people with the imagination to do that at that time and the funding. So I well and up joining a clinic in Putnam Connecticut connected with the Yoga Institute that was very much oriented towards vegetarianism, supplements and nutritional therapies. From there I just kept on learning and kept on building. I was part of us a small seminal group physicians throughout the Northeast who met and influence speakers several times a year. Discussing topics in this area and over period seventeen years got to learn a lot and meet a lot of people who also were key people in coming forth with new ideas and help put these things together. I must emphasize that although some of the information came from holistic medicine in from the periphery and from traditional techniques. A lot of it really was based on good hard science that news just being interpreted in highlighted in a different way than most to my colleagues highlighted that science.”

“What have you been noticing over the years?”

“I’ve been noticing over the years that the things that I’ve been excited about take 10 to 20 years before they catch on and then they catch on really big. For instance I would be getting up a meetings at scientific meetings and saying why don’t we put some vitamin E in vitamin C in into these immunodeficient mice that are being exposed to light or radiation in C with a dozen people would poo-poo me and try to shut me up. Well I went on with it like this for years and then the whole cosmetically industry started about ten or fifteen years ago using the kinds of things that I was talking about. I’ve been seeing so many the things that have been predicting coming into fruition that now I’m beginning to say it’s time for me to bring a few of the things that I’ve been thinking about that have been already been taken into account into fruition.”

Carpe Cold: Seize the Cold

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6a00e55255b4628834019101c0c9d9970c-200wiWhile 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

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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

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6a00e55255b4628834017eea952afa970d-200wiIn 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

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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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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

Acne Attack: Best Natural Acne Treatments

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6a00e55255b4628834019101c0cf71970c-200wiHaving an acne outbreak? Bacne bugging you? As a holistic dermatologist, I always
advocate for the simplest, natural solutions to a skin problem.
While acne can have many causes, which should be addressed systematically, here is a great natural solution for relief of pimple pain, redness, and soreness:

  • Put some hot water in a bowl
  • Add enough salt so the water is about as salty as tears
  • Soak the pimple with a clean washcloth for about five minutes, refreshing the cloth with water every so often
  • Repeat two to three times per day

The hot water draws the acne to the surface, opens the pores, dries the skin out, and keeps the pimple free of possible infection. Remember not to prod or poke the pimple, as this can aggravate is and introduce germs. Also, make it a habit to take note of anything different you did preceding your outbreak; did you
alter your diet?  the kind of soap you use? etc. As always, the natural approach is to examine the root cause of a disorder that arises.

To your health,

Dr. Dattner

Holistic Dermatology
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
treat or diagnose an illness; please see your physician for care.

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What is “Holistic Dermatology” or “Integrative Dermatology”?

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drdattner_headshot_hiresWhat 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

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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.

 

My Top 5 Tips for Great Digestion

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6a00e55255b462883401901bb9043d970b-200wiParents frequently tell their children, “Chew your food!  You don’t have teeth in your stomach!” In fact, we have lots of enzymes in the body that break food down like very tiny teeth. But enzymes can’t break down big particles of food.

One of the main underlying diseases in my holistic dermatology practice is allergy. Food allergy, in particular, is aggravated and sometimes caused by improper digestion. To keep digestion at its best, follow these top five tips that will help your complexion as well as your digestion:

  • When you eat, you are literally re-creating your body with each bite you consume, incorporating new molecules into your being. Eat your meals sitting at a dining table (not while reading, watching TV, or driving) Chew your food completely, enjoying each bite with each of your senses.
  • Boost your digestion by taking “bitters” before you eat, ginger tea, or enzymes after you eat.
    1. Avoid liquids one half hour before and one hour after meals, sipping water sparingly if you’re thirsty.  This is because liquids kill the “fire of digestion” in the stomach, diluting enzymes that break food into usable components.
  • Your mood matters almost as much as your food. Find a way to eat in a peaceful mood, avoiding eating when angry, sad, or fearful.
  • After a brief rest, take a walk after your meal. This helps the body keep the metabolism up.

To your health,

-Dr. Dattner

Holistic Dermatology
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 diagnose or treat illness; please see your physician for care.

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What’s Your Skin Have to Do with The Earth’s Surface?

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6a00e55255b4628834017eeab67088970d-200wiWe have an opportunity, to champion the health of the skin of the planet on which we live. The health of that layer affects all life on Earth, and subsequently the health of humans.

Many parallels can be drawn between the health of our environmental “skin” and the skin of the individual.  By drawing on these parallels, we can make it easier to have a clear overview of environmental issues that affect the health of the human body and the skin in particular.

For example, we can look at how a “chemical burn” to the Ozone layer of the earth results in more danger of a sunburn to various layers of the skin. Exploring the causes of the “chemical burn” and the different ways to prevent it, educating ourselves and the public, and engaging everyone in finding a win-win solution to the problem makes this into an exciting game.

The goal is to improve health and well-being by improving conditions in the surface of the earth in which we live.

To our health,

-Dr. Dattner

Holistic Dermatology
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 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.

Natural Anti-Cancer Treatment: Eat This Food!

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6a00e55255b462883401a3fcd5dbc9970b-200wiIf you’re looking for a way to balance out some of the negative effects of environmental toxins, a good way is to start eating more vegetables in the broccoli family.  This includes cabbage, cauliflower, collard greens, kale, arugula, and brussels sprouts among others.

Recent studies have demonstrated that broccoli’s chemical composition could help reduce the risk of cancer and, I believe, acne as well, because of the neutralizing effect these chemicals have on acne-triggering estrogen.

Broccoli is rich in vitamin C, carotenoids (vitamin A-like substances), fiber, calcium, and folate as well as phytochemicals that may have anti-cancer properties.
For example, broccoli contains several compounds called isothiocyanates, including sulforaphane and indole-3-carbinol (I3C), which are being explored for possible anti-cancer agents. Some studies have also suggested they
may alter body estrogen levels, which might affect breast cancer risk. Some studies have shown these substances may act as antioxidants and may boost the body’s detoxifying enzymes.

Another chemical in broccoli called indole-3-carbinol (I3C), seems to alter estrogen levels and may also raise levels of protective enzymes in the body. Lab studies have shown it may slow or stop the growth of breast, prostate, and other cancer cell lines.

Some early studies in animals have shown similar results. Small studies in humans have found it may prevent the development of precancerous growths in the cervix, as well as growths (papillomas) in the throat. While more, larger studies need to be done to confirm and expand our knowledge of the benefits, I recommend that people eat more broccoli and foods in the brassicaceae family for good health.

To your health,

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

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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.