What is Holistic Dermatology, Really?

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What is Holistic Dermatology, Really? Healthy Frontiers

Interviewer:   It’s great. So what is a Holistic Dermatologist? Now we can go on forever…

Dr. Dattner:   Okay, there are a couple of things that are involved in Holistic Dermatology. One, is I am a dermatologist, so I understand the methods that are available and what the positives and negatives are.  I understand the biology and physiology of the skin, so I bring that to the table and at the same time I have other methods to use to get back to the etiology, to the root cause of the problem that’s going on. And the root cause is usually an environmental exposure, whether it’s something topical in which my colleagues are very good at diagnosing when if it’s a context sensitivity. But, the biggest source of foreign material entering the body is through the mouth, so the digestive tract is what I spend a lot of time correcting. Microbial, the digestion, leaky gut all of those things are things that I address in my practice. The other thing is that Holistic Dermatology covers a wide variety of inputs, so some people have an emotional issue which leads to an eating issue which leads to gut issue which leads to a skin issue. So when it becomes obvious that there is a particular area that needs treatment, I address that area.

Interviewer:   Right!

Dr. Dattner:   The other thing is that it’s very eclectic, so I use a number of different techniques that are not in conventional medicine. Those include herbology, those include some chiropractic techniques, some kinesiology to give me further information that corresponds with what I have learned from history and physical as well and helps me better select among the things that intellectually should make sense for say treating, but digestive issues I can refine that.

Interviewer:   That’s great; so why did you choose to practice that way?

Dr. Dattner:   Well, you know I got to the tip of the tip in terms of practice of dermatology and I saw what was known and what wasn’t known. The tip of the tip this was the National Institute of Health, building ten, where we flew patients in who we wanted to study from all over the country.

Interviewer:   Yes

Dr. Dattner:   And we had patients there who had rare disorders that were being treated with Vitamin C, but there was not an understanding of the lure around Vitamin C and bioflavonoids.

Interviewer:   Right

Dr. Dattner:   And I realize I had to go outside of current conventional medicine to bring in the totality of knowledge that was available and so it was very exciting when I found out that all this was available through the….what was called the alternative world then. But interestingly in this particular case with the Vitamin C, the work on bioflavonoids had been done in the 50’s by a Nobel Prize winner. So it had just left medicine for a while.

Interviewer:   Right, forgotten.

Dr. Dattner:   Wasn’t that it was never in it.

Interviewer:   Right, okay should have it was always there.

Dr. Dattner:   Yeah!

Interviewer:   Good!

Herbal Medicine Wins a Nobel Prize This Year

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nobelExciting news: half of the recent Nobel Prize in Medicine has been awarded for a treatment for Malaria derived from an herb, used as a traditional Chinese medicine known as Artemisia Annua.

Although the artimesinin derived from this herb has been somewhat purified from the original source, it is very gratifying to see that the greatest honor of the year goes to an Herbalist/Chinese medicine practitioner and scientist.

This award puts an important spotlight on the value of traditional herbal medicine as a healing force on our planet, on a par with the development of a drug treatment for parasitic diseases for which the other half of Nobel Prize was awarded.

The world is waking up to vital importance of traditional and herbal medicine as a crucial pillar of our health care.  Hopefully our government and insurance industry will also awaken to the value of this balance.

To your health,

Dr. Alan M Dattner, MD

Holistic Dermatology & Integrative Medicine

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.”