How long for a skin condition to clear up?

[keygod]

I'm experimenting with milk thistle extract in hopes of improving my skin condition through strengthening and healing my liver function, what is a reasonable time period to expect results, if any?

[Admin]

Hi Key God,
  Great Question.  Assuming that your "skin condition" is eczema, acne, psoriasis, chronic dermatitis, or some variation there of, being able to predict how your body is going to change and the rate at which it will heal has too many factors to give you an exact time frame.  I can give you a list of these factors, however, and tell you that I have seen severe eczema and acne both clear up very quickly.  Could be one week, could be three months.  If you do one thing right and 10 things wrong, it might not ever clear up.  

Some basics for skin health:

• Make sure your bowels are moving at least once a day, if not two or three times.
• Chew your food well and eat small meals.
• Avoid stress if possible.
• Get lots of sleep (9 hours per night with out a harsh wake up)

Things to add in for healthy skin:

• Milk Thistle
• Omega 3 Oils (Flax or Fish.  Avoid Omega 6 and 9 blends)
• Vitamen E
• 8 to 10 glasses of water per day
• And of course a healthy diet.  You can base yours off of the article I posted: Diet For A Healthy Liver

Things to avoid for healthy skin:

• Sugar
• Coffee
• Fatty and Deep Fried Foods
• Processed and packaged foods
• Dairy Foods
• ALL FAST FOODS and SODA
• All personal allergens.  If you don't know, assume wheat, peanuts, night shades (tomato's, egg plant, tobacco, spinach).
• Looking in the Mirror on an hourly basis judging your progress

As a final note, if you have been partaking in the "avoid" list and you all of a sudden cut them all out and only  partake in the "healthy" list, your body might appear to not respond well if my past experience in clinic is any indication.  I have seen these types of drastic changes spin people into a "healing crisis" (which is where all symptoms you are trying to clear up get worse just before getting better.  often times nausea, and flu like symptoms accompany the "crisis").  I would personally try and add in the "yes" list first.  Then, slowly start taking out the avoid list starting with fast food and soda.  Then, deep fried foods, and then it is your choice.  The more that you can incorporate these changes into your lifestyle the faster your skin condition will most likely clear up.  If you should choose to only "experiment" with Milk Thistle, make sure that you move your bowels at least once per day if not twice, and drink at least 8 glasses of water per day.  Best of luck and let me know if I can help in any other way.  -Mark

[keygod]

Your right, I am dealing with chronic dermatitis or eczema and I'm currently on a natural health crusade to deal with these problems. I've dealt with all the creams and ointments and personally I'm just tired of those quick but neverlasting  results. I'm hoping I can eliminate or at least control these conditions from the inside. I have done a series of colonics and have changed my diet to include steamed veggies and fish(Fresh Tuna, Salmon....), I'm also juicing. I've been on this crusade for about 3 months, which is a short time to reverse a lifetime of ailment and in fact with all this change it does seem as though my condition is getting worse(healing crisis), but I'm going to keep up this regimen for the duration. I really feel good about the milk thistle and have read many good things about it, and even if it can't help me, it won't hurt me. Thanks for your insight, Be Well!

[Admin]

If it was me, like you, I would also continue with the Milk Thistle.  As a fact that may or may not be posted on this website, this company was originally founded as a result of a formula that I made for my wife's eczema.  

She had 90% of her body covered in the worst case I have ever seen (like a roller coaster for five years, some time bad, some times much worst).  When she looked to either side, her skin on her neck cracked.  Of course it was the same for extending her arms and legs.  Her torso also had very severe eczema and if she twisted too much the same problem would result.  The worst part was watching how all consuming the itch was for her.  She had done the "creams" and they always made the skin condition go away very temporarily, which would then make her asthma flair up.  Then, when the asthma would get better, the skin would come worse again.  This type of bouncing back and forth is seen very often and is explained in detail in Chinese Medical theory and is the reason why Oriental Medicine views traditional western skin creams as a very temporary patch that could make the condition worse in the long run.  

Anyways, I digress.  Her skin was clearing up due to a 5 year long crusade (to use your words), but we really needed to help the liver get rid of the remaining toxins in her body (which were aggravating the skin condition).  I put together what is currently our main product and produced one gallon.  It made a huge difference for her (and was an integral part of her lifestyle change, dietary change, and Chinese herbal cleanse).  

As it was spring time (the best time for cleansing the liver, when most people's liver related conditions express out a little more intensely), we made some of the Milk Thistle available to the clients in our clinic that we thought could use a little liver support.  They all loved it, decided that Milk Thistle was right for them, and then went to the local health food store and purchased the next round for themselves (I had no more extract as I had only made a small amount, and I had no plans to make any until the following spring).  Funny as it was, they all ended up taking the product that they purchased at the store and returned it all independently of each other, and then each came back to our clinic, one by one, demanding that I make more.  

And so, here we are today.  Carrie's skin is clear (again, Diet, Lifestyle, Milk Thistle, and Chinese Herbs), and we're still selling Milk Thistle.  I don't know if the story is inspirational or long and boaring, but thought you might like to here it.  -Mark

[keygod]

That story is very inspirational, it reinforces the fact that you can rid your body of disease through natural means. I am noticing some changes in my skin, I'm in new york and were coming out of winter, a terrible time for skin problems, so I'm not sure if the changes are due to the weather change. I too suffer with asthma, so I guess allergies are at the hub of the problem. Question? what is it about your milk thistle blend that has such a positive effect on the skin, and what are the chinese herbs that she takes and where can you find them?

[Admin]

I too suffer with asthma,

Isn't Chinese medical theory amazing?  You almost never here that connection in western medicine.  Chinese medicine considers the skin to be the third lung.

so I guess allergies are at the hub of the problem.

It is hard to know if "allergies" are the problem or a branch of the problem.  The real question is what is causing the allergies and unfortunately I believe that you have to get rid of the allergens (especially dietary) before you can get a firm grasp on it.  When Carrie tested for her allergens, she was allergic to 150 of 160 western foods according to the Naturopath.  We went on a rotational diet of non-allergens where no foods were repeated ever within a 5 day period (we were on Maui and had access to great Asian vegetables so it was fairly easy).  It definitely helped.  

Question? what is it about your milk thistle blend that has such a positive effect on the skin, and what are the Chinese herbs that she takes and where can you find them?

In Chinese medicine, the Liver is the main organ dealing with allergens in the body.  When it is happy, the body is happy.  It is the warrior archtype and when not healthy it can act like yours is acting, fighting almost every possible allergen that your body meets, either at the skin level or in your lungs.  The Milk Thistle helps calm the liver down energetically.  The red clover, and milk thistle are both anti-inflammatory.  They, in combination with the dandelion root, help reduce swelling while increasing the body's ability to remove toxins more quickly.  How this in turn effects the skin is a more complicated issue that is simple to see in Chinese medical theory but would take me too long to post tonight.  In a brief summary, the lungs are considered the metal element, the liver is considered the wood element.  When the wood gets out of control usually the metal element is used to controll the wood, like an ax chops a tree.  When someone gets angry we say, "sit down, take a few breaths" In many cases, the liver gets so out of controll that the wood element actually goes backwards in the controlling cycle and attacks the metal element.  That is usually the case with eczema.  

The problem is that there are a couple types of eczema (and everybody has a different body pattern).  Milk Thistle can help in both of the main types of eczema, but Chinese herbs need to be very specific.  One type of eczema is red, hot, itchy type that is flaky, dry and yet has some fluid that is excreted once in a while.  The other type is more cool, not itchy, pail, dry and flaky with no fluid.  

So, back to finding Chinese herbs:
Unfortunately, finding Chinese herbs requires finding a good herbalist.  There are 350 herbs in a small pharmacy, and an infinite number of combinations of herbs making a formula.  If you are in NY, your best bet is to head into China town and ask around, or to contact the local acupuncture schools and ask for a referell.  

Be always watching when you are with the herbalist.  If they say, "skin disease, very difficult" but still have herbs for you, don't wast your time.  If they say, "no problem, six weeks (or something like that)" then you can have more faith in the herbs.  We had 5-6 herbalists say, "very difficult" and never got results, even though the formulas seemed textbook perfect and the herbalists were all well known professors.  We had one herbalist say "no problem" and the skin condition changed and then cleared up, even with our skeptical minds not believing due to past experience.  The herbalist that we love is in Oakland, CA, but that is the other side of the country from you.  

We are in Boulder, CO and have a local practice, but as of now don't treat patients via the internet as we need to see the people that we are writing herbal formulas for directly.  We are, however, setting up a video ichat / AIM system and putting together a consulting program via the net in a couple of weeks which will allow us to see clients from the other side of the country.  To do this, we will be requiring all participants to have a video conferencing solution via ichat (.mac) or AIM (a free solution given that the computer has the right equipment).   I'll have more details publically in a couple of weeks, but if you want information now, just send me an email or message via the chat board.