Unexplained Skin Rashes: Could It Come From the Digestive System?

We keep getting questions like this from former students, now running their own clinics, when they come across a case that resists the usual diagnosis. This one came from Michel, a student in Canada, about a patient with a skin problem that had already been through several dermatologists with no answer.

Michel's question

"David, how's everything over there. I wanted to tell you about a strange case that has me intrigued. She's getting rashes on her skin, very odd patches, even on her face. She's seen many dermatologists and nothing. Her tongue is cracked and there's dampness around the stomach area. Do you have any ideas to help me?"Michel, Canada

The skin is only the reflection

My first answer was clear: the skin is only a reflection of the problem, so it's best not to keep treating it directly and in vain. It most likely originates in the digestive system. There's a mismatch between nerve speed — which is why the tongue shows cracks — and the slowing down that produces dampness.

The gut microbiome has more than ten thousand bacterial families. There's more biodiversity in our intestines than on the entire planet, and much of the body's overall function depends on its balance. Every time we eat, some bacteria grow and others decline. If dampness appears, it's a sign that some families are being fed too much, and others not enough.

That's why it's worth reviewing the diet and cutting back on starches and sugar — starch, after all, breaks down into glucose. But above all, this comes down to speed, to nerves: you can't eat while anxious, because that keeps certain bacteria from properly absorbing what's theirs, and the flora falls out of balance.

The recommended treatment

I told Michel to focus, first of all, on breathing. Once the patient learns to slow her breathing down, she needs to apply that at mealtimes too. After eating, it's better not to stay seated, but to walk a little while digesting. Eat less at a time but more often — around five times a day —, avoid cold or raw foods, and bring turmeric, vinegar, blue cheese and garlic into the diet. If possible, prepare salt ferments, since she's missing anaerobic bacteria.

In short, she needs to learn to move in a harmonious way, without nervous, jittery movement — especially during meals and for the 45 minutes after. In Chinese Medicine terms, it's "wind" that's carrying the digestive and bacterial problem up to the skin. As for Natural Acupuncture, the indicated treatment is a digestive-system cleanse, using electrical stimulation and moxa.

I closed my answer to Michel like this: "Explain it to her properly, get her to follow it to the letter, keep her motivated, and let me know how it goes after five sessions."