July 27, 2004 |
Aging Beautifully Beyond Moisturizer and Sunscreen Proper female hormonal support is essential throughout life for healthy, moist, and resilient skin, particularly through the action of estrogen on all of our tissues. Estrogen is responsible for the deposition of fat under the skin, giving rise to the soft and fine-textured skin that many women enjoy during their younger years. Estrogen also causes fluid and salt retention in the tissues, which additionally helps to plump up and fill out your skin. During your reproductive years, your body produces enough estrogen to properly support the structure of your skin, but you lose much of this support as you go through menopause, when estrogen levels drop significantly. After menopause, your skin tends to gradually become thin and dry, and the underlying muscle and fat tissues that help to give skin its support begin to shrink. As a result, wrinkles and creases begin to become apparent and pronounced. While I do not advocate the use of conventional HRT as a first line of treatment for menopause, I do suggest using safe, natural, alternative therapies such as natural estrogen (12 mg per day) and soy isoflavones (50100 mg per day), both of which have pronounced estrogen-like effects on our tissues, but at much lower potencies. The Yin of Skin The benefits of these natural estrogens can be further amplified when used in combination with nutritional supplements which, like estrogen, also have hydrating effects on the skin. The moisturizing properties of many different healing substances have been recognized in the Asian medical model of yin and yang for thousands of years. Yin refers to the fluids and tissues of the body, as well as its structure, including the flesh, tendons, and bones. Using the Asian model, women are thought to become yin deficient when they reach menopause and their tissues become drier and hotter. Traditional Asian medicine uses healing substances to restore or rebuild the yin, such as royal jelly the food of the queen bee. I recommend using 1/4 teaspoon of the liquid form of royal jelly twice a day. Royal jelly can be purchased at most health food stores or ordered from Glory Bee at 800-456-7923 or www.glorybee.com. Aloe veraa simple, succulent house plantalso nurtures the yin with its ability to soothe, heal, and moisturize skin. In fact, there is a large body of research that documents the use of aloe for a variety of dermatologic conditions, including rashes, acne scars, dermatitis, psoriasis, and wound healing. I recommend drinking 2 to 4 ounces of aloe vera juice per day, either mixed with water or juice or blended in a smoothie. I am partial to Aloe Life’s whole leaf aloe juice concentrate (800-414-ALOE or www.aloelife.com). In some cases, aloe vera can cause diarrhea. If this happens to you, reduce your intake until you can tolerate it comfortably.
Read More on Aging Beautifully: Getting Started Beautiful Skin: At What Price? Beyond Moisturizer and Sunscreen Keep it SIMPLE Beauty TipBanishing Wrinkles Nutritional Therapies EFAs = Extremely Flawless Appearances Complementary Therapies
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