by LaRee Westover & Sharon Moran
Butterfly Expressions, LLC
THE INTEGUMENTARY SYSTEM
SKIN, HAIR, NAILS, SWEAT GLANDS
Health of the hair, nails, and skin is an indication of the over-all health of the entire body. Low thyroid function is often the cause of hair loss.
A great deal of what we put on the skin is absorbed into the body!
DISEASES
Hair loss, acne, abscess, athlete’s foot, baldness, burns, corns, callouses, cysts, dandruff, nail problems, psoriasis, warts, wrinkles, skin cancer, fungal infections
SYMPTOMS
Symptoms vary according to what part of the system is affected. White spots on nails indicate a lack of minerals or poor assimilation of nutrients. Ridges going lengthwise in the nails can indicate anemia (or anemia in the past) or a lack of B vitamins, calcium, silica, sulfur, and/or protein. Brittle nails can be an indication of the lack of B vitamins, iron, or silica (consider the homeopathic remedy Silicea for these symptoms.)
STRESSORS
Chemicals, harsh detergents, rich greasy fried foods, sugar, stress, lack of sleep
VITAMINS / MINERALS / FOODS
Vitamin A is an effective treatment for most skin disorders. B-Complex, vitamin C, and vitamin E are also essential. The better the diet, the better the skin, hair, and nails will be.
HERBS / SUPPLEMENTS
SKIN: all diaphoretic herbs (sweat producing). Some of these are: blessed thistle, catnip, cayenne, chamomile, elder flowers, ginger, pleurisy root, and yarrow.
HAIR HEALTH: rosemary, calendula, stinging nettle, horsetail, parsley
BLOND HAIR RINSE: chamomile, yarrow, calendula, mullein flowers
BROWN HAIR RINSE: elderberries
DANDRUFF: rinse with one or more of the above herbs (using the essential oil form is nice - but it only takes a drop or two)
EMOTIONAL CONNECTIONS
The skin is an excellent indicator of internal emotions. We blush when embarrassed, turn bright red when angry, go white from fear, and get goose bumps with excitement. Skin disorders of all kinds also run the gamut of emotions. Either we are being affected by things outside ourselves or we are letting something “get under our skin”. Skin afflictions can even be a graphic means of keeping other people at a distance as we become too fragile to touch.
Very dry skin sometimes implies a withdrawal into our own inner space where we do not have to come to terms with our responsibilities and the demands of others.
Oily skin often implies an excess of strong emotions that we are trying to hold in because we have not yet achieved the maturity to express them appropriately.
When our skin is performing its job well and everything is going along nicely we pay very little attention to this much abused organ. When the skin becomes too dry or too oily, develops eczema or other rashes, or simply lacks luster is usually the time we start becoming concerned about it. By this time, however, the evidence of other internal imbalances has left its mark upon the skin. The time to start nurturing your skin is before it becomes inflamed and irritated.Likewise, when trying to "get to the root" of a skin condition, one must look to all the other systems and how they relate to the skin. Use your knowledge of these other systems to ascertain what might be imbalanced to create the cause of this skin eruption or outbreak. Is the liver too congested to filter appropriately? Is the colon too weak to absorb enough vitamin E or A? Simply treating the skin itself may clear the skin up temporarily, but it will not fix the underlying cause and the condition will more than likely reoccur.
Remember, too, that as you heal and balance the various other body systems, the skin will still require a certain length of time to physically heal itself. Simply cleansing the liver will not produce clear, radiant skin. The skin cells will need to replenish and heal.
Oils that have an affinity for the Integumentary System include:
LeAboutFace, LeAgeLess, LeBaby Me, LeBenediction, LeDeliverance, LeDelicate, LeEverlasting, LeMelaPlus, LeMillenia, LeNoMore, LePurify, LeSego Lily, LeSolitude, LeSpiceC, LeSunburst, LeVallee, bergamot, cajeput, carrot seed, cypress, geranium, grapefruit, helichrysum, jasmine, laurel, lavender, lemongrass, litsea cubeba, manuka, myrrh, niaouli, orange - sweet, patchouli, rosewood, rose, sage, sandalwood, tangerine, tea tree, thyme, yarrow
Herbs that have an affinity for the Integumentary System include:
AC, EZ, KNA, MIN, Miracle Salve, blessed thistle, calendula, catnip, cayenne, chamomile, elder flowers and berries, ginger, horsetail, mullein flowers, parsley, pleurisy root, rosemary, stinging nettle, yarrow
