Gut Health

Gut – Skin Axis & Role of Microbiome in Skin & Body Wellness

Gut Health is essential for beautiful skin and all aspects of wellness. Improving  the diversity of the gut microbiome has positive impacts on health and well-being by:

• decreasing inflammation
• improving the availability of nutrients to support mitochondrial function
• aiding detoxification
• enhancing the synthesis of neurotransmitters
• improves energy
• improves skin microbiome

We offer a whole approach to skin health, anti-aging and weight control with Gut-Healing Protocols. We have naturopath-supervised protocols designed to fix leaky gut. The GEMM protocol target inflammatory skin conditions such as eczema, acne & rosacea and wellness.

Gut microbiome and inflammatory skin conditions.

The science is precise: gut health and our microbiome diversity are central to wellness and skin health. Though less defined and understood,  knowledge of the skin microbiome is emerging, and the vital role of dysbiosis (imbalance of a microbe species) in inflammatory skin conditions, including acne, rosacea, psoriasis, eczema and aging.

Your gut and protection against aging.

An intact gut barrier and balanced microbiome protect against inflammation, which underlies several unhealthy aging aspects. For example, chronic inflammation contributes to weight gain, wrinkles, metabolic diseases (diabetes, cardiovascular disease), dementia, and even cancers. In addition to the anti-aging and preventing metabolic disorders,  an intact gut and skin barrier is vital for optimal innate and acquired immune system function.

Eat to feed your gut microbes – and they look after you.

Our gut microbes’ role in producing essential substrates for us to live a more energised life. They have a whole variety of functions. In addition to decreasing inflammation and assisting immune function, they also provide energy for our mitochondria, the energy centre of our cells. To do their job, we must feed them the right foods. Unfortunately, our modern western diet is high in processed foods, high in sugar and harmful additives, but low in essential fibre and nutrients required to maintain our microbes’ health and diversity, our body and skin!

The right food maintains a healthy gut barrier.

When we do not feed our gut bacteria, they consume our gut’s healthy mucous lining. Low nutrient or unhealthy choices also increase harmful gram-negative bacteria to thrive, producing toxic pro-inflammatory substances. Food choices also significantly impact our gut-tight junctions, allowing toxic products and bacteria to enter our system and create chronic inflammation. Have you heard of a leaky gut?

Through our nutritional choices, we make determine our skin health. So, healthy decisions are central to wellness and disease prevention and determine our skin’s health and beauty.

So what foods do our gut microbiome require?

• Plant polyphenols & sulforaphane
• Plant fibre (soluble fibre and resistant starch)
• Healthy Oils – Omega 6: omega 3 in ratio 3:1

What foods help in maintaining healthy gut lining?

• Plant polyphenols & sulforaphane
• Plant fibre (soluble fibre and resistant starch)
• Healthy Oils – Omega 6: omega 3 in ratio 3:1
• Collagen peptides or amino acids.

What do other functional foods/nutrients help in cell, body, mind, and skin health?

• Adaptogens
• Plant-based medicines

What impacts negatively on gut health and microbiome?

1. Stress & Poor sleep

There is an understanding of the impact of stress and poor sleep on gut health, immune function, and body and skin health: mindfulness, meditation and breathwork to reduce not only anxiety and depression but also systemic inflammation and wellness.

2. Toxic foods such as sugar or food can be converted easily to sugar, such as white bread, rice and low-nutrient value carbohydrates.

Sugar is inflammatory in the gut and systemically. It contributes to poor tight junction function (contributing to leaky gut), contributes to the overgrowth of less desirable microbiota in the gut and sets in excess, causing damaging upstream cell and metabolic health damage. In addition, it contributes to increased wrinkles and aging skin changes.

3. Processed foods and food additives, trans fats, excess saturated fats.

All of these groups contribute in some way to poor gut health. Processed food and additives contribute to leaky gut, toxic byproducts, and being nutritionally devoid harms the gut lining, microbiome, and our well-being. Trans fats are poisonous and should never be consumed. Excess saturated fat (have in moderation and select grass-fed and organic,  humanely treated) can contribute to inflammation through toxic byproducts and disrupt the balance of fats in the body.

4. Lack of soluble fibre and nutrients in food

Diets that lack soluble fibre are simply starving our gut microbiome.

5. Environmental toxins, environmental scents, chemical sprays, pollution, heavy metals and petrol fumes negatively impact the gut and skin barrier, immune function and disease.

Our modern world has become toxic. Overwhelmed with pollutants and chemicals, we need well-functioning phase 2 & phase 3 liver detoxification to eliminate harmful environmental products and a shield from potential damage. These impact inflammation, skin health, and immune function and threaten our genetic material. Products such as sulforaphane and Cell logic DefenCell protect several mechanisms. This is a clinician-only product.

Plant-based foods for gut health

There is an increased understanding of plants’ role in health, wellness and beauty—the importance of feeding and looking after our resident microbes as they protect and help us.

• Polyphenols are a superfamily of phytochemicals with a prebiotic effect of feeding healthy bacteria; in turn, byproducts are absorbed and benefit our body and skin. (polyphenols are prebiotics essential to providing nutrition for our gut bacteria.)
• Prebiotic fibre in plant foods is central to providing nutrition to gut bacteria, creating a cascade upstream of wellness and protective benefits.
• Probiotics and fermented foods.
• Plant-based antioxidant, anti-inflammatory wellness supplements and skincare
• The role of adaptogens in health, wellness and immunity, Schisandra, mushrooms and Pearls being the primary beauty adaptogens. Science of several mushrooms’ ability to promote neurogenesis and decrease stress.
• Re-acceptance of traditional plant-based medicine, cannabidiol used for mental and physical health and treatment of skin conditions.

Meditation & Mindfulness & Gut Health

The role of exercise, good sleep and practices like yoga and meditation in reducing stress all impact gut health, skin health, and disease prevention on our experience of satisfaction and peacefulness.

Integrative  Cosmetic Medicine Team

Our therapist and Naturopath, Courtney White, are trained in gut health and its relation to skin health, wellness and disease prevention. We prescribe supplements that have proven nutrigenomic, gut health and health and skin health, weight loss and anti-aging benefits. We also have a selection of naturopaths we work with, specialising in gut health, inflammatory skin conditions & immune and metabolic disorders and hormone health. As well as referring to plastic surgeons, dermatologists or working with your GP.