Health Tip: Mind and Skin
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Posted by Jerry Lopper Dec 16, 2006 |
Just before a presentation I was to make at a major conference last year, I was dismayed to see a large, red, sore zit appear on my upper lip. I'm well past the age where I have to deal with zits; age spots are more my skin concern. So you can imagine how thrilled I was to imagine everyone in the room occupied more with my sore lip than my presentation.
Was there a connection between the forthcoming presentation and my new "headlight?" Ted A. Grossbart, PhD, a psychologist at Harvard Medical School in Boston, describes the connection between mind and skin in his book, Skin Deep: A Mind/Body Program for Healthy Skin. "
"All parts of the body react to our emotions, but the skin is ... the border between the inside and the outside, it's full of all the intrigue and byplay that accompanies being on the border," says Grossbart. Grossbart and others encourage people to use relaxation and stress reduction techniques, such as meditation, in addition to conventional medications to combat skin problems.
Derek H. Jones, MD, a dermatologist in private practice in Los Angeles and clinical assistant professor at the UCLA School of Medicine says, "It's well-known that when someone has psoriasis, stress tends to make the problem worse."
It appears that healthy skin is a reflection of a healthy, stress-free mind. All the more reason to regularly meditate, exercise, and eat healthy.
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Source: WebMD.com article