Digestive Disorders that Cause Skin Problems

Dhyamis

Digestive Disorders that Cause Skin Problems

Today I want to talk about some different digestive disorders that cause skin problems. I don't know about you, but when I see a warning light on the dash of my car, I would rather ignore it and hope for the best. It's no fun to take the car to the mechanic and find out I have to get a new $1,000 transmission! But, I know deep down if I ignore the warning, worse things will happen. Our bodies are full of warning lights as well. They are designed to communicate directly with us when something is wrong. One of those warning lights is the largest organ in our body, our skin. 

Our skin is something we notice every day right away when we get up, take a shower, and look in the mirror to get ready. Think about the time, energy, and money we spend to make our skin look beautiful. We pamper and baby our skin; we try all kinds of different products, and we agonize over how to get the perfect skin. Sometimes our skin is begging us to listen to the story our body is telling. There are many skin conditions, and they all, like the warning light on our car, point to underlying digestive problems.

I want to share some digestive disorders that cause skin problems and discuss the relationship between gut health and skin health.

How Do Digestive Disorders Cause Skin Problems?

First, what is the connection between our skin and our digestive system? It is a connection called the gut-skin axis. The gut–skin axis is a bidirectional pathway between the gut and our skin. Our skin produces an oily, waxy substance called sebum. Sebum moisturizes, coats, and protects us from various skin conditions like dermatitis herpetiformis, acne vulgaris, and other skin disorders. Our gut microbes are responsible for sending signals to our skin to prevent chronic inflammation and make sure our skin has the proper amount of sebum. If our GI tract is compromised or we suffer from digestive problems, it will directly impact our skin. At first, a low production of sebum will cause dry skin, but eventually manifest into a full-blown disorder.

Once you start learning about the gut, you will quickly find out just how often digestive diseases turn out to be the underlying cause of many skin issues, autoimmune conditions, and health problems. Interested in learning more about how to repair gastrointestinal disorders and other autoimmune disorders? Watch my FREE webinar on the gut!

Here are 5 Digestive disorders that cause skin problems we will cover

1. Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
2. Celiac Disease
3. Crohn's Disease
4. Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO)
5. Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori)

1. Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a digestive condition that affects the intestinal tract through an inflammatory progression. People who have IBD often experience symptoms in multiple other organ systems, including their skin. These added symptoms are referred to as extraintestinal manifestations. They can be even more debilitating than the intestinal inflammation itself. IBD is known to cause pyoderma gangrenosum, but the most common skin condition experienced by those suffering from IBD is Erythema Nodosum. This condition results in tender, red-colored lumps that usually occur on the shins. The lumps sometimes look like bruises. These lumps are often accompanied by flu-like symptoms such as aching and fever. Erythema Nodosum is your immune system's way of responding to bowel bacteria.

In the short term, most people seek to ease the symptoms of Erythema Nodosum by elevating their legs and taking anti-inflammatory drugs or topical corticosteroids. But for long-term treatment options, the best way is to make lifestyle changes, often related to diet and unhealthy eating, test for food intolerance, and address environmental factors that contribute to the root of your IBD. We don't want to just treat symptoms. We want to eradicate the disease entirely.

If you do need temporary relief, I put together a protocol that addresses the nutrient deficiencies causing your skin rash, while also safely bringing ease to the symptoms. Use the link below to get my 15% off discount.

Bottom line: If you have a skin disorder, you need to get testing to determine if gut dysfunction is the underlying issue.

2. Celiac Disease

Celiac disease is one of the most common and under-diagnosed conditions in our world today. Unfortunately, it gets lumped in with a fad-diet mentality of reducing gluten and helping with weight loss. The reality is lots of people suffer from gluten intolerance or other food allergies like it. If you are wondering if that's you, your skin might be trying to give you a hint.

Celiac disease comes from an immune response our body has to particular enzymes and proteins found in gluten. For those with this diagnosis, unless they abstain entirely from gluten (not just in their food intake but in face creams, makeup, hair products, and other topical products), they will inevitably cause damage to the tissue in their small intestine. 

One of the ways your body will warn you of Celiac disease is through a skin condition called Dermatitis Herpetiformis (Dermatitis). Dermatitis manifests as small, clustered papules and vesicles that occur on the scalp, back, knees, and elbows. These skin lesions are often preceded by a burning sensation and then manifest as a rash that looks like chickenpox all clustered together.

Celiac disease can also cause a host of other skin-related issues such as oral lesions, alopecia, and vitiligo. People with celiac disease usually have weakened or damaged niacin absorption in their diet. This comes as a result of swollen intestinal lining that is common with celiac. Niacin deficiency is an underlying cause of pellagra, which is the condition that directly causes dermatitis.

Bottom line: Please don't mess around with celiac disease. If you have it, you need to eat a completely gluten-free diet and remove all topical products with gluten from your home. Leaving celiac disease unaddressed can put you at greater risk for pancreatic disease such as cancer and other gastrointestinal diseases.

Okay, let's pause and do what I like to call a "gut check." We have been talking a lot about different digestive disorders. These are all results of severe gut dysfunction. But what is the gut exactly? Whenever I mention the gut, I am referring to the entire process by which food enters the body, gets processed, nutrients absorbed, toxins flushed out, from consumption to excretion. Several parts of the body work together to process food; the mouth, throat, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, rectum, and anus. The various disorders that manifest in symptoms in the skin stem from some breakdown of one or more of those bodily processes. When we have underlying gastrointestinal problems, it will show up in all sorts of places in our bodies. I put together a 30-minute webinar on leaky gut and how things can go wrong. Check it out below.

3. Crohn's Disease

Crohn's disease is a type of inflammatory bowel disease that is due to persistent inflammatory response in the gastrointestinal tract. Some common examples of Crohn's symptoms are diarrhea, fever, fatigue, abdominal pain, and cramping. But Crohn's disease will also manifest through the skin, eyes, and joint inflammation.

The Crohn's & Colitis Foundation (CCF) has demonstrated that approximately 20 percent of those with Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis (two branches of inflammatory bowel disease) are affected by skin disorders that accompany their digestive disorder. Crohn's disease weakens the immune system, opening the skin (again, a major organ in our body) to infections. 

One of the skin conditions associated with Crohn's disease is psoriasis. Psoriasis is a disease considered immune-mediated, which means that its cause is unclear but invariably tied to inflammation due to immune system dysfunction. This inflammation manifests as raised scales or plaques on the skin's surface.

Psoriasis occurs because of sped-up skin cell growth due to an overactive immune system. When we are healthy, our skin cells grow and then fall off within about one month. This process is rapidly sped up with psoriasis, occurring in only a few days. Instead of shedding, the cells pile up on the skin's surface. These plaques or scales are often itchy, sting, and cause a burning sensation. They are usually found on the scalp, elbows, and knees.

How is the gut involved? Again, the gut and immune system are directly connected. Psoriasis has been linked with Gut dysbiosis. Gut dysbiosis is a loss of valuable microbial input and thickening of pathogenic microbes (disease-causing organisms). It can cause pro-inflammatory response and immune dysregulation in the digestive tract.

Bottom line: If you have a rash of any kind, it's your body's way of signaling to you that something else is going on. You should get tested right away to see if you have a deeper issue going on.

4. Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO)

SIBO occurs when bacteria in the small intestine multiply at a rate beyond what is expected, and due to this increased metabolic activity in the small intestine, causes an inflammatory reaction leading to bloating, diarrhea, gas, and abdominal cramps. The small intestine's job is to absorb nutrients from food into the body. When you have SIBO, the extra bacteria present will feed on those nutrients instead. This leads to malabsorption and the breakdown of the mucosal barrier in your gut lining. This causes inflammation and an immune response. This is where those symptoms come from. SIBO is also directly connected to irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), another pervasive digestive disorder, and gastroesophageal reflux disease.

One common skin disease associated with SIBO is Rosacea (pronounced "roh-ZAY-sha"). Rosacea is a chronic skin disorder that begins as a mild flushing of the cheeks, nose or chin, and eventually develops into inflamed bumps, pimples, and watery or bloodshot eyes. Men often experience a swollen nose as a result of excessive tissue. Women are at higher risk for Rosacea, but men who develop it often experience more severe symptomology.

There isn't a one-to-one connection between SIBO and Rosacea; however, researchers are beginning to identify the connection of redness in the face to an inflammatory reaction due to neurovascular dysregulation in the immune system. One study showed that SIBO is incredibly prevalent among those suffering from Rosacea. When the SIBO was addressed, it greatly reduced the symptoms of Rosacea. It isn't clear yet why this is the case, but it does show once again how connected our gut is to our skin.

Bottom line: If you have skin problems but boast about your iron-clad stomach and how you can eat whatever you want without any symptoms, think again. Your body's largest organ is trying to tell you something.

5. Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori)

H. pylori are responsible for the most common bacterial infections in the general population. They are particular bacteria in the stomach that release several enzymes and microbial products that cause damage to the lining of the stomach. Our immune system responds to this with an elaborate inflammatory reaction to rid the body of the h. pylori bacteria. Because of this response, our stomach lining gets damaged. The diseases commonly associated with h. pylori are chronic gastritis, peptic ulcers, stomach cancers, and certain types of lymphomas.

But, that is not all. There are a host of skin conditions associated with h. pylori. These include CU, Rosacea, psoriasis, Henoch-Schönlein purpura, Sjögren syndrome, systemic sclerosis, generalized pruritus (itch), atopic dermatitis, and aphthous ulceration. H. Pylori causes an increase of permeability in the lining of the stomach. As a result, the body is exposed to allergens in the GI tract. The immune response our body has to the h. pylori produces antibodies that stimulate histamines in the skin, leading to rashes and skin problems.

About two-thirds of the world's population has h. pylori in their bodies. For years, doctors thought that stomach ulcers resulted from stress, spicy foods, smoking, or other lifestyle habits. Those don't help, but it's not the main reason for the ulcers. H. pylori is the culprit. H. pylori can be found in food, water, and utensils. While it is much more common in poorer countries that lack good sanitization processes, it isn't limited to those places. My family picked it up a few years ago at a public pool. It was terrible. We passed it to each other, and it wreaked havoc on our bodies until we eradicated it.

Bottom line: The only way to determine if you have h. pylori is through lab testing. It can live in your system for years before you figure it out. Don't wait. Book a FREE 20-minute call with me, and I will tell you about the type of labs I run to help determine if you have any unhealthy bacteria like h. pylori in your digestive tract.

Phew, that was a lot of information. I hope you learned a few things about the connection between your gut and your skin. I hope you are learning that our body is one giant interconnected system. We can't ignore one little part and think it doesn't affect another. It is tempting to treat various skin problems with topical ointment or medication, but that doesn't address the root cause of what is going on. We have to understand through objective labs whether you have any gastrointestinal diseases.

My whole approach to healing is holistic. We want to pay attention to the warning lights our body gives us and look under the hood to see how we got there. Spot-treatment won't last. We have to address the whole self to find true, lasting healing. If we ignore these skin conditions that have substantial risk factors for other underlying diseases, we place ourselves in future danger. Remember, gut health = skin health.

I am just a phone call away if you ever want to chat. No pressure. No hard pitch. If I can help you take your next step, I am here to do that.

Talk soon,