Skin School with Dr. Frank Lipman - 5 Takeaways

Dr. Barbara Sturm’s skincare approach is inspired by her research into anti-inflammatory medicine and she is a passionate advocate for living a balanced, anti-inflammatory lifestyle for optimal health and beautiful skin. During a recent Skin School, Dr. Sturm was joined by Dr. Frank Lipman, a widely recognized leader in functional and integrative medicine, to discuss inflammation and how to improve the overall function of the body through a holistic and anti-inflammatory approach. Dr. Lipman’s philosophy is routed in identifying the source of illness and treating underlying disturbances through an approach that includes diet and lifestyle changes, supplements, exercise, stress management practices, sleep and more, as a means of preventing dysfunction and disease. Read on for five takeaways from their conversation.

1. Improve your immune system first

“When the oil light in your car goes on you don’t cover the oil light with a band aid,” said Dr. Lipman. Western medicine often addresses the symptoms rather than the cause of infection, disease, or inflammation, when a more holistic approach can show us “why the oil light is going on.” Finding the cause of the problem before prescribing drugs is important in not causing more inflammation in the body in the form of “side effects” from certain medications.

2. Sun exposure is not the enemy

As a skin doctor, Dr. Sturm is often faced with fear around sun exposure when in fact, a small amount of sun has multiple benefits; it boosts the immune system and our bones in getting the proper amount of Vitamin D, regulates sleep patterns and is vital for our mental health – which is heavily contingent on spending time in nature. “We cannot exclude ourselves from getting any sun just to avoid getting wrinkles,” added Dr. Sturm. Dr. Lipman agreed, stating that “the sun is necessary beyond just Vitamin D… we cannot remove ourselves from nature - we are natural beings.”

3. Light heavily affects our sleep rhythm

“A lack of sleep is usually a symptom of some other imbalance in the system,” said Dr. Lipman. The best thing you can do for your body’s rhythm is to get some light early in the morning and darkness at night – unfortunately artificial lights like HEV from digital screens throw off the body’s rhythm and melatonin secretion. Dr. Lipman cautioned that, “our body does not know the difference between natural light and artificial light…so you disrupt your body’s rhythms by being under too much artificial light at night.”

4. There is not a one size fits all diet

Understanding your genetic pathways is essential to creating a diet that’s healthy for you and your gut and to help determine which foods and supplements are ideal for you. For example, many people don’t break down histamine which is present in ‘healthy’ foods like avocado and tomatoes and which can then cause gut issues and create inflammation in the body. Dr. Sturm added that as a vegan eating raw fruits and vegetables, you may think you’re doing everything right, but raw food can cause acidity, which then causes inflammation. “You come back to the same problem as if you were eating fries and steak.”

5. Look after your gut’s microbiome

“With my patients I realized…when they were bloated their microbiome was off… and until they corrected that they were getting fatigue and inflammatory symptoms,” shared Dr. Lipman. He went on to recommend using herbal anti-microbial supplements to treat the gut microbiome and kill any bad bacteria, along with a digestive enzyme to help with gas and bloating and enable proper food absorption. “People normally experience more energy and radically improved digestion within 14 days,” he added.

Skin School with Dr. Frank Lipman
5 Takeaways

Skin School with Dr. Frank Lipman
5 Takeaways