According to Chinese Medicine, wrinkles can be viewed as stages of depletion reflecting onto the skin.
In Chinese Medicine, the skin is an outer reflection of our inner health. Our skin is said to be supported and nourished by two major organs, our Spleen (also Pancreas) and our Lungs. The Spleen responsible for the building of Qi (Vital Life Force) and Blood through the incorporation of food nutrient and the Lungs for its ability to disseminate that blood into the layers of the skin (up and out).
Understanding how the skin is nourished allows us to know how best to support the body’s natural way of keeping our skin healthy looking.
No matter if the wrinkles exist due to dehydration, muscle tension, nutritional factors causing sluggish metabolic rate or excess waste production, the 3 main goals to prevent the aging process or reduce aging skin is to:
- Replenish blood and catalyze it into circulation
- Target the face
- Nourish the Yin (heavy, cooling, nutrient dense elements) of the body
All Acupuncturists or Oriental Medical Physicians will resoundingly tell you that beauty must always begin from the inside in order to be reflected onto the face (skin). So what you put into your body by way of thought, food, drink, and breath will affect your skin – and it starts with your ability to produce “Qi”. And not just “qi”, but we call it “Big Qi”, or more specific “Big Qi of the Chest” which gives us our vital energy that is processed by our Lungs and manufactured by our body’s metabolic potential.
THE INTERNAL WORK
Excellent fats, antioxidants, and enzymes from fruits, proteins from meats or nuts or legumes – all of these food items can contribute to an excellent “Qi build”. Sticking to nutrient dense foods, rather than empty caloric foods, which build nutrient levels in the blood stream for the body to use. Food also contains high percentages of simple water, which assists in further hydration of the cells.
Water, which will literally cleanse every cell membrane within your entire system if you can commit to hydrating on a daily basis, is necessary for flushing acids and toxins and other by-products out of the system – allowing the cells to be clear and receptive. Better hydration also regulates oil secretion glands, which enables a proper skin ph balance.
Skin requires a constant supply of water and oxygen to maintain it. Diaphragmatic Breathing not only increases oxygenation to the system, but with every inhale it pulls the very powerful diaphragm muscle up off of your Liver (allowing the Liver to fill with new blood for detox) and with exhalation it presses the diaphragm muscle back down squeezing freshly detoxed blood out of the Liver to enter into circulation. Utilizing the diaphragm muscle also decreases the muscle strain in the neck (Scalene muscles) which typically take on the burden of shallow breathing and can cause extreme neck tension which then reduces circulation to the face – causing a sallow complexion, finer wrinkle lines due to dehydration and lack in blood flow (enter oxygen, removal of waste).
THE EXTERNAL WORK
INTERVENTIONS: I am always going to say, “go do acupuncture” – for almost every health goal a person wants to achieve. This one is no exception. Acupuncture facilitations communication within the body. In other words, our bodies function at highest potential when the lines of communication are open – they are closed because we close them in our chronic stress-reactive states of being – Acupuncture opens those lines of communication back up. When the volume of communication is turned back up, many things begin to happen, the brain begins to send the messages to the organs to release the constituents (such as an enzyme) that are responsible for catalyzing production of other vital constituents such as hormones, other enzymes, regulators etc. – the things that are required for proper function.
HABITS: Stick to the all-natural items you can find on the shelf or internet. Do your research on the brands that are making these products, who does their manufacturing, what ingredients are being used, how are they sourced? The Alchemist Collection makes an all-natural topical line and soon to be dietary supplement line. Our ingredients are responsibly sourced, fairly traded, cruelty-free, scientifically vetted to ensure proper identification and safety, our formulas have been designed to work, as they have been for hundreds and sometimes thousands of years. We make an excellent facial product known as the “Facial Rejuvenation” – it comes in a serum base (for all skin types).
Our Facial Rejuvenation formula is designed to replenish blood flow to the face and encourage proper circulation for balancing color, balancing tone, nourishing cells, and developing moisture; all of the oils which are rich in antioxidants, Omegas 3,6,9, and Vitamins A, B,C and E have been carefully combined to ensure proper PH balancing, collagen production, cellular regeneration and tissue repair; there are also over 15 infused powerful herbs famous for their astringing, moisturizing, anti-aging properties; the added essential oil formula was designed to lift the emotional state, lift the moon, lift the spirit, awaken the mind to a relaxing and peaceful place. It is an incredibly well-thought out product sure to be a favorite on anyone’s shelf.
