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Writer's pictureMarcelline Goyen

Why should you read about the skin - gut axis?

Updated: Oct 24

Many times people asked me the question "how to get rid of skin problems" like acne or eczema. A good question, don't you think? These skin disorders can have a major impact on someone's life, not only physically but also mentally. Regrettably, many individuals are informed by their physicians that they must adapt to living with their chronic skin condition.But is that a good advice from these doctors? And is it true? Can a skin condition improve or even be cured through intestinal therapy and/or changes in diet and lifestyle? Allow me to share my story as a skin therapist, exploring the 'skin - gut axis'.



the relation between skin-gut-brain
The skin-gut axis by Marcia Hartsock, (2011) MA, CMI

How I 'discovered' the skin - gut axis!

 

Almost 25 years ago I started my own skin therapy practice after obtaining my skin therapy diploma (BSc, bachelor of health science). For over 20 years I have assisted and treated people for sometimes simple skin problems, but also for more serious and especially chronic skin diseases such as acne, rosacea and eczema. In the first years in my practice I saw more and more clearly that there could be a relationship between skin problems and the health or imbalance of the intestines and digestive problems. And the realization also grew that such problems from within were directly related to what we as humans eat and drink and how we live. In short, the quality of our health and therefore also that of our skin and intestines depends greatly on our diet and lifestyle.

 

What did I do with my discovery? I started to delve deeper!

 

When I started to delve deeper into this through, among other things, a course in intestinal therapy. In the meantime I treated patients with skin disorders by improving their intestinal function with changes in diet, lifestyle and with the help of supplements like vitamins and prebiotics and probiotics. The results were often amazing, but I realised that as a therapist I still had a lot to learn. The remarkable outcomes were the motivation to persist with this skin-gut approach, despite the challenges posed by its novelty and relative obscurity.

To get more answers why skin-gut therapy is working, I also started searching the scientific literature for studies on this relationship, I learned that the skin-intestinal axis was even named by dermatologists Stokes and Pillsbury in 1930 (1*). However, it took many years before attention was paid to this again. The first article about the skin-gut axis I found was an article by two doctors Logan and Bowe (2011) (2*) about the relationship between acne and the intestines. I was very happy with this article because I realized that I was not the only one dealing with this.

 

The making of my first Dutch book about the skin-gut axis

 

Around 2012 I started looking for the explanations about the skin-gut axis, or the 'how and why', and I wrote down my findings in what more than 6 years later became my first book 'The skin-gut connection'. I published this book in 2019 (632 pages) and it became a 'bestseller' in the Netherlands within the professional literature about the skin.

 

The Dutch 'skin-gut axis' book - part 2 (2023)

 

A few years later I had the courage to write a 'simpler version' of my first book, so that people outside skin care (or laymen) can also read about the functioning of the skin and the interaction with the intestines and our lifestyle. This book was born in 2023 and it also turned out to be a great success. Perhaps also because of the examples I described about my skin-gut treatment in my practice and all the tips and advices I share with the reader.

 

The 2nd 'skin - gut axis' book goes all over the world (2024)

 

When I was at a scientific conference on the microbiome in The Hague (Netherlands) in the spring of 2024 and spoke with various international scientists there, I sensed the need to read my books. However, until now it was only available in Dutch. But hey…. the seed was planted and a few weeks later I decided to actually have my book translated. Because my mission is mainly to share this important knowledge about the skin-intestinal axis as much as possible with everyone who is interested in it. By translating it into English, my book could suddenly be read all over the world. How nice is that?

 

My mission: spread the skin - gut axis knowledge all over the world

 

My mission is to spread this skin & intestinal vision in the world, so that more and more people with chronic skin complaints can actually be helped by activating their self-healing capacity. My mission is also my passion: sharing knowledge and insights about the relationship between the skin and the intestines and showing that the skin is nourished from within through healthy food and a healthy lifestyle. “Healthy skin comes from the outside and from within!”.


And that's why I am so happy and proud with the soon to be published Englisch version of my 2nd book about the skin-gut axis. So that YOU can read it and help me to spread this 'skin-gut axis' knowledge all over the world. Will you help me? ❤️



Marcelline Goyen Author & skin gut therapist BHs The Netherlands - Zaltbommel





References:


  1. Stokes JH, Pillsbury DM. The effect on the skin of emotional and nervous states: III. Theoretical and practical consideration of a gastro-intestinal mechanism. Arch Derm Syphilol. 1930;22(6):962–993. doi:10.1001/archderm.1930.01440180008002

  2. Bowe WP, Logan AC. Acne vulgaris, probiotics and the gut-brain-skin axis - back to the future? Gut Pathog. 2011 Jan 31;3(1):1. doi: 10.1186/1757-4749-3-1. PMID: 21281494; PMCID: PMC3038963.

  3. Goyen MTM. 'De huid-darm connectie' book (2019) - Marcelline Goyen ISBN 9789463456210

  4. Goyen MTM. 'De wonderlijke samenwerking tussen huid & darm' book (2023) - Marcelline Goyen ISBN 9789464812329


 

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