Health News and Information

We have to take the matter a step further, to show the effect of disorders of the alimentary tract on the tissues of the skin. The direct relationship between the “sea-water,” of the body in which all of the cells live and function, and the digestive system is quite obvious. In the stomach the food is broken down and prepared for assimilation, and it is then taken to the “sea-water” for the final exchange with the cells. In this way the cells are nourished and relieved of their waste products. The blood and the lymph act as carriers between these two important systems, and disturbance of the one is soon felt in the other.Of all the organs in the body the stomach is most open to abuse. It is at the mercy of our appetites, and all the mistakes we may make, in both the quality and the quantity of our daily food, are immediately inflicted upon the stomach. It may be distended by overeating, it may be irritated by the use of spiced foods, it may be upset by taking foods too hot or too cold. In these and many other ways the normal function of the stomach may be disturbed. The result is that digestion is turned into indigestion, and the whole body suffers as a consequence – not least of all the skin, which, as we have pointed out, depends on the integrity of the digestive process.It is inevitable that indigestion should lead to disorders of the bowel function, and further complications are then likely to follow. When the digestion in the stomach is carried on in normal conditions the work that has to be done by the colon is very much simplified; but if there is constant indigestion the acid and undigested foodstuffs which pass into the bowel are likely to cause all kinds of troubles, not the least being an irregular and difficult action of the bowels, i.e. constipation, which has been named the “universal complaint.”When this state of affairs occurs then the other eliminating organs of the body come under greater strain, and the skin is particularly affected. The important balance between the intake of nutriment and the elimination of the waste products has then been disturbed, and the whole system will be under the strain of retaining the toxins of its own activity to a point where it enters the danger zone of disease.
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Both hair and nails are derived from the epidermis, and both consist of the same dead tissue—the protein, keratin. Because of their derivation from the epidermis it is not surprising that diseases affecting the skin may affect the hair and nails as well. In addition, there are a number of disorders which are peculiar to the hair (including the scalp) and nails.

Dandruff is the commonest condition of the scalp for which treatment is sought. It is not however a disease. It is simply a physiological state which has been elevated to the status of a ‘disease’ solely on cosmetic grounds. Basically dandruff consists of normal, dead skin cells which have been shed only to become trapped among the hairs of the scalp or in the oily sebum film. It is most common after puberty and is absent on the bald scalp. If it occurs in excess, it may appear in other hair-bearing areas and is then called seborrhoeic dermatitis. Occasionally psoriasis is mistaken for severe dandruff, and so if what appears to be dandruff does not respond to simple measures, a doctor should be consulted. Dandruff is not an infection, nor has it any relationship with hair loss. Usually dandruff may be satisfactorily controlled by the use of shampoos containing tar, selenium disulphide, or zinc pyrithione, all of which act by reducing the rate of normal skin shedding (turnover rate). Sometimes salicylic acid or corticosteroid creams are required intermittently to control the condition. From the plethora of proprietary preparations sold over the counter it is obvious that dandruff concerns people, and that there is no one preparation which suits all sufferers.

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