The Language of the Skin

It is interesting that doctors in naturopathy — therapies that rely entirely on natural remedies – and other medical professionals increasingly seem to share an enhanced view concerning the importance of the skin.

It seems that when the embryo goes through the process of separation of tissues, as tissues start their specialization, tissues that form the envelope of the body come from the same ones that specialize as the nervous system and the brain. 

Because of the way the skin reacts to what occurs both inside and outside the body, some holistic practitioner see the skin as a sort of external brain, capable of providing a large amount of psychosomatic information. Indeed, not only are physical factors manifested on the skin but emotional ones as well.

The skin is equally affected by our physical health and our emotional and mental states, therefore we can view our skin is more than simply a covering that needs cleansing and moisturizing! It is a vital organ with the gift of silent and intelligent communication. It is most useful to pay attention and learn the language of the skin, not only to look better but also to improve our overall state of wellness. 

Reflex Zones

Because of the tight network of energy channels within the body, there is a direct connection between our skin, organs and hormonal glands. Specific areas of our skin over our entire body are where specific organs or hormonal glands reflect their condition. They are the reflex zones for the organs, glands, and their corresponding functions.

Many people are aware of or have experienced reflexology in the form of a foot treatment. A reflexology-trained therapist can gently press areas on the bottom of your foot with great results of both relaxation, energy balancing and healing, but few people know that the same can be achieved by working on other parts of the body that are reflex zones as well.

Is particularly convenient since it is a place that regroups all major energies. The holistically aesthetician, and most especially one trained by Phytobiodermie, will analyze your skin and its conditions in a refreshingly new and entirely holistic way.

The additional benefits of reflexology can be included while doing a facial. It is how the energetic root-cause of many skin conditions can be addressed.

Beauty — the Natural Way

What is health — physical, emotional, and mental?

How can it be achieved?

Very much linked to health, beauty, the natural way, necessarily becomes a matter of overall lifestyle. As an objective, it can become a positive driving force in one's life.


As we better understand the interrelationship of all that is at work as we strive to look and feel good, there is a greater desire to ensure that anything that can be destructive to our purpose is removed, preferably replaced by something that contributes to our wellness. Then beauty becomes not an obsession unto itself but a philosophy of life that also pays attention to practical telltale signs of where we stand in achieving our potential within the natural cycle of life.

Since the human body is not only fluids and solids but also vital energy, it stands to reason that we should keep our bodies in energetic balance to ensure a proper flow of energy that allows our body to function at its highest potential and even to heal itself when necessary. Just as we regularly go to the dentist, to the hairdresser or to the barber, we should have a routine of energy balancing treatments. That is why the Phytobiodermie face and body treatments are so desirable as they combined the usual facial or body work even pampering with energy balancing.

Technologies Can Measure Our Energetic "Balance Sheet"

With the advent of modern and evermore sophisticated scientific instruments, it has become possible to measure the flow of energy within the body. Computers assist us to graphically present the energetic "balance sheet" of the individual. These technologies provide the potential to identify the specific energetic cause of a health problem. They even assist us to anticipate a disturbance before it evolves beyond a simple energetic blockage or imbalance.

Health problems generally arise from an energetic cause that manifests itself months before the physical body reacts in ways that can be felt and/or seen.

The Germans are particularly advanced in understanding this concept. They often work from and have expanded upon earlier Russian scientific research in the field of vital energy. This kind of research by the Russians is linked to their initial space program. They used vital energy measurements to monitor the health of their cosmonauts who were sent into space for extended periods of time. 

Modern research in this field in still at an early stage. It is now attracting a growing interest thanks to computer that can manipulate a massive amount of information received by probes placed in contact with the body at a number of energetic points, collecting information in a painless and totally non-invasive way. This type of information is becoming available to a broader base of practitioners and will increasingly become a part of spas that offer alternative and holistic modalities.

Creative Marketing on Labeling May Mislead the Unaware Consumer!

A typical example of creative marketing is the use of the word "cosmeceutical" or other similar terms. We are seeing them more and more on products and on entire lines of products. It implies a pharmaceutical quality to the products and makes the consumer who is unaware think that it must be a higher, more serious type of skin care product. In fact, the Federal Drug Administration (FDA), the official U.S. regulating body, recognizes only two types of products: drugs (as in medicines) and cosmetics. Drugs are either a prescription type or the more benign type which can be purchased in a drugstore over-the-counter. There are no other FDA product categories, therefore there is no official cosmeceutical category.

Another regulated term is "active ingredient." It is used a great deal, particularly by European skincare lines, because those specific words do not have the same definition in Europe as the one given by the FDA. Used among professionals who know when the term is used loosely, there is really no harm even though it is quite improper. In that case, the words are used to point to the ingredients that are responsible for the intended action of the product, for what gives it its characteristics and uniqueness. They could be called "functional," "key,' or "defining ingredients.' But to use the term "active ingredient" with anyone who might take it literally is fraudulent. This is because what defines a drug is the very presence of at least one active ingredient, specifically defined and regulated by the FDA. These ingredients are listed as such on any drug container. An absence of FDA-approved active ingredients makes the product something other than a drug and that means it is a cosmetic product notwithstanding the creativity of a copywriter who was intent on conveying something other than what it is.

Cosmeceuticals and other similarly named products have no "active ingredients,' otherwise they would be considered drugs and would be under FDA regulation. Some manufacturers claim that the presence of a so-called "bio active ingredients" is the justification for their attempted differentiation. Unfortunately, the term 'bio-active" is also a fabricated one that is not regulated. Again, this is creating a make-believe image. It tries to convey exclusivity for unregulated products based on the presence of some unregulated ingredient(s). Pure marketing genius!

Inner Conflict Reflects On Our Face and Body

The ideal alignment of our centers of activity and modes of being occurs when the spirit takes charge directly of mind, and indirectly, through mind of the body. It is the ultimate achievement for any conscious being who subscribes to having a spiritual dimension. Human alienation stems from conditions that arise as a result of an ignorance of this cosmic reality. It is also the source of most medical problems and relational conflict. They all reflect on our face and body. The need to gain perspective and dominion over what we feel and think is a part of our spiritual evolution. It is also a practice that benefits our health.

Wellness is not simply an absence of disease. It is a state of balance with an alignment of the hierarchy of our various selves (see previous posts) according to our own sense of what constitutes our real and complete self. It is the result of a conscious awareness. All healings involve this realignment. A patient relying only on exterior factors to heal such as doctor and drugs will not improve as rapidly and as well as one who takes responsibility for his or her healing while simultaneously following a medical treatment. It is well to be mindful that at all stages, before, during, and after an illness, our lifestyle and state of consciousness are factors that influence our health, well-being, and beauty.

Spirit to Mind; Mind to Body

For people who see humans as a trilogy of body, mind, and spirit, there is the opportunity to establish a hierarchy whereby both body and mind are tools at the service of a superior entity–the spirit within, as our individual and unique expression.

There are many exercises and disciplines that have demonstrated that mind has control over body. It is only spiritual discernment that confirms that spirit has dominion over mind. Therefore the natural hierarchy of commands is from spirit to mind and from mind to body. That hierarchy is congruent with the order of the energetic field of the vibrational body from the causal to the mental, then to the emotional, then to the ethereal, and fina

lly, to the physical or solid field. The body's intelligence is its instincts; in the emotional realm, there are feelings spontaneously enveloping us.

The mind's intelligence is the intellect. For the soul, the spiritual center of our higher self, it is spirit which operates as a higher form of intuition that can reach us in a flash. Mystics call this revelation. It is a knowing without process.

Our Emotions Affect Our Organs and Our Health

Emotions stem from the body's experiences and its mental interpretation. As a result, emotions are closely related to our body of which they are an extension. This notion is increasingly accepted by a growing part of the medical community. All emotions, pain in particular, are recorded at the cellular level. There is also evidence that mental pain and anguish have an impact on the body as if it were a bodily pain. Many massage therapists have experienced how their work might trigger an involuntary emotional reaction on the part of their customer such as unexplainable cries and sorrow revealed. This occurs as there is a release of some painful events stored in the body that has created a number of emotional and physical blockages.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), there is an ancestral knowledge that each major emotion has a seat with in an organ. For example, anger is an emotion linked to liver. A chronically angry person will not, as a result, have a healthy liver even if their diet is otherwise perfect. Consequently, they may display the physical symptoms of a Wood or Spring season energetic in balance. (Please see previous posts and/or our website to better understand achieving balance in the energetic seasons.)

In his book, Ageless Body, Timeless Mind, Deepak Chopra, MD tells us that it is increasingly recognized that beliefs and emotions affect the cells of specific organs, even of the entire body.

Balance when there is coherence between what we believe, what we think, and what we do. That is why there is a difference between various types of exercises based on the intense and focused given them during our practice. Certain exercises such as tai chi and yoga engage intent and breathing to direct energy throughout the body. At the beginning, practicing with an instructor helps to focus on the breath and every part of the body engage in the specific position or asana. It develops intent in a conscious action. It focuses mind over body. This model can be opposed to the more traditional mode of exercising in popular health clubs where music is blasting in one's ears, not to simply provide rhythm but to get the mind off the unpleasantness of physical effort. There is voluntary disconnection between mind and body and a lost opportunity to have one exert control over the other.

An Enjoyable, Non-Invasive Way to Heal

Chromatherapy with light can be used for simple and effective treatments including skin care, certain aspects of healthcare and psychology, mood improvement, stress management, vision improvement, pre-and post surgical operations (reported to improve the speed and quality of cicratrization/process of wound healing), and energy balancing, in general. These treatments are achievable at spas and do not require medical supervision–simply good equipment and a good method.

Naturopathic doctors practice light therapy. Results depend on knowledge, of course, but also on the energetic quality of the light color used.

The therapeutic quality of the light of color depends principally on the frequency range it carries for that color. Importantly, more is not better when it comes to vital energy.

Waste Elimination Has a Direct Effect on Our Skin Condition

The right food and proper diet are essential for achieving and maintaining good health, the precondition to looking good. Yet, they are not enough. Your intake needs to be assimilated to become useful to the body and its waste must be eliminated. Unfortunately, a certain amount of what we eat might not get digested. It is actually frightening to think that undigested food stays in Argott and slowly putrefies as it accumulates. It clutters the system and reduces our ability to assimilate and to eliminate properly. It contributes to a vicious cycle: poor assimilation – poor elimination – poor assimilation. This condition contributes to poor skin condition and will likely affect your body shape in addition to your health.

The term colon is often used as a synonym for the large intestine. More properly, it is a part of it, and it ends at the anus. The Alternative Medicine Guide from the Burton Goldberg Group states: "The Colon along with the skin, kidneys, and lungs, is a major organ for eliminating bodily waste." This awareness points to the need to pay attention to the way your body eliminates and not simply focus on how to nourish it.

The older we get, the more we need internal cleansing. It is logical to start with the part of the system closest to the "exit." Indeed, any blockage in the colon area will affect the elimination capacity of any other organ involved in assimilation and elimination. There are a variety of ways to flush the colon. They are worth reviewing with a naturopath. Some of those ways, such as a colonic flush, are offered at many wellness centers.

There are other organs such as the liver and gallbladder that benefit from periodic flushes. They can be simply induced by taking natural products over a short period of time. They are best done during the energetic season corresponding to the energy of those organs. For example, it would be during the spring (Wood element) for liver and gallbladder. [Please refer to earlier blogs on the energetic season concept.] in general, the best. For a colonic flush is the energetic autumn because the large intestine belongs to the Metal element.

Some people recommend fasting as a means to achieve a general internal cleanse. That is best done according to the guidance of a train practitioner. Certain spas and wellness center specialize in cleansing cures of 3 to 7 days or more. For more on this important subject, consult The Detox Diet by Elson M. Haas, MD.

In summary, it is clear that our skin and body shape depends not only on how we feed our body but also on how well we eliminate its natural waste.

How the Aging Process Really Works

In addition to genetic influence, the effects of your lifestyle and the natural aging of your cells, energy medicine recognizes other factors of an energetic nature that will explain the aging process.

The Five Element Theory of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is also called the Five Phases Theory, and for good reasons. From birth to death, we move through phases. Actually, the five TCM faces are:

• Wood
• Fire
• Earth
• Metal
• Water

It is said that we spend approximately 15 years in each phase during which we are particularly under the influence of that elemental energy. That is based on an average lifespan of 75 years. Today, it might be necessary to somewhat increased by a couple of years the time spent in each phase to reflect the modern lifespan.

In addition, there are also the energetic effects we experience from January to December of every year as we move through the five energetic seasons we are subjected to the changing energies of the seasons that at times can be quite aggressive. In addition, the moment of birth – the hour, the day, the month and the year — imparted to specific energies of those moments. (Canas 80)

Associated with the energy of Wood; it is a time when the burst of yang drives the growth of the body. It is also when the skin is likely to reflect the Wood condition, namely, excess of boiling us and blackheads. Eventually, those who are not the Wood type, those who are not of Wood biorhythm, work themselves out of the natural manifestations typical to Wood as they enter into Fire, the next 15 year phase of their life. Those who are of the Wood type will have a tendency to continue to express the Wood conditions throughout the rest of their life. That is true of all dominating energies of the bio rhythm.

Fire is the time of young adulthood while Earth is the one of more mature adults. It is only a matter of time before we all experience some degree of the elements that mark the most visible phases of the aging process, namely, Metal in our 50s and Water in our 60s and beyond.

Water, the energy of Winter, is also the energy of the peak of yin. It's the fifth and last of the five 15-year phases (after 60 years of age). It influences body shape as it increases the tendency to stiffen and to dehydrate causing loss of skin tone. There is also a loss of collagen with yang energy at its lowest point.

As you age, you accumulate the effects of your own energetic and balance according to your biorhythm of the seasonal/climatic effects of your lifestyle and of the 15 year phases as you make your way through your 60s and beyond. All those energetic factors bear, to some extent, on your health, your body shape and your skin conditions.

More on the aging process in an upcoming post. For more info., visit phytobiodermie.us.

Canas, Jon. Energetic Skincare Naturally. Eustis, FL: Phytobiodermie, 2010. Print.

Healing with Colors

Chromatherapy, sometimes called chromotherapy, was part of the medicine of ancient Egypt, Greece, India and China. Literally, it means healing with colors. It can be with colors of matter (walls, clothing, stones or topical products), or more potently, with colors of light – a pure form of energy. Phytobiodermie uses the term chromatherapy to refer to both the use of color in matter such as clay masks of different colors and for light therapy using lights of certain colors.

At the turn of the 20th century, light therapy experienced a new level of interest and favor as many scientists and medical doctors had returned to the use of colors to heal serious conditions. 

In 1903, Niels Finsen of Denmark received the Nobel Prize for successfully treating skin tuberculosis and certain skin conditions with light therapy.

In the 1920s and 30s, both Dinshah Ghadiali and Dr. Harry Riley Spitler, among others, conducted substantial research in light therapy and obtained many spectacular results.

But in the late 1930s, with the advent of antibiotics, medicine and medical research were directed toward chemicals at the expense of everything else. Light therapy was temporarily forgotten. Today, with the growing concerns over the long term effects of antibiotics on the immune system, thoughtful physicians and others have returned to older, proven methods that are more natural and noninvasive such as light therapy.

Phytobiodermie is a pioneer in light therapy.

The Rediscovery of Color Therapy

Color therapy (also known as chroma therapy is rediscovered! – A new but powerful holistic approach to health. In fact, traditional Chinese and Ayurvedic medicines work well with chromatherapy. Phytobiodermie uses the term chromatherapy to refer to both the use of color in matter such as in clay masks of different colors and for light therapy using lights of certain colors.

This is why chromatherapy is a logical extension of the Phytobiodermie method. As a result, Phytobiodermie became a pioneer in chromatherapy, first with its use of pigmentation with its five color clay masks and then with colors of light for which it was awarded the Prize for Innovation at the 1998 Beauty Trade Show in Paris, France. Color therapy is spectacular when applied with knowledge and experience.
Learn more about it by visiting our training center's website at phytoinstitute.com.

Light: Raw Material for Human Life

Light is energy and can be thought of as "raw material" for human life and most living organisms. It behaves as a vibration and it radiates. Light propagates through space in the same fashion as AM or FM radio waves and any other electromagnetic radiations. All radiations are characterized by their wavelength and consequently, their frequency. White light naturally divides in seven colors as we can observe on a well-formed rainbow.


Each of the seven colors includes, and is constituted by, a range of wavelengths — not a single wavelength. Wavelengths are measured in nanometers. A nanometer (nm) is one billionth of a meter (a meter is a little more than three feet). Radiation from the visible spectrum are contained between 380 nm and 780 nm. Before 380 nm, there is the ultraviolet range and beyond 780 manometers, there is the infrared range.



To eliminate any potential dangers to clients as well as to therapists, Phytobiodermie light equipment has filters to eliminate any frequencies that exceed the visible spectrum, namely, infrared and ultraviolets. At the same time, Phytobiodermie equipment faithfully offers the basic seven colors of the rainbow with their full complement of frequencies. It also offers additional colors such as pink and turquoise for their specific beneficial properties.