{"id":42338,"date":"2020-06-17T18:19:01","date_gmt":"2020-06-17T18:19:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.formhealthpdx.com\/?p=42338"},"modified":"2020-09-17T19:47:39","modified_gmt":"2020-09-17T19:47:39","slug":"the-lung-immune-system-and-skin-connection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/formhealthpdx.com\/blog\/the-lung-immune-system-and-skin-connection\/","title":{"rendered":"The Lung, Immune System and Skin Connection"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>In Chinese Medicine Theory, the Lung organ includes not only the anatomical lungs, but also\u00a0 the nose, sinuses, and skin.\u00a0 The Lung also has an important connection to the Large Intestine, and together the Lung and Large Intestine provide the strength for the \u201cWei Qi\u201d or the protective boundary around our body (just underneath our skin) that is akin to the Western idea of the immune system.\u00a0 When the Lung is strong the voice is clear, the skin is bright, and immunity is sufficient to fight off invading pathogens.\u00a0 This is why it is essential to consider how the Lung is functioning when trying to strengthen the immune system, and also when your goal is healthy, glowing skin.<\/p>\n<p>Tips for Maintaining Healthy Lung Function to Optimize Immune system and Skin health<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>\u00a0Dry brushing.\u00a0 Help stimulate lymph flow, and exfoliate your skin with dry brushing.\u00a0 Gently brushing the skin of your whole body with a natural bristle brush can feel very invigorating and is a quick and simple practice to add to any self care routine.\u00a0 Read more about dry brushing here:\u00a0\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/formhealthpdx.com\/blog\/dry-skin-brushing-easy-self-care-at-home\">https:\/\/formhealthpdx.com\/blog\/dry-skin-brushing-easy-self-care-at-home<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Breathwork. Use the following breathing exercise to open up and strengthen your Lung energy:\n<ul>\n<li>Find a comfortable seated position<\/li>\n<li>Place a hand on your abdomen and make sure that your belly is expanding as you inhale.<\/li>\n<li>Focus on the exhale- breathe out fully, pulling in your belly button towards your spine as you exhale all the air in your lungs, so that the next inhale comes naturally and without effort.<\/li>\n<li>Continue breathing this way for 2-5 minutes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Keep it Clean. Imagine your skin as an extension of your lungs that also breathes and exchanges substances with its environment.\u00a0 This means we need to be as aware of what our skin is being exposed to and coming in contact with as we are about what we\u2019re breathing in.\u00a0 Keep the following in mind:\n<ul>\n<li>Wear protective clothing or gear when handling chemicals<\/li>\n<li>Try to find cosmetic and household products that are as natural as possible.\u00a0 This includes hand soap, dishwashing soap, laundry detergent, shampoo, body wash, sunscreen, lotion, and make up.<\/li>\n<li>Wear natural fiber clothing when possible to allow your skin to breathe.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Foods that nourish the Lung.\u00a0 Implement these foods into your diet to support your Lungs.\u00a0 If cow\u2019s milk yogurt does not agree with you try goat or sheep&#8217;s milk yogurt.\u00a0 If you are experiencing excess phlegm or mucus in your sinuses or lungs, skip the dairy products altogether.\n<ul>\n<li>Pears<\/li>\n<li>Almonds<\/li>\n<li>Yogurt<\/li>\n<li>Seeds<\/li>\n<li>Fresh fruits and veggies<\/li>\n<li>Fish and shellfish<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Herbs.\u00a0 These are a few Chinese herbs that benefit the Lungs and simultaneously boost immunity and contribute to skin health\n<ul>\n<li>Astragalus (Huang Qi)<\/li>\n<li>Reishi (Ling Zhi)<\/li>\n<li>White wood ear mushroom (Bai Mu Er)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re looking for a natural (and tasty!) way to nourish and hydrate your skin while also supporting your immune system, try our Shining Skin Tea formula.\u00a0 The formula consists of\u00a0 5 Chinese herbs, 2 of which are mentioned above:<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Wu Wei Zi (Schizandra berry):<\/strong>\u00a0Contains Vitamin C and E which nourish skin and help protect against UVB induced skin damage.\u00a0 This herb also helps the skin hold in moisture.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Huang Qi (Astragalus root):<\/strong>\u00a0Full of antioxidants which protect skin from free radical damage.\u00a0 Astragalus has a diuretic effect to help clear toxins from the body, and it also helps speed wound healing.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Long Yan Rou (Longan fruit):<\/strong>\u00a0An anti-inflammatory herb which nourishes blood to promote a youthful and glowing complexion<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bai Mu Er (White Cloud Fungus):\u00a0<\/strong>A rich source of collagen, this herb moistens dryness and helps skin to become soft and pliable<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Mei Gui Hua (Rose bud):\u00a0<\/strong>Gently detoxifies the liver and relieves stress, lifts the spirit with it\u2019s soothing fragrance<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Contact us at\u00a0<a href=\"mailto:info@formhealthpdx.com\">info@formhealthpdx.com<\/a>\u00a0to order Shining Skin Tea or to find out more about how Chinese Medicine can benefit you on your wellness journey.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>May your Lungs be healthy and strong during this time!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In Chinese Medicine Theory, the Lung organ includes not only the anatomical lungs, but also\u00a0 the nose, sinuses, and skin.\u00a0 The Lung also has an important connection to the Large Intestine, and together the Lung and Large Intestine provide the strength for the \u201cWei Qi\u201d or the protective boundary around our body (just underneath our&#8230; <span class=\"view-article\">Read more &rsaquo;<\/span>","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":42339,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[54,64],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-42338","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","category-functional-medicine"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/formhealthpdx.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42338"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/formhealthpdx.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/formhealthpdx.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/formhealthpdx.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/formhealthpdx.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42338"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/formhealthpdx.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42338\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/formhealthpdx.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/42339"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/formhealthpdx.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42338"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/formhealthpdx.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42338"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/formhealthpdx.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42338"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}