Learn to Learn from Your Skin and Vital Energy

Your body is not only anatomically and physiologically complex, it’s energetically complex. Unseen vital energy that flows throughout all parts of your body is a form of intelligent communication. It links your physical body to the invisible energetic fields that encompass your being. The by-product of that interaction reflexively point to areas of the body that are out of balance.

The energetic blueprint you received at birth from the cosmic and telluric energies that prevailed at the moment you were born were added to the energies inherited from your parents (ancestral energies), and like everyone else, you are affected by a number of cyclical energetic patterns.

There is a daily flow of energies within your body and a yearly flow of energetic seasons.

There is also the cycle of life with the sequence of five 15-year phases that start with the Wood element at birth and the other five 15-year cycles that start with the element of the biorhythm of your birth.

All this can be utterly overwhelming, yet in practical terms, it simply boils down to maintaining a balance of your vital energy. 

Reading your skin and body shape should lead you to select the balancing skincare products you need along with appropriate balancing treatments whenever you can. Lifestyle adjustments may also become necessary however this can be journey of self-discovery. Make it so!

We can learn from our skin and respect it for the tell-tale signs it gives us. Consequently, it cannot be excessively stripped–mechanically or with acids–injected with chemicals, cut, stretched, and sewn, without consequences.

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Likewise, what we eat, drink, breathe, and how we exercise our bodies or not will have consequences on our health as much as our skin. 

Our thoughts, emotions, and intent, affect our energetic system, and as a result, our physical being.

Skincare is not only caring for our body but for our entire being. This is why skincare must truly be a holistic proposition. Anything else is either neglectful or a shortcut with potentially undesirable consequences.

With knowledge comes the opportunity to take charge of your wellness. The exigencies and circumstances of modern life are very destabilizing, but with knowledge, our ability to maintain balance—mental, emotional, and physical— becomes that much greater.

It’s entirely up to you. Make sure you enjoy the process!

In your body, you have an interconnected system of subtle lines and vortices of energy that both emanate from and support the denser molecular matter of your physical body. These lines or channels of energy are called nadir in the Ayurvedic system of medicine of India. The vortices where the energetic channels converge to support the internal and external structures of the body are called chakras. All forms of non-Westernized medicine, Ayurvedic medicine, traditional Chinese medicine, homeopathy, and indigenous cultures around the world acknowledge that a vital life-force energy creates and sustains physical life… there is an invisible force that ebbs and flows within all living things and is the animating force of creation, sustenance, and destruction.

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Source:

–Kamm, Laura Alden. Intuitive Wellness: Using Your Body's Inner Wisdom to Heal. New York, NY: Atria, 2007. Print.

Skin Is Your Third Lung

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) views skin with great reverence. It’s more than a barrier between the inside of the body and the outside environment. Skin is linked to the organ function of Lung—a breathing and eliminating function. Consequently, TCM links Lung to the energy of the Metal element.

But there’s more: Your skin is particularly important because it is a reflexive organ that provides important telltale signs of what is going on within your body. Any recurring skin problem in the same area is an indicator of your health condition. Your skin’s role as a provider of natural early warning signs can help you maintain or achieve an improved state of wellness.

We all know that smoking is very bad for our health, but few realize the particularly dreadful cumulative effect smoking has on skin health and quality. This is because the lungs and skin have a very specific and direct connections and is why Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) refers to the skin as the third lung.

For most people, twenty to thirty minutes of accelerated breathing three times a week is quite sufficient for the health of their skin and body. During these sessions, the breathing should be deep enough to completely empty out the lungs and then fully renew the oxygen content of the lungs. Lack of frequent and deep breathing causes parts of the lungs and a significant portion of the lung alveolus to remain collapsed.

Experts point to the necessity of breathing from the abdomen and not simply from the top of the lungs. This action helps the movement of the diaphragm, the largest muscle in the body that acts as a major pump for the movement of lymph and of water throughout the body.

The lungs (along with skin, kidneys, and colon) are one of four major organs for eliminating bodily waste (gas, fluids and solids). Poor lung energy manifests as disorders of skin and mucous membranes as well as poor venous and lymph circulation. Lungs and the large intestine are responsible for separation, distillation and elimination.

The reflex zone for lungs is found on the face, namely on the cheeks extended from the corner of the mouth, alongside the jawbone to the ear, on both sides.

Lungs are paired with the large intestine in TCM (lungs: yin and large intestine: yang). They belong to Metal element/Fall season. Lungs are where internal energy from nutrients in the blood mixes with external energy of air to provide vital energy.

Skin is called the third lung in TCM because it is the limit between the internal and the external. For this reason, skin is regulated by Metal energy. Breathing (lungs) affects the movement of vital energy through the body.

It is said, “Where chi goes, energy flows.” Body-mind exercises such as yoga demonstrate how intent and breathing can direct energy with its attendant therapeutic benefits.

“As the interface between our inner and outer world, the Lung manages external security. Sometimes referred to as the “third lung,” the skin is the outermost surface of the self, providing an elastic envelope that contains us, shielding against intrusion. The Lung transpires across the dermal layer: through perspiration, plus opening and closing the pores, it constantly adjusts the moisture and temperature of the body. Like a screen of variable porosity, the Lung tightens and thickens the skin to ward off undesirable influences and seal in valuable internal resources, or it loosens and thins the skin to release unwanted internal substances or feelings and permit penetration of desirable influences.”

— Beinfield, Harriet, and Efrem Korngold. Between Heaven and Earth: A Guide to Chinese Medicine. New York: Ballantine, 1992. Print.

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Source:

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

How to Tell if You Have Over-Processed Skin and How to Resolve It

A relatively new skin condition has evolved. Many doctors call it “over-processed” skin. As the name implies, over-processed skin an excess of invasive treatments causes over-processed skin. Here the skin is so abused it eventually loses its natural properties—from appearance to its capacity to heal.

Over-processed skin:

• looks like paper and is void of vital energy;

• displays an uneven color or a great deal of redness;

• is flaky even after exfoliation;

• may exhibit a shine though it is actually dehydrated and taut;

• causes wrinkles and lines prematurely especially around the eyes and upper cheeks.

Too many chemical peels, excessive dermabrasion and maybe even excessive or unsuccessful surgery have affected the skin to the extent that the natural vital flow of energy is blocked. It creates two negative conditions:

• the stripping of trace minerals essential to natural osmosis within the skin layers

• proper fluid movement.

As blood, lymph and water no longer flow properly, the skin is lacking nutrients. Oxygenation does not reach all the layers of the skin. Elimination of toxins is affected. In short, the skin has lost its capacity to hydrate and to heal from within. More procedures only aggravate the condition and skin products no longer produce their former effects.

Our experience is that the condition of over-processed skin is best met with:

✔︎PHYTO5 Metal element energetic line; this line focuses on mineralizing and promoting oxygenation.

✔︎The Metal element PHYTO5 facial, recommended in a series of treatments.

✔︎Oligo 5 by PHYTO5; a mineral spray and essential add-on to be used morning and evening as well as a few times during the day.

✔︎A recommended series of energetic drainages to stimulate and balance all five fluids (lymph, red blood, blue blood, water and energy).

✔︎Balancing Five Clay Mask facial by PHYTO5

✔︎Ageless LaCure by PHYTO5 Face Kit cure

The very existence of this condition is a sad but very good demonstration of what happens when the skin is not respected for the organ it is, and when it is treated as if it were a mere piece of cloth.

Holistically minded estheticians are alert to these risks and educate their customers that more invasive treatments are not better.

Prevention and Restoration of Over-Processed Skin

Let’s remember that major skin conditions do not erupt overnight unless they are related to food intolerance, chemical poisoning, or infection. Undesirable esthetic manifestations evolve progressively.

To pay attention to, and to know how to read the signs your skin is giving you is up to you and your PHYTO5 professional.

Most skin conditions, including over-processed skin, can be remedied favorably when they are addressed at their early stage. Of course, the knowledgeable esthetician knows how to recognize the root cause of esthetic manifestations and how to select the appropriate energetic tools to use.

Benign conditions left untreated can become chronic over time. This increases the difficulty of resolving them by natural solutions. Often, adjustments to lifestyle must parallel a well-conceived treatment series and home product selection.

Balanced skin is a blessing to be preserved. It can be maintained with good lifestyle habits and personalized skincare regimentation.

The PHYTO5 Balancing Five Clay Mask facial is a treatment protocol well adapted to balanced skin. Alternatively, we highly recommend the treatment of the energetic season, supported by seasonal home-use products.

An occasional Ageless LaCure by PHYTO5 Face Kit cure is a good three week balancing home treatment and is particularly adapted to maturing skin.

Preventive and restorative skincare represents an investment on your part. In view of the high cost and high risk of invasive facial techniques that lead to damaged, over-processed skin, one ounce of holistic PHYTO5 prevention is worth a pound of invasive treatment!

“Irritant reactions are characterized by red, flaking, and uncomfortable skin. The skin often stings after almost any product is applied. This is caused by irritants easily penetrating the damaged barrier function and stimulating nerve endings that cause the feeling of stinging and burning. The redness is caused by the immune response. Estheticians often refer to this as overprocessed skin.”—Lees, Mark. Skin Care: Beyond the Basics. Albany, NY: Milady, 2001. Print.

“Overprocessed skin can lead to premature aging, overly sensitive skin, and rosacea.”—Douglas, Kym, and Cindy Pearlman. The Black Book of Hollywood Beauty Secrets. New York, NY: Penguin Group, 2006. Print.

There are 5 Major Skin Conditions: Which One Are You?

Skin conditions, especially recurring or chronic ones, can be helpful in understanding the state of wellness of an individual. This is particularly important for anyone with a growing interest toward non-invasive, results-oriented modalities.

When you understand the underlying energetic cause of your skin and body conditions it makes it possible to harmonize the flow of vital energy, a precondition to wellness. Who doesn’t want to have glowing skin and to feel great at the same time?

In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), when we’re out of balance, some undesirable conditions for our skin and body shape manifest.

The cycles of nature and the cycles of human life seem to be interrelated. Whatever affects the whole, affects the parts, and these parts affect other parts. This view of humans, subjected to their cosmic and earthly environment is common, in various degrees, to all energy medicines and it is central to TCM.

Traditional Chinese thinkers were fond of pondering the cyclical aspects of nature with the repetition of days, moons, seasons, and years as they observed the effects of those cycles on all living organisms. Humans, like animals and plants, are affected by nature’s cycles so it is not surprising that the study of nature was the first basis in their understanding of vital energy.

Knowing that there can be no effect without a cause, the predictable seasonal patterns pointed to the existence of a cause. Unlike ancient Greeks and Egyptians who attributed cause to the whims of various gods, the Chinese simply saw chi (energy) as the mover of matter, but not as a deity. They saw this energy being responsible for cyclical and predictable stages and changes.

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First, they broke down energy in its basic yin and yang components. Then they evolved the more complex and subtle Law of the Five Elements which includes the energies symbolically named Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water and the multiple aspects of their interrelationship.

TCM, like other energy medicines, attributes an energetic cause to any body malfunction. It is either an issue of energy quality or of flow (quantity). Consequently, energy balancing and removal of blockages are fundamental to all energy medicines, and, by extension, to beauty and wellness treatments.

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), like other energy medicines, attributes an energetic cause to any body malfunction. It's either an issue of energy quality or the degree or quantity of flow. For this reason, energy balancing and removing densities that create blockages are fundamental to not just energy medicine but also to beauty and wellness treatments.

PHYTO5 and TCM identify 5 primary skin conditions. Which one or combination of conditions are you?

• A Wood imbalance associated with Spring usually manifests as:

  • Issues of vital energy circulation

  • Oily scalp and hair

  • Oily skin, blackheads, hyperpigmentation

• A Fire imbalance associated with Summer usually manifests as:

  • Redness, irritated, sensitive, blotchy or allergic skin, excessive heat and perspiration, couperose

  • Irritated, red, sensitive scalp

  • Issues of red blood (arterial) circulation

• An Earth imbalance (associated with each of the five transition periods between the four seasons of Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter) usually manifests as:

  • Blemishes, toxicity, acne, psoriasis, enlarged pores

  • Heavy looking hair, pimples on scalp

  • Lymph circulation problems

• A Metal imbalance associated with Fall usually manifests as:

  • Dry skin, surface flakiness, dull and lifeless skin

  • Dry scalp, dry and brittle hair

  • Issues of blue blood or venous circulation (problems such as varicose veins and spider viens)

• A Water imbalance associated with Winter usually manifests as:

  • Dehydration, lack of tone, wrinkles

  • Excess kidney energy causing puffiness under the eyes; or kidney energy depletion causing dark circles

  • Scalp lacking tone. Limp hair with no volume

  • Issues of water circulation (water retention)

The five groups of skin conditions led PHYTO5 to create five elemental skincare lines, each to address the problems specific to one of the five elements. The products are formulated to provide the energetic potency to balance the aspect of vital energy which is out of balance, as demonstrated by the condition.

PHYTO5 professionals are trained to evaluate your skin condition and body shape according to TCM criteria. When the natural flow of energy in the body is out of balance, we look older, feel dragged out and then skin problems result.

PHYTO5 professionals can identify the likely energetic cause of the esthetic problem and address it with energy-balancing topical products and treatment modalities for better and longer lasting results. The treatment approach is always natural and holistic.

Information assembled from observing your skin condition, body shape, and biorhythm helps the practitioner to discover your particular energetic characteristics. From this, the likely direction of your personal aging process can also be surmised.

With this knowledge, you and your PHYTO5 specialist can mitigate the negative influences that might limit your ability to express the full measure of your genetic potential. This will also help you to make better and more appropriate decisions regarding your lifestyle in order to achieve and maintain a higher state of wellness, a pre-condition to beauty.

The Energy of Spring Can Help You Lose Weight

The Spring season according to the Five Element Theory of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) runs from February 5 to April 17. Spring is the season of the Wood element in TCM philosophy.  It represents the rise of yang energy that will eventually culminate in the Fire/ Summer season. The Wood organs are liver and gall bladder. We want to focus on encouraging our yang energy which is naturally rising during the Spring. It’s also wise to support the liver for optimum cultivation of health during the season. Our goal is to live in harmony with the vigor and the upward tendency of yang energy that we witness in nature everywhere as buds begin to poke through the weathered soil of Winter.

Get the most out of energetic Spring and support your weight loss goals with the following best practices for the season according to TCM.

Rest and go inward as much as possible. Your time to get up and go in Summer is just around the corner.

Go to bed a little later and get up a little earlier every morning.

The body’s metabolism tends to speed up in Spring. If you'd like to lose weight, take advantage of Spring's natural easing of appetite and increased metabolism. Work with your body's desire to move energy by increasing your physical activity. Try to enjoy some walks in the morning sunlight and focus on gently unfolding and lengthening your body as you do.

Do a simple daily cleanse during the Spring for liver and gall bladder. Such a cleanse can be based on certain teas or juices.

Consume food and drink with generative and raising properties. Highly nutritious green vegetables and fruits are important to strengthen constitution and resist sickness, and fruits in season such as strawberries are beneficial as well.

Include bitter foods in your diet. These are fruits, vegetables, and herbs having a sharp, pungent taste or smell, not sweet.

Nourish your liver daily or as often as possible with hot/warm water and lemon.

Drink beverages with generative and yang energy raising properties. Scented teas, for example, dissipate cold pathogens which have accumulated in the body over Winter. Honey added boosts chi energy.

Apply PHYTO5’s Wood element Phyt’Ether to the liver and gall bladder reflex zones on the face. The liver zone is the area between the eyebrows extending from the bridge of the nose upward approximately one and a half inches. The gall bladder zone runs along the outer side of the eye in the temple area to the hairline. (See illustration, right.) Also apply Wood Yogi Body Gel to the outside of the legs which will support circulation on the gall bladder meridian. 

If your skin is oily, has blackheads and/or hyperpigmentation,  cleanse well and massage in a drop of PHYTO5’s Wood element on the affected areas and apply Wood element Day Cream. If your skin is well balanced taking your age into account, now is the time of year for you, too, to enjoy Wood Day Cream. Extract of wheat and essential oils of lemon and rosemary activate the natural defenses of the skin to combat the effects of poor diet and/or lack of cellular oxygenation. Essential oils in this cream are antiseptic, toning and stimulating and help provide protection from weather’s high and low pressure and windy and changeable weather associated with Spring.

This article was originally published on April 4, 2016 and has been updated with additional information for greater comprehensiveness.

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Liu, Zhanwen, et al. Health Cultivation in Chinese Medicine. People's Medical Publishing House, 2012.