I've started getting Liver Spots... why?

Ever wondered what causes Liver Spots to start appearing as you get older? I have a few appearing on my hands like a small cluster of  brown freckles. (not my hands in the pic).

They are also called ageing spots or 'solar lentigo'.

Some of the causes can be due to too much heat in the blood. ​​As we age, our blood declines, our vision and memory declines and our skin and muscles dry up. So it is important to keep our body systems cooler. When we have good blood reserves this keeps the heat under control as blood cools the fire in the body.

Inflammatory disorders may also start to appear as latent heat begins to surface on the skin causing dark skin pigmentations, liver spots and moles. They are all symptoms of heat that has been trapped in the body now being released.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, pigmentation issues are linked to a deficiency in the Liver, Kidneys and Spleen energies.

Emotional trauma, hereditary factors, diet and exposure to environmental toxins such as pesticides and herbicides can penetrate the deepest aspect of the body (the Kidney system) causing heat.

Increase your Vitamin C
Liver spots can also be a sign of Vitamin C deficiency. Vitamin C protects the skin from the sun. As we age, plus an accumulation of sun over the years, plus a Vitamin C deficiency all contribute to aging spots.

Cutting back on processed foods, bad fats such as hydrogenated oils, sugar and hot, spicy foods such as caffeine and alcohol will help.

Consume foods that are high in Vitamin C and eat organic as much as possible. Salads, parsley, green vegetables, apples, bananas, pears, strawberries, eggplant, tomatoes, peppers, spinach, swiss chard, celery, soybeans, sesame oil, chicken, peppermint tea, mushrooms for example.

Understanding temperatures of food in TCM
The warming and cooling properties of a food have less to do with actual temperature, cooking temperature or spiciness, it has more to do with the foods balance and contrast among ingredients and the effect of these on the body when the food is ingested. Yin is related to cold foods and yang to hot foods.

How can Shiatsu help?
Emotional issues are detrimental to our organs, and can affect our career, relationships and health. Through the supporting and nurturing nature of Shiatsu, I can help you let go of emotional issues that may be affecting your health and wellbeing and strengthen the Yin energies in the body.