What Does Clean Beauty Have to do with Acupuncture?

You may be wondering what clean beauty has to do with acupuncture and why an acupuncturist (or anyone) is talking about it. Let’s get into it.

For thousands of years, Chinese medicine has had a unique understanding of disease progression theory and specifically, how our bodies handle harmful experiences and substances. The gist is that there are levels of defense, beginning with the most exterior. When the exterior is working well, it can process our exposure to what we call external pathogenic factors (EPF), and we avoid getting sick. EPF’s refer to anything that comes from the outside of our bodies, so this means bacteria and viruses, but it also means environmental factors like contaminated water, polluted air, heavy metals, medications, vaccinations, food additives and dyes, preservatives, PFOA’s, pesticides, and other hormone disrupting chemicals.

This also doesn’t mean that we can avoid any or all of these things; they are a part of our world, though some things are more avoidable than others. In some cases, the choices that we make and the companies we support help make a difference.

I have a longstanding interest in environmental protection and organic food, having grown up in a small farm town where chronic and terminal illness seemed pretty normal. I thought everyone had arthritis, migraines, nosebleeds, sinus infections, and cancers, and somehow (I think I saw something on an Oprah show), I caught wind of the fact that big agricultural practices were not happy contributors to our community. It was then that I began to read more about the value of organic food and farming practices.

I’ve also always loved all things dress up—making costumes, playing with makeup, theater, drag queens, and before going to acupuncture school, I managed a Chanel cosmetics counter. For me, makeup is a form of daily art and makes a big difference in how I feel, and working in cosmetics showed me that it does the same for others. You can try new colors and styles, and if you don’t like it, it washes off.

But what is in those products, and could they be making us sick? And shouldn’t someone be regulating what ingredients can go into products?

The answer to both is absolutely, yes.

Will everyone get sick? Thankfully, no. But should we work to make sure that personal care products on the shelves of every store in America are safe for human health? I think so, and that’s why I talk about “clean beauty”.

There was a time when I had no idea that products that I regularly used were made with ingredients known to cause damage to human health. I had no idea that there was actual research demonstrating that so many of these ingredients are interfering with our endocrine system (hormones!) and leading to a huge array of health problems.

The Environmental Working Group is a non-profit organization that offers information on ingredients of concern, so that you can learn what to look for on labels. Just because something is labeled “organic” or “natural”, sadly, does not mean that it’s safe for human health. As you begin to learn about ingredients and products, you’ll find that there are companies you can trust and who are making an effort to change the landscape for personal care products.