180: How Hormones Impact Your Immune System + Skin Health w/ Heather Zwickey, PhD

Did you know that your hormones and immune system have a complex relationship? This relationship can impact how often we get sick, why women are more prone to autoimmune conditions than men, why more and more people have environmental allergies, and why we develop skin rashes.

My guest today, Heather Zwickey, earned a Ph.D. in Immunology and Microbiology from the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center.

She went on to complete a postdoctoral fellowship and teach medical school at Yale University.

At the National University of Natural Medicine in Portland, OR, Dr. Zwickey launched the Helfgott Research Institute and established the School of Graduate Studies, developing programs in research, nutrition, and global health, among others.

Dr. Zwickey applies her immunology expertise to natural medicine research, and she currently leads an NIH funded clinical research training program. She teaches at many universities and speaks at conferences worldwide.

Join us as we talk about how the immune system and cytokines can be related to skin conditions.

Did you know about the relationship between your immune system and your skin? Let me know in the comments!

In this episode:

• Relationship between hormones (like estrogen and cortisol) + your immune system
• What are Th1 + Th2?
• If you've got lots of allergies, there's a big reason why!
• Helminth worm therapy -- umm, what is that (and how is it related to allergies)?
• How does cortisol impact the immune system (especially if you've got Topical Steroid Withdrawal)

Quotes

“There's no one hormone that affects the immune system. They all affect the immune system.” [0:43]

“A Th1 response is a set of cells and proteins that are designed to respond to bacteria and virus and a Th2 response is a set of cells and proteins designed to respond to worms and parasites.” [8:10] 

Links

Find Dr. Zwickey online here

GRAB –> Jennifer's Allergen Cross-Reactivity eGuide

Healthy Skin Show ep. 072: Sex Hormone-Skin Rash Connection w/ Dr. Carrie Jones

Follow Dr. Zwickey on Instagram

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