

The Healthy Skin Show
Jennifer Fugo, MS, CNS, Clinical Nutritionist
Ready to finally get to the bottom of your skin issues?If you’ve been searching for answers beyond the standard prescriptions and creams — welcome! The Healthy Skin Show is your go-to podcast for sensitive skin warriors who are ready to dig deep, challenge the status quo, and uncover the real root causes behind stubborn skin problems that just won’t quit.Hosted by clinical nutritionist Jennifer Fugo — a leading expert in functional nutrition for chronic skin conditions — each episode takes you on a journey through the latest research, empowering strategies, and overlooked connections between your gut, liver detox, immune system, and skin.Whether you're dealing with eczema (atopic dermatitis), psoriasis, rosacea, chronic hives (urticaria), histamine intolerance, perioral dermatitis, seborrheic dermatitis, dandruff, or something your doctor can’t identify, this show offers real, practical insights to help you heal from the inside out.You'll walk away with eye-opening ideas, practical tools, and a fresh perspective on how to support your skin naturally — all without rigid food rules or trendy fads.Tune in and take the first step toward healthier, calmer, more resilient skin — and a body that finally feels like it’s working with you, not against you.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Sep 26, 2019 • 28min
074: How Hidden Fungal Infections Can Cause Skin Rashes w/ Dr. Jess Peatross
Stealth infections (such as mold) are often overlooked in the treatment of chronic skin issues, both in conventional and functional medicine. My guest today shares how identifying and healing stealth infections can have a positive impact on skin (and other) issues. My guest today is Dr. Jess Peatross, a visionary for the future of healthcare. She is an expert in the field of stealth infections and infectious disease, biologics and regenerative medicine, cannabis, ozone and environmental toxicities. Dr. Jess is a board certified internal medicine physician who trained at the University of Louisville. During this time, Dr. Jess experienced what many of her patients today are suffering from: anxiety, hormonal imbalances and adrenal dysfunction. She began to seek out real answers that got to the root cause of disease, not just for herself, but for her patients as well. After realizing that allopathic medicine was not the perfect fit for chronic disease solutions, Dr. Jess trained in the realm of functional medicine, Gerson therapy, ozone and nutrigenomics. Her philosophy now embodies true health as being all encompassing of mind, body and spirit, which is true health. What she has learned, and wants to share with the world, is that our bodies are perfect. Ninety percent of disease comes from lifestyle, diet and environment, which is what ultimately changes our genes, so everyone does have a chance to HEAL and reverse chronic disease. Join us as we talk about how mold and other stealth infections can trigger chronic skin rashes. Have your skin conditions improved after addressing mold and stealth infections? Tell me about it in the comments! In this episode: Stealth infections and how they affected Dr. Jess's significant other Mold and mold infections How to figure out if you have a mold infection Why are nasal swabs useful? Why real healing isn't typically a pleasant experience Why eliminating more and more food isn't the answer Quotes "Candida is unicellular. Mold is multicellular. So they behave in a very similar fashion with similar symptoms a lot of the time." [6:25] "There's one out of four people in the population who have a genetic predisposition to being very sensitive to mold. And if they're in a chronic exposure, they can't get rid of it—even after they're out of the exposure—without help." [7:02] "When your body sees things that it's missed (or that have gone under the radar), it's really going to go into kill mode temporarily—because that pathogen that it missed is not supposed to be in your body." [11:48] "A lot of rashes are the body pushing out something that it's viewing as foreign or a threat somehow to the body." [13:23] "Your genes load the gun, the environment pulls the trigger." [14:32] "I firmly believe that disease comes from four places: hidden infections, heavy metals, other environmental toxicities, and emotional trauma and stress." [17:58} Links Find Dr. Jess online Visual contrast test on survivingmold.com Sign up for emails and get 10% off your first purchase from Dr. Jess's online stReady to figure out your skin’s root causes so you can finally fix your skin + break free from meds + flare ups?My virtual clinic works with adults worldwide struggling with eczema, psoriasis, rosacea, urticaria, hives, dandruff, perioral dermatitis + more.Trusted by 1000+ clients, we get results WITHOUT restrictive elimination diets.Schedule an assessment call at skinrepaircall.com

Sep 24, 2019 • 14min
073: 5 Things I Learned About Chronic Skin Rashes
I’m constantly seeking new information to share with you that will ultimately lead you towards skin rash relief. The past 18 months has been a whirlwind of consolidating information so that you can put pieces together than your doctor hasn’t considered. Boy, has that digging paid off! Today I want to share with you five things that you MUST KNOW that could help give you chronic skin rash relief. If you’re looking to dig deeper, make sure to dive into the bigger conversation over in the Eczema & Psoriasis Awareness Week 2019. In this episode: Complicated role that estrogen and progesterone play in triggering skin rashes Endotoxemia that triggers internal inflammation driving rashes Could CBD help reduce your need for steroid creams? Instances where Molybdenum could be helpful for skin rashes Mold and mycotoxins: Hidden triggers for complex skin cases Quotes: Estrogen dominance is where you just have way too much estrogen floating around your system for different reasons. Sometimes it's because estrogen cannot be cleared out of your system (due to underlying gut problems). The problem is that high estrogen decrease histamine breakdown and that can drive very itchy skin.Ready to figure out your skin’s root causes so you can finally fix your skin + break free from meds + flare ups?My virtual clinic works with adults worldwide struggling with eczema, psoriasis, rosacea, urticaria, hives, dandruff, perioral dermatitis + more.Trusted by 1000+ clients, we get results WITHOUT restrictive elimination diets.Schedule an assessment call at skinrepaircall.com

Sep 19, 2019 • 33min
072: Sex Hormone-Skin Rash Connection w/ Dr. Carrie Jones
Hormones play a significant role in skin health. Imbalanced hormones can manifest on our skin in the form of cystic acne, eczema flares, psoriasis flares, and more. My guest today will explain how hormones (particularly sex hormones) impact skin conditions. My guest today is Dr. Carrie Jones, an internationally recognized speaker, consultant, and educator on the topic of women’s health and hormones. Dr. Carrie graduated from the National University of Natural Medicine (NUNM), School of Naturopathic Medicine in Portland, Oregon where she also completed her 2-year residency in women’s health, hormones and endocrinology. Later, she graduated from Grand Canyon University’s Master of Public Health program with a goal of doing more international education. She was adjunct faculty for many years teaching gynecology and advanced endocrinology/fertility and has been the Medical Director for 2 large integrative clinics in Portland. Dr. Carrie is the Medical Director for Precision Analytical, Inc, creators of the DUTCH hormone test. Join us as we talk about how imbalanced sex hormones can cause ongoing skin problems, such as cystic acne. Have your skin conditions improved after optimizing your sex hormones? Tell me about it in the comments! In this episode: How do sex hormones play a role in skin issues? What are androgens, and how do they play a role in acne? Skin issues during perimenopause and menopause Diet and skin Supplement information Why balanced estrogen is important (not too much, not too little) The impact of cortisol on the skin How a DUTCH test differs from a blood test Quotes "Building lean muscle mass will actually help you reduce your insulin." [10:35] "There's a part of green tea called the EGCG. It's a pretty potent antioxidant but it's really helpful in shifting testosterone away from the acne pathway." [10:51] "That high estrogen rise is what triggers us to ovulate and help get us pregnant (if that's what you're trying to do). But for some women, that high rise in estrogen will trigger her skin stuff." [12:54] "Melatonin is an actual hormone. Vitamin D is a hormone. Progesterone is a hormone. DHEA is a hormone. And so even though it's over the counter, it's still a hormone and you can really mess yourself up if you just self-prescribe." [21:43] Links Find Dr. Carrie online Use coupon healthyskin50 for $50 off a DUTCH Complete or DUTCH Plus test Follow Dr. Carrie on Instagram Article: About That Skin Rash…Can It Be Candida? Healthy Skin Show ep. 043: Candida and Skin Rashes: A Hidden Root Cause Ready to figure out your skin’s root causes so you can finally fix your skin + break free from meds + flare ups?My virtual clinic works with adults worldwide struggling with eczema, psoriasis, rosacea, urticaria, hives, dandruff, perioral dermatitis + more.Trusted by 1000+ clients, we get results WITHOUT restrictive elimination diets.Schedule an assessment call at skinrepaircall.com

Sep 15, 2019 • 13min
071: Why You Probably Have Nutrient Deficiencies (If You Have Skin Rashes)
As you probably know by now, your skin is VERY nutrient hungry. Deficiencies can be a root cause helping to drive dysfunction in your skin as well as skin rash flares. It usually comes as a shock when clients who eat a really fabulous whole foods based diet discover that they are nutrient depleted. There are a number of reasons why and I figured that I’d take a moment to answer one of the most common questions I’m asked by nearly every single client -- “how could this have happened if I’ve been doing everything right?” In this episode: How you can end up with nutrient deficiencies even when you’re doing everything right with your diet What percentage of skin rash clients have nutrient deficiencies 4 reasons why you can end up with nutrient deficiencies Simple steps to take to figure out if you have deficiencies Quotes: It's not uncommon for labs to appear within the normal range or for your doctor to not test thoroughly enough. But what might shock you the most is that 100% of my clients all have nutrient deficiencies. Obviously the deficiencies vary from person to person, but what is similar is this sense of shock especially when they’ve been eating so well for a long period of time. They thought they were doing everything right only to discover that the nutrition wasn’t getting absorbed. Despite what most of us think, your body does not make every nutrient that it needs to thrive. Most nutrients critical to life and your body’s biochemistry (especially what supports healthy skin) must be taken in from food unless you’re supplementing. Poor food quality obviously has a negative impact on your nutrient levels because there are certain levels of specific nutrients that your body requires daily. That’s why periods of low nutrient intake deplete the stores and put you at a deficit.Ready to figure out your skin’s root causes so you can finally fix your skin + break free from meds + flare ups?My virtual clinic works with adults worldwide struggling with eczema, psoriasis, rosacea, urticaria, hives, dandruff, perioral dermatitis + more.Trusted by 1000+ clients, we get results WITHOUT restrictive elimination diets.Schedule an assessment call at skinrepaircall.com

Sep 12, 2019 • 29min
070: Stopping The Itch In Children & Babies w/ Dr. Elisa Song
Chronic skin rashes are frustrating at any age, but they're particularly heartbreaking to see in young children. My guest today has some incredible tips to share about preventing and treating eczema (and itchy skin in general) in children. My guest today is Dr. Elisa Song, MD. She is a holistic pediatrician, pediatric functional medicine expert, and mama to two crazy fun kids. In her integrative pediatric practice, Whole Family Wellness, she’s helped thousands of kids get to the root causes of their health concerns and helped their parents understand how to help their children thrive – body, mind, and spirit – by integrating conventional pediatrics with functional medicine, homeopathy, acupuncture, herbal medicine, and essential oils. Dr. Song created Healthy Kids Happy Kids to share her advice and adventures as a holistic pediatrician and mama. Join us as we talk about childhood eczema: root causes, triggers, treatment, and how to try and prevent it. Have you healed your child's eczema holistically? Tell me about it in the comments! In this episode: Hidden root causes of eczema in children and babies Can a mother's microbiome affect the microbiome of the child growing inside her? What issues can manifest due to topical steroid use in children? Possible testing parents can consider for their child's gut The importance of zinc Parasites and the problem with conventional parasite testing If eczema seems to run in your family, how to try and prevent your child from developing it Quotes "Mama's gut microbiome can impact the health of the developing baby inside you and also the health of the baby once the baby's born." [6:07] "The problem with steroids is that they're just suppressing the symptoms." [8:52] "Zinc is often really critical to help support the healing of the lining of the gut." [15:34] "Parasites are kind of a double edged sword because if we have parasites very early on in life, it can actually train our immune system to have a healthy immune response." [17:34] Links Find Elisa online Healthy Kids Happy Kids FREE Guide: Choosing your child's probiotic Follow Elisa on Facebook | Instagram | YouTubeReady to figure out your skin’s root causes so you can finally fix your skin + break free from meds + flare ups?My virtual clinic works with adults worldwide struggling with eczema, psoriasis, rosacea, urticaria, hives, dandruff, perioral dermatitis + more.Trusted by 1000+ clients, we get results WITHOUT restrictive elimination diets.Schedule an assessment call at skinrepaircall.com

Sep 10, 2019 • 16min
069: Is Psoriasis A Gut Problem?
I’ve long found that psoriasis clients have connections to gut and liver issues even if they have absolutely no symptoms. Because I’ve mentioned before that there are 16 root causes of chronic skin rash conditions like psoriasis, what I’m about to share with you pretty mind-blowing! I stumbled across a paper in a major dermatology journal that details some really incredible information that in many respects flies in the face of how we currently address psoriasis. The question that I’m left with is… why isn’t this making its way down to the doctor’s office? If you’ve only been told that psoriasis is a skin problem, get ready to have that notion completely flipped on its head! In this episode: Ground-breaking paper discussion by Dr. P. Haines Ely published in 2018 Many connections between psoriasis and gut problems Why poor protein breakdown (from your diet) could be a major factor Gut infections commonly found in psoriasis Hidden trigger for itchy psoriatic lesions Ties between Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease and Psoriasis Quotes: Polyamines are byproducts of protein purification. Their high levels present in psoriatic skin means that you aren’t properly breaking down and absorbing dietary protein and ultimately allows your microbiome to ferment them. And then we’re shockingly seeing these polyamines out in the skin of those with psoriasis. If you’ve ever wondered — is psoriasis caused by a leaky gut? The answer is YES. He then goes on to state that “Recent data confirms the presence of gut-derived bacterial DNA in psoriatic blood. The species identified included Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae…”Ready to figure out your skin’s root causes so you can finally fix your skin + break free from meds + flare ups?My virtual clinic works with adults worldwide struggling with eczema, psoriasis, rosacea, urticaria, hives, dandruff, perioral dermatitis + more.Trusted by 1000+ clients, we get results WITHOUT restrictive elimination diets.Schedule an assessment call at skinrepaircall.com

Sep 5, 2019 • 33min
068: Vitamin A & Zinc Connections To Skin Rash Symptoms w/ Chris Masterjohn, PhD
Some vitamins and minerals have a key role to play in our skin health. Unfortunately, many of us are either slightly or very deficient in these nutrients, which can cause symptoms to manifest on our skin. My guest today is Chris Masterjohn, PhD. Chris earned his PhD in Nutritional Sciences from the University of Connecticut in the summer of 2012. He served as a postdoctoral research associate in the Comparative Biosciences department of the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and as Assistant Professor of Health and Nutrition Sciences at Brooklyn College, part of the City University of New York. Chris now works independently, producing educational content about nutrition. Join us as we talk about the importance of different micronutrients for the skin, and how to address nutrient deficiencies. Have you managed to improve your skin health with nutrition? Tell me about it in the comments! In this episode: Chris's eczema story Why is vitamin A important for skin health? Information on zinc and the skin Chris's favorite food sources of vitamin A Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet Quotes "Probiotics are so individual that different probiotics are gonna work differently for different people." [2:42] "If you have active eczema, you really should try to only wash your hands when you absolutely need to for essential hygiene." [4:58] "Skin problems are not just about nutrition, but nutrition is a very important part of it." [6:51] "In addition to making the [skin] surfaces smooth and not over keratinized, vitamin A is also playing a critical role in the immune system. And so if your vitamin A is deficient, then you don't have the defense against the bacteria and fungi that shouldn't be there." [11:11] Links Find Chris online FREE Course: Vitamins and Minerals 101 Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet Use code FUGO for 20% off! Chris's articles on balancing fat-soluble nutrients How to Cook Liver and Make it Taste Not-Bad by Chris Masterjohn Follow Chris on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTubeReady to figure out your skin’s root causes so you can finally fix your skin + break free from meds + flare ups?My virtual clinic works with adults worldwide struggling with eczema, psoriasis, rosacea, urticaria, hives, dandruff, perioral dermatitis + more.Trusted by 1000+ clients, we get results WITHOUT restrictive elimination diets.Schedule an assessment call at skinrepaircall.com

Sep 3, 2019 • 16min
067: Best Stress Relief Tips For Skin Rashes
If you feel like stress is one of the biggest factors driving flares, itching, and just generally making your skin worse, you aren’t alone. Stress is one of the 16 root causes I’ve talked about before that can drive and worsen skin rash conditions. You might not be able to cut everything that stresses you out from your life. But you can do something about the stresses that you can’t necessarily control. And the way that you can do that means paying attention to and tapping into the power of your breath (believe it or not). All in the name of some of the fastest, cheapest, and best stress relief out there. I share this with my private clients and so I thought in today’s episode, I’d share this with you! In this episode: What to do if you can’t eliminate stress in your life Connection between stress levels and how you breath Jennifer’s top 3 breathing exercises that can drop stress levels in 2 minutes or less Tips for practicing breathing exercises (especially if you’re a newbie) Best way to integrate a breathing exercise into your daily routine Quotes: A shallow breath is equated with an increase in anxiety and stress. So when you’re all stressed out and panicked or feeling really upset or distressed, someone will say, take a deep breath. The reason is that as your stress levels rise, your body will respond by taking shorter and shallower breaths that only fill the upper portion of the lungs. But when you take long, deep breaths, it signals to your mind that you are safe and that everything is okay. Here’s the thing about stressors…Part of the process to decreasing your stress exposure is to untether yourself from people and experiences that pile on the stress. But it might not be possible to eliminate everything that creates anxiety and overwhelm. Think of it like those thunderstorms that pop up in the middle of the afternoon that you can't control. You just have to run for cover and wait it out. My point is that while you can’t stop a thunderstorm from rolling in, you do have the power to control how you react to it.Ready to figure out your skin’s root causes so you can finally fix your skin + break free from meds + flare ups?My virtual clinic works with adults worldwide struggling with eczema, psoriasis, rosacea, urticaria, hives, dandruff, perioral dermatitis + more.Trusted by 1000+ clients, we get results WITHOUT restrictive elimination diets.Schedule an assessment call at skinrepaircall.com

Aug 29, 2019 • 30min
066: Navigating The Shame Response Living With Skin Rashes w/ Ali Shapiro
Skin rashes can lead to self-destructive patterns of behavior. We might isolate ourselves more and more to avoid judgment from others, leading us to give up healthy social relationships and activities. My guest today shares how to overcome these negative patterns. My guest today is Ali Shapiro, MSOD. Ali is the creator of Truce with Food®, host of the top-ranked podcast Insatiable, a holistic nutritionist, integrated health coach and rebel with a serious cause. She’s academically, practically, and empathetically aware of how the medical system, diet culture and body positivity movements all have their own flavor of crazy. Ali created her Truce with Food method while in graduate school at the University of Pennsylvania, where she earned her Masters in Organizational Dynamics, which is like getting an MBA in the change process, where she drew from her decade plus of working with real life clients and her own personal healing journey from having cancer as a teenager. Join us as we talk about the three patterns of behavior human beings usually follow in situations of trauma (such as that caused by a chronic skin condition). Have you managed to overcome isolating behavior patterns? Tell me about it in the comments! In this episode: Ali's story with skin issues Feeling misunderstood and isolated The three patterns we follow when we're in psychological conflict How to get out of those patterns Quotes "I know what it's like to have that visible feeling of I'm wrong or I'm not enough." [3:17] "You not only have the visible issues, but then when you go to try to fix it and you can't figure out what's going on or you go to the dermatologist and they try to tell you something that doesn't work, it starts to erode this sense of self-trust and the sense of enoughness." [4:38] "We often block ourselves from the very thing that we need. And it creates a self-fulfilling prophecy where we are isolated, we are misunderstood, and we feel rejected." [8:58] Links Find Ali online Take the Comfort Eating Quiz My appearance on Ali's podcast, Insatiable: Pros and Cons of the Elimination Diet Healthy Skin Show episode 31: How to Thrive Emotionally Living with Chronic Skin Rashes w/ Nitika Chopra Follow Ali on Facebook | InstagramReady to figure out your skin’s root causes so you can finally fix your skin + break free from meds + flare ups?My virtual clinic works with adults worldwide struggling with eczema, psoriasis, rosacea, urticaria, hives, dandruff, perioral dermatitis + more.Trusted by 1000+ clients, we get results WITHOUT restrictive elimination diets.Schedule an assessment call at skinrepaircall.com

Aug 25, 2019 • 21min
065: Why Protein Is Good For Your Skin (And Solving Skin Rashes)
Have you ever wondered if protein is good for your skin? For the record… it is, especially if you plan on rebuilding healthy skin. And one thing that I’ve found working with clients is that many people aren’t eating enough protein. In fact, most people are quite surprised to discover just how low (suboptimal) their protein intake is! This macronutrient is critical not just for building healthy new tissue, but for many other things in your body. In this episode, I’m going to share with you why protein intake is so important and answer all of the questions you have about it! In this episode: Why protein is good (and necessary) to stop skin rashes Animal vs Plant protein – which is better? Why you can’t just use collagen How to figure out how much protein you eat now Recommended protein intake for chronic skin rashes Suggestions of healthy protein sources Quotes: You may have heard that you should cut back for the sake of your health (and that of the planet). But when your skin is compromised, it then becomes critical to get enough macronutrients like protein as well as micronutrients to refill the proverbial well. Not getting enough protein is one of the biggest problems I see in my clinical practice when someone is hoping to rebuild healthy skin. They try their best based on all the information they find online, but the recommendations made for healthy people may not work for them. They are often surprised to discover that a higher protein intake improves symptoms overall as long as we ensure that it’s digested and absorbed.Ready to figure out your skin’s root causes so you can finally fix your skin + break free from meds + flare ups?My virtual clinic works with adults worldwide struggling with eczema, psoriasis, rosacea, urticaria, hives, dandruff, perioral dermatitis + more.Trusted by 1000+ clients, we get results WITHOUT restrictive elimination diets.Schedule an assessment call at skinrepaircall.com


