WeLoveBlog #044: When Your Skin Sends a Signal – Navigating Winter Immunity Through Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease & Pityriasis Rosea

——We Love Broth Winter Wellness Series

As we move into January and continue practicing our "Family Immunity Defense Plan," we might notice that the body's defense system sometimes communicates with us in unexpected ways—such as through sudden rashes on the skin.

Whether it's the common childhood occurrence of hand, foot, and mouth disease or pityriasis rosea, which often affects adolescents and adults, these conditions, despite having different causes, clearly remind us: the skin is a mirror of the body's internal state. This month, we will continue with the core concept of "nourishing upright Qi," interpreting these skin symptoms from the perspective of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), understanding the signals sent by the immune system, and offering gentle care strategies.

I. The Skin's Signal: The Immune System's "Work Log"

When the body's "defense system" responds to external challenges (such as viruses or seasonal stress), its processes are sometimes visibly reflected on our skin. This is not always a sign of weakened immunity but rather an indication that the immune system is actively adjusting or reacting.

In TCM, such skin rashes are often related to the body's internal balance. When there is unresolved "heat" in the body (from dietary stagnation, staying up late, etc.) and it encounters external pathogens, the "struggle between upright Qi and pathogenic factors" can easily manifest on the skin. Therefore, the key to care is not forceful suppression but "working in harmony with the body's natural tendencies"—helping the body clear heat, expel pathogens, and restore fluid balance, allowing it to pass through this phase smoothly. Let's get to know two common winter skin "signals":

1. Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease: A Child's Immune System in "Active Training"

• What it is: Primarily caused by enteroviruses, commonly affecting children under 5 years old.
• TCM Perspective ("Lung-Stomach Heat Excess"):
  • Acute Phase (Fever, Rash): Care focuses on "clearing heat and promoting rash eruption." Diet must be light and easy to digest, such as rice water or thin congee. Avoid sweet, greasy, and fried foods to prevent aggravating gastrointestinal heat.
  • Recovery Phase (Rash Subsides, Poor Appetite): The focus shifts to "strengthening the spleen and nourishing yin." Congee made with mild ingredients like Chinese yam, Ophiopogon japonicus (Mai Dong), and Pseudostellaria heterophylla (Tai Zi Shen) can help restore spleen and stomach function and replenish lost bodily fluids.
• Special Reminders During Illness:
  • Diet: Encourage frequent, small sips of warm water or diluted electrolyte drinks. Avoid acidic juices that may irritate mouth sores.
  • Rest: Ensure ample rest and suspend strenuous activities. If oral discomfort affects eating, offer cooler liquids or soft foods.
  • Care: Keep children's nails trimmed to prevent scratching the rash; choose loose, soft cotton clothing.

2. Pityriasis Rosea: A Physical and Mental "Reminder" from Stress and Seasonal Change

• What it is: A common self-limiting inflammatory skin condition, often occurring when immunity is lower, during fatigue, high stress, or seasonal transitions.
• TCM Perspective ("Blood Heat and Wind-Dryness"):
  • The core lies in "cooling the blood, dispelling wind, and moisturizing dryness." Temporarily avoid spicy, grilled, and alcoholic foods which are heating.
  • Dietary Suggestions: Drink honeysuckle (Jin Yin Hua) and Rehmannia root (Sheng Di Huang) tea to help clear heat and cool the blood; regularly consume lily bulbs (Bai He) and lotus root (Lian Ou) to nourish yin and moisturize the skin.
• Special Reminders During Illness:
  • Diet: Reduce intake of "trigger foods" like seafood, beef, and lamb, and observe if itching worsens.
  • Rest: Avoid staying up late; stress management is particularly important. Try gentle stretching or meditation to help relax.
  • Care: Avoid prolonged direct sunlight on the rash; dry sweat promptly and apply moisturizing body lotion.

II. From Illness Care to Daily Maintenance: The Unchanging Principle of "Gentleness"

Whether the skin is in an acute reactive phase to a virus, a sensitive period during seasonal change, or part of our daily routine, treating it with gentleness and without irritation is always the golden rule for helping the skin regain and maintain balance and stability. This aligns seamlessly with the TCM concept of "supporting the upright Qi and dispelling pathogens"—gentle external care aims to reduce unnecessary stimulation and create a peaceful environment for the body's internal repair.

Here is the "Gentle Skincare Three-Step Method" applicable to different situations. When the skin sends a signal, return to this foundation; in daily maintenance, it is also a solid line of defense for skin health.

1. Gentle Cleansing: Choose pH-balanced, soap-free cleansers or body wash. Water temperature should not be too hot (close to body temperature is best), keep bathing time short, and avoid vigorous scrubbing.
2. Timely Moisturizing: Within 3 minutes after bathing or washing your face, while the skin is still damp, apply moisturizer promptly. Prioritize products with simple ingredients containing barrier-repairing components like ceramides, squalane, and Vitamin B5 (panthenol).
3. Simplified Skincare: Pause the use of exfoliants, whitening serums, and functional masks. Let the skin focus on self-repair. For daily routine, just maintain "cleansing + moisturizing + sun protection (daytime)".

III. Nourishing from Within, Radiating Outward: The Wisdom of "Inner Nourishment for Outer Beauty" in a Bowl of Soup

Gentle external care creates a stable environment for skin repair, but true radiance and luster require cultivation from within the body. TCM often says, "What is inside will manifest externally." Dryness, sensitivity, or imbalance in the skin often mirrors the state of the body's fluids and Qi-Blood. Therefore, nourishing yin, enriching blood, and moisturizing dryness through diet is the profound way to fundamentally "hydrate" and "recharge" the skin.

The following soup is based on this philosophy, selecting mild and moisturizing ingredients, aiming to nourish the body from the inside out, helping the skin and overall condition recover and maintain fullness and tranquility during winter.

【This Month's Nourishing Soup】Fish Maw Herbal Nourishing Soup (with Yu Zhu)

This soup blends ingredients that nourish yin, moisten the lungs, and strengthen the spleen. It is mild, moistening, and balanced. It is especially suitable during periods when the skin needs extra care, or as a daily winter nourishing supplement to help the body "nourish yin and blood, moisturize the skin."

Benefits: Nourishes yin and moistens the lungs, enriches blood for beautiful skin, strengthens the spleen, and calms the spirit.

Ingredients (Serves 3-4):

• Main protein: Chicken or lean pork, 500-750g
• Fish maw (pre-soaked), 2-3 pieces
• Dried Chinese yam (Huai Shan), 15g
• Codonopsis root (Dang Shen), 10g
• Solomon's seal rhizome (Yu Zhu), 10g
• Goji berries (Gou Qi Zi), 10g
• Honey dates (optional, adds natural sweetness), 1-2 pieces
• Ginger, 2 slices

Instructions:

1. Preparation: Soak fish maw with ginger slices for several hours, then rinse and blanch to reduce any fishy taste. Soak dried Chinese yam for 1-2 hours, and soak Codonopsis root and Solomon's seal for 30 minutes. Blanch the meat and set aside.
2. Simmering: Place all prepared ingredients into a soup pot, add ample water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to low heat and simmer for about 2 hours.
3. Seasoning: Add goji berries 5 minutes before turning off the heat, and season with a little salt.

Soup Explanation: Fish maw is rich in collagen, nourishing yin and blood; Solomon's seal and Chinese yam nourish yin, moisten the lungs, and strengthen the spleen; Codonopsis root tonifies the middle and boosts Qi. This soup fundamentally nourishes the body's yin-blood and fluids, making it an ideal soup for post-illness recovery or daily skin moisturizing.

Friendly Note: This soup is also suitable as a gentle tonic during pre/post-natal periods or for those who are weak after illness. If you don't prefer sweetness, you can omit the honey dates.

IV. The Foundational Nourishment Throughout: Stable Immunity Requires Quality "Building Blocks"

Whether dealing with a clear infection or regulating seasonal immune fluctuations, the body needs consistent, high-quality nutrition to support the stability and repair capacity of the immune system.

• The Deep Support Role of Chicken Essence:
  • Original Chicken Essence: Provides pure, easily absorbed small-molecule proteins and amino acids. During illness recovery or daily maintenance, it serves as the fundamental building blocks for the body to synthesize antibodies and repair tissues, without burdening the spleen and stomach.
  • Reishi Chicken Essence: When the immune system is in a state that requires regulation and balance (such as during periods of stress or noticeable fatigue), the added Reishi (Ganoderma lucidum) component helps gently support upright Qi and calm the spirit, aiding the body in restoring internal stability.
• Consumption Suggestion: Can be used as a gentle nutritional supplement during hand, foot, and mouth disease recovery; or as a daily wellness habit to balance the body's internal state when feeling "heaty" or fatigued.

Every subtle change in the skin is a silent yet honest conversation between the body and us. It is not a protest, but a narration of internal depletion or an ongoing repair process.

Understanding this language requires us to let go of anxiety and listen with patience; responding to this narration requires us to use wisdom and gentleness to give the body the support and time it truly needs.

May we all respond to the body's every whisper with tenderness and wisdom. This is not only a guardian of health but also the deepest understanding and appreciation of life itself.

Reference

1. WeLoveBroth. (n.d.). Reishi organic chicken essence (30 packs). Retrieved January 5, 2026, from https://welovebroth.com/zh/collections/broth-滴雞精/products/reishi-chicken-essence-30-packs
2. WeLoveBroth. (n.d.). Original organic chicken essence. Retrieved January 5, 2026, from https://welovebroth.com/zh/collections/broth-滴雞精/products/original-chickenessence
3. Mayo Clinic Staff. (n.d.). Pityriasis rosea: Symptoms & causes. Mayo Clinic. Retrieved January 5, 2026, from https://www.mayoclinic.org/zh-hans/diseases-conditions/pityriasis-rosea/symptoms-causes/syc-20376405
4. Mayo Clinic Staff. (n.d.). Hand-foot-and-mouth disease: Symptoms & causes. Mayo Clinic. Retrieved January 5, 2026, from https://www.mayoclinic.org/zh-hans/diseases-conditions/hand-foot-and-mouth-disease/symptoms-causes/syc-20353035