Clues your skin may be giving you

As your largest organ, your skin is arguably just as much of an indicator of your health as your temperature, blood pressure and heart rate.

Unfortunately, many people focus on suppressing and controlling skin problems without trying to decipher what clues their skin is trying to reveal.

Here are some common skin problems and what they might be trying to tell you:

Acne

What it may be trying to tell you:  You may have an unhealthy gut environment.

When your intestinal wall is overcome with unhealthy bacteria, it can become too porous and as a result, wastes, toxins and worn-out hormones that should be eliminated with your bowel movements can instead seep into your bloodstream.  One of the most common effects of this process (called autointoxication) is chronic inflammation—which can affect your skin and trigger acne.

How to help: Increase your consumption of gut-supportive fermented foods like sauerkraut, yogurt, tempeh, miso, kombucha, kimchi and kefir.

Also, supplement with a top-notch multi-strain probiotic formula like Super Shield.  Super Shield’s 13 species of well-studied probiotic bacteria can help beef up your population of friendly microbes which in turn can help strengthen the gut wall (as well as support your immune system).

Dry skin

What it may be trying to tell you:  In addition to being a possible sign that your showers are too hot, your soap is too harsh, you’re not getting enough good fats or you’re not drinking enough water, dry skin is also a symptom of these conditions:

• Hypothyroidism (low functioning thyroid)
• Menopause
• Reactions to certain medications—especially allergy drugs, blood pressure medications, diuretics, antidepressants, statins and acne drugs
• Diabetes
• Liver and kidney problems

How to help: If you suspect any of these may be an underlying issue for you, see your doctor, and if drug reactions are present, talk to your doctor about alternatives.

Make sure you’re drinking at least eight 8-oz. glasses of water each day and getting enough anti-inflammatory healthy fats like Omega-3 essential fatty acids.  (VitalMega-3 fish oil formula can help ensure you’re getting these crucial nutrients that not only help keep your skin healthy but also help lower blood pressure and cholesterol, and keep your joints fluid too!)

Fungal infection around or under your nails

What it may be trying to tell you:  You may have yeast (Candida) overgrowth in your gut.

Candida is a normal inhabitant in our guts and when it exists in a symbiotic relationship with us, it can help destroy harmful bacteria. 

But when Candida grows out of control and transforms from helpful yeast to harmful fungus, it eats away at your intestinal walls and can get into circulation.

This can lead to rashes, food intolerances, brain fog, genitourinary infections and skin/nail infections.

How to help: Eliminating refined carbohydrates from your diet is crucial.  Sugars and refined carbs feed yeasts and encourage them to grow out of control. 

In addition, a friendly flora boost from a high quality probiotic supplement like Super Shield can be a big help in controlling Candida.

Two of the powerhouse strains in Super Shield probiotic formula, Lactobacillus rhamnosus and Lactobacillus acidophilus, have been shown to be extremely effective in fighting Candida!

Rosacea

What it may be trying to tell you:  You’re approaching menopause or you’re stressed.

Rosacea (which is typically marked by broken capillaries, facial flushing and pimples) commonly shows up between the ages of 35 and 50—which is also the time that women’s hormone levels begin to fluctuate as they approach menopause. 

In addition, stress hormones can also trigger outbreaks of rosacea.

How to help: Your liver is responsible for removing excess, worn out hormones from circulation and putting them into your bile to be eliminated.  To help the liver with its efforts, eat lots of cruciferous vegetables, onions and garlic.  In addition, drink a large glass of room temperature water with a splash of lemon juice each morning to help cleanse your liver and keep it in tip-top shape.

If menopause is an issue, consult a holistic doctor to see if bio-identical hormone replacement therapy is right for you. 

Unlike synthetic HRT, bio-identical hormone replacement therapy works to help naturally reestablish the way your body sends messages to your tissues and organs to keep them healthy. 

And lastly, if stress is a regular thing for you, find ways to reduce stress like regular exercise, meditation, yoga, deep breathing and prayer.  Do whatever works for you.

Psoriasis

What it may be trying to tell you:  Your immune system is mixed-up and attacking you.

Psoriasis is an autoimmune disease, meaning that your body sees its own cells as enemies and wages war against itself.  Your immune system strikes out against your healthy cells, harming your tissues, stirring up inflammation and eventually causing impairment or loss of normal bodily functioning.

There are presently between 80-100 autoimmune diseases identified so far.  People with one autoimmune disease are far more likely to develop another autoimmune challenge.

How to help:  Probiotic supplementation has been shown to help address the overzealous immune system reactions associated with autoimmune conditions—and Super Shield multi-strain probiotic formula is as good as it gets.

One of Super Shield's strains, Lactobacillus Rhamnosus, has been shown to have a beneficial impact on autoimmune conditions as well as constipation, diarrhea and IBS symptoms.

Additionally, Super Shield's 12 other superstar strains will help keep your gut flora in proper balance and encourage the formation of more anti-inflammatory immune cells.

Look deeper

Don’t necessarily brush off skin conditions or focus your efforts only on topical treatments.

Instead listen to your skin and see what clues it may be trying to give you.

To your health,

Sherry Brescia