July 8, 2011

Got Acne, Zits, Pimples, Breakouts, a Blemish, or as Mia calls them, “Mommy hurt?”

Let’s get real –we all get them from time to time, some worse than others… we all want perfect skin, and we all go through phases of glowing, blemish free skin to days when we feel like a leaper. Ugh! Those pesky things! I hate them! I went through most of my teens, my entire twenties, pregnancy and 1.5 years post partum with barely a blemish, and all of a sudden I started getting a few… then more and more! No! Tried everything –my diet was/is already very clean, I tried eliminating more foods and implementing others, but nothing worked. It had to be something else; hormones? I could only speculate. I began trying… everything!  My normal (religious) facial care seemed to be doing nothing, and even harming my skin, making it worse. I’ve always had the “perfect balance” when it came to facial products and make-up (or the lack thereof… not a foundation girl, keep things to a minimum. Light powder, eye makeup, that is about it) so why did everything just stop working? At a time when I am already overwhelmed with classes and being Mia’s full time Mommy, I barely have time to get in my exercise, much less deal with concealer and spot treatments.  I started doing some serious research, and started to realize it was indeed because of my hormones… what is up with turning 30 and everything in your body switching up on you –again! As if puberty, our monthly little visits, pregnancy, postpartum and then menopause aren’t changes enough, we have to deal with wacky hormones at the most inopportune times in life. C’mon!
 I had an ‘inkling’ of what was going on… had to be low estrogen along with maybe some vitamin A deficiency. Again, this was all speculation. I began eating more Maca… organic powder that I add into my smoothies. I also added evening primrose oil. I kept on with my beauty pearl, and doubled the dose (Beauty Pearl from Sunrider.com). I started researching more and more, and finally stumbled across some information from a Natropathic Doctor who is also a Holistic Esthetician in Portugual. Her words of wisdom –bless her words of wisdom! Have worked like a charm… things are starting to clear up, wonder of wonders! So I am passing on this information because it is so good, and I’ve been using it on myself with great success… I’d never pass on info that I didn’t already test on myself, so take it with your own personal grain of salt, try if you wish, and let me know if you get the same great results as I did from these natural solutions.
Here is what she recommended:
First of all, she prohibited the consummation of any/all pork products, because pork meat tends to carry the parasite/worm Trichinosis that causes severe acne. She then recommends doing a cleanse if this parasite is suspected, using a treatment with cloves, absinth and wormword for 21 days (I did not try this, and would go see a Naturopathic/other doctor if I thought I was infected with this parasite for a treatment under their care). After the 21 days, she says to fill your diet with water, herbal teas, fresh fruit and vegetables, as much as you can eat (obviously this part I was already doing, and still do -70/30 alkaline fruits and veggies with cooked food/grains/proteins. She says to exercise, and avoid all soy products as soy products negatively affect your endocrine system (and ultimately your hormone balance). She says to avoid all gluten and diary and start consuming whole leaf Aloe Vera. She then recommends to do an external treatment consisting of clay (I use bentonite mixed with apple cider vinegar) mixed with grated yam (I did organic jeweled yams, about 1 Tbsp) and freshly grated ginger (I did about 1 Tbsp). Apply to affected areas and leave on for 1 hour per day, 15 days in a row. She says to not use soap or any products containing detergent like products, because they make the skin produce more oil, causing more breakouts. She said to wash with water only, and then afterward apply raw organic apple cider (I use Bragg’s) with a cotton ball, then organic, “biological” coconut oil (I use organic raw coconut oil). She said coconut oil is the very best moisturizer and product for your face because it is antiviral, anti-fungal, and anti-bacterial. She ends by saying that “anyone who does these things will no longer have problems with acne.”
I for one thought that putting oil of any kind on my face after years of adhering to a strict oil-free everything regimen would certainly cause a massive breakout… but instead, my skin is glowing, and clearing like I can’t believe. I am excited… especially because these are natural solutions and I’m not spending hundreds of dollars on synthetic products that pour more toxins into my body. I’m loving the results and just had to pass it on. Cheers to your own personal glow!

Namaste,

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