LOVE YOUR SKIN

Wow, you look amazing! What have you been doing?

Your skin looks flawless! Have you been to a spa or using some new skin care products and treatments?

All of us want to feel healthy, but we also want to look healthy. Our skin is often how we judge our own health to be. If our skin is glowing and vibrant we get an uplifting feeling and a sense of “wellness”. Our skin is the first thing that people see and base a measure of our health on. Our skin is our beauty organ. As a result, we tend to concentrate on the surface appearance of our skin instead of focusing on making bodies healthy. However, beautiful skin can and will result from a clean body that is well nourished and hydrated. Why would you only work with the surface of a problem when you can work to correct the root of it?

Because your skin is seen, it is often used to make comparisons, which in turn creates expectations.

This can cause problems for two groups of people: for those who have health challenges but cannot see them reflected in their skin, and for those who feel healthy but have skin that troubles them. We really should be able to have the best of both worlds (having your cake and eating it too), so that we can feel great and have our skin reflect how healthy and amazing we feel. The big question then becomes how can you keep your body strong and healthy and also have beautiful glowing skin. It all comes down to what you do or do not put into your body. The food that you eat, the water you drink, and everything that touches you impacts your whole body – especially your skin.

When trying to clear up your skin

It is important to understand why blemishes, acne, warts, rashes or other ‘conditions’ appear on your skin. Some things are easy to understand or to connect the result with the cause; for example, when someone rubs against poison ivy and their skin breaks out in an itchy and uncomfortable rash at the place of contact. But sometimes it’s not so easy. Depending on the type of reaction there can be a number of different causes. Confusion about the source of the problem can create a misconception about possible remedies. In the case of the rash or hives that can develop from the poison ivy, if you didn’t know that you had brushed against the ivy, the resulting reaction could leave you perplexed.

Applying the simple principles of cleaning the body and feeding the body works over the whole body, skin included. Feeding your skin can be done in two ways, internally and topically. Topically you can use high quality oils and butters to feed your skin. Coconut Oil is great for the skin, and as an added benefit coconut oil has natural antiviral and antifungal properties. When you want to feed your skin from the inside, think high grade oils and fats (omegas). Don’t forget though, that your skin loves minerals, specifically minerals like silica, sulfur, magnesium, and iron. These feed the skin and are required for skin-enhancing substances like collagen. One of the main precursors to collagen production is vitamin C. Another great vitamin for the skin is vitamin E, which is excellent for smoothing out the skin and reducing fine lines. Vitamin E also increases the skin’s natural elasticity which is important in the reduction of stretch marks.

There are plenty of ways to feed and nourish your body. The best way is to keep a varied diet high in fresh and wholesome foods. Keep track of the foods that you eat so that you make sure that you are getting a full spectrum of nutrients to feed your body, ranging from essential fatty acids, to vitamins, enzymes, amino acids, minerals, and water.

When it comes to cleaning the body, the recommended strategy is more of a defense than an offence. You need to protect your body from the inside out. Your skin has to get rid of toxins somehow. While the bowels and urinary system take care of the majority of this, the skin is also a means for the body to detoxify itself. This is why when you are going through a cleansing process you can experience changes in your skin both during and after the process.

Just as your skin sweats to remove some toxins, other processes you are experiencing show in the skin as well. More often than not, when areas of your body are having issues the skin will reflect this. Just as the image on the cover of this newsletter depicts, some experts have even begun to make correlations between areas of the skin and organs. While the mapping of face-to-organ relationships is not an exact science, there is mounting research to support the claim. When you’re looking at how to make your skin beautiful and luminous you need to work from the inside out. Cleaning out your body and eliminating the toxins will in turn promote healthier-looking skin. The process of lowering the toxins in your body and the skin can be as simple as changing your diet. What is important is to try and keep your ‘body burden’ low and minimize habits that can be harming your body. Reading labels on food packages is a great way to start. This is not limited to only food labels, though. Anything you put on your skin can be absorbed as well. Personal care items should have easy-to-read labels, too. Toxic ingredients can be found in such common products as shampoo or deodorant. Knowledge is power, and this is true for beauty products just as it is for food.

Your skin is a valuable organ, like the kidneys or heart are. It can do miraculous things and simple ones as well. Things that your skin creates, such as aiding in the production of melanin and vitamin D, may not sound important. However, in the grand scheme of things they definitely play a significant role in your health. Don’t take your skin for granted; it is what you show to the world. Our skin has the ability to reflect what is going on inside the body. This includes ‘reacting’ to various health conditions such as allergens, hormone fluctuations, toxic conditions, or to fungal, viral, or bacterial infections. Just as the eyes are the mirrors of the soul, our skin is the mirror of the internal condition of the body. Let everyone see the real you, the healthy one. Think of your skin as an investment. For the best return on your investment you need to take the time to manage and care for your skin and the body it surrounds. Treat your body right, and that’s exactly the message your skin will tell! More importantly, you will see your healthy skin reflected in the mirror. So love the skin you’re in.