Undoubtedly no other organ defines our persona quite like our skin. The skin is the outer organ and the largest organ of our body. Indicative of what’s going on inside, it houses our internal organs and provides protection from outside chemicals.
Let’s take a deep dive into how we can obtain and maintain healthy glowing skin as we age gracefully and allow natures flow. There’s so much we can do to enhance the quality of our skin and it starts on the inside. Boosting collagen naturally and implementing supplements and dietary changes can make a significant difference and intensify that glow.
By Josephine Zappia
The Three C’s of Glowing Skin
The three big C’s that make a significant difference are Collagen, Vitamin C, and Coconu… .and they’re all connected.
Vitamin C is needed to produce collagen that strengthens the capillaries that supply the skin.
If you suspect a vitamin c deficiency, lemon juice in warm water first thing in the morning is a useful remedy for vitamin c deficiency. While you’re drinking it for your skin, it’s also a powerful natural cleaner keeping our stomach, liver and intestines in good shape. Grapefruit will also increase your vitamin c intake — the health benefits of grapefruit are enormous — and it’s full with the benefits of nutrients, vitamins, calcium and potassium.
Coconut; used for its water, milk, oil, and meat; reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and has also shown to increase collagen production. When used as a topical it definitely beats those pricey skin products, and will leave your skin hydrated and youthful! It’s also an anti-microbial shown to destroy invading pathogens.
Supplements for Skin Health
Vitamin C deficiency will also cause iron deficiency. And an iron deficiency will leave you looking pale with dark circles under your eyes. Vitamin C enhances absorption of non-haem iron from foods consumed concurrently. Haem iron from animal sources is not affected by vitamin c intake.
The demands on the body’s iron stores are greater during bacterial infection, and Increasing your vitamin c intake has antioxidant properties known to protect your cells from harmful bacteria and viruses.
Another supplement crucial for skin health is Zinc. Zinc is a necessary mineral for the normal growth and development of over 100 body enzymes. Causes of zinc deficiency include poor or vegetarian diet, and foods grown in zinc deficient soils. A high intake of alcohol will also deplete zinc stores, as will medications such as cortisone, diuretics, anti-depressants, and anti-inflammatories.
A homoeopathic remedy I use often in my practise for patients with skin concerns is SILICA. Silica is a mineral derived from quartz or flint, and is necessary for collagen formation. Silica can be used as a homoeopathic preparation or taken from tissue salts.
What To Avoid
The biggest C to avoid are the cortico-steroids. Corticosteroids are a common prescription in conventional medicine for inflammatory conditions. The prolonged use of corticosteroids depletes mineral absorption, particularly calcium, and causes osteoporosis – something we should be looking to avoid as we age, not invite in.
Nature’s anti-inflammatories include: cloves, turmeric, boswelia and glucosamine (used to repair joints and reduce pain).
Nutrition For Life-Long Skin Health
Particularly as we age, but also throughout our lives, looking at your nutrition means dealing with the most neglected obstacle to cure. The baseline of all sustained health which will determine the quality of our skin. The effects of toxic food consumption are not acute. It is slow, often silent and insidious, has long term consequences which are then often treated symptomatically and labelled ‘chronic and incurable’ by conventional medicine.
Let’s start with Gluten. Gluten creates a leaky gut. A leaky gut allows gluten and many other foreign toxic substances to penetrate the body. They need to be eliminated and the skin is one of the acting organs for elimination, therefore many cases of eczema, dermatitis or any other skin pathology often are gluten related. Try eliminating gluten from the diet and see what happens. Even if the skin condition doesn’t change, your general health and long-term prognosis will improve.
Avoid sugar! Do not dismiss this easily overlooked advise. The link between sugar and inflammation is convincingly high. Patients whose presenting complaints are acne, arthritis, fibromyalgia or other general inflammatory diseases should avoid sugar. Sugar prevents the proper function of the immune system – this includes cough syrups and antibiotic syrups. With a compromised immune system, the skin remains the eliminating organ for toxic waste.
Avoid dairy, especially cheese, if you are asthmatic, are prone to acne, have arthritis, fibromyalgia, and other general inflammatory diseases. It creates inflammation in the intestinal mucosa. The intestinal mucosa is the first step towards a ‘leaky’ gut and having both gluten and dairy in the diet will multiply the risk of this happening, especially with repetitive exposure.
Learn more about Healthy Glowing Skin in Josephine’s e-book ~ The Secret to Beautiful Glowing Skin ~ discovering the underlying cause of disease and recognising obstacles to cure. Download now for only $9.95 here or book Josephine for a session here
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Please note to never self prescribe any of the above considerations. Always seek the advise of a health professional before diving into major dietary transitions.
