2 great acne supplements I’ve recently discovered
If you’ve been following along, you may know about my recent interstitial cystitis diagnosis and my new obsession with getting that under control. I attacked the internet with an impressive single-mindedness of purpose in these recent months – my goal was to figure out ways to heal IC naturally. It’s an auto-immune/inflammatory/multi-trigger/multi-cause “modern” disease and in these ways is very similar to acne. My approach to healing the IC was identical to my approach with healing acne. It was a one-two punch. Get the diet and lifestyle stuff figured out as best as possible, but in the meantime, use supplements to really accelerate healing and bring the body back into enough balance that diet and lifestyle can be enough to keep the body in health.
One of the reasons my first e-book is all about acne supplements is because I truly do believe they are crucial to healing chronic disorders holistically. But they must be used as a springboard and not as a crutch or as a bandaid.
So while I struggled to educate myself about diet and lifestyle changes and make adjustments sustainably (there is not a whole lot of info on the interwebs about this disorder. There also isn’t a lot of research about it either, so a lot of the information is anecdotal and derived from trial and error) I looked for the “estroblock” to my IC. (Estroblock was the one supplement that really did the most work with healing my acne – you can read all about it and my journey in my book). And lo and behold, I discovered it!
Amazing Acne Supplement #1: Desert Harvest Aloe Vera
I won’t keep you in suspense – it was Aloe Vera capsules -specifically from a brand called Desert Harvest. The aloe vera is supposed to help heal the inflamed and damaged bladder lining (AND IT DOES!!!!).
But bonus – I’ve been suggesting to many of my consult patients that they take aloe vera. Usually I suggest supplementing with aloe vera if the acne seems related to gut issues or inflammation. Aloe is fantastic at healing the gut lining and also at reducing systemic inflammation. It also helps nutrients from food/supplements to be absorbed better. It’s a great detoxifier and rehydrates and alkalinizes the body. Here’s more info at how fantastic aloe is, if you want to dive deeper.
The problem is, a lot of the aloe sold is in juice/gel form and has preservatives. OR, it is pressed from the whole leaf and not just the inner fillet which can cause a laxative effect.
To me personally, aloe vera juice is messy and hard to store (has to be refrigerated). It also tastes bitter. The capsules are way more potent and concentrated and way easier to take/travel with. And they CLEARLY still retain the living and bioavailable benefits of Aloe Vera – my healing IC is a testament to that.
I will now be recommending these to everyone!
Amazing Acne Supplement #2: Restore Gut Health
This supplement is truly exciting and really innovative. I’ve actually only just ordered it and will do a detailed review on it when I’ve given it a few months – stay tuned.
What piqued my interest here was how I first heard about this product – a trusted and respected colleague of mine mentioned that she had encountered a friend of hers and this friend’s skin, usually sallow and underwhelming was glowing so noticeably that my colleague asked her about it. Turns out, even though her diet contains processed and non-organic foods, she had started taking this supplement Restore.
It’s NOT a probiotic and it’s not being marketed for skin health. It markets itself as helping to maintain a healthy immune system, and says it is a “mineral supplement that creates a firewall against toxins entering the gut wall. Restore creates a biological environment for good gut bacteria to grow and flourish to improve overall health.”
I also tend to have sallow skin, and I suspect that my body has issues processing nutrition, so no matter HOW healthy I eat, a lot of the nutrients in the food do not get absorbed and utilized by my body. I am very curious to see if this helps. Also, my immune system has been total shit lately, pardon my french.
As if I (or you) needed any more convincing, it turns out this is right on trend for 2016 – a mineral supplement.
If you guys have amazing supplements you’d like to suggest or questions about these supplements, comment! I SO want to hear from you!!
xx
C