Greek physician Hippocrates once said, “All disease begins in the gut,” and it’s also true that bad skin begins in the gut. Meals of fast food that boast empty calories and unhealthy fats can cause the colon to clog and become home to a putrefying concoction of processed foods and meats. With nowhere else to go, toxins are pushed out through the weakened colon wall into the bloodstream and out through the body’s largest organ and hard-working elimination system, the skin.
“General skin health relates back to the functioning of the lungs, colon, kidneys and liver,” explains holistic skin and beauty therapist Lydia Thomas, who treats clients from her Port Melbourne clinic Apple Blossom Health and Beauty. “If all are in optimal health through a nutritious diet, regular exercise and emotional equilibrium, the skin will glow from the inside out.
“Gut always plays a role,” she adds. “Stress-induced alterations to microbial flora such as anxiety, worry and depression could increase the likelihood of intestinal permeability, which in turn sets the stage for systemic and local skin inflammation — so when treating the skin, you need to balance the gut flora by introducing probiotic strains such as bacillus acidophilus.”
COLON-CLEANSING TIPS
On rising each morning, drink a glass of freshly squeezed lemon juice in warm water. Lemons work as a natural detergent, while also being anti-bacterial, anti-viral and immune-boosting.
Fast on pure spring or distilled water one day a week. According to leading American health practitioner, Dr Joseph Mercola, distilled water should only be taken over short periods and only for the purpose of detoxification.
Add cold-pressed vegetable juices into your every day and undertake a three- day juice fast. Be sure to undertake any fasts under practitioner supervision if you have health issues.
Naturopath Erica Lawrence recommends a herbal tea infusion of burdock, dandelion, echinacea, cleavers and nettle. “Echinacea is great for the immune system and also a primary lymphatic, which helps to detoxify your blood,” she says.
