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Sygma
07-24-2009, 02:38 PM
I've been mostly raw for almost a year. Yes, it is a journey and there were days that I didn't eat 100% raw. My skin used to be pretty clear, I just had the occasional problem or two. However, since my raw journey began, my skin has gotten worse and worse. Now, it is the worst it has ever been (I'm 22).

Cutting out nightshades didn't do a thing. All the topical over the counter stuff didn't work, and all the prescription stuff didn't work.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I would do just about anything to get clear skin.

Peace and Love,
sygma

ruffsongraw
07-24-2009, 03:09 PM
Sygma, i have only been raw for 6 months and mine has not cleared up yet either...what you posted is surely not encouraging. of course all other areas have greatly improved, so i wont stop of course, but it IS disappointing.

i can only suggest the one product which has at least put a dent in skin issues and that is www.clearandsmoothskin.com
it isn't all natural or organic but it works. i have tried ALL the Rx & OTC treatments and have had nothing work as well as this stuff. it's not 100% for me but it helps a lot. i use the Teen Extra Strngth version....

hope this helps.

jen

Dimond
07-24-2009, 03:13 PM
Most chronic skin issues are digestive related. Maybe you need to practice food combining. Maybe juice fasting. Colonics. Probiotics. Have you added in more fats to see if that helps?

If it's just breakouts you're dealing with, this blend of Jojoba and Tea Tree Oil is pretty amazing. You can make your own, but they have just the right balance of ingredients that works.

http://healthfree.com/shop/index.php?l=product_detail&p=145

ruffsongraw
07-24-2009, 03:23 PM
Hi Dimond,

i went to the link and it doesnt have one bit of info about it. is it specificaly for acne? how often do you put it on? how much? have you used it? i hate when somebody lists something to sell but has ZERO info about it.... ?? thnak you for the info though!

jen

Dimond
07-24-2009, 04:10 PM
Your welcome, Jen. It's a multi-use product. Most of their products are actually the same as Dr. Schulze's-same training, etc. I use it to cleanse actually-couple of drops on wet skin, then remove w/wet cotton pad. But you may want to experiment. All I know is after tons of products this worked best on my very sensitive skin-even with trying jojoba & tea tree alone or in other products.

Hope it works for you.

freelive
07-24-2009, 04:52 PM
Try juicing. I love grapefruit juice, which strongly helps lymph flow. I am not 100 percent now, but juicing everyday and my skin is beautiful. Try juices, and see if it works for you.

RawYorkCity
07-24-2009, 06:21 PM
I use no cream, oil, ect... on my face. Just water. I eat hydrating and easy to digest foods (LOTS of fresh fruit and leafy greens.) My skin has never looked and felt as clear and healthy.

You said you avoid nightshades, which is something that also made me break out. All I can say from my experience is to cut down the fat, up the fresh fruit, and up the leafy greens.

lynnc72
07-24-2009, 06:46 PM
I've been there, using topical and prescription stuff. Didn't work for me either.

When I stopped drying out my skin with cleansers, etc. it stopped producing extra oils to compensate. I only use sunflower oil and water to cleanse and more sunflower oil to moisturize if needed.

www.theoilcleansingmethod.com

margoss
07-24-2009, 11:26 PM
try using a ACV astringent. 1C water with 1 tbls AVC, shake & apply to face after shower.

Sygma
07-27-2009, 04:11 PM
Thank you for all the wonderful info!

I feel so much better on raw, so I'm not going to stop being raw.

Maybe my skin problems are just detoxing? For...a long time?

I bought some Dr. Bonner's tea tree oil bar soap (the only kind of cosmetic I use now) is that a good tea tree treatment or should I get something else also?

I'll try juicing although it is really hard to do in a college dorm room.

Thanks again, everyone. :] :]

klomasius
07-27-2009, 06:36 PM
Sygma,

my skin has been wonderful on 100% raw for 8 months, now it has developed tiny bumpy pimples and is comparatively rough. I'm fairly sure that at this stage I'm going through another period of detox and that it will clear up.

I've just done a coconut cleanse (massage coconut oil into the face, steam with a hot face cloth for 30 seconds and wipe off then shower and rinse with warm water) and I think this will help. I'll also be using a clay mask in the coming days.

I'd suggest NOT using over the counter stuff, just natural skin care, and there is some majorly effective stuff out there. I've heard anecdotally that people using skin care with synthetic and harsh natural chemicals in it after being on a raw diet can react negatively to these O/C creams and products.

Hope it clears up!

Zanjabil
07-27-2009, 08:41 PM
Are you eating lots of nut or fats? Nuts and fats can make your lymph sluggish. They can also be hard on your liver. Your skin can be a reflection of liver function. What ever your organs can't deal with gets thrown off for you skin to deal with. The skin is the largest and final organ of elimination.

rawrawks
07-27-2009, 08:45 PM
I would say it is not an outer problem rather an inner one. Colonics until it all goes away. Your system is prob more backed up than you know and all toxins just recirculating.

Green juice and colonics....amazing and most profound thing you can do. I know because I do it and it is incredible!!

domnitch
07-27-2009, 09:35 PM
Get some colonics or start working with enemas. When you eat detoxifying foods like raw fruits and veggies it awakens old toxins in the bowel. You need to clear those out before your skin will improve and the body cant do it on its own (years and years of unnatural foods build up in there).

A home enema kit is inexpensive and very helpful.

Sygma
07-28-2009, 07:57 AM
You know, the strange thing about my skin is it gets better with more fat. The worst my skin ever was was when I was doing 811. I still don't eat that much fat but I do eat probably 15-20%.

I'll try the colonics and enemas...although I'm not going to lie, I'm kind of scared of that stuff. X_X

Thanks for all the help, you guys ROCK! :D

rawrawks
07-28-2009, 08:11 AM
Enemas and colonics is not a scary thing at all. If you are shy, do it yourself. Also not belive all the hype you may hear about it. Educate yourself from someone who is highly studied in it and then go for it. Well I go for it first and ask questions later.

Bodies need them NOW!

Dimond
07-28-2009, 08:15 AM
You know, the strange thing about my skin is it gets better with more fat. The worst my skin ever was was when I was doing 811. I still don't eat that much fat but I do eat probably 15-20%. If it gets better with fats, than that could be all you really need to focus on. You can try different fats to figure out which may work better than others and experiments with the quantities.

RawKnitster
07-28-2009, 10:31 AM
Breakouts can be as simple as your skin not having enough of the right kind of oils. If your skin responds to fats in your diet it may respond well to oil pulling. I mean the oral oil swishing, NOT the one where you use oil to clean your face. Oil cleansing was a disaster for my skin. You may notice a difference with oil pulling in a few days. I've been suffering lately from break-outs due to extreme heat and sweating. I started oil pulling again as that has helped me in the past.

http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/showthread.php?t=29691&page=27

http://www.oilpulling.com/oilpullingmethod.htm


Edited to add this link. I think it explains it best. Be sure to drink at least a pint of water after pulling and brushing your teeth.

http://www.earthclinic.com/Remedies/oil_pulling.html#GLOWINGSKIN

Raw Angel Mom
07-29-2009, 09:20 AM
What is it exactly with your skin? Pimples, redness?

If pimples, check for nuts reaction or grain reactions. I noticed that i will have pimples if i eat almond but i am ok with pine nuts and macadamians.

Yes you could be detoxing.

I had redness problem and it all cleared up with raw food.

I recalled seing for the first time Angela Stokes the first time. She had severed pimples in her face. When i saw her the year after, she has a baby skin and just perfect. She did a fast and even wrote a book about it.

Maybe you should consider to do a fast also or simple do little adjustment with your diet.

I agree that if the body use the skin to eliminate the toxin, it means that your eliminations systems isn't working right.

Have you check if you could have leaky guts. If some has suffered from yeast infection, it cans lead to leaky guts.

I am not a doctor, and you should always do more research. I hope that you find what you are looking for.

hapahaole
07-29-2009, 02:05 PM
I'm not help but I can sympathize. My face has gotton really bad lately. I have dry skin and tons of pimples, big and small. I've only been raw for a few months now though. I have no idea what is going on.

Mandy
07-29-2009, 02:44 PM
I'm sorry to hear of your situation. I've never had a problem with my skin. SAD or raw vegan. I can only suggest you check out www.oneluckyduck.com Selma has some really great skin products that are all natural and organic. Very few ingredients go into her skin care line.

pinkyarrow77
07-29-2009, 11:04 PM
It may be rosacea. Rosacea will give you a red face and small pimples. I buy Prosacea in the drug store which is a homeopathic ointment in a small tube. It will dry up the bumps. I also use Burts Bee's clay mask which draws out the toxins in the skin.

pixie_333
07-30-2009, 03:39 AM
It may be rosacea. Rosacea will give you a red face and small pimples. I buy Prosacea in the drug store which is a homeopathic ointment in a small tube. It will dry up the bumps. I also use Burts Bee's clay mask which draws out the toxins in the skin.

that's what i use. it also takes the redness out when i apply it. i have seb derm too.

*** if the thread starter wants to post a facial pic.. i probably will be able to tell if it's rosacea or not if curious to know.

Sygma
07-30-2009, 11:49 AM
Okay, I'm going to try and post a before and after picture. Hopefully the attachment function works. The 509 one was taken basically a few weeks ago (with my crappy photobooth camera...my skin looks the same maybe a little worse). The 175 picture was taken a year ago before I was raw or vegan.

I've tried fasting before but I just don't last. :[

It's really strange...they are a bunch of really small raised bumps on my forehead mostly. On my cheeks, I have red flaky non-raised red marks. I've had these same non-raised, itchy, flaky, rather large marks on my cheeks for a long time and they haven't changed. I'll post more close-ups when I get to my camera at home.

Thanks for helping me out, I'm getting really sick of this.

Tenuho
07-30-2009, 11:54 AM
how long have you managed to fast?

have u tried juice fasting?

because it may do nothing at all so i dont want you to waste your time....but i know a 5 day juice fast would usually make my skin alott better....

although i could still have marks and stuff so its not a cure all.....

pixie_333
07-30-2009, 09:17 PM
Okay, I'm going to try and post a before and after picture. Hopefully the attachment function works. The 509 one was taken basically a few weeks ago (with my crappy photobooth camera...my skin looks the same maybe a little worse). The 175 picture was taken a year ago before I was raw or vegan.

I've tried fasting before but I just don't last. :[

It's really strange...they are a bunch of really small raised bumps on my forehead mostly. On my cheeks, I have red flaky non-raised red marks. I've had these same non-raised, itchy, flaky, rather large marks on my cheeks for a long time and they haven't changed. I'll post more close-ups when I get to my camera at home.

Thanks for helping me out, I'm getting really sick of this.

it does look like rosacea and possiably seb derm too. they often go hand in hand.
the white flaky stuff is classic for seb derm and also gives redness like rosacea and can itch sometimes and usualy gives more of a white scab bump/line than rosaceas red bumps.

let me ask you this.. are the bumps more hard than zits and feel more stemed inside? also when you pop or scratch one off.. is painful a bit.. but what is the discharge? is it a clear fluid and different than zit puss? most often it's like a big flow of clear discharge with rosacea p&p's.
seb derm bumps don't usualy do the clear flow thing.. it's like white extra skin. but rosacea p&p's can last for 1 week to months if untreated.

derms often misdiagnois rosacea and seb derm. also with topical creams some work and some don't and ones that do work usualy only work temp because often it gets use to it and the disease progresses if you stick to your triggers. triggers is very important to discover.

you can try the prosacea me and pinkyarrow use. it works on my rosacea and seb derm... it's the best thing i've ever used. and it only cost 10 bucks! and no perscription needed. it doesn't work for everyone and some people complain it dries their skin.. i'm totaly fine with it and haven't needed to change to a new topical. i've been using it over a year.

well, i don't want to keep going and going with rambles and advise incase you might not have these diseases.. but i strongly recommend to keep a diary of what you eat, the elements, conditions of things you go to, stress, computer usage, when outside/sun etc... keep track of everything for months at least until you figure out your triggers.
triggers can land on your face anywhere from minutes to a week.
what i had to do also was give some foods up for weeks/months to discover.. then if i got improvement or none.. i'd eat or drink it again and see what happens.
it takes a long time!!!!!!!
we're all usualy sensitive to EMF's and lighting inside... flouresants may sometimes give a headache etc. full spectrum is best.
but if you look up symptoms... remember most do not apply to everyone! i have advanced rosacea yet most don't apply to me. we're all different.

ect ect..yadda yadda....

Sygma
07-31-2009, 03:40 PM
The little red bumps SOMETIMES get a white head to them but they never seem to drain, and I can't pop them or anything. Eventually, I usually end up scratching them off without thinking. Sometimes they bleed after that, sometimes the white tip comes off as a crust and it returns to being a small, red bump without a tip. Those don't hurt when I scratch them.

The big holes/red non-raised circular "rash" with flaky stuff on my cheeks HURT when I scratch them. They never seem to get better or worse...they never ever multiply that much.

When my sunburn goes away I'll take a close-up of each type of little friend I have.

I have done the master cleanse a total of five days...back before my skin was really this bad.

I might try a cleanse when school gets out, if nothing else works before then.

pixie_333
07-31-2009, 11:08 PM
yeah.. i'm a picker regarding my p&p's and there's always blood when i pick.. but some of them have that clear fluid that isn't anything like a zit or pimple puss and others that have mentioned it too, it all very much appears to be a rosacea thing.
also i get the crust over when i pick. it usualy involves a total of 3 or 4 picks before i get a bump gone. but prosacea and some topical med creams i've gotten from the dermatologist speed the crust thing up for me to pick... it's bad to pick, but i can't help it. and i don't scar yet or barely temp.

i've gotten red rashes before and when flared the sun makes it feel like fire. i had to take tertocycline to rid the rashes.
but drinking a few drops of oregano oil in water a few times a day also took most of the red cheeks away.. this doesn't work for everyone.

if you have seb derm... it's basicaly a candida thing and is challenging to rid. so if it happened after becoming raw it might be fruits you're eating that are feeding the yeast. also rosacea and seb derm are linked to digestive problems. it might be worth looking into for a candida cleansing if you haven't tried it. i haven't, but i heard it can take years to fix. and usualy the things derms give people for rosacea makes the seb derm worse and vice versa. i'm lucky prosacea works on both.

i feel confident you'll figure out what is going on with you and find a solution. best wishes.

Raw Angel Mom
08-01-2009, 05:38 PM
Your skin seems so much better and by the way, you look so much younger too.

I think you are on the right path, i wouldn't worry and focus on my health and being happy (do your best not to let the stress get at you, and release it in nature).

You are doing very good

Hugs

p.s What i saw with her, was much worst and her skin was like a baby when i saw her the next year. Check for leaky guts. If so, therapeutic enzyme has been know to repair this condition

*RayRay*
08-01-2009, 05:53 PM
Probiotics!!!!!

I had similar problems which my doc said was 'perioral dermatitus', but the truth is it doesn't matter what the doctor calls it, it's all the same thing, toxicity. The fact that your skin used to be pretty clear and now on raw is breaking out is a sign of movement of toxins through the body, they're trying to get out!! so, consider this a good sign, and it will clear up eventually, I would do colonics and good probiotics (actually that is what I AM doing right now, and my skin is getting much much better!)

Sygma
08-01-2009, 09:36 PM
I did the spit test for candida, and according to that I have candida. However, I read an article regarding the unreliability of that kind of test. So, I wrote it off...
How does one even go about treating candida? I have read that you can only treat it with oxygen therapy...I've read cutting out fats kills them, but other things say cutting out fruits kills them. At this point, I'm not sure what to believe or even where to start

Probiotics. What kind should I get? Do I take it in a pill form?

If I do colonics wrong or something can I really damage my bowel?

pixie_333
08-02-2009, 12:29 AM
a quick ramble... i diganoised myself having seb derm. all the derms i saw didn't know and it wasn't for years i was like yeah.. i have it and it also was dfferent than rosacea and found a good derm in chicago to verify it.
sometimes it's better than other times and i've been noticing elements have factors with it.
for knowledge sakes derms will only give a topical and they usualy don't work from what i hear and don't fix the problem. i never accepted a perscription. but there are some natural things that help... it's just the trial and error to discover what works.

i am not familur with the saliva test, but i think we all have candida (yeast) in our bodies at least to some degree. maybe only a few people in this world don't, i am assuming.
i don't have head/scalp dandruff.. just this crap on my face. and prosacea rids it. ;) my face is basicaly all clear.

i did get a colonic done once and all that basicaly came out was yeast. so this is a clear indicaton i had a serious problem going on and no surprise to have seb derm.
however i was a major beer drinker when i got one done and might have something to do with it and i ate a lot of cheese. i also had a life threatning experience from a colonic to which i will never get one again... i shared about it here before.
just make sure to drink many gallons of water for a week at least.. like a gallon a day to prevent dehydration from a colonic.

as far as treatment goes... if it were me doing it i would go to the health food store and buy a herb kit and follow their instructions. they cost like 20-50 dollars i think.
then i'd eat some coconut oil a lot and drink lemon water. i forget which ones but some fruits are bad and nuts are too i think.

just follow your intuition. i had belonged to a couple yahoo groups before for candia and one very well known woman that has her own group and diet... i was in total shock how misinformed this woman is and the recomendations she gave others put some people in hospital. she's a real nutcase... i mean in every way shape fashion and form and she'll delete anything you say that doesn't praise or agree with her diet. i had to report her for personal abuse she was doing to me in emails. later on another group i heard many others claiming the same about her.
so just be careful.... if something doesn't feel right then it probably isn't. read advise from many people how they healed themselves. you'll find a lot of people use meat and animal ingrediants though.... make sure you know what it is they are saying to take.. research.

i haven't heard of the oxygen thing... also rejuvinack (sp) is suppose to help and ACV i think.
probiotics is good to take too.

Mary Kay
08-02-2009, 09:35 AM
The oxalates in raw veggies can bind to minerals ---and what mostly affects your skin is Zinc. This has been many nutritionist's reasoning NOT to eat raw foods.....

However, if you eat a Vit C source at the same time as your raw greens, (well the high oxalate ones anyway), it will bind to the oxalates and free up some of the minerals. specifically for acne ---zinc.

In the meantime, I'd take angstrom zinc. heck, I'd take the full-line of angstrom-ionic minerals, but if you don't want to, at the very least, I'd take zinc.

I'd also up my intake of EFA's, fat soluble vitamins, to help balance your hormones.

I met a raw foodie chef who has been 100% raw for a few years. She has the worst acne I've ever seen. I believe it's the zinc connection.

Being low on zinc will often make you have smelly b.o. or smelly feet, btw.

Since I have been supplementing with ionic minerals, my b.o. doesn't smell much at all, and I know others that are the same.

No, I don't sell angstrom minerals, LOL, but I did think about it, as I believe in them. .

My thoughts anyway.

HTH,

Mary Kay

hapahaole
08-02-2009, 10:34 AM
I find all of this very interesting since I suffer from pretty bad acne right now.

I take probiotics and have for years so I don't think that alone is enough. I may buy some zinc and see if that helps. I stopped taking my multi-vitamin a couple weeks ago and my acne got much worse so it seems I'm missing nutrients from my diet.

I think there are so many factors in what could be causing the issue though. And most likely you'd have to stick with something for at least a month or so to see if it's truly helping.

As far as zinc goes, is there a specific form to look for?

Thanks!

Sygma
08-03-2009, 11:28 AM
Zinc...good idea. So a good way to get zinc is to drink orange juice with a salad or something? Is there a supplement that has all the angstrom-ionic minerals?

I stopped taking supplements and it got much worse. I will probably start taking this supplement regimen my natural health doctor has assembled for me. Hopefully that will help.

Mary Kay
08-03-2009, 11:45 AM
You cannot buy (what I feel) is the best zinc in the store. You have to order online.

The zinc I get is a liquid. The stuff in the stores is all pills. Prior to 1992, when pharms sold minerals 0% was being absorbed, so they tweaked the minerals so that your body would absorb them. Added -ates....zinc picolinate, etc. What this is is some sort of carbohydrate/protein molecule that your body WANTS. It doesn't want the zinc because it's too large! The pharmaceutical co's don't want to do the extra step to make the zinc etc a bio-identical angstrom (smaller) size, because that's too expensive.

So your body is tricked into absorbing the zinc picolinate, for ex, and the molecules of zinc are too big, and can actually put holes in your gut, then your cells are seeing this large zinc molecule that's the size of a watermelon , which they have a hard time ingesting and it ends up floating around in your body.

That's why that guy who took colloidial silver turned blue. All the large silver is now in his system, with nowhere to go.

You could drink all the angstrom-sized ionic silver you wanted until you were (not!) blue in the face, and you'd never turn blue.

For good info on angstrom ionic minerals, go to meminerals.com

However, theirs are expensive, so I buy them from

getwelltruth.com

I do know the guy, but I don't have any $$$ connection to this at all. I'm just a believer. he's my local guy, but he might give you to someone in your area. It's an MLM Co, which I hate, but do believe in the product.

Mary Kay

Mary Kay
08-04-2009, 09:14 AM
Hmmm, interesting, somehow my post appeared twice....Anyway, you can get a product consisting of three quart jars of most of the minerals you need. They also come with liquid vitamins, which are separate. These are from getwelltruth.com It's called the Body Foundation. In your instance though, I'd also get a bottle of zinc as well and take a little extra.

I don't get the vitamins though, just the minerals, as I prefer to take my own.

HTH,

Mary Kay

Sygma
08-04-2009, 01:21 PM
I stood in the Whole Foods Market aisle containing probiotics for like twenty minutes trying to decide what to get.

Finally, I just picked up "Ultra Jarro-Dophilus" 10 beneficial probiotic strains. 40 billion per capsule. Is this good?

Dimond
08-04-2009, 02:45 PM
No, it's not a high quality organic formula which is what you want to get.

Ultra Jarro-Dophilus ingredients includes: Sodium alginate, rice maltodextrin, tapioca starch, magnesium stearate, silicon dioxide, vitamin C and tricalcium phosphate. Vegetarian capsule consists of hydroxypropylmethylcellulose. Contains: Dairy and soy.

In the health store, probably the best brand is Garden Of Life. The stores aren't the best place to find supplements, but that one is good, though likely expensive.

hapahaole
08-04-2009, 03:25 PM
I stood in the Whole Foods Market aisle containing probiotics for like twenty minutes trying to decide what to get.

Finally, I just picked up "Ultra Jarro-Dophilus" 10 beneficial probiotic strains. 40 billion per capsule. Is this good?

I've taken this one and it works well. I tend to buy whatever is on sale. I just make sure it's in the refrigerated section. I'm still not sure how the non-refrigerated probiotics stay alive.

I would assume buying it online might be quite costly since probiotics needs to stay refrigerated.

Dimond
08-04-2009, 03:44 PM
You need to make sure it's non-dairy though. It's also pointless to take supplements that have unhealthy ingredients when one is trying to be raw and healthy. All probiotics don't need to be refrigerated. It depends on the formula. It's way easier and just as effective to get the non-refrigerated kind.

starck
08-05-2009, 01:19 AM
hi

you are all talking about zinc suplements

but why can't you get your zinc out of the raw food ?

x

Sygma
08-05-2009, 04:02 PM
You are so right...maybe that isn't such a great probiotic. : /

I'm wondering the same thing about zinc...is there a way to get it from whole foods?

Mary Kay
08-06-2009, 12:32 AM
.....pumpkin seeds are high in zinc.

Mary Kay

Sygma
08-06-2009, 12:42 PM
Cool, I'll get on those pumpkin seeds.

By the way, EVERYONE should subscribe to raw radiant health at rawradianthealth.com...natasha is amazing and has some really insightful videos.

Any other suggestions on what to try/do for my skin would be greatly appreciated.

freelive
10-30-2009, 10:35 AM
Sygma, how is your skin now?
I ate fully raw for 2 weeks and got very similar skin(I was 100 percent raw before, but it never happened before), in my case I am probably detoxing all the medicine they put in my veins in my hospital adventure a month ago. My is not as red, but also concentrated on my forehead, and they are not really pimples, more like tons of raised bumps.
If yours cleared let me know, what did you do?

askcassyfirst
10-30-2009, 11:14 AM
A couple of things about probiotics since this post was bumped...

Probiotics, nearly ALL of them have had some contact with dairy, even if the package says vegan. Some strains are also grown on meat. (I am not kidding, nor trying to scare you...this is real, and was a surprise to me and I work in the industry.)

On the whole, I encourage you to call the company and ask detailed questions, as the manufacturing process is more complex than it may seem. I work in the industry, and like most things there is a lot of marketing out there so you have to learn to read between the lines. Even 'raw' vitamins don't always mean 'raw' either. Again, when in doubt, call and ask. A reputable company will share the truth.

On a similar note, if you object to the cellulose (hypermellose) in vegetarian capsules, probiotics are a great candidate for opening the capsule. Just make sure you aren't paying extra for an enteric coating that you won't be using. :) I've often used formerly encapsulated probiotics as a starter for 'yogurt' and the like. Probiotics are wonderful, and you can take them supplementally or ferment your own foods. You can make vegan kefir by fermenting coconut milk, and you can also ferment veggies to make kimchi and sourkraut.

In terms of skin issues, continue to stay the course and listen to your body. I was once a victim of blemishes and acne, and my skin has completely reformed since I went raw. I'm no longer 100%, and it hasn't regressed. I believe that raw initiated the detox that cleared my skin. And like you, the first year I did see some crazy breakouts. I even got a patch of blemishes over my kidneys, which my TCM believed may have been directly detoxing from my organs. Who knows.

You may want to investigate the waisays book. I found it very informative when it comes to the science behind skin and nutrition. She indicates that a big issue involves dehydration and water retention, but at a cellular level...pinching off the pores so that oil and toxins clog up. In other words we can have oily skin that sheds and leaves our skin healthy and elastic, or, we can get clogged up and blemishy...

Hope this helps.

-Cassy

Rick2009
10-31-2009, 06:06 PM
Turmeric is known to be helpful..if you make a tea with some almond milk and add a bit of sweetener like stevia you are all set. 1/4 tsp of turmeric to a good cup of almond milk plus a little sweetener....I got that recipe from here on this site. Its become one of my favorite turmeric recipes. I consume turmeric as a cancer preventative, but its known to clear the skin and help with boils as well.

Key in detoxing is keeping your liver and bowel functioning at their best. Love your liver, do all you can to keep it in good condition. I suggest getting to know what foods are good for your liver.

All of the best,