Serendipity may have been kind to me this morning. I was feeling the usual discomfiture over my acne, weight, and reproductive issues when I decided to google ‘hypoglycemia’, ‘acne’ and ’skin’ on a whim. There is a connection between all my issues and what I googled!
The condition is called skin diabetes. Our skin is an organ, just like a liver, spleen, or kidneys. It has to metabolize the nutrients we feed it, but, sometimes it malfunctions when it comes to complex sugars. Insulin levels, for some reason, are very low in the skin. The consequence is acne, because the excessive sugars are a buffet dinner for bacteria. This metabolic problem is a tripping wire for a cascade of changes in the hormonal systems in the body, hence reproductive issues, etc.
All of the above is perfectly applicable to my genetics and previous health history. My grandpa had type 2 diabetes; my dad was rejected from the draft because of sugar in his urine. I have passed out a couple of times because of low blood sugar and dehydration. I have all the classic symptoms of hypoglycemia.
The good news is that skin diabetes can be controlled, much like type 2. My weight is still in the acceptable zone, so that is not such a big determinant. The real changes I have to make is with what I eat. Big Serious Changes.
Sugar is no longer my friend, neither are refined carbohydrates, nor caffeine. Buh-Bye High Fructose Corn Syrup!
Nourishing Traditions is the way to go: Good fats, proteins, well-treated grains, fermented dairy, veggies, and fruits.
This will take a while to sink in…
I, too, have had hypoglycemia. When I started following a sugar free hypoglycemic diet, my skin cleared up! After being sugar free for a long time, I’ve loosened up on my diet and things aren’t so bad. (I’m convinced God did some healing work in that area after a Service of Holy Unction last winter, which has enabled me to eat a more “normal” diet…) But you are inspiring me to cut back on the sugar again.
The hardest thing for me, is to avoid using artificial sweeteners as a substitute.
I should mention that my diet was also low carb/smart carb/low glycemic.
Thanks for the confirmation, Alana.
I, too, am very wary of artificial sweeteners. If I am to use anything, it’ll have to be natural forms of sugar, like maple syrup or honey. I’ll have to experiment.
~Anna
Anna,
)
you will love eating the NT way. My body has never felt better. Combined with drinking the Kombucha, my extra weight is continuing to slip away. And rather quickly too!
The detox is still happening of course, but it is painless, except for the itchy feet and hands
Refined foods are the enemy of the temple God gave us.
Paula
I just purchased NT a couple of weeks ago. I skimmed through and was very impressed, but then promptly launched into a major renovation project and haven’t had a chance to look since.
I can’t wait to get all the debris cleaned up from renovations and begin making our own yogurt and kefir. We already make most of our own bread, so soaking the flour will be just another step. I’m a little wary of kombucha and scobies. Sounds a little odd to me, but I’m impressed with the health testimonies I’ve heard as a result of consuming it.
Enjoy the changes you are implementing. Take it one (or 2) steps at a time and you’ll do well. Switching to a nourishing, whole foods diet can only help. ~ Beth
Anna ~
Reading your post made me think of myself, too. I’ve often passed out due to low blood sugars (from the time I was in elementary school) and I had horrible acne until recent years when we cut out almost ALL refined sugars and high fructose corn syrup. I use honey instead of sugar when cooking/baking, we use organic evaporated cane juice where we used to use sugar (like in DH’s coffee or on cereal), and we don’t buy much processed foods anymore either.
I have another blog, The Ancient Paths Family Farm, that is related to health with an all natural, whole food and grass fed meat focus. If you want to browse, there might be something of interest there. However, I haven’t had a lot of time to post a lot of the things I want to, the benefits of the things we’ve cut out of our diet/lives and the things we’ve incorporated. I have a lot more to add to that blog – hopefully I’ll get to it soon.
I feel better than I ever have, my skin is clear and I don’t have those nasty yellow-orange sweat stains on my shirts anymore either!! It’s amazing how what we put in (and on) our bodies can affect us so much, and how much better we feel when we “do it better”.
Blessings ~
Lisa
Lisa & Paula,
Your encouragement goes a long way, Thanks!
Beth,
The SCOBY idea also was weird to me for a while but once I tasted kombucha, I was sold. Even Jeff likes kombucha and he is a squeemish person by nature.
I can’t claim any significant improvements due to the K, but it is something other than water to drink. Jeff has had the best intestinal improvement directly tied to Kombucha.
~Anna
Wanted Beth to know, that because of Kombucha, my husbands Type 1 diabetes has finaly come under full control. His insulin needs are less than half of what they have been for many years. He no longer has surges in blood sugar, and does not “crash” anymore.
Paula
You guys should try Fish Oil. I’ve been using it for over a month, and I can already see a big improvement in my energy and overall well-being.
Ow, I can so relate to this post. I suffered for years with migraine headaches. One day I ended up in the emergency room with IVs in my arm heavily medicated. I thought I was going to die! At that point I had tried nearly every doctors idea so I decided to see the advise of a holistic doctor. What a blessing!
She did some tests eating certain foods and came to the conclusion that I am allergic to nearly everything LOL! Well not everything.
I can not have any type of meats with hormones or chemicals, no lunchmeat, no dairy (I can for some reason eat yogurt), no processed food with ingredients I can’t even read, no wheat, no rye, no sugar or foods with sugar, nothing white such as flour, and I can have nothing that is enriched.
I can have fruits and veggie. I can also have meats that have not been chemically or hormonally processed.
Now I do not do it faithfully but having this information helps me to identify when I feel a headache coming on so I stop eating that thing.
It’s a slow process when making these changes but don’t let yourself get discouraged it will be all worth it in the end.
Many Blessings!
Christine
Other things you may or may not have run across in your searches:
PCOS: metabolic disturbance closely intertwined with diabetes, causes hormonal disturbances, acne, weight gain, etc. Good results from a low-carb, low-grain diet.
Salicylate intolerance: frequently found in association with: hypoglycemia, autism spectrum disorders, weight gain, and hormonal trouble. Try reading the PPRS site here:
http://blog.plantpoisonsandrottenstuff.info/?s=hypoglycemia
Nourishing Traditions is great, and helped me get over my reticence about butter, cream, and animal fats, which has helped me a lot. But if there’s any chance you are salicylate intolerant, you might also be helped by researching/trying out the RPAH elimination diet (FAILSAFE diet) as well.
Sorry for commenting on such an old post!