Tag Archive for: skin detox

3 BEST Detox Bath Recipes to help release toxins

by

Your skin is your largest organ in the body and it’s also an elimination organ, and can release toxins from the body. A healing bath using the right combination of ingredients can really help with the detoxification process. Read more below to find out my favorite detox bath recipes!

All information in this article is for educational purposes only.
It is not for the diagnosis, treatment, prescription or cure of any disease or health condition.

For the vision board: This is the perfect outdoor bath!

Detox Bath Preparation

You can either use a bathtub for a full body soak or a rectangular bucket to soak just the feet for your detox bath. A foot bath works really well for either elderly folks or for people who are too ill or injured to get in and out of a tub. If you are using a bathtub, make sure the tub is clean before you prepare your bath.

Detox Bath Recipe #1: For a detox reaction or healing crisis

If you’re experiencing a healing crisis on your detox, take a restorative bath. It’s one of the best and fastest way to reduce the detox reaction. While preparing the bath, connect your phone or tablet to youtube for some inspiring Louise Hay or Esther Hicks audio. In the bath, repeat your positive affirmations out loud. This can really help to dissolve any fear or worry with what you are feeling. Always keep the mind on the right track while the body heals.

Next, prepare a glass and bottle of distilled water to keep next to your bath. Drinking distilled water during a detox reaction can greatly help pass the crisis faster. Distilled water binds to heavy metals and toxins to safely release them through the kidneys and urine.

Add the ingredients below to the bath. Soak in the tub for a minimum of 20 minutes (40 minutes is better). If you don’t have distilled water to drink, then prepare a cup of organic chamomile tea to enjoy during or after your bath.

Epsom Salt Detox Bath Recipe

Add the following to the bath water:

  • 1 1/2 cup Epsom Salts
  • 1/4 cup baking soda (bicarbonate soda)
  • 10-15 drops organic lavender oil

Optional; for added relaxation: Add 1 amethyst crystal (either polished or rough)  to the bath. 

If you’re still not feeling your best after the bath, try a castor oil pack on the liver or a coffee enema to further assist the body in detoxification.

Detox Bath Recipe #2: For clear skin

This healing bath is especially good for rashes, itchy skin, hives, outbreaks, acne, inflammation, red patches or even puffiness in the ankles, hands and feet. Remember, your skin is the largest organ in the body, and it’s also an elimination organ, meaning it helps the body release toxins. Any affliction in the skin is a sign that your body is not eliminating well. This bath is designed to open up the pores in the skin and help speed up the detox or removal of toxins.

Prepare a bath of warm water. Don’t make the water too hot as it can scald the skin. You should be able to comfortable submerge your entire hand in the water. That way, you know the temperature is ok. If you want to also give an extra conditioning treatment to your hair, then apply organic castor oil to your hair, gently rubbing it in, before you enter the bath. Rinse and wash the hair thoroughly after.

Prepare a cup of fresh parsley or dried uva ursi tea to drinking during or after your bath.

Skin Detox Bath Recipe

Add the following to the bath water:

  • 1 cup liquid bentonite clay
  • 2 Tbsp. raw organic apple cider vinegar
  • 2 Tbsp. organic aloe vera juice
  • 3-5 drops organic rosemary oil

Find all the above ingredients on iherb.com here. 

For any residual inflammation, soreness or itchy feeling after your bath, try applying cold liquid bentonite clay on the skin once its dry. The cool feeling helps to soothe any fire or burn and the clay naturally draws toxins out of the skin.

Detox Bath #3: For muscle aches and pains

A healing bath can provide wonderful relief from muscle aches, pains and stiff neck and menstrual pain too. Before you enter the bath, use a dry skin brush to gently massage the lymphatic system. Brush the skin using gentle strokes. If you are having pain, then the direction of your brush strokes should be away from the heart (towards the hands and feet).

Prepare a cup of organic sage tea to drinking during or after your bath.

Restorative Muscle Bath Recipe

Add the following to the bath water:

  • 2 cups Epsom salts
  • 2 Tbsp. organic castor oil
  • 8-10 drops organic sage oil

Find all the above ingredients on iherb.com here. 

After your bath, you can prepare a castor oil pack with heating pad on the sore muscle or stiff neck. Keep the pack applied for 40-60 minutes. (To learn more about the healing benefits of castor oil, check out the book That Oil That Heals: A Physician’s Success with Castor Oil.)

Read more on detox here:

Gallstone Liver Flush – Recipe & Cleanse Info

How to Do Onion Socks for Healing

How to Eat Clean: Start with Green Smoothies!

Green Smoothie for DummiesCheck out my book Green Smoothies for Dummies – I’ve got loads of recipes using dark leafy greens and many delicious combos without any chemical additives, flavorings or refined sugar. It’s so easy!

Clean your body from the inside out and watch your skin improve, your hair and nails get stronger, your eyes look brighter and your waistline slim down….all naturally and effortlessly! It’s simply amazing and your only regret will be that you didn’t start drinking green smoothies sooner.

When you take care of your whole body, you get whole body health.

When you let your food be your medicine, you are always moving towards better health.

Find the book Green Smoothies for Dummies on iTunes or amazon.com!

For more on how to achieve your health goals and actually start feeling great, book a private health consult with me via Skype.

How to Book Your Health & Nutritional Coaching Session:

1. Take photos of your eyes with a smart phone or digital camera.
2. Email the photos to me for approval for Iridology Analysis.
3. We schedule a time to meet via phone or Skype!

More on anti-Aging:

3 BEST Detox Bath Recipes to help release toxins

by

Your skin is your largest organ in the body and it’s also an elimination organ, and can release toxins from the body. A healing bath using the right combination of ingredients can really help with the detoxification process. Read more below to find out my favorite detox bath recipes!

All information in this article is for educational purposes only.
It is not for the diagnosis, treatment, prescription or cure of any disease or health condition.

For the vision board: This is the perfect outdoor bath!

Detox Bath Preparation

You can either use a bathtub for a full body soak or a rectangular bucket to soak just the feet for your detox bath. A foot bath works really well for either elderly folks or for people who are too ill or injured to get in and out of a tub. If you are using a bathtub, make sure the tub is clean before you prepare your bath.

Detox Bath Recipe #1: For a detox reaction or healing crisis

If you’re experiencing a healing crisis on your detox, take a restorative bath. It’s one of the best and fastest way to reduce the detox reaction. While preparing the bath, connect your phone or tablet to youtube for some inspiring Louise Hay or Esther Hicks audio. In the bath, repeat your positive affirmations out loud. This can really help to dissolve any fear or worry with what you are feeling. Always keep the mind on the right track while the body heals.

Next, prepare a glass and bottle of distilled water to keep next to your bath. Drinking distilled water during a detox reaction can greatly help pass the crisis faster. Distilled water binds to heavy metals and toxins to safely release them through the kidneys and urine.

Add the ingredients below to the bath. Soak in the tub for a minimum of 20 minutes (40 minutes is better). If you don’t have distilled water to drink, then prepare a cup of organic chamomile tea to enjoy during or after your bath.

Epsom Salt Detox Bath Recipe

Add the following to the bath water:

  • 1 1/2 cup Epsom Salts
  • 1/4 cup baking soda (bicarbonate soda)
  • 10-15 drops organic lavender oil

Optional; for added relaxation: Add 1 amethyst crystal (either polished or rough)  to the bath. 

If you’re still not feeling your best after the bath, try a castor oil pack on the liver or a coffee enema to further assist the body in detoxification.

Detox Bath Recipe #2: For clear skin

This healing bath is especially good for rashes, itchy skin, hives, outbreaks, acne, inflammation, red patches or even puffiness in the ankles, hands and feet. Remember, your skin is the largest organ in the body, and it’s also an elimination organ, meaning it helps the body release toxins. Any affliction in the skin is a sign that your body is not eliminating well. This bath is designed to open up the pores in the skin and help speed up the detox or removal of toxins.

Prepare a bath of warm water. Don’t make the water too hot as it can scald the skin. You should be able to comfortable submerge your entire hand in the water. That way, you know the temperature is ok. If you want to also give an extra conditioning treatment to your hair, then apply organic castor oil to your hair, gently rubbing it in, before you enter the bath. Rinse and wash the hair thoroughly after.

Prepare a cup of fresh parsley or dried uva ursi tea to drinking during or after your bath.

Skin Detox Bath Recipe

Add the following to the bath water:

  • 1 cup liquid bentonite clay
  • 2 Tbsp. raw organic apple cider vinegar
  • 2 Tbsp. organic aloe vera juice
  • 3-5 drops organic rosemary oil

Find all the above ingredients on iherb.com here. 

For any residual inflammation, soreness or itchy feeling after your bath, try applying cold liquid bentonite clay on the skin once its dry. The cool feeling helps to soothe any fire or burn and the clay naturally draws toxins out of the skin.

Detox Bath #3: For muscle aches and pains

A healing bath can provide wonderful relief from muscle aches, pains and stiff neck and menstrual pain too. Before you enter the bath, use a dry skin brush to gently massage the lymphatic system. Brush the skin using gentle strokes. If you are having pain, then the direction of your brush strokes should be away from the heart (towards the hands and feet).

Prepare a cup of organic sage tea to drinking during or after your bath.

Restorative Muscle Bath Recipe

Add the following to the bath water:

  • 2 cups Epsom salts
  • 2 Tbsp. organic castor oil
  • 8-10 drops organic sage oil

Find all the above ingredients on iherb.com here. 

After your bath, you can prepare a castor oil pack with heating pad on the sore muscle or stiff neck. Keep the pack applied for 40-60 minutes. (To learn more about the healing benefits of castor oil, check out the book That Oil That Heals: A Physician’s Success with Castor Oil.)

Read more on detox here:

Gallstone Liver Flush – Recipe & Cleanse Info

How to Do Onion Socks for Healing

How to Eat Clean: Start with Green Smoothies!

Green Smoothie for DummiesCheck out my book Green Smoothies for Dummies – I’ve got loads of recipes using dark leafy greens and many delicious combos without any chemical additives, flavorings or refined sugar. It’s so easy!

Clean your body from the inside out and watch your skin improve, your hair and nails get stronger, your eyes look brighter and your waistline slim down….all naturally and effortlessly! It’s simply amazing and your only regret will be that you didn’t start drinking green smoothies sooner.

When you take care of your whole body, you get whole body health.

When you let your food be your medicine, you are always moving towards better health.

Find the book Green Smoothies for Dummies on iTunes or amazon.com!

For more on how to achieve your health goals and actually start feeling great, book a private health consult with me via Skype.

How to Book Your Health & Nutritional Coaching Session:

1. Take photos of your eyes with a smart phone or digital camera.
2. Email the photos to me for approval for Iridology Analysis.
3. We schedule a time to meet via phone or Skype!

More on anti-Aging:

What is ringworm, how you get it and how to treat it naturally

by

In the world of rashes, ringworm is an annoying, itchy, hard to get rid of pain in the….well, skin. The name “ring worm” is a bit misleading because it has nothing to do with parasites or worms. Actually ringworm is a fungal infection. It’s called “ring worm” because of the way the fungus can grow on the skin. This contagious fungus most commonly starts as a round patch of itchy skin, then heals in the center and grow outward, creating a ring-like appearance on the skin.

All information in this article is for educational purposes only. 
It is not for the diagnosis, treatment, prescription or cure of any disease or health condition. 

Above is an example of ringworm rash that does NOT have the classic ring-like appearance

Especially in the last few years, I’ve seen more and more cases of ringworm. Quite a few times the person complained of a fire itchy red rash on the skin with raised bumps, went to doctors and was given anti-fungal creams and/or pills. When the treatment didn’t work they naturally assumed that it wasn’t ringworm. In some cases this was actually true and when the person started working with me, I was able to determine a food additive intolerance causing the flares, inflammation and reactions on the skin. However, in a few cases it was actually ringworm and the fungus just did not respond to traditional anti-fungal medications.

What I’ve learned is this:

1. Ring worm does not always grow in a ring-like pattern, especially in small crooks like under the arms, between the legs (jock itch), behind the knees and in the scalp;

2. It doesn’t always spread from person to person in the house;

3. It can go up and down in its intensity throughout the year with heat, humidity and exposure and

4. If you don’t take the right steps at home, you can continually re-infect yourself. This can really create confusion and a delay in treatment because the person can be labeled with psoriasis, dermatitis or eczema instead.

If this sounds like something you’ve been through and you’re still trying to find the cause of your itchy and uncomfortable rash, try my easy and natural remedy for treating ringworm at home. And yes, it really works!

What is Ringworm?

Ringworm is a fungal infection. The technical name for it is “tinea.” Althete’s foot is tinea pedis. Jock itch is tinea cruris. Ringworm on the skin of the body is called tinea corporis. All of these are the same thing – a contagious fungal infection. Symptoms of ringworm include red bumps or scales on the skin, itching, rashes and on the scalp there can sometimes be patches of hair loss.

How do you get Ringworm?

Since ringworm is a fungus, it loves warm, moist environments. Yep, a real reason to wear shoes when walking through a locker room or outside a public swimming pool. Children can easily pass it to each other through hair or skin contact. Sharing combs, razors or clothing can pass ringworm between people. I’ve seen people get ringworm on their skin from their partner who has toenail fungus. Wearing the same gym clothes more than once is another way to get ringworm. Shaving legs and underarms is a sure way to spread ringworm further on the body.

Most commonly, I’ve seen people get ringworm from their pets – both dogs and cats – and more commonly when they adopt the pet from an animal shelter. Usually the person in the house who will get ringworm from a pet is the person who cuddles and pets the animal the most. Dogs and cats will usually have ringworm under their legs in the “armpit” area or on the feet. If you see your dog licking its paws a lot and if there are some patches of hair loss on the paws with red skin underneath, it may be ringworm. The dog licks its paws and then licks you…and presto, a new host for the fungus is born.

Once a person has ringworm, it can live in their clothing, towels and sheets and continually re-infect the person. Ringworm on the scalp can get on the pillow sheet and re-infect the skin night after night. On the torso, it can re-infect someone is they wear the same shirt or bra without washing it in between each use. And bath towels, especially if they don’t dry entirely between use, are a warm wet haven for ringworm. In some cases, the anti-fungal creams may actually work temporarily, but because the ringworm fungus is still in the house, the rash never fully goes away.

Ringworm can grow more on a person who is more over acid in pH. Staying alkaline in your diet by eating more fresh fruits and veggies helps create an environment that ringworm will naturally avoid. If one person in the house is going through more stress for any reason, that can create an acidic pH in the blood. That person will be the one who gets a ringworm infection, while the other household members are fine. Reducing stress and eating an alkaline diet help greatly to prevent and avoid ringworm.

The Secret to Treating Ringworm

The most important things to have for successfully treating ringworm are: consistency and patience. You must be consistent in applying treatment every single day and keep your skin free from potential sources of re-infection. Then, be patient. Ringworm should slowly get better, but the key word is “slowly,” because it does take a bit of time to get rid of it entirely. In spring/summer months or in warmer climates, it can take a few months to see the rash fully cleared, although it should be getting consistently better day by day. In the last few months you may just have a one or two red bumps left….but this is the most important time to remain consistent in treatment so you get rid of it ALL once and for all.

How to Treat Ringworm

In my experience, the most successful naturally remedy for treating ringworm is a 3-step daily regimen:

  1. Shower daily (yes this step is very important). Do NOT go 2 days or more without showering, whenever possible. Shower every single day.
  2. After showering and drying with a clean/dry towel, use a cotton ball to apply organic raw apple cider vinegar (acv) topically to the skin. Only apply where you have a rash, NOT to the whole body. Note: Do NOT apply acv to the genital area. Discard the cotton ball after each use.
  3. After the acv has dried, apply organic castor oil topically to the area where you have the rash. If you have a fungal infection in the genital area, you may apply the castor oil there after showering, but skip Step #2 and do NOT apply the raw apple cider vinegar. Wash and dry your hands after applying the castor oil.

If you are feeling itchy later in the day or before bed, you can apply another round of organic raw apple cider vinegar then organic castor oil to the affected areas before bed. You do not need to take another shower at that time.

Remember: Consistency and Patience

Raw apple cider vinegar is naturally anti-fungal and anti-bacterial. White vinegar does NOT have the same effect. Do NOT use white vinegar as a replacement to organic raw apple cider vinegar.

Castor oil has amazing anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties as well and is known to be an “old-school cure” for treating ringworm and fungal infections. Neither olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil, hemp oil or flax oil have the same effect as castor oil for eliminating ringworm. Do NOT use another oil as a replacement to organic castor oil for this treatment.

Very Important to Also Follow These Steps

While applying your daily natural treatment for ringworm, you should also adhere to the following to avoid re-infection at home:

  1. Wherever you have the ringworm rash, be sure to only wear clothing on that area one time before washing. If you have Althete’s foot, wear you socks only once before washing and do not wear dirty socks. If you have a rash under your arms, then wear your bra and/or shirt only once and wash your shirt and/or bra after every use. Same for nightgowns, robes, shirts, pants and gym clothes for wherever you have the rash.
  2. You don’t have to wash your clothes in hot water, at least in my experience. Warm water seems to work fine. Ideally, you should hang your wet clothes outside on a washing line in the sun to dry. If you are using a clothes dryer, then make sure the clothes are totally dry, in other words don’t let them sit half dry or wet in the dryer overnight.
  3. As much as possible, choose natural fibers in your clothes – such as cotton – and avoid artificial fibers that don’t breathe like polyester and nylon.
  4. Wash and dry your bath towel after every use. Especially if the rash is really active and alive. Over time, as the fungus heals, you can go 2 days with the same towel but only if the towel is dried fully after each use. Do NOT use a wet towel hanging on a towel rack from the day before.
  5. If you have a rash on your scalp, then place a clean towel on your pillow every night and replace the towel with a clean one in the morning. You could also put a clean pillowcase on the pillow every morning.
  6. Wash your bed sheets regularly. Aim for 2 times per week during this time. If you have a duvet cover on your duvet, then you also need to replace that with a clean one twice per week.
  7. Wash your hands with soap after petting animals in the house, every. single. time.
  8. If your pets have pet beds, then you want to wash the covers on their beds once a week during this time.
  9. If possible (and especially if it’s summer), try to expose the rash to 20-25 minutes of sunlight every day. The UV rays in the sun are great for killing fungus. Avoid the times of direct sun between 11am – 1pm. This is especially helpful if your rash is under the arms or under the scalp, in areas that are not normally or easily exposed to sunlight. Usually these areas are most difficult in treating ringworm for that reason!
  10. Finally, an important point if your rash is under the arms or on the legs – either 1) do not shave while the rash is active and alive or 2) if you do shave, use a new razor or razor blade every single time and discard after use. Do NOT share razors with anyone during this time. Also, keep your finger nails cut short to prevent any fungus from harboring under the nails after scratching.

Follow up to Treating Ringworm

After you’ve successfully treated your ringworm (yeah!!), it’s always good to follow up with some natural immune boosting remedies. In my experience, going an an anti-candida diet or herbal anti-fungal program does NOT help to cure ringworm. Your skin is just one of 5 elimination organs, and when one of the organs is weak, all the other ones have to do more work. You may need some liver detox or colon cleanse to get your body and elimination organs back into a healthy alkaline balance. Additionally, you may have some mineral deficiencies that need to be addressed with the right foods in your diet. For that, I recommend that you book a Skype health & nutrition consult. I can then give you more personalized professional advice to get you back to an excellent state of health. I’m in EST/GMT-4 for any time difference, but not to worry as I currently see clients all over the world.

Good luck and many blessing to your health!

For more on how to achieve your health goals and actually start feeling great, book a private health consult with me via Skype.

How to Book Your Health & Nutritional Coaching Session:

1. Take photos of your eyes with a smart phone or digital camera.
2. Email the photos to me for approval for Iridology Analysis.
3. We schedule a time to meet via phone or Skype!

More on Detox:

More on Skin Cleansing:

More on Liver Cleansing:

Top 10 Tips for the Best Healthy Sunscreen

by

For many people, the summer months are a time to be outside, enjoying the beach or nature…and also the sun! But, what do you do to protect yourself from sunburn or sun damage? What can be used as a healthy sunblock? Is there such thing as a chemical-free or organic sunscreen?

All information in this article is for educational purposes only.
It is not for the diagnosis, treatment, prescription or cure of any disease or health condition.

Staying healthy in the sun!

Danger of Homemade Sunscreen Recipes

First of all, it’s important to be clear that homemade sunscreens are NOT a healthy alternative. I’ve seen many “mommy-and-me”-type blogs posting recipes for making sun creams at home, and there is definitely a lack of knowledge regarding the safety of ingredients. Why? Because the main ingredient is titanium dioxide, a known carcinogen! That’s right, a proven cancer-causing ingredient is right in the middle of that “made-with-love” sunscreen recipe!

It is true that there is some debate on the level of carcinogenic risk there is with titanium dioxide, with some people saying that ii is a safe ingredient when 99% pure and can only cause health risks when in a nano particle form. But do you want to take part in the human experiment? I don’t! And I certainly don’t want to make my own recipe where I could potentially use too much or use a version which hasn’t been tested for purity.

Zinc Oxide, another popular ingredient in homemade sunscreen recipes, has been found to have potential evidence of reproductive toxicity according to the Environmental Working Group investigation of sunscreens and other sun-blocking products. So, be sure to avoid any recipes containing this suspect ingredient as well.

How to Protect Yourself from the Sun

As someone who has lived on the beach for the last 12 years, I’ve spent a lot of time in the sun (mainly in Australia, USA, Thailand and Israel).

Here are my top ways to spend time enjoying the sun safely.

What to Use for the Best Healthy Sunscreen:

1.Wear a hat. It’s just that easy. Find one that is comfortable so you actually wear it.

2. Limit your time in direct sun, and avoid the hours between 10am – 2pm. I can usually spend between 60 – 90 minutes in the sun without sunscreen and without burning, but that’s after I have a base tan. Build your time exposer slowly. No need to fry yourself to a crisp!

3. Move to the shade. You can still enjoy many hours on the beach under an umbrella or in the shade of a tree. This is Mother Nature’s natural organic sun protection!

4. Wear a rash guard shirt in the sea. This is especially a good option for kids. Many surfing shirts actually have a high sun protection factor in the material of the shirt.

5. Have a sarong and/or long-sleeve light-weight cotton shirt to cover-up if necessary. When you feel yourself burning, it’s time to cover the skin!

6.Add chlorophyll to your diet. Why don’t plants and trees get sunburn or leaf cancer, especially when there are exposed to sun all day every day? Because the chlorophyll in leaves protects them from getting burned, and it can help protect you too! A daily Green Smoothie is the best way to start your day before you hit the beach!

7. If necessary, buy children’s sunblock  or sunscreens. The child and/or baby formulas will have the least amount of toxic chemicals. When I know I’ll be out for more than 90 minutes, I apply a baby sunscreen to my nose and shoulders. A small amount is going to be much better for you than a full body immersion.

8. Check the labels and choose a brand with the least amount of titanium dioxide. I recently looked at some popular sunscreen brands, and I saw one expensive bottle contained 38% titanium dioxide in nano particles! Another brand contained only 12%. Can you see how you can still make a better choice, even if you still choose to use a traditional chemical formula?

9. Do not  choose anything above Factor 30. When you increase the sunscreen factor, you also
increase the toxic chemicals in the ingredients. By choosing a Factor 30 sunscreen and limiting your time in the sun, you will be making a healthier choice  for you and your family.

10. Be sure to shower after you finish your fun inthe sun. This sounds like common sense, but if you choose to put a chemical on your skin, you need to wash it off, hopefully with a sodium laureth sulfate (SLS)-free soap and only some organic coconut oil to hydrate your skin after.

Stay protected. Your skin will look better & younger, longer!

(Note: Coconut oil is NOT a safe option for sunscreen…I’ve seen many tourists getting fried to a red and blistered crisp in Thailand trying this, and it doesn’t work.)

Limiting your time and moving to the shade is the best alternative. A diet high in antioxidants will minimize any free-radical damage to the skin and will also limit the amount of “burn” to the skin. It’s certainly true that with a high raw food diet, I don’t ever seem to burn anymore, even after spending longer amounts of time in the sun. But I’m still careful not to overdo it.

More on Lymphatic Detox/Cleansing:

How to Clean the Lymphatic System & Detox the Skin in 5 Simple Steps

by

Clean skin from the inside out

All information in this article is for educational purposes only.
It is not for the diagnosis, treatment, prescription or cure of any disease or health condition.

The skin is an organ, and in fact it is the largest organ in the entire body. It is also an eliminative organ, meaning it assists the body in detoxification by pushing out toxins directly through the cells and membrane of the skin. If you do not have a natural, healthy glow, it means that your body inside is overloaded with toxins. Nothing that you try on the outside will give you long-term positive results as long as you continue to hold on to too much toxicity inside.

How does the lymph system affect healthy, clear skin and sparkling eyes?

The lymphatic fluid rests just below the skin; if it is toxic or sluggish (from processed foods, smoking, chemical body products, lack of exercise), the skin simply won’t look good. A healthy glow comes from the inside out. Even the fluid in the eyes is lymphatic fluid. The cleaner your are inside, the brighter and clearer your eyes will be – truly a window to your health!

What happens to the skin when lymphatic drainage becomes sluggish?

If the lymphatic system becomes sluggish, it will try to ‘off-gas’ through the skin. If someone is wearing nylon or ployester clothes or putting chemical creams on their skin, there is nowhere for those toxins to go (imagine wrapping yourself in plastic wrap). So those toxins get re-absorbed. That’s creates a back-log of internal work. This is where a detox can be a good idea to give all the organs a chance to catch up. From there, living a cleaner lifestyle, with natural foods, natural clothes, regular exercise and only natural chemical-free products on the skin (especially deodorant) keeps the lymph and skin happy.

What foods for improve or stimulate the function of the lymphatic system?

Remember, your body is ‘a community’ of organs. A natural whole and pure diet is always best. A simple rule for the skin is this: if you can’t eat it, it shouldn’t be put on the skin. If you have to use something, go for the baby product line (for sunblock or laundry detergent). They will always have less chemicals. A simple rule for lymph is this: Keep the lymph moving with movement (exercise). Drink plenty of water. Avoid foods with chemical coloring, flavoring, sugar replacements and preseratives which all add more internal housework to the body.

What lifestyle habits improve the function of natural lymphatic drainage?

Stretch, walk or swim to help clean the lymph

The lymphatic system is a cirulatory system in the body. It’s cleaning cells and dumping toxins into the blood all the time to keep the body clean. But, unlike the blood, the lymphatic system has no pump. If you don’t move, the lymph doesn’t move. It waits for movement to ‘surf’ from the contraction of muscles. So, in order to keep the lymph moving and clean, you have to move! Exercise is the best for lymphatic. Many people who sit all day long develop a sluggish lymphatic system simply because they do not move! Lymph like gentle exercise, like walking, stretching, swimming or yoga. Go for a walk during lunch, stretch throughout the day and develop a regular exercise routine. Dry skin brushing and wearing natural fiber clothes also allows the skin and lymph to breathe.

To keep your skin clean, you’ve gotta have a clean lymphatic system. You cannot get clear skin from the outside in; it has to happen from the inside out. Every organ in the body affects every other organ in the body. Treat your body as a whole and you will long-term results that last.

5 Steps to Keep your Lymphatic System & Skin Clean:

1. Avoid nylon and polyester clothes.

Opt for all natural fibers that allow the skin to breathe, such as cotton, hemp, wool, or silk (note that silk and wool are not technically ‘vegan’ fabrics).

2. Avoid skin creams and body lotions with chemicals that suffocate the skin.

Choose natural moisturizers such as virgin organic coconut oil. Coconut oil is non-greasy and very affordable when compared to the cost of multiple skin products. In winter months, try cold-pressed virgin organic olive oil. The olive oil is more moisturizing and works well against dry skin in cold months. Remember, if you can’t eat it, it shouldn’t be put on the skin. Be sure to use an aluminum-free deodorant.

3. If you have to choose a chemical product, always choose the baby version.

Buy organic baby sunblock, baby dish detergent, or baby washing detergent. The baby formulas will always have less chemicals and less sodium lauryl ethyl sulfate (SLS), the chemical agent that creates sudsy bubbles in cleaning products.

4. For face, look for products with natural essential oil combinations and fresh herbs for daytime use.

At night, use virgin organic coconut oil before bed as a wonderful non-greasy moisturizer. Argan Oil is a nice option for the face. Be sure to find 100% organic and only Argan Oil (without any other ingredients). I’ve seen 100% certified organic Argan Oil on iherb.com. If it’s your first time buying on iherb, you can receive $5-$10 off your first purchase by using this link: iherb rewards. I use iherb all the time for my fluoride-free toothpaste, organic soap, virgin organic coconut oil, hemp seed, spirulina powder, organic raw apple cider vinegar and so much more. They always have the lowest price!

Ready to get started? Check out my personal shopping cart with all of my favorite skin & body products, all natural and organic of course!

I use Dr. Bronners Balm for the lips

For lips, I recommend an Australian product called Paw Paw ointment – it’s a fermented papaya salve and is wonderful for the lips and also for cuts, scratches, burns and even diaper rash. There is a non-petroleum version available by PhytoCare. If you’re in the USA and looking for something more local, I recommend the Dr. Bronner’s Baby Mild Organic Baby Balm. This stuff works great for lips and is also good for any dry patches of skin.

5. Keep the lymph moving with movement (exercise).

Drink plenty of water. Avoid foods with chemcial coloring, flavoring, sugar replacements and preseratives which all add more internal housework to the body. Practice dry skin brushing. As a treat, book a lymphatic drainage massage every 3 months, and especially at the end of a detox or cleanse to help keep lymph clean.

(Yoga photo from sheknows.)

<strong>More on Skin Cleansing:</strong>