Most of the research I did early on talked about a gut connection, which I definitely believe in. If the gut is inflamed or irritated with chronic bouts of constipation or digestion problems, it could definitely show up in your skin. Due to my nutrition training early on in medical school, I have always had a fairly clean diet. By that I mean no soda, no fried food, no fast food, only an occasional alcoholic drink and very little sugar. I basically eat salad, chicken, and tea. Boring, I know, but it keeps my stomach happy and I’ve never had to worry about dieting. I did however want to completely rule out the possibility of a food intolerance, so I ordered a test online from Everlywell and did a finger prick. A week later I got my results, and it turns out I am not allergic or intolerant to ANYTHING. I mean, nothing. No nuts, no dairy, no gluten, no wheat…. you name it, I’m not reacting to it. Now this is rare, and most people will find their body is in fact allergic, even mildly, to something. By doing this simple test and eliminating that food, it’s possible to see if your rosacea may be a result of your diet. Many people also find that eliminating gluten and diary for a FULL 30 DAYS does the trick. There is no exact science to this- its a guessing game, until you find what works for you.
Rosacea is basically an inflammatory condition which appears on your face; your body is reacting to something, and it shows up, yup, right on your face. If you do a food sensitivity test, eliminate that food and find you are still dealing with rosacea, it’s time to move on to the next part: gut health. When your gut is happy and healthy, you are less likely to experience inflammation. Most of us in America have been eating processed foods for quite some time and have poor diets; we have lost a lot of the nutrients, minerals and good bacteria that the gut needs to be healthy. Adding fresh, organic fruits and veggies, probiotics, fermented foods and fiber will help tremendously. Eliminate soda, sugar, fried or fatty foods, baked goods and processed foods. When you go to the grocery store, shop around the perimeter of the store where all of the fresh food is- don’t go up and down the aisles where all of the pre-packaged food is. Read labels. If you see things you can’t pronounce, don’t bother buying it. Eat salads/greens at least once per day. Include bone broth on a daily basis. Include coconut milk on a daily basis. Include a powdered greens product daily (my favorite is Greens Balance by Arbonne). Take daily prebiotics/probiotics. If you focus on healing your gut rather than avoiding trigger foods, your body won’t react to trigger foods. Healing your gut will take several months, but it will change your overall health for the better.
CLEANSES
Cleanses go a step further than just “eating healthy.” Part of the problem with rosacea is either leaky gut or SIBO. For us, it is not enough to simply eat better. The gut must be healed, and the liver must be detoxed. This requires eliminating and adding certain foods. You can start by ordering a simple pre-packaged kit which does all the work for you. There are many gut health/detox programs on the market which are easy to follow and provide you with the protein shakes, fiber, detox teas and vitamins you need to stay energized during the detox, however not all cleanses are the same. It’s important to use the correct probiotic, the correct protein, the correct greens powder and the correct liver detox, as all these products work TOGETHER to start the healing process.
If you would like more info about the specific cleanse I did, please contact me directly or set up a consultation. Rosaceahelp@outlook.com
So you did a special diet… and nothing changed!
I get this question a lot. If you’re like me, you’ve already tried everything. You’ve tried stopping sugar, you’ve tried Paleo, you’ve tried celery juice. Maybe your symptoms got better, but you clearly still have rosacea. The problem with most diets is that they don’t have a liver detox component. When you lose weight, toxins are released back into your bloodstream and must be processed by your liver. When you stop eating sugar or gluten, you are starving the bacteria which feeds on sugar and there is a massive bacterial die-off, called a Herx reaction. In both cases, your body must now purge these toxins and bacteria, which could put your liver into overload. Many scientists and doctors now believe rosacea can be directly related to the liver. If you do not do a specific liver detox following your weeks/months/years of healthy eating and weight loss, you will continue to have the same symptoms until the liver is cleared. Liver function is extremely overlooked in rosacea treatment. Doctors are just starting to get on board with gut health in terms of rosacea treatment, but any gut cleanse or change in diet should always be followed up by a liver detox.
SPLEEN
There is one more issue of the digestive system which should be addressed when dealing with rosacea, and that is the spleen. Think of the spleen as a filter for the immune system. It filters the blood and keeps bodily fluids balanced. When your spleen is not working optimally, your immune response is reduced. Many people believe rosaceans suffer from a compromised immune system. Addressing the spleen may be very beneficial in your rosacea healing. To see if spleen support may be helpful to you, please set up a consultation.
HEAVY METAL DETOX
I also did some research on heavy metals and the possibility that my body was overloaded with toxins from heavy metals. I’ve certainly had my share of chemical exposure, pesticides, amalgam fillings and aluminum. At the time I didn’t have the resources to have all my amalgams removed, so I incorporated a heavy metal detox protocol which would slowly begin to pull heavy metals out of my body. While I was doing this cleanse, my gums were very sore and I had daily headaches. This is quite typical. I was initially shocked, but that’s just another explanation as to the level of chemical toxicity I had going on inside my body…. hence, rosacea.
HORMONES
If there is a hormonal component to your rosacea, you must first understand that SOMETHING is causing the hormonal imbalance in the first place. Many people are given specific treatments for hormonal regulation by their doctors, but this is a band-aide approach. It does not address the underlying condition which may be causing both the hormonal imbalance and the rosacea.
I find that many people notice a drastic change in their hormone regulation after completing a 30 day cleanse, and even better results in the months that follow. I would recommend starting with a comprehensive approach if you’re dealing with both rosacea and underlying hormonal issues.
Healing Rosacea Naturally 