Admitting that something wasn’t working for you is always a terrifying feeling, which you procrastinate until denial becomes acceptance.
Procrastinating
After seeing and feeling great results on my new lifestyle of raw foods & 801010 there was still one thing that bothered me and that seemed to be getting worse as time went by. I kept being told things like “I’m rushing it”, “some things takes time” and “You think that after years of abuse it will just get ‘fixed’?!”
Maybe I was doing it wrong?
Isn’t it funny how we are quick to find our own failure when it could in fact be the diet that is faulty?
Ooh, yes I said that.
But let’s not blame anyone. No one did anything wrong.
IGNORANCE CAN’T BE BLAMED BUT NOT LOOKING FORWARD AND CONTINUING SEARCHING FOR AN ANSWER CAN.
The number one thing that made me go to the extreme: my cystic acne.
I don’t blame the food, I actually have complete trust that it would take care of itself eventually as long as I stick to the program. But you can imagine how sick and tired I was of having bad skin, and it was starting to get out of control again, back to the horrible ways of how it was before I changed my diet and all!
I couldn’t really take comfort in others going through the same thing because I felt that this wasn’t just another detox. The worst wasn’t the worst and the best was months away. And when I was slowly getting to my one year mark I got utterly disappointed that this journey left me with nothing but back to square one.
I started longing for how it felt in the beginning of my journey, all excited and hopeful.
It led me to reevaluate and start over; I must have missed something important.
ONE STEP BACK
I decided to fully commit to The Beauty Detox Solution for a few months, and that included the suggested supplementation of Probiotics.
In my quest I had tried eating sauerkraut, kimchi and other fermented foods before, but with evil results. I tried it several times in different combinations but with the same thing happening: after one hour I was standing in front of the toilette puking my guts out; it felt too acidic in my stomach. I must’ve been too sensitive to it, considering I couldn’t even have garlic or even apple cider vinegar in my food at the time, it was best avoided. They really should come with a warning text though.
I resented taking pills again, but what choice did I have?
It makes perfect sense though, that probiotics would improve my acne immensely.
I’ve always had the feeling and been told by others that it’s a gut-issue, and the gut controls all issues, even hormonal imbalances. Before all troubles started to develop I had been on two antibiotic cures very close to each other, and before that I’ve been on/off on Roaccutan. Even though my blood tests results said that all my values were okay if not excellent, there’s so much doctors can actually see…
THE TRUTH IS THAT THE HUMAN BODY IS STILL A BIG MYSTERY FOR US.
I had wiped out all my good bacteria and lowered my immune defense.
No wonder I was tired all the time. No wonder I got a mysterious lump in my chest. No wonder I suddenly suffered from chronic dizziness. No wonder my acne felt incurable.
I’m only in my twenties, I should be radiating health!
UNDOING MY WRONGS
Within a month of Probiotics my acne was slowly getting less active, and after four there’s no inflammation anymore.
I originally decided to go on for three months but ended doing only two, to later introduce fermented foods again, which I now digest well without feeling sick after.
Yes, a part of me wished I had gone on probiotics sooner. It was promoted in all the books and it was clearly the right thing to do considering my antibiotic history. But I had so much faith in the foods, and we all need to do our own experiments to come to the right conclusion.
They say it takes about three years for the body to rehabilitate after antibiotics, I’m on my second year.
It’s been about three months since I took the probiotics, and while my skin has never looked clearer since my journey began it is also not completely clear. There’s still some activity around my jaw/neck area, but the rest is healing more decent than I ever would have imagined! My only trouble is the heat of the summer, which still seems to aggravate my body, so I’m back to the teachings of Ayurveda by trying to stay cool this summer.
I have one year left, and I can feel it all getting better for every month that passes.
TRANSFORMING
Having cystic acne concentrated around my cheeks and jawline often implies hormonal imbalances.
As I started taking the probiotics I felt this shifting; my face didn’t just get clearer, my body was also changing.
I GAINED SOME WEIGHT. MY BREASTS GREW BIGGER. MY BODY FELT MORE FEMININE.
And my period suddenly became regular.
It has always been all over the place since I can remember, and I’ve been tracking it for five years. I worried about being pregnant twice because it extended over 35 days. Always heavy and always crampy. But since the first month of my regime and until now my cycle has been 28 days consecutive and it’s less painful for every month.
REALIZING MY PATH
As much as I’ve looked myself in the mirror and cried, I’m very thankful for how it has shaped me and to where it has led me. I kind of found my purpose in this all, and it has brought me so much clarity and confidence that how my face looks doesn’t really matter anymore. I now know what I want to do with my life.
It was never about my acne.
Who would I be without it and who would I’ve become?
What new friendships would I be missing?
I have never felt as in-tune and on the right path as I’ve done when I found the 80/10/10 diet.
And I found it thanks to my quest for solving my problematic skin. Because I deeply believed that having bad skin wasn’t normal and that we all deserve radiant health!
RESULTS & RECOMMENDATIONS
So, if you are much like me, tried everything diet-wise… and of course, skincare-wise… and have been on antibiotics or other medications, then it’s a big hint that your gut is imbalanced. Which of course makes it hard to absorb nutrients and actually function properly.
Acne.org lists Probiotics (depending on product) 5/5 stars, this is more than the most popular alternative method B5 3.5/5 stars which I’ve tested. And I have to question why probiotics isn’t recommended (together with diet) more often? I guess that you can’t make money out of cured people…
It’s important to point out that a healthy diet is needed to retain a good gut balance afterwards. Bananas for example are great Prebiotics. And now when the gut can function, all those nutrients will actually absorb and help you heal those scars! Probiotics even support the Liver, and the Liver handles all excess hormones and toxins, therefore it works very well in handling hormonal imbalances.
I can only speak from my own experience, so if I were you and had all these skin issues, I wouldn’t wait. I would find me some good quality Probiotics and stick to it for a few months. Avoid any inflammatory foods like Dairy, Gluten and Processed Foods, and substitute it with lots of raw foods.
And of course, transition to all natural beauty products.
The results is in the banana pudding, or shall I say in the good bacteria? You can definitely see the difference even months after I stopped taking probiotics!
I’m hoping that in a year this all will be healed, and almost scar-free.
The Regime
60 Days
1 Capsule first thing in the morning
Afterwards, I played with some fermented foods, about 1/4 of a cup 2-4 days a week, but eventually stopped because I realized I didn’t like the taste of it.
I’d be happy to hear your stories, it may help someone else!
And if you’ve decided to try Probiotics, then I would love to hear the results!
In dedication of Acne Awareness Month
Related Articles: How I Cured My Cystic Acne Part II
