Clear Skin, Nutrition and Balancing your pH

You really can get rid of acne, rosacea, and eczema, naturally. How? By learning about their causes, and how to rebalance the body. By understanding that applying harsh chemicals to the skin can actually exacerbate the skin's natural oil production and make these conditions worse.

Our bodies are finely-tuned machines, continually creating new cells and getting rid of dead cells. There are three processes vital to human health: appropriation (taking in food, air, water etc.), assimilation (absorbing nutrients to create new cells), and elimination (expelling waste/toxins). If any one of these is unbalanced, this can lead to less than vital health. We need to take in the right fuel, use it effectively and get rid of by-products and waste. For example, we get rid of waste via the digestive system, the lungs and the skin; if the digestive system is sluggish, waste may have to be expelled via the skin, as blocked pores and acne. To really get rid of acne, you need to equip yourself with information about hormones, food, skin care products, dehydration, yeast and antibiotics.

If you listen to your body you will find the long-term path to clearer skin. Whether you eat a natural diet of living fruits and vegetables or eat dead junk food, what you eat may have a direct or indirect affect on the hormones which may or may not play some part in acne. When your liver gets overloaded with toxins it will send the toxins out through your skin as well as other organs of elimination. Adding a lot of fresh, raw fruit to the diet has helped many people clear up their skin; there are tons of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients in fruits.

Good clear skin is often a reflection of a good digestive system. Concentrating on a diet, of mostly fruits and vegetables (preferably uncooked), and no junk food, should give you an observable improvement in your skin within 30 days. When the skin is dehydrated, dead skin cells remain on the skin which may block pores and promote acne; to facilitate the turnover, and detoxify the skin, drink plenty of water.

To remove the dead skin cells and unblock pores, you must first CLEANSE. Try our DETOXIFYING CLAY CLEANSER WITH DMAE followed by our EXFOLIATING AHA SCRUB (AHAs are Alpha Hydroxy Acids) is the perfect choice to reveal the younger, fresher skin that you already have underneath. Follow the the Scrub with one of our TONERS: REFRESHING CUCUMBER FACIAL TONER, SIMPLY ROSEWATER TONER, or our LAVENDER & SEA MINERALS TONER.  Any one of them will bring your skin's pH back in balance. Follow with one of CB's Antioxidant-Rich SERUMS: BALANCING ROSEHIP OIL & HIBISCUS, NOURISHING MEADOWFOAM, OR SKIN-FIRMING DMAE & MSM FACIAL SERUM, to give your skin a powerful shot of vitamins deep into those newly revealed layers of skin. Finally, protect and seal-in those vitamins, with continuous hydration for your perfectly balanced skin, with one of our CREAMS: LIGHT & REFRESHING CUCUMBER CREAM, SIMPLY ROSES CREAM, SKIN REJUVENATING AHA CREAM, or SKIN-FIRMIMG DMAE & MSM CREAM.

Good nutrition will help your skin from the inside out. Again, drink plenty of pure, filtered water, a minimum of a quart a day.

Foods to avoid include: Dairy products (milk, cheese, cream, yogurt etc). Refined and cooked carbohydrates (flour, bread, rice, crisps and chips, sugar etc). Cooked fats (fried food, hydrogenated oils, roasted nuts). Meat (beef, pork, chicken, lamb etc). All of these foods are acid-forming  in the body. If you really want to get rid of acne, you need to eat more alkaline-forming foods -- fresh vegetables and fruit, nuts (sparingly) and seeds. The foods to avoid listed above also cause a sluggish digestive system. If food travels too slowly through the body, toxins build up and aren't carried away by the usual processes and are expelled via the skin, causing acne.

Who ever said, “Beauty is Only Skin Deep” wasn’t a nutritionist! Lasting beauty doesn’t just come from skin care products and facials; it really starts from what we put into our bodies. Our outward appearance is a direct reflection of our inner bodies and health. Eating a diet rich in antioxidants and nutrient dense foods may seem to be the key to slowing the signs of aging and obtaining natural lasting beauty – but another little known anti-aging “secret” is to maintain a neutral pH balance.

Recent research has shown that if your body has an “acidic” pH balance then the aging process is accelerated and this can make it very difficult to retain a youthful appearance. So how do you know if your pH is out of whack? Do you need to hire a nutritionist? It couldn’t hurt, but by following some simple steps to create a neutral body pH balance, you can successfully help reverse the degenerative processes at work in your body and obtain that healthy looking glow, radiant health and natural beauty that we all covet.

What is pH balance?

It may sound like a new athletic shoe, but “pH” actually stands for “potential of hydrogen,” and is simply the measure of acidity or alkalinity in any solution (and our bodies). Dr. William Howard Hay first introduced the term pH balance in his 1933 book “A New Health Era.” He concluded that all disease is caused by acid accumulation in the human body, and he called this condition “autotoxication” (self-poisoning). Even though this concept seemed a bit far-fetched 75 years ago, it makes perfect sense in today’s holistic health revolution.

The perfect pH for your body is around 7.4. pH is measured on a scale of 0 to14 (the lower the pH, the more acidic the solution; the higher the pH, the more alkaline the solution). When a solution has a pH of 7.0, it is considered neutral. Therefore water (measured at exactly 7.0) is a neutral solution and comprises 70% of the human body. Our blood is considered balanced if it’s pH is close to 7.4 (a fluctuation of .2 up or down is still considered normal).

Is Your pH out of balance?

An imbalanced pH affects all cellular activity in the body, leading to the progression of most degenerative disease, including: cardiovascular and heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, kidney stones, urinary incontinence, arthritis, osteoporosis, cancer, diabetes, systemic weight gain, and obesity.

Research has shown that acne, rosacea, eczema and even psoriasis can possibly be signs of mild acidosis, and the acidic joint fluid found in some rheumatoid arthritis patients is believed to have a direct correlation with their painful inflammation. An acid condition can even inhibit the absorption of vital nutrients from the foods we ingest, and just as Dr. Hay concluded in 1933, studies have shown that acidosis can be a launching-pad for many chronic ailments.

How does your pH get out of balance?

One answer may surprise you . . . food protein, which is vital for maintaining your health, can also create an acidic condition in your body's pH balance. States Dr. Ted Morter, Jr., a notable pH expert, “The paradox of protein is that it's not only essential (to life), but also potentially health destroying.” Imagine that! The same protein that you need to live can actually over-burden your cells making them toxic and acidic! And remember... an acidic body pH condition facilitates accelerated aging, system degeneration and increased susceptibility to sickness and disease.

What else affects pH and causes it to become unbalanced? A mild acidosis condition (an overabundance of acid in the blood) can be caused by improper diet, but also by poor lifestyle habits or toxic emotional states. The amount of acid in the body can increase through ingestion of acid-forming foods, but it can also be affected by an abnormal metabolism or kidney malfunction. As we age, our body’s systematic removal of excess acid has begun to slow down (the lungs are not removing as much acid in the form of carbon dioxide; the kidneys aren’t able to excrete as much acid through the urine and the skin does not eliminate as much acid through perspiration). This is why you sometimes feel like you need a new carburetor.

Optimizing pH Balance

Although it seems a bit illogical, we need to remember that our bodies metabolize acid foods as alkaline and metabolize alkaline foods as acid. Acid foods (citrus fruits, vegetables, vinegar and other fermented foods) all become alkaline when consumed and metabolized and so are called “Alkaline-forming foods”.

On the other hand, alkaline foods (meats, flour, sugar, soft drinks, alcohol, aspirin and various medications) are metabolized by the body into “acid-forming foods.” That’s why the average American diet of hamburgers and processed food can and usually does contribute to a condition called “mild acidosis.” Although you can still eat some acid-forming foods, you may need to work on balancing your diet (60-80% alkaline-forming foods and 20-40% acid-forming foods) and give your body a chance to heal from distress and disease.

When Hippocrates own dietary recommendations were recently analyzed it was found that he suggested a diet of 80% alkaline - forming foods and 20% acid - forming foods which will replenish your health bank. It is the Potassium, Calcium and Sodium minerals which neutralize the unhealthy toxic acid waste in the human body. These minerals are found in alkaline-forming foods. Alkaline balance can be checked with a simple saliva test using special pH paper and a color chart.

HERE'S HOW TO TEST YOURSELF AT HOME:

1. Wait 30 minutes after a meal. Food residues, salt, etc. can remain in the saliva for upto 30 minutes after a meal, causing a false reading. Swish your mouth with fresh saliva and swallow. Repeat twice. 3rd time keep fresh saliva in mouth.

2. Take a 1.0 inch strip of pH paper and wet thoroughly with fresh saliva.

3. After 1.0 minute, match the color of the pH strip with the colors on the cover of the pH paper dispenser.

4. Note the pH number corresponding to your color. For maximum accuracy we recommend you to test 2 or 3 times throughout the day.

COLOR RANGE TEST RESULTS:

Blue to Purple: 7.0- 7.0+... Healthy

Light Green: 6.0-6.5... Not in the best of health.

Yellow: 4.5-6.0... Time for a check-up!

Test Results - What they mean:

7.5 pH .. .. Ideal alkaline body level.

7.0 pH .. .. Your body is neither alkaline nor acidic.

You may be developing disease(s)

6.5 pH .. .. Your body is 10 times more acidic than pH 7.5

6.0 pH .. .. Your body is 20 times more acidic than pH 7.5

5.5 pH .. .. Your body is 100 times more acidic than pH 7.5

5.0 pH .. .. Your body is 200 times more acidic than pH 7.5

4.5 pH .. .. Your body is 1,000 times more acidic than pH 7.5

As long as there are sufficient amount of alkaline minerals in the body (potassium, calcium and sodium), the vital pH balance can be sustained. It is truly the secret of life, health and youth. If your cellular pH is not alkaline, you cannot assimilate vitamins, minerals and food supplements.

Reverse the aging process with a neutral pH balance

What’s the most efficient way to combat acidic stress in your body? Turn back the clock? Live a stress-free existence? Get rid of all your bad health habits and eat a perfect diet? While you’re at it, why not get in line with all the other New Year’s Resolution dropouts who fell over their feet while taking a giant step! Why not start with some very simple and do-able baby steps:

• Add a hefty dose of alkaline-forming foods to your daily diet. Eat a rainbow of health-giving, antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables everyday.

• Manage stress more effectively. Take time to relax, take a walk, exercise or meditate daily.

• Cleanse your body systems regularly. Try herbs like milk thistle for cleansing the liver, dandelion for the kidneys or just gently cleanse your body for one day by eating nothing but fresh raw fruit!

• Drink eight (8) or more glasses of pure water daily with fresh lemon juice squeezed in generously.

*Remember…lemons are an acidic food that is alkaline-forming once ingested.

We all want to be young, vibrant and beautiful. By following these simple guidelines, eating a diet rich in alkaline-forming natural foods and supplementing with specific nutrients to help ward off aging and promote a neutral pH balance, we can help ourselves to slow the signs of aging and obtain the radiant health natural and lasting beauty that we all desire . . .