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Skin Re-Visited, pt. 2
What wound up being my challenge was a culmination of a couple conditions. For one, my hormones were severely out of balance due to the lack of fat I was consuming while eating strictly raw food. Hormones are fat soluble and our bodies require the consumption of high-quality fats in order to facilitate their production. On top of that, I found that I had been over-run with candidiasis, also known as candida.
Candida is a yeast-like fungi which naturally inhabits our digestive tract, and generally lives in balance with our fauna (animal like organisms) and flora (plant like organisms), assuming our digestive health is fully functional. Candidiasis is a very common condition and results from a disruption in our intestinal bacteria ~ The balance of our fauna and flora being upset (one or the other begins to dominate.) When this happens, our naturally occurring candida begin to replicate to rapidly and basically take over, leading to a variety of health issues ~ Such as acne, which occurred for me. People with weak immune systems are highly susceptible to Candidiasis. Candida is supposed to be helpful yeast, and remains benign until our beneficial bacteria (fauna and flora) are suppressed. At this point, the candida become aggressive fungi. Basically, Candidiasis is caused by the destruction of our beneficial bacteria. This can happen through the use of antibiotics (this includes birth control!), genetic immune dysfunction, thymus tumors, hormonal imbalances, etc. Candida also thrive on sugar, so the over consumption of sugar will feed the general condition of Candidiasis.
So, it all became clear to me. I was suffering from two things: a severe hormone imbalance which led to the Candidiasis. My gut was stripped of its beneficial bacteria from the excess of cellulose in all of the plant food. Our hormones are secreted into our intestinal system from our endocrine system, and when our gut is lacking the correct probiotics for our bacteria to thrive on, and insufficient fat to facilitate our hormone production, thus results challenges like Candidiasis.
Another side note ~ I was also consuming excessive sugar ~ Not refined sugar, of course ~ But natural sweeteners like agave, maple syrup, honey, etc. due to my body being in a constant state of craving fat. The sugar was feeding the Candidiasis, so I was breaking out. I also developed a yeast-like rash around my mouth, stemming from the Candidiasis. It was obviously sugar dependent, because when I began watching my sugar intake, the slightest amount would set the rash off. It was completely painful, lasted for a few months, and I felt gross.
How did I rid myself of this traumatic dysfunction?
Animal foods. Straight up, organic grass-fed meats, cheeses, raw milk, cream, butter, yogurt ~ All from local farmers in my area. The necessary teachers happened to enter my life at the perfect time, when I was really down on my condition and feeling at the lowest with my health. They shared with me the knowledge of how how vital animal foods are to our health. What I really learned, was how our bodies thrive on fat ~ Saturated fat and cholesterol. Our brains are dependent on fat… Our hormones are dependent on fat! The statement that our health begins in our gut is the complete truth. If we are distressed in our intestines, we see distress manifest elsewhere in our health. I am a perfect example of this. Beginning to eat animal foods really set me on my path to healing and led to the most sustainable positive changes in my health. I didn’t see any changes in my conditions immediately upon beginning to eat animal foods, but the past six months have brought me to where I am now ~ In radiant health. I also cut the consumption of sugar fully. This brought immediate results. Nothing too significant, but I saw changes from that right away in that the rash around my mouth disappeared quickly and the intensity of the breakouts decreased.
This process has been going on over the past couple years, culminating at its worst point this winter. Where I stand now, I am cured. My digestive system is functionally normally again, my acne is just about all gone, and my Candidiasis is cured. I feel vibrant and beautiful. My self-esteem has heightened once again, and life feels back on track. It really amazed me how distraught I felt in so many walks of life, all simply because my health felt out of wack. I was spending so much time attempting to heal and feel sorry for myself, that I couldn’t focus on what I love and bask in the glory of life. I was lacking the confidence I was otherwise so accustomed to having plenty of, so I really wasn’t putting my all into the projects in my life.
I share this story because I know my old condition is affecting a sea of people out there in a similar way. I gained knowledge through this experience. I conquered the battle and am up, over the hill. It happened to me for a reason, and part of that is to spread the awareness. I want to share this knowledge and information with the public in hopes that others will benefit from it in one way or another. Candidiasis is an epidemic, and I want to help people. Acne isn’t something people are damned with for life and can never get rid of it. I want everyone to know that there is a cure ~ And it starts in our gut.
I will forever rely on my skin as my mirror of my health.
17 Comments to “Skin Re-Visited, pt. 2”
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Hello,
I love your site, and you seem like a fantasticly beautiful woman on the inside and out. But I seriously disagree with you on the fact that you need animal fats (bad fats) to keep your body in balance. While you were on the raw food diet didn’t you eat nuts? Coconuts have plenty of saturated fats as you should know and avocados are a gem as well. Most people’s skin issues clear up once they eliminate dairy and animal foods from their diet, along with clearning up skin it takes care of a host of other issues. Now some meat once in a long while, isn’t bad, but certainly eating it everyday is not good either. I don’t know who your mentors are who led you to eating meats but it certainly is not the only choice to cure candida and acne. I do agree with you on the sugar, too much is bad, especially the white stuff and causes a host of problems.
I have extensive knowledge in nutrition which had first led me to a strict vegetarian diet, and is now leading me to the raw foods diet (I wish I learned this stuff years ago! but they just don’t teach about it in school)…
I do have one question though…I am trying to go off birth control and every time I try I break out like crazy…which my vanity wins and I go back on it…do you have any suggestions on how to wean myself off, special herbs, or anything that will help me to not break out as much? (and no eating meat is not an option for me, I also stopped eating meat for the animals sake as well).
I love your site and while I might disagree with some things, it’s a joy to read your blogs.
Thanks,
Kristen
Thank you for sharing your story Ali. You are very inspiring:)
I feel inclined to comment on Kristen’s post:
I had been on a raw plant food diet (of many types) for 9+ years, and definitely damaged myself, and I have seen many others do the same. You can read my story at my blog here:
http://roguealchemist.blogspot.com/
I have found that it is vitally important for those of us foraging this path to be truly honest with ourselves and others about our experiences. Way too many of us have been caught up in some made up idealism about being raw, vegan, pure or whatever, and there is A LOT of misinformation and incorrect nutritional “science” being parroted back and fourth in our community, much of it coming from people in a leadership/guru position. I have personally helped run events with many of them.
Ali’s experience is not odd. I have witnessed major improvement in skin (and many other health conditions) in myself and others close to me with the reintroduction of clean, local, humanely raised, grass-fed animal products, to a previous raw vegan diet.
It is very important to realize that our hormones are built out of cholesterol. The reason our bodies can make cholesterol in the absence of dietary cholesterol, which comes exclusively from animal foods, is because it is sooooo important, not just for hormones but for constructing our micro villi (our “roots” in our intestine) and our cell membranes.
There is a reason why there is no such thing as a vegan culture on Earth and that for those who wanted to eat a plant food diet (always for spiritual reasons; this is the first time in history that humans have chosen a vegan diet for health reasons) they consumed generous amounts of dairy products because they found it vital to have animal nutrition, as plant nutrition is deficient of many known and likely unknown vital components for human health (B-12, Vitamins D & K, cholesterol, DHA). Also, it’s important to note that the fat that humans require to build healthy nerves and brains (like DHA) is from animal origin. Trying to get our fatty acids exclusively from plants like flax and hemp (which our bodies have to convert into the animal form, which a vibrantly healthy person can do at about 3-5% at most; many people can’t even make this conversion) is quite a gamble. It is good to know that those of us attempting this (and our children) are being guinea pigs as we have no history of humans thriving doing such. True nutritional science is multigenerational and there are no 4th generation vegans (I’d be surprised to meet a 3rd generation vegan, especially a vibrantly healthy one).
I apologize for the long ramble. This happens to be a subject close to my heart and I care a lot about my fellow (wo)man.
Amen Brian, very well said! There are TONS of us former raw vegans who are now trying to regain what we lost while “eating clean pure foods”. If you want to learn about good fats I highly recommend reading Nina Plancks Real Food or Sally Fallons Nourishing Traditions. The work of Weston Price will tell you a thing or too about “good nutrition” as well.
Good health to you all,
deb
Hi Brian!
Thanks for breaking all that down before I had to do the job! Eloquently done ~ Prominent points made. There comes a time when having to back my nutritional choices gets quite old. It takes breaking the dogmatic views to absorb the reality of our health. I am glad to hear that you found healing through this path. Keep spreading the information! Your support is greatly appreciated.
Blessings!
~ A
Yes, those are wonderful resources Debbie! Thanks for sharing.
~ A
Thank you Debbie and Ali. I am glad to be of service:)
Breaking down dogma is fun and freeing! It’s good to be aware that some people even apparently get stuck in dogma around modern dietary philosophies based on Weston Price’s work. Listening to our own bodies inert intelligence is sooooo important.
Dear Brian and Ali,
My comment was by no means an attack on Ali or her choice to start eating meat again. If you feel that is what your body needs and/or craves then listen to it. Brian the reason there are no 4th generation vegans is because no generation has had the access we do to produce from all over the world such as coconuts that provide healthy amounts of cholesterol. There are 4th generation vegetarians, vegetarianism is not a new thing and has been practiced for thousand of years in many different cultures. So if you want to be a locavore then yes you probably would have to eat some form of animal product to sustain certain vitamins and minerals, but for those of us who care as equally about the animals lives as our own I choose not to eat them. I have always felt as special life force bond with them and after watching slaughter videos and what they do to the babies of dairy animals I just couldn’t eat those products anymore. As a woman I find it a horrible offense to steal the colostrum from a baby for my own nutritional needs, as an adult I should not need it, and should not be eating it. Same with milk…all mammals produce milk to feed their babies…not to feed humans. And there has been a ton of studies done on the toxicity of cooked meat. Meat and fats in general are not meant to be heated above a certain temperature.
I did read your blog; no wonder why your body was so out of whack and craving certain things…look what you did to yourself! You took the raw food diet to the extreme! Our bodies have evolved as such that we cannot sustain ourselves on a mono food diet, not even animals do that, most eat various grasses, seeds, fruits, nuts, and meats, for a reason. As for vitamins I think you were seriously lacking in B12 which you are correct is not provided in a vegan diet except through supplementation…a lack in B12 causes a host of problems. All vitamins work together so a lack in this vitamin might have caused a lack in the ability to absorb and assimilate other vitamins. Vitamin D is from the Sun, too much Vitamin A can be toxic, and you can find plenty of Vitamin K in fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds, if you eat a wide variety of foods. I am lucky that I have access to a grocery store that has everything I need to sustain my body.
So to make my point, you can, eat vegan, raw, and thrive if you do your research and listen to your body. I don’t eat 100% raw because sometimes that is not what my body needs. Sometimes I really want a cooked lentil soup and that’s what it gets. Luckily I have not craved meat or dairy products; they in fact seriously gross me out. Who knows I might one day want to eat fish again, which is probably the only form of meat I could bring myself to eating…but until my body is craving it, I’ll stick to my veggies, fruits, nuts and sees.
Ps. Ali did you have any advice on how to go off birth control without the horrible acne side effects?
Thanks!
Kristen,
I certainly admit that I have undergone big extremes (as any raw vegan diet is extreme and I’ve experience a few versions). I have done massive research and am quite good at listening to my body, however, when we have a program running, like vegansim, in a person with strong beliefs & will (me) we can be searching searching searching for the right tools that aren’t even in our toolbox (raw veganism in this case), grasping for the next supplement, superfood, herb, hoping that this one will bring balance, when the truth is there are nutrients that aren’t in plant foods that our bodies can’t create, and it’s a gamble to rely on scientists to make them for us.
You are correct, we do have generational vegetarians (who consume dairy products liberally…humans are so clever to figure out this strategy). However, it is important to note they typically aren’t as robust, healthy and resistant to tooth decay. Some would say not thriving.
I believe that “too much vitamin A is toxic” is a claim put fourth by poor nutritional science based on isolated vitamins, not traditional, fermented cod liver oil or other real foods. There are 160 different types of vitamin A identified, 937 structures of vitamin D, and 15-20 different Ks, so we are not talking about a handful of vitamins; we are talking about wide nutritional spectrums that we’ve barely begun to identify and understand. Not a science that I trust my children’s health to.
I don’t know of 1 senior vegan, so being a vegan is truly being a guinea pig, especially since most of our commonly available produce are super hybridized plants, too weak to survive in nature without our stewardship. Many of us have been casualties of vegan diets over the years. It seems to me that even though our ancestors couldn’t isolate and name all these nutritional components our ancestors knew something, “eat from all 4 kingdoms”.
Your asking Ali about balancing hormones (in a ’round about way). It’s important to note that (as I stated above) we build hormones out of cholesterol, which comes from animal food or else we have to create it ourselves, as it is THAT important. If our cholesterol falls below 180, we don’t make hormones! This is why men (which I know more about as I am one) with low cholesterol lose their sex drive, something I’ve seen a lot in the raw vegan community, especially in the pre maca days.
Thank you for the stimulating discussion. I wish you the absolute best life has to offer on your journey!
Brian
Hey Ali!…I just found you today on this inter~web*
We met at Eden in April…I’m the one who creates clothing!
I totally appreciate your ‘skin healing’ journey and am de~LIGHTED that you found your way to healing!
I’ve been struggling with psoriasis my entire life and was lead to a Raw vegan diet this last fall in hopes to clear it up. It’s been a great cleansing journey and immediately started to clear my skin.
I had been eating a Whole Organic cooked foods diet with Organic meat and raw dairy…and to no avail, my skin got worse and worse…
the Raw Vegan diet has definitely been amazing and I will always keep with me the *LIFE* force it brings with it….however I was skeptical from the beginning as a sustainable diet unto it’s own. ( the whole B12 thing and living in the Canadian prairies..well, you’ve gotta have something to get through winter that isn’t lettuce??)
I’m currently Juice Feasting ( Day.34) and my psoriasis is clearing up by the day!
I HAVE traded in my B12 supplement for the Surthrival Colostrum however….putting it in my daily Burdock root/Dandelion Root/Chaga Elixir…feels good to bring this into my feast!
Thanks for sharing YOUR story and thank you for reading mine….can’t wait to eat some eggs and a nice big *LIVING* salad sometime soon!!
Much love and bliss~full Blessings,
Kristie
Hi Kristie!
Great to hear from you, and glad that you found me on here! I remember you mentioning your healing journey to me at Eden. How exciting for you to be experiencing such rapid healing! Raw foods certainly have the potential to provide healing, and is wonderful temporary cleanse. Congratulations on your success!
How has the Colostrum been working for you? Did Daniel and I mention to you that you can use it topically on skin problem areas? Would love to hear how your experience with it has been!
Love and Blessings, Sister!
~ Ali
Hi Ali,
I came across your website while poking around for info on Noniland, where I am going to stay for three weeks next week!
It is perfectly appropriate, as I am recently suffering from a strange and new bout of acne like I haven’t had in many, many years. My self-esteem is suffering and it’s bad for my image – I am 36, a professional chef and nutrition consultant! And yet I am baffled at my own issues!!! I have by no means been more than half raw or totally vegan, but I wonder if my condition comes from Candida similarly. Hmm…
But here’s my question for you: were you not getting proper high-quality fats from raw virgin coconut oil, hemp oil, walnuts, etc? I am well-versed in the benefits of grass-fed meats, raw dairy, etc, but still I can’t seem to sort out which pieces are missing from a raw vegan diet. Please illuminate if you have time!
I have a hunch that my issues stem from hormone imbalance stemming from more liver-related issues, so have been thinking for the past month that in Kauai I would attempt a liver cleanse while eating mostly raw. But after your story, I am not so sure!! As always, I am torn between the WAPF principles which I value highly and the inclination that cleansing is what I need!!! Agh, to much information!
Look forward to your response!!
Blessings to you,
Dara
Hi Ali,
Thank you so much for sharing your story here!
I am a 33 year old woman, and I have suffered from severe acne since about 10 years old. To say that a big part of my life has been ruined from acne is an understatement.
I have been on and off birth control pills, accutane, anti-biotics for years..
Fast forward, right now (this past year) I am coming off a 12 year non-stop run of birth control pills to prevent acne. I’ve had clear skin for years, but now I know I am ready to face healing my body the right way because I have educated myself for a decade now.. This has been the scariest experience of my life, but I am seeing a naturopath, doing all kinds of things..acupuncture, colonics, about 80%raw diet, avoiding wheat…etc..
My question is this:
So many sources of info constantly say ‘stay away from dairy’ if you have acne..and I always break out terribly if i have dairy…so tell me, did you ever have that reaction too? Does the organic stuff really make a difference?
Thanks so much !
Shara
Hey there!
So here is my story in short, and I don’t know if you have any advice for my situation (if not its okay!) but I thought I would give it a try =)
I had severe acne for quite a few years, and started breaking out when I was in 5th grade. I always thought it was so bad, and my mom always told me to cover it up with makeup and that it might even help the acne go away. So, since 5th grade I started putting powder on my face to cover up my breakouts. I became health conscious when I was 16, and started eating organic foods. When I was 17 I became pescitarian in search of a dietary approach to cure my acne condition, and I actually cut out all animal foods with the exception of fish, and then soon after ate only vegan foods. During this time my acne was getting really bad, and I was so confused I had literally tried everything, both topical and several internal medications, and dietary restrictions. Still very health conscious, I resisted to use anything unnatural to treat my condition, but finally I got so fed up after so many years and my mom persuading me to take Accutane, that I finally gave in. It did not feel right to me, but I didn’t know what else to do, I was so uncomfortable with myself all the time and this seemed like the only option left. The treatment lasted 5 months total, and it was complete hell. My lips were splitting and swollen which was really painful, my skin was super thin and sensitive to the sun, my face was pink and I hated every second of it, I was basically in constant pain and embarrassment the entire time. Sometime during this five months I think is when I became aware of raw foods and cleansing, and somehow decided to do the master cleanse while continuing to take the medication, but not as strictly as before. I felt great on the cleanse although it is not one that I agree with now and would not do it again. I also had braces during this time so I was super uncomfortable with myself. My skin didn’t clear up until After the medication. I still had really bad acne up until the very end. Now I am 20 years old, and I am left with scarring, which I believe is from the medication and not allowing my skin to properly heal itself, and my face looks like it holds more weight than it used to, which I think might also be from the medication. It is so frustrating to never be totally comfortable with yourself, especially when your problem is on your face. If you have any suggestion for a cleanse or detox or something for scarring or anything, or just point me in a direction please let me know. If not that is okay too and I will continue on my search, thank you so much =)
-Mikayla
[...] Mind” (which is also a podcast on iTunes and is amazing). I came across this blog, this blog and this article and it began to be very clear to me that although the raw foods diet is amazing [...]
Hello Dara!
I apologize for the delay in response to you, as I have been inactive on my blog recently.
Regarding your question about getting fat while on the raw-vegan diet: Honestly, there are not any sufficient vegan sources of fat that exist. While hemp and walnuts are filling, they do not fill the human needs for saturated fat. Coconut oil is a fabulous saturated fat, though not one to sustainably live off of… In my understanding
And yes, I was eating a whole lot of nuts and “fatty” sources of vegan/raw foods while on that diet… Though my over-indulgence on the filling omega-6 sources was in fact my body questing for the ultimate saturated fat source. I can’t argue with the changes I have seen in my body for the better since I chose to begin consuming high-quality animal foods again. It has been brilliant.
The thing about cleansing and nourishing, is that it is a delicate balance. There is a place for both – A feast and famine kind of thing. While it is sub-optimal to gorge on fat all of the time, it is also sub-optimal to be in a constant state of cleansing and malnutrition. I found that I was able to cure myself of acne and other skin challenges by eliminating a couple of food products, i.e. sugar and milk products and still nourishing myself with high-quality animal foods, i.e. pastured red meat, grass-fed raw butter, etc. It was certainly some kind of candida or fungus that was taking over, so I also found it important to live in as stress-free of an environment as I could. The more I would get stressed, the more I would break out with acne or other skin rashes.
I find cleansing has been important for me – Occasional food restrictions (i.e. eliminating sugar or dairy some weeks), vegetarian meal days, using a sauna (or sweating in any way), daily exercise, deep breathing, rebounding, skin-brushing, etc. have all led me to feeling incredible while lowering my stress response and ridding my body of fungus.
Other times, I am in full nourishment mode – Eating lots of healthy fats and basically feasting! These feast and famine rhythms feel good for my body, while I cycle nourishing and cleansing.
Again, this is all just my experience but perhaps there is something for you to gain from it all
Blessings!
Ali
Hi Shara!
Thanks for sharing your experience here and I apologize for the delayed response, as I have been inactive on my blog for some time now
Regarding your question about dairy – I suppose it would depend on where your acne is stemming from. I thought mine was coming from a hormonal imbalance in the beginning, but it wound up appearing that I had been overcome by a serious case of candida. I found that it was important for me to stay off milk products while I was battling the candida, as the dairy made other skin reactions worse, but not so much the acne. I have other friends who have acne challenges and found a lot of salvation in the consumption of raw, organic dairy products as they contain lots of vitamins, minerals, and hormones that can all be assimilated by us. High quality dairy usually contains progesterone from the mother cow, which if your acne is stemming from a hormonal imbalance, could be very beneficial from you. So, to answer your question – Yes, I think that raw organic dairy has MUCH different benefits and effects on the body than the average store bought or even pasteurized organic milk products. I think it may be important for you to get clear on whether your acne is a result of hormone imbalance or candida – Due to your heavy use of birth control, my intuitive guess would be that it is hormonally related. Herbs like Vitex and Passionflower have been known to assist in the rebalancing of women’s hormones. Vitex capsules are great (Oregon Harvest makes a good product) and Passionflower tincture helps to block unnecessary estrogen absorption. Evening Primrose oil has been known to facilitate the production of progesterone as well. Raw butter was AMAZING for me, in helping me to re-balance my hormones after a stint on the raw vegan diet. Just some thoughts and experiences from my reality, which perhaps, may assist you in some way
Hope some of that is helpful to you!
Blessings,
Ali
Hi Mikayla!
Wow, thank you for sharing your intimate story. I apologize for the delay in response, as I have not been active here on my blog in the last year or so! Getting it back up and running now
As for recommendations for your situation – I can tell you what has worked magically for me in my experience. Firstly, I’ll start with the vital nourishment before I get into cleansing
I found it to be very important in my healing process to be consuming lots of raw, organic butter and a few times per week (usually more than that) organic, grass-fed red meats. This foods worked internally for me healing my body from the inside out, helping me to re-balance my hormones and heal my gut flora. I also consumed a LOT of Colostrum powder (distributed by SurThrival, at http://www.SurThrival.com). This is another potent healing/hormone balancing substance, and also has been known to significantly support the healing of the digestive system.
Externally, though my process I have used the Colostrum powder externally as well. I make facial masks with it, by mixing a teaspoon or two of the powder with spring water and a tiny dab of coconut oil and mash it together until it makes a paste. I then spread this paste over my face and leave it on over night, or as long as possible. After washing it off, my face literally feels soft as baby skin. Because of the majorly regenerating factors in the Colostrum, it helped me to repair my skin from any acne scarring at had and improve the overall condition/health of my skin. This could potentially assist you in your healing of the scarring on your face, too! I also use religiously Living Libations skin care products (www.livinglibations.com) – Specifically, their Rose Glow Facial Creme, the Seabuckthorn Best Skin Ever, Dew Dab, and any of their lip moisturizing products. They make freaking phenomenal skin products that contain seriously healing ingredients and I have seen a HUGE improvement and quality change in my skin through using them.
As for cleansing, I am a big fan of SWEATING – Specifically, using a sauna on a regular basis. I own an infrared one, but if you don’t currently have access to one you might be able to use on at a gym (lots of gyms or exercise facilities have them). This helps to eliminate any water weight a person may be retaining (potentially in your face?) and detox any toxicity that could be facilitating anything less-than-optimal in our body. I have found it seems to eliminate a lot of toxicity through my face, so I will occasionally get a pimple that goes away quickly but it always feels like detox. I think that skin brushing is important on a regular basis, as well as daily exercise and LOTS of water drinking (spring water if ya can
I hope this info is helpful to you! I will send this to your e-mail as well, in case you don’t get it here!
Blessings girly,
Ali