How aging accelerates, hows its measured and what you can do about it.

HELLO informed beauty!

Living in a NEW AGE of biohacking, energetic medicine and advanced genetic testing - we are so blessed to have the immense amount of research - solutions and experts we have today to help us feel, look and be are best as we age.

Today, I’m going to geek out and share the latest research on - ACCELERATED aging, hows its measured and what you can do about it.

READY? Let’s jump in.

This article outlines recent research within epigenetic and aging clocks – predictors of biological age based on alterations in a person's DNA methylation profile. 

Methylations are biochemical processes that modify the activity of a DNA segment without changing its sequence. They occur naturally and regulate gene expression to control normal growth and development.  

With age, the methylation state of various DNA sites (often enriched in genes that govern processes like cell death and survival, cellular growth and proliferation, organismal and tissue development, and cancer) may change. These methylation changes are quantifiable and serve as a means to gauge biological age, which is often different from chronological age. 

Put another way, we all know that one person who looks great for their age. Some of these hard-to-quantify qualities we intuitively see in other people (or even ourselves) when it comes to aging often actually correspond with something that can now be quantified and put to a number via epigenetic testing, allowing us to peek behind the DNA curtain at true biological age.

The term "epigenetic clock" is also a collective designation referring to the natural biological mechanisms that drive DNA methylation. 

TICK TOCK - THE POWER OF TELOMERES   

Epigenetic clocks are predictors of biological age based on alterations in an individual's DNA methylation profile.

 Methylation is a biochemical process that modifies the activity and potential of your DNA without changing its sequence, which occurs naturally and regulates gene expression to control normal growth and development. 

As women age, the methylation state of various genes tends to change and are now a way to help professionals to gauge your epigenetic age (infulenced through lifestyle and stress), which often differs from chronological age.

The term "epigenetic clock" refers to the natural biological process that drives your DNA turnover and rebuilding of cellular health. This individual molecular "footprint" for you also reflects the biological life history of you- as a living organism. 

The information we’ll go over today focuses primarily on predictive epigenetic clocks, with a brief mention of the innate.

Overview of concepts underpinning epigenetic clocks

Epigenetics

Epigenetics is a biological mechanism that regulates gene expression (how and when certain genes are turned on or off). 

I coin this concept as the “80/20” rule.  Your diet, lifestyle, personal care beauty products and environmental exposures is the driver of 80% epigenetic changes throughout an individual's lifespan to influence health and disease. 

For example, epigenetic processes when dysregulated can result in accelerated aging, diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer's disease.[1][2] Scientific evidence suggests that some  genetic changes can be passed from generation to generation, although are mostly influenced by turning “good and bad gene” activity up or down.[3]

Three biochemical processes are thought to drive epigenetic change:

-DNA methylation

-Histone modification

-Non-coding RNA-associated gene silencing.

In conclusion here, the DNA’s ability to fully process through seeing the quality of your methylation, which helps determine the prediction of your biological age via epigenetic clocks.

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WHAT IS METHYLATION?

The topic of methylation is getting its fair share of attention lately, and rightly so. Methylation is a simple biochemical process – it is the transfer of four atoms - one carbon atom and three hydrogen atoms (CH3) – from one substance to another.

When optimal methylation occurs, it has a significant positive impact on many biochemical reactions in the body that regulate the activity of the cardiovascular, neurological, reproductive, and detoxification systems, including those relating to:

-DNA production

-Neurotransmitter production

-Detoxification

-Histamine metabolism

-Estrogen metabolism

-Eye health

-Fat metabolism

-Cellular energy

-Liver health

WHY IS METHYLATION IMPORTANT?

The body is a very complex machine, with various gears and switches that need to be all functioning properly to operate optimally. Think of methylation, and the opposite action, demethylation, as the mechanism that allows the gears to turn, and turns biological switches on and off for a host of systems in the body.

HOW DOES METHYLATION HAPPEN?

CH3 is provided to the body through a universal methyl donor known as SAMe (S-adenosylmethionine). SAMe readily gives away its methyl group to other substances in the body, which enables the cardiovascular, neurological, reproductive, and detoxification systems to perform their functions.

If enough 5-MTHF is present, the methylation cycle will work efficiently.

Folic acid from the diet or supplements must be converted to this active form, 5-MTHF, before it can be used in the body in the methylation cycle.

Unfortunately, approximately 60% of people in the United States have a genetic mutation that makes it challenging for their bodies to create enough 5-MTHF.

IMPROVING THE METHYLATION CYCLE

In addition to a healthy, whole-food, non-processed food diet, make sure you are eating a lot of these foods:

• Asparagus

• Avocado

• Broccoli

• Brussels sprouts

• Green, leafy vegetables

• Legumes (peas, beans, lentils)

• Rice

Lifestyle changes include:

• Engage in regular physical exercise

• Avoid excessive alcohol consumption

• Don’t smoke

• Avoid excessive coffee consumption (not more than five cups daily)

SEVEN ESSENTIAL NUTRIENTS FOR METHYLATION

There are seven specific nutrients that can help the methylation cycle achieve optimal performance, even if an individual has a genetic mutation that slows down the methylation cycle.

1.  5-MTHF (active folate)

2.  Methylcobalamin (active vitamin B12)

3.  Pyridoxal 5’-Phosphate (active vitamin B6)

4.  Riboflavin 5’-Phosphate (active vitamin B2)

5.  Magnesium

6.  Betaine (also known as trimethylglycine)

7.  Vitamin D

Proper methylation influences so many systems in our bodies that it often gets overlooked, which can severely impact how well your body functions. Ask your health-care practitioner for advice if you have any concerns about your CH3 cycle.

Aging

Aging comprises the collective physiological, functional, and mental changes that accrue in a biological organism over time. It is the primary risk factor for many chronic diseases in humans, including cancer, Alzheimer's disease, and cardiovascular disease. 

Chronological age

An individual's chronological age simply reflects the number of years an individual has been alive. Although scientific milestones correlate that chronological age is an unreliable measure of the aging process.

Epigenetic age

Epigenetic age is based on an individual's DNA methylation health previously discussed. An individual's epigenetic age strongly correlates with their chronological age. However, some exceptions exist. For example, the epigenetic ages of semi-supercentenarians (people who live to be 105 to 109 years old) are markedly younger than their chronological ages.[10]

Biological age

An individual's biological age, sometimes referred to as phenotypic age, provides a measure of the physiological and functional state. It is a calculation of an individual's risk of disease and death compared to individuals of the same chronological age, based on biochemical measures of inflammation and metabolic and immune function.[11]

Age Acceleration   

Age acceleration occurs when an individual's epigenetic age exceeds their chronological age 

and may be the result of either intrinsic or extrinsic factors. 

Intrinsic factors are largely driven by internal physiological and biological factors such as normal metabolism and genetics.

 Extrinsic factors are those associated with lifestyle and environmental exposures, such as diet, chemicals, EMF, UV radiation, and mental health and overall stress.  

 Each is named for the scientist who created the clock or for the clock's output. The most accurate and robust of these clocks are described here.

Research to Determine Real Time Biological Age 

The Hannum clock

Created by Dr. Gregory Hannum, the Hannum clock is a single-tissue calculator of epigenetic age base present in DNA from human blood.[13] 

Use of the Hannum clock also demonstrated that exposure to abuse, financial hardship, or neighborhood disadvantage that occurred around the age of 7.5 years alters methylation patterns, which may influence normal patterns of cellular aging.[15]

Another study investigated the effects of cigarette smoking on aging using the Hannum clock based on methylation findings indicated that not only was smoking associated with accelerated biological aging, but even low levels of exposure elicited strong effects.[16]

The Horvath clocks

The original Horvath epigenetic clock, created by Dr. Steven Horvath, predicts age based on methylation patterns and rates in the DNA of 51 different tissue and cell types.[7]

 The Horvath clock can identify the epigenetic age of a donor with 96 percent accuracy within approximately four years of actual age.[7] Its accuracy extends across multiple tissue types and ages, including children.

Diet and lifestyle factors that influence epigenetic aging

Extrinsic epigenetic aging incorporates factors such as immune cell aging.

Factors associated with slowed intrinsic aging included higher poultry intake, factors associated with slowed extrinsic aging included higher fish intake, higher carotenoid levels (a marker of fruit and vegetable intake), higher education, moderate alcohol consumption, and higher physical activity. 

Factors associated with accelerated intrinsic aging included higher BMI, but metabolic syndrome (which is associated with higher BMI) was linked with both intrinsic and extrinsic accelerated epigenetic aging.[17]

Predicting lifespan and healthspan using a novel epigenetic clock

The recently-identified GrimAge (named creatively for the Grim Reaper) predicts lifespan and healthspan in units of years and tests whether potential lifestyle interventions may slow or reverse biological aging.

DNA methylation PhenoAge: A better predictor of biological age

Dr. Morgan Levine and Dr. Steve Horvath created a multi-tissue clock that calculates an individual's phenotypic age, called DNAm PhenoAge.[11] This clock, sometimes referred to as the "Levine clock," is distinct from other clocks in that it predicts time to death based on DNA methylation as well as biochemical markers of age-related disease, including albumin, creatinine, glucose, C-reactive protein, alkaline phosphatase, and several blood components. Several physiological responses are associated with accelerated phenotypic aging, including increased activation of proinflammatory pathways and decreased DNA repair activities.[11]

The DNAm PhenoAge predicts mortality risk among people of the same chronological age. It was used in a study to estimate the 10-year mortality risk (converted into units of years) in a cohort of people living in the United States (NHANES data), based on nine clinical biomarkers of aging that are highly predictive of cardiovascular disease and coronary heart disease. The findings demonstrated that each one-year increase in DNAm PhenoAge was associated with a 9 percent increase in all-cause mortality, a 10 percent increase in CVD-related mortality, a 7 percent increase in cancer-related mortality, a 20 percent increase in diabetes-related mortality, and a 9 percent increase in chronic lower respiratory disease mortality, even after adjusting for chronological age.

Alcohol, air pollution, and epigenetic aging

One study used the DNAm PhenoAge epigenetic clock to investigate the effects of heavy, chronic alcohol intake on epigenetic age acceleration using clinical biomarkers such as liver function enzymes. 

The study, which estimated DNA methylation age in 331 people with alcohol use disorder, found that the disorder accelerated aging by an average of 2.2 years

Exposure to air pollutants is associated with poor health outcomes and increased risk of disease. A study using the Levine clock to gauge epigenetic age of more than 2,700 white women living in the United States who were exposed to particulate air pollutants found that the women's epigenetic aging was accelerated by as much as six years.[23]

Altering the native epigenetic clock's rate of ticking

In general, the native epigenetic clock's ticking rate across multiple types of tissue from a single individual is fairly consistent. However, the cerebellum tends to age more slowly, while female breast tissue tends to age more quickly.

Interestingly, in vitro evidence suggests that the epigenetic age of adult cells can be reset. Dr. Shinya Yamanaka discovered a group of proteins that can reprogram differentiated (mature) cells into pluripotent stem cells and are physiological hallmarks of aging and prolong lifespan partly by resetting the innate epigenetic clock.[24]

The role of Yamanaka factors was demonstrated in vivo as well, in a mouse model of premature aging in which short-term induction of Yamanaka factors improved markers of aging, including those associated with tumor suppression, mitochondrial dysfunction, and oxidative stress. The same study showed that in older, normal mice, short-term induction of Yamanaka factors mitigated the deleterious effects of pancreatic or muscle injury, which could have implications for age-related metabolic dysfunction or strength losses, respectively.[25]

Epigenetic aging determined by genetic and lifestyle factors

Some individuals may be genetically predisposed to a slower overall clock rate. For example, one study analyzed the DNA methylation levels of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (a type of white blood cell) from semi-supercentenarians and their offspring. The investigators found that the average epigenetic age of the semi-supercentenarians was nearly nine years younger than their chronological age. The epigenetic age of their offspring was approximately five years younger than that of their age-matched controls.[10]

Lifestyle factors and exposures can influence the native ticking rate, as well. For example, an obesogenic diet can increase methylation and the clock's subsequent ticking rate.[26] And, as described above, smoking cigarettes and exposure to particulate air pollutants increases the epigenetic aging rate.[16][23] Some interventions have been identified that may slow the aging rate, however. These measures have been studied for their longevity-enhancing effects and include caloric restriction and administration of rapamycin, an immunosuppressant drug.[27]

Conclusion

Epigenetic clocks predict biological age based on molecular markers on an individual's DNA. Several variants of clocks have been identified, and they differ based on the type and number of tissues in which the markers are measured, as well as the final output. 

In general, the epigenetic aging rate across multiple types of tissue from a single individual is fairly consistent, but some exceptions do exist.

The use of epigenetic clocks may have widespread applications in health and society, including forensic science and early prevention and treatment of disease to promote healthy aging.

In the future, rather than asking whether a person's biomarkers look better, soon clinical trials may ask whether the person is simply aging better.

If youre interested about how to reduce stress, increase your telomere health now that you’ve captured this in important information - then reach out to me and I’ll share how we can work together so you can STAY SANE, GET SLEEP and BRING YOUR SEXY BACK.

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References

1.  ^  Muntean, Andrew G., and Jay L. Hess. Epigenetic Dysregulation in Cancer The American Journal of Pathology 175, no. 4 (October 2009): 1353–61. https://doi.org/10.2353/ajpath.2009.081142. 

2.  ^  Li, Peipei, Lee Marshall, Gabriel Oh, Jennifer L. Jakubowski, Daniel Groot, Yu He, Ting Wang, Arturas Petronis, and Viviane Labrie. Epigenetic dysregulation of enhancers in neurons is associated with Alzheimer’s disease pathology and cognitive symptoms Nature Communications 10, no. 1 (May 2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-10101-7. 

3.  ^  Trerotola, Marco, Valeria Relli, Pasquale Simeone, and Saverio Alberti. Epigenetic inheritance and the missing heritability Human Genomics 9, no. 1 (July 2015). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40246-015-0041-3. 

4.  ^  Kusui, Chika, Tadashi Kimura, Kazuhide Ogita, Hitomi Nakamura, Yoko Matsumura, Masayasu Koyama, Chihiro Azuma, and Yuji Murata. DNA Methylation of the Human Oxytocin Receptor Gene Promoter Regulates Tissue-Specific Gene Suppression Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications 289, no. 3 (December 2001): 681–86. https://doi.org/10.1006/bbrc.2001.6024. 

5. ^ a b  Field, Adam E., Neil A. Robertson, Tina Wang, Aaron Havas, Trey Ideker, and Peter D. Adams. DNA Methylation Clocks in Aging: Categories, Causes, and Consequences Molecular Cell 71, no. 6 (September 2018): 882–95. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molcel.2018.08.008. 

6.  ^  Oh, Gabriel, Sasha Ebrahimi, Matthew Carlucci, Aiping Zhang, Akhil Nair, Daniel E. Groot, Viviane Labrie, et al. Cytosine modifications exhibit circadian oscillations that are involved in epigenetic diversity and aging Nature Communications 9, no. 1 (February 2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-03073-7. 

7. ^ a b c d  Horvath, Steve. DNA methylation age of human tissues and cell types Genome Biology 14, no. 10 (2013): R115. https://doi.org/10.1186/gb-2013-14-10-r115. 

8.  ^  Garagnani, Paolo, Maria G. Bacalini, Chiara Pirazzini, Davide Gori, Cristina Giuliani, Daniela Mari, Anna M. Di Blasio, et al. Methylation ofELOVL2gene as a new epigenetic marker of age Aging Cell 11, no. 6 (October 2012): 1132–34. https://doi.org/10.1111/acel.12005. 

9.  ^  Lariscy, Joseph T., Robert A. Hummer, and Mark D. Hayward. Hispanic Older Adult Mortality in the United States: New Estimates and an Assessment of Factors Shaping the Hispanic Paradox Demography 52, no. 1 (December 2014): 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13524-014-0357-y. 

10. ^ a b  Horvath, Steve, Chiara Pirazzini, Maria Giulia Bacalini, Davide Gentilini, Anna Maria Di Blasio, Massimo Delledonne, Daniela Mari, et al. Decreased epigenetic age of PBMCs from Italian semi-supercentenarians and their offspring Aging 7, no. 12 (December 2015): 1159–70. https://doi.org/10.18632/aging.100861. 

11. ^ a b c  Levine, Morgan E., Ake T. Lu, Austin Quach, Brian H. Chen, Themistocles L. Assimes, Stefania Bandinelli, Lifang Hou, et al. An epigenetic biomarker of aging for lifespan and healthspan Aging 10, no. 4 (April 2018): 573–91. https://doi.org/10.18632/aging.101414. 

12.  ^  Okazaki, Satoshi, Ikuo Otsuka, Tadasu Horai, Takashi Hirata, Motonori Takahashi, Yasuhiro Ueno, Shuken Boku, Ichiro Sora, and Akitoyo Hishimoto. Accelerated extrinsic epigenetic aging and increased natural killer cells in blood of suicide completers Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry 98 (March 2020): 109805. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pnpbp.2019.109805. 

13.  ^  Hannum, Gregory, Justin Guinney, Ling Zhao, Li Zhang, Guy Hughes, SriniVas Sadda, Brandy Klotzle, et al. Genome-wide Methylation Profiles Reveal Quantitative Views of Human Aging Rates Molecular Cell 49, no. 2 (January 2013): 359–67. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molcel.2012.10.016. 

14.  ^  Tajuddin, Salman M., Dena G. Hernandez, Brian H. Chen, Nicole Noren Hooten, Nicolle A. Mode, Mike A. Nalls, Andrew B. Singleton, et al. Novel age-associated DNA methylation changes and epigenetic age acceleration in middle-aged African Americans and whites Clinical Epigenetics 11, no. 1 (August 2019). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13148-019-0722-1. 

15.  ^  Marini, Sandro, Kathryn A. Davis, Thomas W. Soare, Yiwen Zhu, Matthew J. Suderman, Andrew J. Simpkin, Andrew D.A.C. Smith, Erika J. Wolf, Caroline L. Relton, and Erin C. Dunn. Adversity exposure during sensitive periods predicts accelerated epigenetic aging in children Psychoneuroendocrinology , November 2019, 104484. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2019.104484. 

16. ^ a b  Beach, Steven R. H., Meeshanthini V. Dogan, Man-Kit Lei, Carolyn E. Cutrona, Meg Gerrard, Frederick X. Gibbons, Ronald L. Simons, Gene H. Brody, and Robert A. Philibert. Methylomic Aging as a Window onto the Influence of Lifestyle: Tobacco and Alcohol Use Alter the Rate of Biological Aging Journal of the American Geriatrics Society 63, no. 12 (November 2015): 2519–25. https://doi.org/10.1111/jgs.13830. 

17.  ^  Quach, Austin, Morgan E. Levine, Toshiko Tanaka, Ake T. Lu, Brian H. Chen, Luigi Ferrucci, Beate Ritz, et al. Epigenetic clock analysis of diet, exercise, education, and lifestyle factors Aging 9, no. 2 (February 2017): 419–46. https://doi.org/10.18632/aging.101168. 

18.  ^  Loomba, Rohit, Yevgeniy Gindin, Zhaoshi Jiang, Eric Lawitz, Stephen Caldwell, C. Stephen Djedjos, Ren Xu, et al. DNA methylation signatures reflect aging in patients with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis JCI Insight 3, no. 2 (January 2018). https://doi.org/10.1172/jci.insight.96685. 

19.  ^  Malformed reference

20.  ^  Lu, Ake T., Austin Quach, James G. Wilson, Alex P. Reiner, Abraham Aviv, Kenneth Raj, Lifang Hou, et al. DNA methylation GrimAge strongly predicts lifespan and healthspan Aging 11, no. 2 (January 2019): 303–27. https://doi.org/10.18632/aging.101684. 

21.  ^  Kresovich, Jacob K, Zongli Xu, Katie M O’Brien, Clarice R Weinberg, Dale P Sandler, and Jack A Taylor. Methylation-Based Biological Age and Breast Cancer Risk JNCI: Journal of the National Cancer Institute 111, no. 10 (February 2019): 1051–58. https://doi.org/10.1093/jnci/djz020. 

22.  ^  Luo, Audrey, Jeesun Jung, Martha Longley, Daniel B. Rosoff, Katrin Charlet, Christine Muench, Jisoo Lee, et al. Epigenetic aging is accelerated in alcohol use disorder and regulated by genetic variation in APOL2 Neuropsychopharmacology 45, no. 2 (August 2019): 327–36. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41386-019-0500-y. 

23. ^ a b  White, Alexandra J., Jacob K. Kresovich, Joshua P. Keller, Zongli Xu, Joel D. Kaufman, Clarice R. Weinberg, Jack A. Taylor, and Dale P. Sandler. Air pollution, particulate matter composition and methylation-based biologic age Environment International 132 (November 2019): 105071. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2019.105071. 

24.  ^  Takahashi, Kazutoshi, and Shinya Yamanaka. Induction of Pluripotent Stem Cells from Mouse Embryonic and Adult Fibroblast Cultures by Defined Factors Cell 126, no. 4 (August 2006): 663–76. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2006.07.024. 

25.  ^  Ocampo, Alejandro, Pradeep Reddy, Paloma Martinez-Redondo, Aida Platero-Luengo, Fumiyuki Hatanaka, Tomoaki Hishida, Mo Li, et al. In Vivo Amelioration of Age-Associated Hallmarks by Partial Reprogramming Cell 167, no. 7 (December 2016): 1719–33.e12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2016.11.052. 

26.  ^  Keleher, Madeline Rose, Rabab Zaidi, Lauren Hicks, Shyam Shah, Xiaoyun Xing, Daofeng Li, Ting Wang, and James M. Cheverud. A high-fat diet alters genome-wide DNA methylation and gene expression in SM/J mice BMC Genomics 19, no. 1 (December 2018). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12864-018-5327-0. 

27.  ^  Wang, Tina, Brian Tsui, Jason F. Kreisberg, Neil A. Robertson, Andrew M. Gross, Michael Ku Yu, Hannah Carter, Holly M. Brown-Borg, Peter D. Adams, and Trey Ideker. Epigenetic aging signatures in mice livers are slowed by dwarfism, calorie restriction and rapamycin treatment Genome Biology 18, no. 1 (March 2017). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13059-017-1186-2. 

How Your Lifestyle Accelerates Aging & Affects Skin Health [tips + science inside]

In my previous article, I noted that our body’s biological system is influenced by our genetics. In fact - science proves that 80% of our health state is from the daily choices and our direct environment. The other 20% is hard coded. This should come a a great relief (and a little pressure of course).

Why does our skin ages and what we can do about it?

Aging occurs because of two different factors: intrinsic and extrinsic. You don't have much control over intrinsic factors, which are influenced by your genes, ethnicity, and certain medical conditions. But there is a major upside because you can have a huge impact on your extrinsic factors like UV exposure, stress, smoking, nutrition and lifestyle choices, which are major contributors to the aging process.

How do these extrinsic factors contribute to aging? All of them can generate the trifecta of reactions that create fines lines, wrinkles, and skin sag: oxidation, inflammation, and glycation. When you combine these three things, you hit the jackpot for premature aging.

Below we get one to one on terminology, how it affects our fundamental biology, and how to integrate lifestyle and nutritional habits to assist healthy aging and brighter skin.

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Oxidation

Mitochondria are tiny "organelles," thousands of them in each cell, that are the power plants for our metabolisms. Their waste products include oxygen in a form that is super-reactive and therefore toxic. The cell has an effective mechanism for quenching these ROS (reactive oxygen species).

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Insulin chemistry

The body gradually loses its ability to respond to insulin, and poisons itself with excess blood sugar.

All the food you eat gets converted into glucose, which is the simplest form of sugar that your body can use for energy. Foods containing more sugar—think packaged cereal, crackers, sauces as well as foods that are more readily converted into sugar like refined carbohydrates—can flood your system with glucose.

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Glycation (cross-linking of proteins and sugars)

Skin + Glycation

When sugar combines with protein or fat in the bloodstream, the result is the formation of harmful compounds called advanced glycation end products (also knowns as AGEs). AGEs can be formed spontaneously in the body or they can be formed in foods like fried foods and highly processed products like red meat, margarine, nuts, and butter. Cooking methods using high temperatures—like frying, grilling, and toasting—can also contribute to AGEs formation.

In your skin, AGEs are formed with collagen and elastin causing these fibers, which are integral to a supple and youthful appearance, to become stiff, inflexible, and prone to breakage. Translation: Your skin becomes less elastic, wrinkled, saggy, and more vulnerable to sun damage.

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Inflammation

An important tool for fighting infection, but it becomes over-reactive in old age, and the body begins attacking itself. Excessive inflammation plays a central role in cardio disease and in arthritis, and a lesser role in Alzheimer's disease

Skin +Inflammation: Your body is on a roller coaster of high and low blood sugar spikes and labile insulin levels, which can lead to skin sag, inflammation, and chronic disease. Chronic inflammation is at the root of chronic disease systemwide and your skin is no exception. Inflammation can worsen rosacea, psoriasis, and eczema and can also weaken the collagen and elastin in your skin over time, leading to skin laxity, poor wound healing, and uneven tone and texture.

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Apoptosis

A term for programmed cell suicide. Cells are programmed to die when they are unhealthy or when they become cancerous.

But there is evidence that in old age, healthy cells undergo apoptosis as part of the body's self-destruction program.

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Telomeres & Replicative Senescence

All cells have built-in counters called telomeres tacked on to the end of each chromosome. With each time the cell reproduces, the telomere becomes shorter, and eventually the cell to stop reproducing.

Longer telomeres have longer life spans.

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De-methylation

With age, DNA loses methyl groups that control gene expression, and as a result genes are expressed in the wrong place at the wrong time.

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Let’s recap with some final tips!

Addressing Cellular Health by Eating for a Youthful Glow ….

So in closing, there are a lot of things in our food supply and environment that threaten our skin health, cellular health and our overall mood and appearance. Focusing on certain foods can make a huge ( all the ) difference.

1. Antioxidant-rich foods

Eating foods rich in antioxidants like tomatoes (lycopene), berries (polyphenols), dark leafy greens (Vitamin E), and spinach (carotenoids) can limit damage caused by free radicals and AGEs. Pair your meal with a few cups of green tea (catechins) and coffee (caffeic acid) for an added boost.

2. Anti-inflammatory foods

Adding in foods rich in carotenoid plant compounds like lycopene (tomatoes, watermelon, and guava), lutein (pumpkin, pistachio, dark leafy greens), and zeaxanthin (parsley, kale, egg yolk) will give you an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant jolt. Foods rich in zinc, selenium, and copper like lentils, eggs, dark chocolate and almonds are also vital to the formation of collagen and elastin and help decrease inflammation.

3. Anti-glycation foods

Foods that limit rapid, sharp spikes in blood sugar can help limit AGE formation. So can utilizing cooking methods using low temperatures and water-based moisture like steaming, poaching, and stewing.

Apples, asparagus, figs, celery, green peppers, cauliflower, and onions have been shown to combat the process of glycation as they are rich in phytonutrients, beneficial compounds, including rutin, quercetin, and luteolin.

Adding in high fiber vegetables like artichokes and broccoli, as well as herbs and spices including cinnamon, ginger, turmeric, garlic, sage, thyme, and fenugreek can help keep blood sugar levels steady and block collagen-damaging AGEs.

The best part of all of this is that these foods can be used in so many delicious recipes. Protecting your skin doesn't mean only eating bland, boring food. So bon appetit and cheers to long-term skin health.

Hippocrates is famously quoted for saying, "Let food be thy medicine, and medicine be thy food," but I would argue that food can be the fountain of youth, too.

Love n Light - Kassandra

Avoid CBD Greenwashing & How to Take Full Control of Skin Inflammation

Talk about a new era of GREENWASHING.

The onslaught of “CBD heals everything,” that can amount to a bunch crazy.”

Curious exactly what CBD oil can do for your skin?

Ever wondered if hemp seed oil is the same as cannabis oil?

Great questions my friend.

Let’s debunk and get clear on some skin facts .

Come get your skin love baby - come and get your love …

Groundwork: What Is CBD Oil?

CBD (cannabidiol oil) is not hemp oil, and it’s not technically cannabis oil  either. Lastly, no it’s not going to get you high. So what the heck is it?

CBD oil vs hemp oil vs cannabis oil.

What you need to know: cannabidiol (CBD) oil is naturally found in hemp oil – but in extremely small amounts.

Here’s the most important CBD  “green washing tip-off:”

The majority of “CBD” Skincare Hemp oil is contain cannabis sativa oil.

SO is it Hemp or CBD Oil?

Both are good for your skin but hemp seed is mostly used for its deeply moisturizing abilities.

CBD is the activating compound in cannabis that fights inflammation, bacteria, and cell turnover.

Hemp seed oil has been used for centuries in skin products and is similar to a common carrier oil like rosehip oil, but its not the same as active cannabidiol.

What to look for when wanting ACTIVE Cannabidiol in your skin products.

If the brand doesn’t list CBD, phytocannabinoid, cannabidiol, or full-spectrum hemp (which are all indications of CBD in legal chemical terms) on their packaging, you’re just buying hemp seed, which has no active CBD.

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HOW CBD OPTIMIZES AGING & SKIN HEALTH

The Imperative Cross Talk Between CBD and Your Skin

Fact: CBD oil regulates over 1000 gene expressions in your biology. This is great news! The impact of positively creating a healthier short and long term epigenetic interaction brings potential for both aging and ailments.  

A recent study completed by a clinical research company called Genemarkers showed CBD oil – when in the right formula – has potential to speak to up to 165 of your skin’s genes via your cb2 receptors.

This gene pool party can have a splashing impact on:

• How quickly your skin heals

• Hydration

• Skin barrier health

• Pigmentation (aka age spots or acne scars)

• Inflammation (huge in eczema, dermatitis, rosacea, psoriasis)

• How oily your skin is (and therefore acne – impressive studies on this)

• Ageing

• Your skin’s response to stress

• Skin cell renewal aka how youthful your skin looks

Inflammation is a biggy for skin. Now let’s hit how CBD oil helps.

Inflammation - A Sight Unseen

All skin types can benefit from anti-inflammatory actives. Your skin can be triggered into inflammation quickly and we go about our life not even seeing it.

For example: UV light causes inflammation, stress causes inflammation, too little sleep causes inflammation, sugar causes inflammation – ever got red skin after a hot shower? Yup – inflammation.
Imagine your skin’s like a disco band concert DJ volume panel.  There’s hundreds of buttons, dials and sliders. You can push them up and you can push them down.   When the party of Cytokines which are messengers that impose stress and inflammation, your skin’s biome and genome visibly becomes agitated, aged, dry and eczema. This is also when you go from having patches of flaky skin to psoriasis.

To sum it up, when your skin’s inflammation volume gets turned up – genetic vulnerabilities to developing chronic skin conditions get switched on.

A geeky way of saying your skin is stressed.  Not the disco dance we want to experience. >> Where’s John Travolta when ya need him?

Pull in Your Oil Control - Anti-Acne Affect

CBD benefits are pretty awesome considering over 90% of us will experience acne and oily skin and some point in our lives.  I’m not talking about a drying astringent effect which temporarily absorbs or cuts through grease/sebum. Cannabidiol has proven to turn down your skin’s volume of sebum production.

Not only does this mean less oily skin, this also means a reduced chance of breakouts, acne and pimples.  Shine from your heart, not your face! The goal here is to make your skin less oily and your skin’s microflora balanced.

Flash~ acne causing bacteria get pushed out.

CBD oil studies have been shown to;

• Suppress skins sebocyte manufacture – these are the cells which make sebum

• Help stop skin reacting to testosterone – a hormone which makes skin more oily

• Help balance sebum production – sebum made by oily skin is different to sebum made by normal skin

So to review what benefits for oily, acne prone skin can experience….

1. Your skin becomes less oily.

2. Your skin therefore becomes less loved by acne bacteria.

3. Your skin experiences less acne, spots and pimples.

4. You can fly your skin plane steady and regain skin confidence!

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How Much CBD is Needed for Results?

Like with all active compounds, you need enough of it to work.  Dr. Caroline Hartridge, an osteopath notes that 200-mg per ounce of product is effective for pain and anti-inflammatory effects. Lower doses are still powerful for cellular repair among a host of other benefits but if you're seeing lower than 25-mg per ounce, or the company is hesitant to share levels, be wary.

Bidirectional cell talk brings an impressive anti-inflammatory and anti-acne affect by downregulating cytokines. Since almost every skin condition in existence is caused, worsened or made to happen more quickly by inflammation – the skin benefits of active diols, not just a seed oil are why myself and top formulators are evolving the anecdotal proof to largely reach women in the free market.

Is Full Spectrum or Isolate best for skin?

Chemicals are chemicals are chemicals. The battle between isolate and full-spectrum CBD are valid as isolates are difficult to trace, but, if your beauty company is transparent about where the CBD comes from, isolate might be better for your face. Full-spectrum is like a wine crop: Each vintage varies. CBD’s terpenes or essential oils can vary from crop to crop. While that’s okay for food, for your face, you may want something that’s more consistent.

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Get the SKIN HEALTH you deserve, NOW!

Remember, you are what you absorb.

1. Look for Organic and a COA.

2. Filler Free

3. Bioavailable through terpenes and low molecular fatty acids to assure you're avoiding the P450 Pathway - in which all your plant medicine is being stolen from Enzymes.

Want to get started on bringing your skin back to equilibrium?

Learn more and shop Nano CBD and top-selling topicals that are bioavailable, organic and sure to be a win-win on keeping your outer most protective barrier in top shape.

Awaken Beauty Podcast Mini Episode

SEA ACTION - 10 Oceanic Ways to Age Defying Skin

SKIN + SEA

IS IT ALL YOU NEED?

DIVE IN! 

If you desire healthy, youthful skin, there are vital nutrients needed to promote cellular renewal and collagen synthesis. For the most part, our diets not provide you with all of the nutrients you need to achieve the desired results.

When used at the right percentage and each ingredient synergistically empowers the other, nature can give us an abundant source of life and skin action.  

he ocean is the absolute apex of mineral water, and its molecular makeup is nearly identical to our own cellular makeup - making it biomimetic and instantly usable.    

Naturally, we can tap into that power of oceanic building blocks to restore the missing nutrients needed.

At Evoq, each product taps into the depths of the sea with natural, organic and wild-crafted extracts that provide instant replenishment. When used daily, over time your skin will be restored back to its youthful glow by utilizing seaweed - the perfect food for your skin!

____

10 therapeutic properties of sea algae great for your health — both on the inside and the outside.

Brimming full of sea nutrients.  

Small Batch  |  Food Grade  |  Filler Free  | Gluten Free  |  Organic

1. DNA Repair

- One of the biggest threats to your skin’s health is the sun.

- Overexposure to the sun changes your skin’s DNA.

- Marine plankton repairs sun-damaged DNA with enzymes..

- Works as quickly as two hours when applied as a topical cream.

- Recent studies show plankton may even prevent skin cancer.

2. Youth-Renewing Skin Effects

- Many types of seaweed contain L-Fucose.

- This sugar molecule strengthens skin’s collagen and elastin..

- Reduces signs of aging and firms and plumps your skin.

- Topical seaweed treatments that contain L-Fucose thickens your dermis.

- A thicker dermis means less visible wrinkles and an uplifting effect for younger-looking skin.

3. Nutrient-Richness for Cellular Regeneration

- Seawater contains all of the known elements of life.

- Seaweed get their nutrients from seawater.

- Seaweed becomes a rich storehouse of life-giving elements.

- Utilize marine plants to deliver all of the sea’s nutrients right to your skin.

- Seaweed supports and speeds up cellular regeneration.

- Seaweed baths infuse your skin with magnesium, potassium, iodine, copper, and zinc, which promote the creation of collagen.

4. Smooths and Hydrates

- Marine polysaccharides found in seaweed are natural moisturizers.

- Seaweed locks in moisture, reduces inflammation, and smooths and firms.

5. Stimulates Collagen Production

- Cold-water seaweed creates special peptides

- These peptides stimulate collagen production and firm your skin.

6. Reduces Inflammation and Improves Skin Conditions

- Many factors trigger an inflammatory response in our skin.

- Prolonged inflammation speeds up the aging process.

- Two of the most powerful anti-inflammatory agents are plentiful in seaweed.

- Applied topically, they can help treat rosacea, eczema, and dermatitis.

7. Imparts Antioxidants to Your Skin

- Free radical exposure attacks your skin and impacts your overall health.

- Seaweed is the richest source of antioxidants and carotenoids.

- Creates a protective shield against free radicals to prevent aging and protect your health.

8. Increases Metabolism and Promotes Healthy Weight Loss

- Giant kelp helps you slim down thanks to iodine and carotenoids.

- Seaweed supplements boost metabolism.

- Stubborn and unwanted fat is burned.

- Seaweed wraps and baths reduce cellulite and defines your legs.

9. Flushes Out Toxins

- Seaweed is chock full of calcium and magnesium.

- These two minerals help your body get rid of toxins.

- Seaweed wraps stimulate return circulation to flush out toxins.

- Improves water retention, cellulite, and other degenerative age-related conditions.

10. Balances Your Hormones

- Iodine in seaweed helps your reproductive organs balance estrogen levels.

- Estrogen imbalances cause many health-related issues for women.

- Breast cancer, advanced aging, weight gain, and reproductive issues.

- Topical treatments along with a seaweed supplement help balance estrogen.

Utilizing seaweed is like tapping into the very source of life itself. Seaweed gives us a host of gifts that restore and replenish our bodies inside and out. At Evoq, we’ve taken advantage of these amazing properties to give you products that are natural and truly medicinal.

Sunscreens Exposed: Nine Surprising Truths

  Sunscreens prevent sunburns, but beyond that simple fact surprisingly little is known about the safety and efficacy of these ubiquitous creams and sprays.  EWG’s review of the latest research unearthed troubling facts that might tempt you to give up on sunscreens altogether. That’s not the right answer. Despite the unknowns about sunscreens’ efficacy, public health agencies still recommend using them, just not as your first line of defense against the sun. At EWG we use sunscreens, but we look for shade, wear protective clothing and avoid the noontime sun before we smear on the cream. Here are the surprising facts:

1. There’s no consensus that sunscreens prevent skin cancer.

The FDA’s 2011 sunscreen rules allow sunscreen makers to advertise that using their products can decrease the risk of skin cancer and sun-related skin aging.  But a wide range of public health agencies – including the FDA – have found very little evidence that sunscreen prevents most types of skin cancer. In reviewing the evidence, the FDA said that the available clinical studies “do not demonstrate that even [broad spectrum products with SPF greater than 15] alone reduce the risk of skin cancer and early skin aging.”   The agency also said that it is “not aware of any studies examining the effect of sunscreen use on the development of melanoma.”  The International Agency for Research on Cancer recommends clothing, hats and shade as primary barriers to UV radiation. It says that “sunscreens should not be the first choice for skin cancer prevention and should not be used as the sole agent for protection against the sun”

2. There’s some evidence that sunscreens might increase the risk of the deadliest form of skin cancer for some people.

Some researchers have detected an increased risk of melanoma among sunscreen users. No one knows the cause, but scientists speculate that sunscreen users stay out in the sun longer and absorb more radiation overall, or that free radicals released as sunscreen chemicals break down in sunlight may play a role. One other hunch: Inferior sunscreens with poor UVA protection that have dominated the market for 30 years may have led to this surprising outcome. All major public health agencies still advise using sunscreens, but they also stress the importance of shade, clothing and timing.

3. There are dozens of high-SPF products — but no proof they’re better.

The FDA has proposed prohibiting the sale of sunscreens with SPF values higher than “50+.” The agency has written that values higher than 50 would be “misleading to the consumer,” given that there is an “absence of data demonstrating additional clinical benefit” (FDA 2011a), and that “there is no assurance that the specific values themselves are in fact truthful…” (FDA 2007). Scientists are also worried that high-SPF products may tempt people to stay in the sun too long, suppressing sunburns (a late, key warning of overexposure) while upping the risks of other kinds of skin damage.

Flouting the FDA’s proposed regulation, companies continue to sell high-SPF offerings in 2012. More than 1 in 7 products now lists SPF values higher than 50+, compared to only 1 in 8 in 2009, according to EWG’s analysis of more than 800 beach and sport sunscreens. Among the worst offenders are Walgreens and Aveeno brands.  These manufacturers boast SPF values greater than 50+ on more than 40 percent of their sunscreens.

4. Too little sun might be harmful, reducing the body’s vitamin D levels.

Sunshine serves a critical function in the body that sunscreen appears to inhibit — producing vitamin D. The main source of vitamin D in the body is sunshine, and the compound is enormously important to health – it strengthens bones and the immune system, reduces the risk of various cancers (including breast, colon, kidney and ovarian cancers) and regulates at least a thousand different genes governing virtually every tissue in the body (Mead 2008). About one-fourth of Americans have borderline low levels of vitamin D, and 8 percent have a serious deficiency (CDC 2012). Particular groups are at the highest risk – breast-fed infants, people with darker skin and people who have limited sun exposure (NIH 2012).

Some people can make enough vitamin D from 10 to 15 minutes of unprotected sun exposure several times a week. But many others cannot. The right amount depends on the individual’s age, skin tone, the intensity of sunlight,  time outdoors and skin cancer risk. Check with your doctor to see if you should get a vitamin D test or if you should take seasonal or year-round supplements.

5. The common sunscreen ingredient vitamin A may speed development of cancer.

Recently available data from an FDA study indicate that a form of vitamin A, retinyl palmitate, may speed the development of skin tumors and lesions when applied to skin in the presence of sunlight (NTP 2009). This evidence is troubling, because the sunscreen industry adds vitamin A to 25 percent of all sunscreens.

The industry puts vitamin A in its formulations because it is an anti-oxidant that slows skin aging. That may be true for lotions and night creams used indoors, but FDA recently conducted a study of vitamin A’s photocarcinogenic properties – the possibility that it can promote cancerous tumors when used on skin exposed to sunlight. Scientists have known for some time that vitamin A can spur excess skin growth (hyperplasia) and that in sunlight it can form free radicals that damage DNA.

In the FDA’s one-year study, tumors and lesions developed sooner in lab animals coated in a vitamin A-laced cream than animals treated with a vitamin-free cream. Both groups were exposed to the equivalent of just nine minutes of maximum intensity sunlight each day.

It’s an ironic twist for an industry already battling studies that have questioned whether their products protect against skin cancer. The FDA data are preliminary, but if they hold up in the final assessment, sunscreen makers have a big problem. In the meantime, EWG recommends that consumers avoid sunscreens with vitamin A (look for “retinyl palmitate” or “retinol” on the label).

6. Free radicals and other skin-damaging byproducts of sunscreens.

Both UV radiation and many common sunscreen ingredients generate free radicals that damage DNA and skin cells, accelerate skin aging and cause skin cancer. An effective sunscreen prevents more damage than it causes, but sunscreens are far better at preventing sunburn than at limiting free radical damage. While typical SPF ratings for sunburn protection range from 15 to 50, equivalent “free radical protection factors” come in at about 2. When consumers apply too little sunscreen or reapply it infrequently – and that’s more common than not – sunscreens can cause more free radical damage than UV rays on bare skin. The FDA could improve sunscreens’ ability to reduce free radical skin damage by strengthening standards for UVA protection.

7. Pick your sunscreen: nanomaterials or potential hormone disrupters.

The ideal sunscreen would completely block the UV rays that cause sunburn, immune suppression and damaging free radicals. It would remain effective on the skin for several hours and not form harmful ingredients when degraded by UV light. It would smell and feel pleasant so that people use it in the right amount and frequency.

Unsurprisingly, there is currently no sunscreen that satisfies all these criteria. The major choice in the U.S. is between “chemical” sunscreens, which have inferior stability, penetrate the skin and may disrupt the body’s hormone systems, and “mineral” sunscreens (zinc and titanium), which often contain micronized- or nanoscale particles of those minerals.

After reviewing the evidence, EWG determined that mineral sunscreens have the best safety profile of today’s choices. They are stable in sunlight and do not appear to penetrate the skin.   For consumers who don’t like mineral products, we recommend sunscreens with avobenzone (3 percent for the best UVA protection) and without the notorious hormone disrupter oxybenzone. Scientists have urged parents to avoid using oxybenzone on children due to penetration and toxicity concerns.

8. Europe’s better sunscreens.

Sunscreen makers and users in Europe have more options than in the United States. In Europe, sunscreen makers can select from among 27 chemicals for their formulations, compared to 17 in the U.S.  Companies selling in Europe can add any of seven UVA filters to their product, but they have only three available for products marketed in the U.S.  Sunscreen chemicals approved in Europe but not by the FDA provide up to five times more UVA protection; U.S. companies have been waiting five years for FDA approval to use the same compounds. Until the FDA approves these ingredients and lifts restrictions on combining certain active ingredients, strong UVA protection will be scarce in US sunscreens.

9. The FDA is still not protecting consumers.

In June 2011 the FDA announced new rules on labeling and effectiveness testing for sunscreens. They will ban the use of misleading claims like “sunblock,” “waterproof” and “sweatproof” and define which sunscreens can claim “broad spectrum” protection. FDA recently granted a 6 month delay in the implementation of these rules, until mid-December 2012. But even when implemented many gaps will remain.

The standard for UVA protection is weak and will allow nearly 90 percent of sunscreens to use the label “broad spectrum” without any reformulation. A weak standard gives companies no incentive to develop better, more effective sunscreens and masks major differences between products.

The FDA has not yet evaluated the efficacy and safety of new sunscreen ingredients or ingredient combinations.  It has no plans to consider evidence of hormone disruption for sunscreen chemicals. The new rules  still allow sunscreen makers to use ingredients such as vitamin A that can damage the skin in sunlight. They fail to require makers to measure sunscreen stability despite ample evidence that many products break down quickly in sunlight.

Kasia Good Day Sunshine Sunshield

Kasia SUNSHIELD is part of only 8% of Sunscreens on the market, considered SAFE?

Natural and Free from Harmful Chemicals

 Key benefits that set Good Day Sunshine Sunscreen apart from commercialized sunscreens:

• True broad-spectrum UVA/UVB protection
• Safe for toddlers and children
• Non-chemical sunscreen
• Moisturizing and healing properties
• PABA-free and fragrance-free
• Light and smooth formulation ideal for daily use and can be applied under makeup
• Formulated for skin sensitive to traditional sunblocks and post-treatment patients
• Formulation of  5% zinc and 5% titanium

Learn more about Kasia SUNSHEILD HERE

Reference EWG- Read more here.

Hormonal Imbalances Related to Acne

Acne

Acne is associated with genetic factors, hormonal imbalances, a junk food diet, and emotional problems.   It is associated with excess secretion of the sebaceous glands, which secrete an oil (sebum) to prevent aging.  Testosterone, a major male hormone also present in women, stimulates secretion of this oil during puberty.   In acne prone individuals, excess sebum accumulates in skin follicles and feeds the always-present bacteria.  As the oil breaks down into fatty acids, the cells lining the follicles stick together causing clogged pores impacted with dead cells.  This leads to whiteheads, blackheads, pimples and cysts.  First, let’s summarize causes.  I will skip the genes.  Everyone has them.  If you have acne genes, then you are predisposed to acne but that doesn’t mean you have to get it.

Hormonal Imbalances Related to Acne

Low thyroid function is a primary causal factor in acne.  Why?  Because when thyroid hormone is deficient, the body cannot convert cholesterol to the anti-aging steroids, including pregnenolone, progesterone and DHEA.  Of these, progesterone is the most important hormone in the prevention and cure of acne.  It inhibits both estrogen and testosterone. Although progesterone is the major female hormone, it is also helpful for males with acne.  Dr Raymond Peat has a cream containing 3% progesterone, which is useful in this purpose.  Peat reports his studies using dissolved progesterone on both females and males.  Both experienced a regression of their acne.  Peat says that his clients consistently reported that the use of progesterone at the first sign of a pimple stopped the development and prevented the outbreak, and within a few days resulted in a relatively clear skin.  In males, this progesterone support is important because it inhibits the excessive testosterone present in male (and some female) acne sufferers.  However, I must caution males to not inhibit their testosterone to the extent that they lose their whiskers and libido!

Why is the thyroid hormone so important in acne?  Because the thyroid hormone along with adequate vitamin A works by ensuring progesterone formation, providing you have adequate LDL cholesterol.

Dietary Factors

Please read the  dietary rules list and avoid a junk food diet.  This includes all processed, refined, junk foods and non-foods such as all commercial dairy, meat, poultry and eggs.  Sometimes, just avoiding junk and processed foods is enough.  But, if you have hormonal problems, changing your diet will not be sufficient.

There are many nutrients important in preventing skin conditions.  Instead of taking megadoses of synthetic vitamins and minerals, why not eat an organic, whole foods diet?  This will supply you with adequate amounts of B-vitamins, minerals, including zinc, folic acid and the entire B complex including biotin, and the fat soluble vitamins, such as vitamins A and E, both of which are very important in skin health.

Friendly bowel bacteria are called probiotics and have many beneficial functions in the intestinal tract.  Among them are Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus bifidus, and Streptococcus faecium.  These are not enzymes but they help the body produce enzymes such as protease, lipase, and lactase, B vitamins, and natural antibiotics, which inhibit at least 27 types of pathogenic bacteria.  They thus aid healing of skin diseases including acne.

Emotional Problems

Severe emotional problems suppress the immune system, reduce thyroid function, and contribute to all problems, including acne.  I am listing these problems here so as not to negate the importance of emotional health and realizing when there are emotional problems that need to be resolved.

Below is a general program for acne sufferers.

Nutritional Program for Acne Sufferers

• Eat a whole, organic food diet.  Avoid processed, synthetic foods.  This includes all refined sugars, grains, processed foods and junk foods.
• Use a multiple digestive formula to facilitate digestion of your foods.  Find out what you have trouble digesting and minimize it.
• Check your thyroid function.  If you have a sluggish thyroid gland, you are a candidate for acne (and a lot of other health problems).
• Women should use Peat’s 10% progesterone oil.  Men should use the 3% progesterone cream.  Refer to the chapter on anti-aging steroids for more details.
• Use topical creams.  These include:  natural progesterone in vitamin E, retinyl palmitate and creams containing salicylic acid (active ingredient in aspirin) and alpha-hydroxy acid (glycolic acid).
• Premier Research Labs supplements are an option for malnutrition and balancing the body.

Be sure to check out Kasia's Specialty Medical Grade Facials and Peels! 

Reference:  http://www.litalee.com

Healing Common Skin Issues from the Inside – Out

Below is an exquisite article that I could have not stated any better.    The Kasia “Beautiful Health” foundation believes the key issues within skin problems including acne, eczema, rosacea, psoriasis and skin pigmentation are effected by our internal homeostasis and health. Enjoy the information as well as testing to further diagnosis.

Healing Skin from the Inside – Out

On the exterior skin conditions or damaged skin can be red, inflamed, cystic, rough, blotchy, painful, unbearably itchy, scaly and plaque like, lacking vibrancy, damaged, dry and wrinkling. Anyone who has a skin condition will quickly confide that it can destroy one’s self-confidence. After all, skin is the outer layer we present to the world.  Skin problems affect the body’s surface physically as well as emotionally but we don’t always realize just how deep they run.  This is why it is important to find a long-term solution that treats the cause of the problem and one that really works.

Skin problems are related to a dysfunction occurring deep within the body and this is the level they should be treated; a satisfactory solution means treating from the inside and outside.

It’s a little like looking into a pool of water, what you see on the surface is a true indication of what’s going on underneath.  What is happening at the bottom and in the middle area of the water will ruminate to the surface, making it visually known what the general state of the deeper water is like.  A client’s skin is an important factor I assess no matter why they have come to see me; it tells me a lot about the person’s overall health.

There are a few major players that affect how our skin looks:

Skin in very much affected by hormones; the fine tuning of the stress hormone; cortisol, the blood sugar hormone; insulin and the reproductive hormones – oestrogen, progesterone and testosterone cannot be underestimated in their affect on the skin.

Diet plays a massive part in all problem skin and this can be the simplest way of getting quick improvement.

There is a big connection between skin and digestive health or the health of our intestinal tract. If the bacteria within our intestinal system are out of balance this will affect our skin. It is well understood that the bacteria at the center of the body, the intestinal tract, set the status of bacteria in the skin.  To correct the bacteria in the skin it is necessary to correct the bacterial status inside first and then the skin will reflect this.

The skin along with the lungs, bowel, liver, and kidney are all organs that assist the body in getting rid of waste products. They are well known as the 5 organs of elimination. When the development of a skin condition or even poor unhealthy looking skin has occurred it may be that one or more of the other organs of elimination are being overloaded and/or are under functioning. If the liver and bowel are unable to get rid of toxins the toxins will begin to find another route out of the body and this can be via the skin.  A pleasant side effect of a professional gut repair and detoxification program is the noticeable difference in the appearance of the skin. One of the most common things clients say while on a gut repair and detoxification program is that all their friends have notice how good their skin is looking. If you’re going to clean the pool of water you will need to scrape leaves and scum off the top but you will also need to get the filter working continuously to clean out what’s in the middle and at the bottom.

One of the most important things to understand about getting your skin clear and beautiful is that the body is designed to heal itself. It is totally unnecessary for anyone to accept that this is a skin problem they have to learn to live with.  The body in its natural rhythm is absolutely able to work so that we look and feel great.   Anything other than this is a sign that a particular area of the body is not functioning as well as it should be or it is out of balance.

Acne

Acne often occurs in male and female teenagers but also in women in their child- bearing years.

Often a result of hormonal imbalance.

There is a connection between bacterial acne and the gut bacteria

Toxic overload in the body can result in acne

Acne can be related to nutrient deficiency such as zinc or vitamin A

Sugar and dairy in the diet can result in acne

TESTING Suggestions

Salivary hormone profile

Stool analysis to assess bad bacteria

Zinc deficiency

Eczema

Occurs commonly in infants and young children but can also occur as an adult.

Eczema is a type of allergy response. The substance that may be triggering the allergic reaction can be something in the diet, the environment or both.

Eczema can be related to nutritional deficiency such as essential fatty acids or zinc

Eczema is often connected to the intestinal gut bacteria being out of balance as well as poor digestion of certain food particles and toxic overload.

Eczema is often related to high stress

TESTING Suggestions

Food intolerance test- testing the 93 most common food intolerances

Complete Stool analysis to assess gut bacteria and digestive function

Zinc deficiency

Psoriasis

Psoriasis is a chronic autoimmune disease, with a high amount of inflammation coming from the gut.

Wheat, dairy and other food intolerances as they are hard to digest and very acidic and inflammatory.

Gut repair and liver detoxification programs are extremely helpful, to reduce inflammation.

Omega 3 and vitamin D deficiencies are common in psoriasis

Psoriasis is very much affected by stress

Vitamin D levels

Complete Stool analysis and assessment of gut bacteria and digestion.

Food Intolerances – testing the 93 most common food intolerances

Rosacea

Rosacea is an enlargement of the blood vessels under the skin that are not functioning normally, resulting in poor circulation, poor delivery of nutrients and poor elimination of toxins from the skin.

Histamine levels in the body can exacerbate rosacea

Foods high in histamine or that release histamine such as cheese, chocolate, alcohol and oranges as well as spicy foods should be avoided

The gut bacteria status and liver toxicity can be contributing to the underlying cause of rosacea

Avoiding or reducing wheat, dairy and sugar will be helpful

Moderate exercise is essential to reduce rosacea but excessive exercise can aggravate it

Rosacea is very much affected by stress

TESTING Suggestions

Histamines

Food intolerances

Complete Stool analysis and to assess gut bacteria and digestive function

Skin Pigmentation

Skin pigmentation in patches on the cheeks occurs in women usual from 25-40yrs of age. This often happens in pregnancy or when a woman is on a treatment that alters her hormones such as the contraceptive pill. It is usually because the hormone has been thrown out of balance.

TESTING Suggestions

Salivary hormone profile

Aging Skin

Graceful ageing skin is natural and gives you a natural beauty that resinates how much you are enjoying your age, but does your skin make you look older than what you are? Would you like to re-create or maintain beautiful youthful skin? This is so easy! Do you want naturally youthful skin that is moist, supple, clear and glowing? Putting a stop to the fast progression of wrinkles.

This is all about what you put in your body and what you leave out.

Gut repair and detoxification programs make a massive difference to your skin in just 6 weeks.

Specific nutrients programs support your skin in maintaining youth, moisture, and vitality and reduce sagging.

Dry Skin

Dry skin can be related to nutrient deficiency such as zinc, and omega 3.

Dry Skin is also related to adrenal exhaustion that really means you have become chronically tired from long-term stress.

Kasia Skin Services get to root of what is truly going on with your skin. Our skin expert assess each person’s skin on an individual basis while taking into consideration the rest of their health and the connection between the two. A treatment plan is given that shows what each individual’s skin requires.

Enjoy 20$ OFF your first Organic Facial!

Please contact our team for a direct referral to practitioners to provide accurate hormonal/wellness testing.

  Contact Kassie at kassie@kasiaorganicsalon.com

Reference: by Deanne Bromham ND