Let’s start at the top with your hair. Is your scalp dry? Do you have dandruff? Too much sugar in the diet–the sugar feeds the organisms that live on your scalp, triggering them to produce the excess flakes. Dandruff is worsened by a lack of essential fatty acids (EFAs) & B vitamins. Also try an apple cider vinegar rinse to correct your scalp’s PH. For EFAs, take fish or krill oil and include salmon, leafy greens, flax oil, and walnuts. Does your hair lack luster? Is it dry and brittle? Again, low EFAs + need B vitamins (especially biotin), iron, and protein. Even if you’re getting it, you may not be absorbing it if your digestion is faulty! Faulty digestion is caused by eating foods to which you’re intolerant, causing inflammation & malabsorption. Also caused by gut infections like yeast, parasites, and bacteria (all very, very common).
Let’s move down to your face. Rosy cheeks or broken capillaries on your nose? Low hydrochloric acid (HCl, or stomach acid. Needed to break down your food.) Treat with a digestive enzyme. Do you have rosacea? Could be due to food allergies, low stomach acid, too much booze or spicy foods. Acne? Try a cleanse–poor skin is often a reflection of a congested liver. Also, zinc deficiency or possible food allergies you might not be aware of. Bags under the eyes? Congested liver, sluggish lymph–too many toxins! (do a cleanse!) Dark circles? Try removing gluten or dairy–food allergy sign. Outer eyebrow thinning? Classic sign of low thyroid. Do you have eczema? Again, food allergies (most likely wheat) and low EFAs. Psoriasis? This auto-immune disorder can be treated by identifying food allergies and doing gut repair–the majority of the immune system lies in your gut, so a overactive immune system can be traced back to gut issues–most likely leaky gut caused by food allergies and inflammation, parasites, bacteria, and pathogenic overgrowth.
Yellowish skin? Liver issue. Dry skin? Low thyroid + need more EFAs. Raised spots on your upper arms that won’t go away? This is called keratosis pilaris and means that you need to up your vitamin A through dark green & yellow veggies & fruits.
Look in your mouth, a great predictor of your overall health. First, stick out your tongue. Is it coated? This is a sign of yeast or candida overgrowth in the body, corrected by an herbal candida cleanse and cleaning up the diet–no sugar or refined foods like white flour. Is your tongue pale? Anemia. Are the edges scalloped? Food allergies. Bleeding gums? Low vitamin C. Cracked lips? Take a B vitamin complex. Cold sores? Treat topically with aloe vera and take lysine to clear them up.
Earlobe creases? This is an interesting one: if you have creases (usually at 45 degree angle) on your earlobes, you could be at a greater risk for cardiovascular disease. Clean up your diet, take CoQ10, and work with a practitioner. Cracked skin behind the ears? Get more EFAs and Zn.
Moving right along, take a look at your fingernails. White spots? Low zinc. Cracked nails? Get more protein and check your thyroid. Brittle nails? Get more B complex.
Varicose veins? Strengthen your veins & capillaries by getting more bioflavonoids through citrus especially. Also add fiber and magnesium. Easy bruising? Get more iron, vitamin C, and vitamin K. Cracked, callused feet? More EFAs and Zn.
So get in front of the mirror and take a look!