Clear Skin Herbal Aids

When someone comes to me for help with skin breakouts or problems, I always start with the diet.  While replacing your personal care products is SUPER important, our skin is a manifestation of what we put in it. Most skin issues (if not all) can be cleared up by eliminating dairy (and often gluten).  

If you have teens or family members who don't choose to go dairy free, I have found burdock root and red clover to be an incredible tool in clearing up the skin. Both are blood purifiers/cleansers. Basically, they help take out the trash (toxins) that accumulate inside the body from the toxic foods/liquids we consume. Our bodies can't dump toxins quick enough if our digestive channel is stressed, so it often shows up on our skin.  By taking these herbs, it helps the body eliminate them easier, while also clearing up the skin (win win!). 



I personally take Dr. Christopher's Blood Stream Formula because it contains both those herbs, but it also has many others that help purify the blood stream and clean up the body. They don't use any fillers or binders in their capsules, just straight organic clean herbs in a veggie capsule. If you can't find them at your local health food store or online, I'd recommend doing burdock root and red clover tea. They are bitter (great for the liver and blood), so if doing the tea, I like raw honey or stevia. 

Clear Skin From Within

You can walk into any drugstore, superstore, or grocery store and find an isle (if not more) dedicated to what goes on skin or hair. Yet most beauty products (hair, skin, nails, soaps, lotions, potions, etc) are made up of chemicals (and estrogen disruptors...umm hello cancer promoters) and were never meant for our bodies. Our bodies are delicately complex, yet beautifully simple. They like simple ingredients, ones that they know exactly what to do with. (Not having to store fat around the ingredients because it's toxic to our organs-yikes!).  

When we have acne, eczema, dry skin, oily skin, etc, we look for things outside our body to "fix" a problem that started on the inside. Our skin is the biggest organ, and it's a great way to eliminate toxins, especially if the other elimination pathways are clogged up.  

When I was breaking out daily in horrible itchy and angry hives, I looked for whatever would calm it down. Nothing seemed to work, and if anything, all the things that I put on my skin often made my symptoms a lot worse (leading me to be on meds they used for AIDS patients and steroids to suppress my immune system). Little did I realize that I was clogging up the very way my body was trying to dump the toxic mess I had put inside. 

It was a magical and eye opening experience when I was fed up with it all that I literally tossed every beauty product I owned (toothpaste, hair supplies, makeup, etc), including cleaning supplies, and I started from scratch. I also cleaned up my diet (bye bye dairy and gluten!) and my skin started clearing up for the first time ever! 

I found local biz owners who made things from ingredients that I could pronounce, and that my body loved. I also started learning how to make my own products and I loved getting back in touch with the earth and with my body.  It was a big drastic change for me that empowered my soul and gave me great hope that I could get better. I did a makeover on my medicine cabinet and haven't looked back!  





I learned to listen carefully to what felt good to my body personally. Some things worked for others, and didn't for me. I had to honor my body's natural chemistry and wishes. 

So if you're wondering what you can do to start eliminating the toxic load and begin supporting and nourishing your body with what it really needs, start with your personal care supplies. If you can't pronounce it or know what it is, you're better off without it. Thankfully, there are SO many healthier options you can purchase now, or DIY for a reasonable price. Your skin, hair, and health deserve to breathe and deserve to have things that really nourish them rather than all the chemicals that are not so nourishing to you. 

Much love to your skin and well-being!

Naturally, Kathy

Healthy Happy Gut Repair Recipe

I've been missing my gut repair magic formula for a while, so I decided to mix some up again.  This combo is great for sealing up the holes with leaky gut, which gives your body time to heal and absorb the nutrients, rather than having food escaping out your gut.  When food doesn't travel the path of the intestines, and finds it's way in the blood stream, it can cause all kinds of crazy symptoms like eczema, allergies, digestive stress, acne, gas, bloating, memory issues, headaches, fatigue, just to name a few (yuck!).  Our food isn't supposed to be in our blood going out to our whole body that way, it's supposed to travel through the digestive track, where nutrients should be absorbed along the way through our vili (if not destroyed due to gluten sensitivity).  

Both Slippery Elm and Marshmallow Root are mucilage herbs.  Basically, that means they're pretty much like a slime ball, but with amazing nutrients and antioxidants that help feed the body.  They are both super soothing, as well as nutritive.  Dr. Christopher (from the Natural School of Healing) used to feed soldiers (as well as infants who weren't thriving) a Slippery Elm gruel or porridge (Slippery Elm and water together is like an oatmeal substance) that would give them the nutrients they needed, along with soothing any issues like dysentery, respiratory, or pretty much any sickness they had at the time.  

Most recent understanding is coming to the knowledge that Eastern Medicine practiced all along that the gut determines overall health and vitality.  It's becoming more and more well known.  Taking these herbs, along with L-Glutamine (which is an amino acid that helps with brain health, digestive health, muscle growth and repair, and other important functions) help to restore the gut.  I've found it to be greatly beneficial in healing my own leaky gut (from extreme gluten/dairy sensitivity).  

I found all these at my local health food store, but you can also find them online.  Just make sure you're getting them from a trusted source to guarantee you're getting what you're asking for.  Amazon can be great in getting things super inexpensive, but many health products are compromised and not what they say they are.  

Recipe:

4 oz Slippery Elm Powder

4 oz Marshmallow Root Powder

3 oz L-Glutamine

Mix all together and keep in a container.  

To use, I recommend that adult's take 1TBS 1-2 times/day.  I think it's pretty sweet on it's own, and tastes good to me, so I like it plain with 4-8oz water.  You can also mix it in a smoothie, nut or seed milk, or breakfast cereals.  For infants, I'd recommend 1tsp with 4oz water.  For children 2 or older, you can start with 2tsp and see how they do.  If you need to increase it, increase by 1/2 tsp each serving.  Results should be pretty quick as far as upset tummies.  I've noticed bloating calm down within 10 min to 30 min.  

Happy Tummy!

DIY Hand Soap

With Essential Oils

When looking for a clean soap at the store, it's difficult to find one without unpronounceable chemicals or estrogen disruptors (no thanks!), or dyes, etc.  When I first cleansed my home environment of all the harsh chemicals, perfumes, dyes, and anything I couldn't pronounce because it was causing me to have hives and a host of other health issues, I had to look for alternatives for my personal care.  I found that making hand soap is super easy, and most of us already have the ingredients in our home (go us!).

Ingredients

• An old hand foam dispenser bottle (the hand foam one helps mesh the oil and water better, leaving us with that lovely sudsy feel/look that we all love rather than than just a regular pump bottle.  If you only have a pump bottle, then it will work, you just have to shake it up before each use).

• 1 tsp C Baking Soda

• 1/4 C Oil (Almond, Jojoba, Coconut, Avocado or Olive Oil are my personal favs.  I'd avoid canola oil as it's most like rancid or heated too high and changed the nature of the oil).

• 1/2-1tsp Vitamin C (Citric Acid) - This is optional.  The Vitamin C helps to preserve the oils/soap.  I find that one foaming bottle can last for about 3-4 weeks.  

• 25-30 Drops Essential Oils - I just made a batch using Wild Orange (10 drops), Lavender (10 drops), and Geranium (5-10 drops).  It smells wonderful!  The Lavender and Geranium (besides being gang-busting antibacterial oils, they are also wonderful for the skin.  They can clear up rashes, help with burns, soothe the skin, and promote healthy skin.  It's a win win!).  The Wild Orange falls in the citrus family and is known to help disinfect, cleanse, and leave your skin and body with a fresh smell, as well as promoting a healthy immune system.  (Gotta love that!).  People ask me all the time which oils I use, and personally, I use the doTerra brand of oils.  I'm not a big fan of network marketing, but I've experimented with many brands, and have found that doTerra is the one that works with my body and skin.  I have a super sensitive body, and all the other oils I've tried have left me with massive headaches and/or hives.  I also love doTerra's co-Impact sourcing (helping the suppliers with fair pricing and the ability to help their culture and area really thrive), as well as their research, service to third world countries, and how they've taken the knowledge of essential oils to the world.  I have many massage therapy colleagues that love the Butterfly, Native American, or other brands and have great success with them as well.  Our chemistry is all unique, so find what works for you.  (I'd avoid the oils sold at the health food stores, as they often have a lot of fillers that are rancid, or made using harsh solvents/chemicals.  I'd also avoid purchasing oils off of Amazon as the bottles can be tampered with easily, leaving you with who knows what inside the bottle).      

Instructions

Mix all the ingredients together and then fill the rest of the bottle with filtered or distilled water.  Pump away!

Hawaiian Haystacks

Dairy-Free, Egg-Free, GAPS-Friendly, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Paleo, 

SCD-Friendly, Soy-Free, Sugar-Free 

One of my favorite meals growing up was my Mom's Hawaiian Haystacks, but it was made with cream of chicken (lots of dairy) and rice, so I wanted to make a more gut-friendly version.  I did make quinoa, so if you're strictly paleo, then you could use cauliflower rice or zoodles, or some other squash/veggie base.  The great thing about this meal is you can pull out all your leftovers in the fridge, or any produce that needs to be used up.  What makes this an amazing tasting meal is it's balance of sweet, sour, spicy, bitter, and pure deliciousness.  Traditionally, my mom would add in tomatoes and colored peppers, but since they flare up my autoimmune issues, I didn't add them here.

Instructions

For the Gravy/Sauce:

1 medium Onion (diced)

* 1/2 package Mushrooms

1 TBS Grass-fed butter or Oil (coconut, olive,

           or avocado oil)

Saute onions and garlic in butter/oil for 5 min. and Add:

1 can full fat coconut oil (or almond or other nut/seed milk)

1 C Chicken or Bone Broth

1-2 TBS tapioca starch (can use 1 TBS guar gum, 2-4 tsp xanthum gum, arrowroot powder, or almond flour to help thicken)
Season with Salt and Pepper and other favorite herbs and spices (I added about 2 tsp Herbs De Provence as well)

To serve, add the gravy on top of gluten-free grains or paleo zoodles, cauliflower rice, or sweet potato and dice up and top with any of the following mix-ins (feel free to get creative):

Green Onions (chopped)

Olives

Carrots

Celery

Cilantro (or Parsley, Dill, or other fresh herb)

Chives 

Coconut flakes

Dried Fruit (raisins, figs, apricots, cranberries, 

                                                                                    blueberries, etc.) 

                                                                                    * Tomatoes

                                                                                    * Peppers 

                                                                                    Apples 

 * If you're struggling with an autoimmune issue or gout, you can leave out the nightshades (tomatoes, peppers, and even leave out the mushrooms) to help alleviate symptoms.  

DIY Yoga Mat Spray

Whether your into Yoga, Pilates, Stretching, or some other exercise, I'm sure you've experienced grabbing the mat and having your nose overwhelmed by dried sweat and bacteria (sexy, don't you think?).  Just how you want to start your workout!

While I don't consider myself a huge germaphobe, I do like to know that things I use are relatively clean. This spray is something I use on my yoga mats, exercise equipment, (and I even use it on the mats at the gym).  The natural antibacterial properties of the oils leave the mats germ-free without destroying my natural healthy bacteria.  Plus, it leaves everything smelling so good while I hit the mat!

Ingredients

1 C Distilled Water (or Clean Filtered Water)
1/4 C Vinegar
15 Drops Melaleuca (Tea Tree) Essential Oil
10 Drops Lavendar and/or Lemon (or any Citrus) E.O.

Pour into a spray bottle and spray away the germs (and smell!)

Good for the Soul Chicken Zoodle Soup

Dairy-Free, Egg-Free, GAPS-Friendly, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, 

 SCD-Friendly, Soy-Free, Sugar-Free

Today has been a particularly busy day, so by the time I realized it was getting close to dinner, I needed something quick.  We had a whole chicken that we cooked the other day, so we had some leftover meat. My mom has been craving chicken noodle soup lately, so I made a chicken zoodle soup instead. It turned out so delicious and so good for the soul!

Ingredients:

4-5 Cups chicken broth + extra water to cover all the veggies 

1 medium onion, diced

1-3 cloves of garlic (depending on how much you love garlic. I love it, so I used 3), diced

Fennel, cut into lengthwise pieces 

3 medium carrots, chopped

Zucchini (spiralized into noodles- You can also chop them or cut into long strips, however you prefer them. I was re-creating the noodles, so I used a spiralizer. Some Cuisinart or KitchenAid attachments have one that makes veggies into tiny strip/noodle-like shapes)

3 Stalks of Celery, chopped

1 1/2 C Butternut squash (optional), cut into small squares

Leftover baked Chicken (cut into small pieces)

Optional: Add any other veggies that you desire. Peas, Rutabaga, Any other variety of Squash,

Potatoes, Brussel Sprouts, etc.

Directions:

Saute the diced onion, garlic, and fennel in some coconut or olive oil until translucent (about 5 min). 

Place the sauted veggies in with the rest of the ingredients and cook over medium heat until veggies are tender. Salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy!