Australia’s only Naturopathically Formulated and Certified Organic Skincare
Australia’s only Naturopathically Formulated and Certified Organic Skincare
Australia’s only Naturopathically Formulated and Certified Organic Skincare
Australia’s only Naturopathically Formulated and Certified Organic Skincare
I am often being asked for my naturopathic advice when it comes to supplements: what should I take to help my skin? Will supplements make any difference to my particular issue?
Supplements can definitely be helpful when you are not getting sufficient nutrients in your diet but I always recommend looking to food first as its often better absorbed and comes with many more beneficial nutrients.
Having said this I do take a handful of supplements to help with my skin and immune system on a daily basis and so I thought I’d share with you what I take and why.
Zinc
What is it and what does it do?
One of the most important nutrients for growth and development (hence the importance for skin) and immune health, Zinc is up there as one of the top minerals to get in your diet. Deficiencies in Zinc can show up as things like impaired wound healing, poor appetite, impaired taste and even delayed growth.
How do I get Zinc in my diet?
Zinc is relatively easy to get in your diet if it is a varied one. Top animal sources include red meat, shellfish, white meats (chicken, turkey, pork) and eggs. Top vegetable sources include nuts and legumes.
Which skin issues can Zinc benefit?
As zinc is so essential for skin repair, it is beneficial for all skin issues. Acne is one particular skin issue (often with both immune and physical factors) that is very often benefited by zinc supplementation.
Naturopathic note: If you are on a vegetarian diet you may need to consider supplementation as bioavailability in vegetable sources is limited.
Vitamin D
What is it and what does it do?
Gaining much publicity in recent years due to overwhelming deficiency worldwide, Vitamin D is a vitamin that requires little introduction. Essential for so many bodily functions, this is one of the key vitamins that I would recommend keeping a close eye on. With regards to skin health, Vitamin D plays a very important role in cellular function – particularly differentiation and proliferation. It’s also vital for immune health.
How do I get Vitamin D in my diet?
Vitamin D is one of the few vitamins that can be produced by the human body via sun exposure (UVB radiation). Enough sun exposure = healthy Vitamin D levels. Given our concerns regarding too much sun exposure (ageing + skin cancer), we have all reduced the amount of time we spend in the sun and so supplementation is often warranted. Having said this, there are some food sources of Vitamin D which are worth adding to your diet, namely fatty fish (e.g. salmon, sardines) and eggs.
Which skin issues can Vitamin D benefit?
Again, because Vitamin D plays such a key role in growth and wound healing, all skin issues will benefit from ensuring sufficiency of this nutrient. Psoriasis is one of the key skin issues that needs to ensure they have sufficient Vitamin D because of its role in skin cell proliferation, overproduction of which is a hallmark of psoriasis.
Naturopathic note: Vitamin D levels can be easily checked with a simple blood test requested by your GP.
Probiotics
What is it and what does it do?
Probiotics are the healthy bacteria that live inside and outside out bodies, helping us with many roles including digestion, immunity and barrier function. There are thousands of species that exist in our bodies but only a small percentage of these have been replicated and formulated into supplements and foods.
How do I get probiotics in my diet?
With so much interest and growth in probiotics in recent years, it is much easier to ensure you are getting some good bacteria in your diet. Most common food sources include fermented foods like e.g. kombucha, sauerkraut, yoghurt, kefir. Head into the health food isle of any supermarket these days and you will also find some functional foods which have probiotics added including drinks, cereals and snacks.
Which skin issues can probiotics benefit?
Given the role that bacteria play in having a healthy digestive and immune system, there aren’t many skin issues that probiotics won’t benefit. Having said this, eczema is probably the main problem that I have seen which benefits from probiotic supplementation.
Naturopathic note: when choosing a supplement there is a lot more range available these days and so try to choose one which is most specific to your skin or health issue. Naturopaths are available in good health food stores and some pharmacies (e.g. WholeLife Pharmacy and Health Foods) to ask for personalised recommendations.
Recycling can feel daunting, but staying informed & making the right choices makes a big difference. To go beyond just our kerbside bins, let’s explore some recycling options that are available for items like running shoes & even bread tags!
Perimenopause. It’s something I didn’t expect myself to be talking about, yet here I am at the ripe old/young age of 43. It actually started at 42 but I was in denial for a while. Telling myself things like “I’m too young”. “My mum didn’t go through menopause until 50 and so I don’t need to worry about anything until then”. But that’s menopause, not perimenopause. No one talks about perimenopause.
