How you eat and the personal care products you use can have a direct effect on your skin’s appearance and health. If you want to have clean, healthy skin and to reduce your risk for skin cancer, it’s time to clean up your diet and remove all toxins from your environment.
Use natural or organic cleaning products. Drink filtered water. Use non-chemical beauty products (especially avoid sodium laurel sulfate, propylene glycol, parabens, etc.) Check out the guide from Environmental Working Group to help you choose healthier skincare products. You can also try making your own skin care products out of natural elements (here are some recipes to start with).
Since cancer thrives in an acidic and toxic environment, it is important to remove any foods that increase inflammation in the body, including:
- Processed foods
- Refined sugars (corn syrup and artificial sweeteners)
- Omega 6 vegetable oils like corn and soy oil
- Fast food
What foods should you be eating for healthy skin?
- Lots of healthy vegetables in a rainbow of colors.
- Organic grass-fed meat and eggs
- Wild-caught fish
- Nuts and seeds
- Healthy fats such as avocado, cold-pressed olive oil, coconut oil, ghee or clarified butter
- Fruits such as berries (blackberries, blueberries, goji berries, etc.)
Make it your goal to eat seven to nine servings (1/2 cup cooked or one cup raw) of fruits and vegetables each day.
Using skin healthy supplements can also help eliminate toxins in your body and reduce your risk of skin problems. Consider supplements such as:
Vitamin D — Ironically, one of the proven vitamins to combat cancer is also the one that you get from being in the sun! Take a supplement Vitamin D3 with MK7 (a form of vitamin K) to boost your immune system and help fight cancer.
Probiotics — Seventy-five percent of your immune system is in your gut and the probiotics are the stars that keep your gut healthy. When given the right nutrients, your immune system is designed to fight cancer. Taking a variety of soil-based and food-based probiotics is important to build up the culture in your intestines. We recommend Prescript-Assist by Ancient Minerals and a variety of other food-based probiotics such as UltraFlora Balance in our practice with great results.
Selenium — This mineral found in water, soil and some foods has been found to reduce the risk of death from skin cancer by 50 percent and using it resulted in 37 percent fewer malignancies according to a study published in the 1996 Journal of American Medial Association. Selenium supplements should be taken in moderation though. It is best to consume selenium from whole food sources like Brazil nuts, walnuts, free-range chicken or grass-fed beef.
Curcumin — A substance found in tumeric, curcumin has a long and storied past as a natural cancer cure. Several studies on cancer proved that curcumin is effective at killing cancer and preventing further cancer growth and metastasis. Studies have shown it to be effective against breast cancer, bowel cancer, stomach cancer and skin cancer cells.
Pancreatic (Proteolytic) Enzymes — Pancreatic enzymes taken between meals become proteolytic enzymes. This enzyme is released into your bloodstream to break down scar tissue and clean up debris and old cells. In a cancer patient, the pancreas may not be able to keep up with the demand to create enough enzymes to digest the protein-based cell walls of cancer cells. Studies in 1981 showed that enzyme treatment was shown to be extremely effective in reducing the symptoms of cancer and helping to reverse it.
Stay tuned for our next article on skin cancer treatments.
Betty Murray, CN, IFMCP, CHC is a Certified Nutritionist & Certified Functional Medicine Practitioner with the Institute for Functional Medicine, founder of the Dallas-based functional medicine clinic Living Well Dallas and Executive Director of the the Functional Medicine Association of North Texas. A master of the biochemistry of the body, Betty teaches her clients how to utilize nutrition for autoimmune diseases, digestive disorders, MTHFR and weight loss. You can find her book “Cleanse: Detox Your Body, Mind & Spirit” on Amazon here.
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