holistichealthtips

Surprising Facts About Your Skin!

For clear and healthy skin, read this (don’t skip #3)!


1️⃣ Skin health is a reflection of gut health.

Breakouts, rashes, irritations, and redness are outward signs of inflammation, which often stems from the gut.


Tip: Support your gut AND skin with fiber, probiotics, and healthy fats!


2️⃣ Sugar accelerates skin aging.

Excess sugar triggers a process called glycation, where sugar binds to collagen proteins in the skin, leading to fine lines, wrinkles, and aging skin.


Tip: Limit sweets to occasional treats!


3️⃣ Diet can minimize sun damage.

Although not as strong as sunscreen, certain nutrients like beta-carotene and lycopene are stored in layers of the skin, where they help protect against UV damage.


Tip: Eat the rainbow!


4️⃣ Sleep is needed for glowing skin.

During sleep, the body releases growth hormone and produces collagen to strengthen the skin, reduce fine lines, and minimize sagging or puffy skin.


Tip: It’s true that we all need our beauty sleep!


5️⃣ Chemicals in skincare products can seep into your bloodstream.

Chemicals that persist in the environment and in our bodies (meaning they never go away!) are called forever chemicals. Many of these are ingredients in skincare products from sunscreens to lipsticks.


Tip: Read labels and choose non-toxic products!


Okay, I know that’s a lot of information, but the point is:


Chasing skin health with nothing more than expensive topical products is not doing anybody any good. Skin health is truly a reflection of whole-body health.

Click the link in our bio to get started with Dr. Cantrell! 🌱

REFERENCES:

-Abraham K, Monien BH. Transdermal absorption of 13C4-perfluorooctanoic acid (13C4-PFOA) from a sunscreen in a male volunteer - What could be the contribution of cosmetics to the internal exposure of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)?. Environ Int. 2022;169:107549. [link]

-Gill V, Kumar V, Singh K, Kumar A, Kim JJ. Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs) May Be a Striking Link Between Modern Diet and Health. Biomolecules. 2019;9(12):888. [link]

-Ragnarsdóttir O, Abou-Elwafa Abdallah M, Harrad S. Dermal bioavailability of perfluoroalkyl substances using in vitro 3D human skin equivalent models. Environ Int. 2024;188:108772. [link]

-Stahl W, Sies H. Photoprotection by dietary carotenoids: concept, mechanisms, evidence and future development. Mol Nutr Food Res. 2012;56(2):287-295. [link]

Brain Health → Body Health?

The beginning of fall begins a new series! 🍁

Pause the scroll to spend a second with me here.

Most people don’t think twice about brain health unless they notice problems with their memory or concentration.

But your brain is the control center for everything else in your body! 🧠

How well your brain functions has a direct and significant effect on your stress response, hormone production, gut health, and hunger cues.

(Not to mention productivity and mood.)

We just cannot separate the body from the brain.

Some of the best ways to protect brain health?

✅ Deep Breathing

✅ Good Nutrition

✅ Movement

✅ Sleep

When we say we take a holistic approach to health, this is exactly what we mean.

Follow along for more information about BRAIN HEALTH!

REFERENCES:

Herman JP, Nawreen N, Smail MA, Cotella EM. Brain mechanisms of HPA axis regulation: neurocircuitry and feedback in context Richard Kvetnansky lecture. Stress. 2020;23(6):617-632. [link]

Mayer EA, Nance K, Chen S. The Gut-Brain Axis. Annu Rev Med. 2022;73:439-453. [link]

Morales I. Brain regulation of hunger and motivation: The case for integrating homeostatic and hedonic concepts and its implications for obesity and addiction. Appetite. 2022;177:106146. [link]

A Surprising Risk of Mouth Breathing!

Do you tend to breathe more through your mouth or your nose? 👄👃

Your mouth has a microbiome of its own, but did you know that the oral microbiome depends on how you breathe?

A study of children found that mouth breathing had an adverse effect on the oral microbiome by increasing the number of pathogenic (bad) bacteria in the mouth 😬

Here are 5 ways to support a healthy oral microbiome:

1️⃣Nasal (rather than mouth) Breathing 👃

2️⃣Tongue Scraping 👅

3️⃣Flossing 🦷

4️⃣Replacing Toothbrush Heads Regularly 🪥

5️⃣Avoiding Antiseptic Mouthwash 🚫

Optimizing the oral microbiome can support the health of your teeth, gums, & digestion.

❤️Like this post if you learned something and follow for more tips on improving your health naturally!

Reference

Fan C, Guo L, Gu H, Huo Y, Lin H. Alterations in Oral-Nasal-Pharyngeal Microbiota and Salivary Proteins in Mouth-Breathing Children. Front Microbiol. 2020;11:575550. Published 2020 Oct 9. [link]

Tribble GD, Angelov N, Weltman R, et al. Frequency of Tongue Cleaning Impacts the Human Tongue Microbiome Composition and Enterosalivary Circulation of Nitrate. Front Cell Infect Microbiol. 2019;9:39. Published 2019 Mar 1. [link]

Is Your Gut Calling for Help?

Most people don’t realize this 👉

It’s a common misconception that the only signs of poor gut health are digestive problems, like gas, bloating, heartburn, constipation, or diarrhea.

Problems in the gut can also cause or aggravate:

▪️ Food Sensitivities

▪️ Skin Irritations

▪️ Food Cravings

▪️ Mood Changes

▪️ Brain Fog

While there can also be other factors contributing to these issues, it’s worth considering the domino effect that gut health has on nearly everything else in the body.

Want tips on improving your gut health? Be sure to follow for my upcoming posts.

12 Indoor Exercises for Winter

12 Indoor Exercises to Avoid the Cold 🥶

Movement is essential to health! If you don’t want to brave the cold and don’t have a gym membership, here are some things that anybody can do in their own living room:

🔹 Jump Rope

🔹 Push-Ups

🔹 Jumping Jacks

🔹 Squats

🔹 Run in Place

🔹 Free Weights

🔹 Skip

🔹 Dance

🔹 Stretch

🔹 Shake

🔹 Yoga

🔹 Push-Ups

Health is not hard. You just have to commit.

You've got this! 🙌