Your acne, mood swings, and allergies may all be sharing the same root cause

Our digestive system (aka the gut!) is the house to many organs involved with the absorption and production of vitamins, hormone and mineral balance, detoxification, immune protection, and many other daily functions (our liver alone has over 400 known tasks to perform each day)! 

The gut also contains bacteria that communicate with the rest of the body and performs important functions. Good gut bacteria (or GGB) are the good guys and love vegetables and fiber. Unfortunately, we also have bad bacteria in our guts which are easier to populate, create inflammation, and love sugar and processed foods. Having more bad bacteria than GGB results in a condition called Dysbiosis and unfortunately, it is a very common issue.

Nowadays we know that digestion is not only about ingesting food for energy. Our gut interacts with many parts of our body and is partly responsible for how we feel physically and emotionally and also for how our skin, hair, and nails look. 

More and more scientists are finding that our gut plays a key role in many aspects of our health. To put it simply: treat the gut and you’ll treat the disease. Modern medicine has been catching up and evolving to understand how our body works synergistically, however, it still has a lot to catch up to. The conventional medicine approach is STILL the following: 

Got acne? Here’s some Accutane

Got allergies? Here’s some Benadryl

Got a mood disorder? Here are some antidepressants. 

Here’s something you should know: medications generally don’t cure diseases, they manage them. Get off medication, and it’s likely that the disease will resurface. I am not implying that these medications don’t have a time and a place, but often (not always) acne, allergies, and mood disorders have a root cause, and that lies in the gut. 

My philosophy: address the root cause FIRST or in conjunction with conventional medicine so the dysfunction is healed rather than suppressed as many medications do. 

What does my gut have to do with my acne?

The gut-skin axis

Our gut and our skin are more similar than you might think. Both are organs that perform immune and endocrine functions. They both act as a barrier for pathogens. Our skin is a literal layer of protection against foreign invaders, and what does our gut do when we ingest something that’s spoiled or infected? It pushes it out ASAP through vomiting or diarrhea.

 The ultimate goal? To prevent bad stuff to enter our bloodstream. 

The gut and the skin work together to keep us safe. One way they work together is through the gut-skin axis. Bacteria’s substances (called metabolites) made in the gut can find their way to the skin. Certain metabolites facilitate a pro-inflammatory response and others, an anti-inflammatory response. In plain English: our gut microbes create substances that are either inflammatory or anti-inflammatory. When we eat inflammatory foods, our guts create inflammatory substances. Our skin suffers because acne and other skin conditions are generally, a response to inflammation. 

Something else to keep in mind is that if you have some type of gut dysfunction, particularly in the upper gastrointestinal tract ( think acid reflux, excess fullness…) or in the small intestine (think bloating, gas, abdominal pain…) you might not be absorbing the nutrients that your skin needs for healing. You could be already be eating an anti-inflammatory diet full of vegetables, protein, and good quality fats, but if you are not absorbing those nutrients you might as well be eating cardboard (not quite— but you get the point).

What does my gut have to do with my allergies?

Gut-associated lymphoid tissue 

Gut-associated lymphoid tissue (or GALT) is house to 70-80% of our immune system’s cells. It’s WILD when you think about it. 

We could think of our guts as being separate from our bodies, in a way. As I mentioned earlier, the gut’s job is to keep pathogens (or anything foreign) from entering the bloodstream.  In order to do this, our guts need to be properly sealed (impermeable). When our guts are not impermeable, then that results in a condition called leaky gut. The severity of this condition varies from very mild (bloating here and there) to severe (develop an autoimmune disease).

 This is when you can connect the dots between your gut discomfort and your allergies: If your gut is inflamed and permeable, it is likely that will overreact with its inflammatory response.

 You might find that after working with a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner that you do not get as sick as you used to, this is mostly due to the fact that you’ve been working to restore the lining of your gut through therapeutic nutrients and diet. 

What does my gut have to do with my mood?

The gut-brain axis

It’s all about the GGB (good gut bacteria)! Our gut bacteria produce feedback that is sent to our limbic system and hypothalamus, both responsible for regulating emotion.

About 95% of serotonin (the happiness neurotransmitter) is created in the gut by the GGB. If you have taken rounds of antibiotics in your life, which wipes out that beneficial bacteria, imagine what has potentially been done to our serotonin production! This alone should be a reason why a good probiotic supplement is almost always a good idea. 

“Disruptions to the microbiome are increasingly becoming associated with the prevalence of allergies, autoimmune diseases, metabolic disorders and neuropsychiatric disorders that affect today’s society.”  (Rege, 2017)

How can I support my gut?

1) Elimination diet

Work with a professional to identify which foods are triggering you and eliminate them for a period of time, this can be for 1, 3, or even 6 months. During that time, you’ll work on repairing the lining of the gut through therapeutic nutrients. After the time has passed, work with the practitioner to safely reintroduce the trigger foods. 

2) Eat a nutrient-dense diet:

Vegetables like beets, carrots, and foods rich in prebiotic fiber, nutrient-dense organ meats, and quality fats like grass-fed butter and olive oil. 

3) Probiotics

Take a good probiotic supplement to repopulate good bacteria. I love Organic Olivia’s probiotic. 

3) Stress management and reduction

Work on reducing stress through lifestyle practices such as yoga and meditation. Research shows that adaptogenic herbs like ashwagandha and adaptogenic mushrooms like Chaga mushroom can help with our stress response. I love FreshCap mushrooms and you can use my code Mariu10 for 10% off!

4) Patience!

Be patient! Restoring your gut can take some time but it’s oh-so-worth-it! There are many parts of your digestive system and all require different nutrients and protocols. To get some clarity on your gut symptoms, take this quiz I made for you! It’s literally what I’d wish I had during my gut health journey!

I hope this blog post was helpful! Please let me know in the comments below or on my Instagram if you’d like to see more content like this!

See you again soon!