Radiant Results: Unlocking Clear Skin by Conquering Constipation with Dr. Stacey Shillington ND

Are you on the quest for acne-free, luminous skin? Get ready to mark a significant milestone in our Clear Skin Challenge as we enter Week 6. I'm Dr. Stacey Shillington, and today, I'm taking you through an overlooked yet critical component of achieving that coveted clear skin - managing constipation. With previous steps tailored towards eliminating dairy, refining breakfast routines, and cutting out sugar, we're ramping up our game by focusing on gut health. I'll be sharing why a healthy gut is non-negotiable for clear skin and providing a treasure trove of practical tips, like hydrating with mineral-rich water and possibly introducing magnesium supplements to your diet.

Embark on a fascinating exploration of the gut-skin axis, where I reveal the complex relationship between constipation and acne. Discover how a balanced microbiome is pivotal for not only your digestive health but also for your complexion, as it prevents the buildup of harmful toxins. I'll guide you through strategies to ensure regular bowel movement, from prioritizing a high-fiber diet to stress management techniques that support the parasympathetic nervous system. With actionable advice on incorporating warm lemon water into your morning ritual and understanding the role of probiotics and food sensitivities, we're embracing a holistic approach to wellness that radiates from the inside out.

Finally, for those who are truly committed to transforming their skin health, I'll introduce you to my free ClearSkin Masterclass and the advanced ClearSkin program. These resources are designed to dive deeper into personalized strategies for clear skin, drawing from my 18 years of guiding individuals on their skin transformation journeys. By the end of this episode, you'll not only have indispensable insights into managing constipation for better gut health but also have the opportunity to join a community dedicated to achieving lasting skin clarity. Stay tuned, as next time we'll continue our journey with more empowering advice to conquer your skin challenges.

Interested in my new Clear Skin Group Program? Click here to learn more!

Click here to watch my FREE Clear Skin Masterclass and learn more about the 4 pillars of clear skin and my top tips to heal acne for good.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Welcome to Natural Pathic Beauty's Clear Skin Sessions, where we heal your acne from the inside out. Hello, beauties, and welcome back. We are on week 6 of our 8-week Clear Skin Challenge and I hope that you are as excited as I am to embark on this next step in our clear skin journey. So just to remind you, I'm Dr Stacy Schillington. I'm a Natural Pathic Doctor. I've been healing acne for over 18 years and this podcast is all about helping you clear your skin from the inside out.

Speaker 1: 0:36

We have been told to do so many things to clear our skin that don't actually work, that don't actually address the root issues of what's going on with our acne. Acne is a complex medical condition. It's not something that can be solved with medications, which are band-aid solutions, or skincare, which just scratches the surface of the issue. Acne really has to be tackled from the inside out. There are many different organ systems involved and this 8-week Clear Skin Challenge has been designed to eliminate as much inflammation as possible from your body so we can start to see your acne clearing. And if we're still seeing acne very stubborn acne at the end of this challenge, then we know we have to do a deeper dive and we have to address inner imbalances that are really preventing you from experiencing clear skin. So that is what we're doing on this podcast. That is what we're doing with the 8-week Clear Skin Challenge.

Speaker 1: 1:42

So let's move forward and let's talk about week 6. So, just to let you know, every week I'm introducing a new step. I'm going to explain why we are taking each step. I'm going to share research backing up why we're taking each step and, as I said, if you're still breaking out at the end of the challenge, it's a sign that we need to do deeper work. So, a brief review of everything that we've done so far and if you've missed any of these episodes, I want you to go back and watch my previous episodes.

Speaker 1: 2:17

Start the challenge at week 1, because everything builds upon each other. These steps are in a very specific order. I don't want you to just jump in and start week 6 without implementing the previous weeks already. So just an overview of what we've done already. We've removed dairy from the diet. We have found your perfect breakfast, something that you love and that you look forward to, and that helps to balance your insulin levels. We've talked a lot about stress and I've given you some special breathing techniques to really help you monitor your heart rate variability and transition into your parasympathetic nervous system. We've talked about drainage and in fact week 6 is very much related to week 4, and last week we spoke about removing sugar from your diet and I really hope that you've managed to remove that sugar from your diet.

Speaker 1: 3:17

I know it's not easy. If you're having difficulty. Listen to the episode again, because I do give you some really great tips on what to do when you have those sugar cravings, and it is so worth it. Please give it a try, because when you eliminate your sugar from your diet, not only does your skin start to clear, but every other organ system in your body is going to start to work better, and this is super exciting. And you know, with sugar I find sometimes I tend to go back to it a little bit, and so it's always like a little bit of a fluctuation.

Speaker 1: 3:55

I go back, I start implementing a little bit of sugar in my diet, I start to feel not so great, and so I have to go through the process of cutting it out completely again. I'm sugar-free for a long time and then inevitably it creeps in a little bit and then I have to cut it out again. So it's a little bit of a cycle for me anyways. I mean, there may be some of you out there that are just great at cutting it out and keeping it out for years and years and years, and you know that's my ultimate goal. But you know there are certain things that creep into my diet. I think chocolate is my number one weakness. It's my kryptonite, it really is, but I love it. So I do allow myself chocolate, you know, once in a while, and that's usually that's my gateway drug. Once I once I let chocolate in. You know I know that at some point I'm going to have to do a sugar detox and just get it out.

Speaker 1: 4:49

So that was week number five of our eight week clear skin challenge. And now we are moving on to week six of our clear skin challenge and it is all about constipation. Now this is very much related to week four, where we spoke about drainage, and in fact this is an extension of talking about drainage, because when we are constipated we are not able to remove toxins from our body. There's congestion and stagnation, and eliminating constipation is going to make a huge difference in your clear skin journey. So we talked about hydration, we talked about castor oil packs in week four and those. Those are two therapies that are really going to help eliminate constipation. So hopefully, if you have a tendency to constipation and you've implemented the strategies in week four, you're already starting to see a difference. If not, don't worry, we are going to take a deep dive into constipation, talk about why it's happening and what we can do to really move things through your body. Okay, and just a reminder, we in this eight week clear skin challenge, we are reducing inflammation in the body and when we reduce inflammation in the body, we reduce acne, because acne is inflammation.

Speaker 1: 6:13

Some people are going to experience complete clearing just by implementing the steps in this challenge. If you don't experience complete clearing, then you know that there are deeper imbalances that we need to heal. There's microbial overgrowth, microbiome imbalances, maybe porody toxification and this is more at a cellular level HPA dysfunction, which is really stress and being trapped in that state of survival, and that sympathetic nervous system. There's also potentially hormonal imbalances. When these deeper imbalances need to be addressed, this is when we need to do testing. This is when you need to have individualized protocols put together for you and you have to work with an expert you know at this step to really help you understand and put together a treatment plan that's going to work for you. But let's keep going with this challenge because if you can implement all the steps of this challenge, you may not need to do that deeper work. You may be able to just heal your body with the things we're talking about. All right, see you guys later on.

Speaker 1: 7:20

Let's jump in and let's talk a little bit about acne and constipation. So what is constipation? And it surprises me that some people actually don't know that you have to have one bowel movement per day at minimum. I'm really happy if my patients have one complete bowel movement every day and that's when you feel like everything is being evacuated from your body. Nothing is being held back, and I know for some people, talking about bowel movements in poo is a little bit, you know, uncomfortable because this isn't something we talk about every day. But we need to talk about it because it's so important.

Speaker 1: 8:01

When you're constipated, when you're not having a daily bowel movement, toxins are building up in your body and this can cause many different health conditions and acne is one of them. So when we have bowel movements we get rid of waste products that are in the body. We also prevent toxins from recirculating in the body, and specifically estrogen. And this is really important for acne patients, because when we don't have bowel movements, there's an enzyme that is in, you know, our body that tends to become overactive and it can liberate estrogens. Specifically, it's called beta glucuronidase. And these estrogens you know, when we have too many estrogens are in our body. We have a situation called estrogen dominance and this can really lead to acne. So we really have to get those bowels movement, moving, and constipation also prevents the buildup of heart and stool in the colon. So there's a lot of reasons why we need the bowels to move every single day.

Speaker 1: 9:08

So what causes constipation? So the number one reason for constipation that I see with my patient population is an imbalanced microbiome. Now, usually people come to see me after they've been doing all the things They've been drinking the water, they've been eating the fiber, they've been exercising, they typically have a really good diet and yet they're still experiencing constipation. And this is usually because there's an overgrowth of bacteria in the gut and these bacteria produce gases. They produce methane, they produce hydrogen gases and what these gases do is they prevent the intestines from moving properly. There's an action called peristalsis and this is kind of like a movement, like a pulsating almost of the intestines and it moves food, it moves the bolus through the gastrointestinal tract and it moves the poo through the large intestine of the body. So when we have too much of these gases, when they cause, they almost cause like a paralysis. The intestines just do not move things through them properly. That's a really big, big reason for constipation. And often constipation is not fully resolved on its own until we go in and we do that really deep gut work. And often testing is required when we need to go in and do that gut work, because we need to understand what's going on. Is there a yeast? Is there candida that's present, maybe there's parasites, maybe there's different bacterial overgrowth, maybe it's Morganella, maybe it's a low level of Ficala bacterium, maybe there's low bile acids we don't know. So we have to figure it out so that we can balance and heal properly.

Speaker 1: 11:01

Another reason for constipation is poor drainage and detoxification. You know, when everything is just stagnating in the body, when the lymph isn't moving properly, when the bile acids are not being released properly, constipation can occur, and that's a really big one because bile stimulates bowel movements. And when there's not enough bile being produced, constipation can ensue. So we need to really work on that drainage action and sometimes deeper work needs to be done. And then there's the low fiber diet. So this is something that, if you've been following me for a while, if you've been following most healthcare practitioners that you need to eat adequate fiber, because fiber is undigestible cellulose and it really forms stool. We don't digest fiber for a very specific reason because it acts kind of like a broom and it goes through our digestive system and not only does it help us get rid of different toxins and things that need to be eliminated, but also feeds beneficial microbes. So it really helps foster a healthy microbiome.

Speaker 1: 12:11

When you don't have enough fiber, your gut will definitely suffer. Constipation can definitely happen. Process foods and refined carbohydrates when we eat too many of these foods, we are sacrificing our fiber intake. Very often we're introducing a lot of sugars, we're introducing a lot of chemicals into our body that are going to prevent our healthy gut Dehydration. When we don't have enough water in our systems, then stools are going to be very hard and it's going to be very more difficult for them to move through the gastrointestinal tract.

Speaker 1: 12:45

We talked a little bit about this in week four, but we want to drink at least two liters of water a day. Usually between 1.5 to two liters of water a day. You don't normally you don't need to go much beyond that unless you're doing some really extreme exercise and you're sweating a lot. But I find a lot of people don't drink enough water and sometimes if they do drink enough water, they're not fully absorbing the water into their cells because they're deficient in minerals. So often I suggest to my patients with their water they add some lemon and they add a little bit of sea salt, because this adds some minerals into the water and those minerals actually help the water to be absorbed by the cells. So this is really important. This can make a big difference. You may want to give it a try, but we'll talk more about hydration in another podcast and we'll do a deeper dive into it and explore just how dehydration can really, you know, not only contribute to acne but contribute to dull, lifeless, you know dehydrated skin and stress.

Speaker 1: 13:52

So when we have stress, when the HPA axis is dysregulated, there's dysregulated cortisol and every system in the body can be affected. And of course, constipation can very much be affected when we're in our survival nervous system all the time. So in a state of stress, our digestive system does not work. Because we are in a state of survival, we are not worried about digesting our foods, we are worried about running from that lion, from that tiger, from whatever stress is threatening our lives. So in order to really have our digestive system working smoothly, our bodies need to be relaxed so often.

Speaker 1: 14:34

Learning how to transition into that parasympathetic nervous system is going to help. You know our digestion, all parts of our digestion. So and of course, we spoke about stress in an earlier you know episode and it's not easy to transition to your parasympathetic nervous system. It's not easy for many people to relax because they actually don't know how to relax. Their nervous system has been in a state of stress for so long that that is what they have normalized, and this is something that we need to address deeply and it's something that I think a lot about this. I've had a lot of stress in my life. I have a whole program as part of my acne program. I have a whole program just dedicated to helping my patients understand stress and learn how to transition out of their sympathetic nervous system into their parasympathetic nervous system, and this is a. This is a big deal, and it's probably the most important part of the healing journey is learning how to manage stress.

Speaker 1: 15:39

And then in activity, being sedentary all day, just sitting our bodies need to move, and when we move our bodies, we're actually moving our digestive systems. At the same time. You think about doing yoga poses. Think how you're stretching your body and you're stretching your organs and you're moving them. When you're out for a walk, just how all the muscles are moving, your lymph starts to flow, your blood flows better and your digestion is going to flow better as well. Magnesium deficiency this is ubiquitous. Many, many people have magnesium deficiency and this can contribute to constipation. And then there's many medications that people are taking that can cause constipation.

Speaker 1: 16:24

Hormonal imbalances can cause constipation, and this really can come down to that cortisol. You know the cortisol imbalance that we're talking about with stress. And then poor sleep when we sleep, almost everything gets worse. So all the different topics that we've just already addressed that can lead to constipation. Poor sleep just worsens everything, and sleep is something that we really need to talk about in an upcoming podcast which we will dive into, and I am an expert at sleep. I think I slept for maybe one night a week for my entire thirties. I slept horribly. I barely slept in my thirties at all, and I've had to do some really deep work on sleep and stress, as I've already shared.

Speaker 1: 17:10

So let's talk about constipation and acne specifically. So how does constipation affect acne? So estrogen and other toxins are normally excreted through the bowels. Constipation allows these toxins and estrogens to be reabsorbed from the bowel back into circulation via an enzyme called beta glucuronidase. This is the one way that constipation really leads to a hormonal imbalance that can trigger acne. So increased toxins, increased estrogens can increase acne, and I think that if you are prone to chronic constipation and you start to have regular bowel movements, you are going to notice a difference right away. So this is your body's drainage funnel. If you're watching this on video, you can see I have this slide up, if not basically what it is. It's a visual of how toxins drain through the body and at the very bottom of the funnel is the colon. So this is key because if you are not having a bowel movement, if toxins are not able to leave through the colon, then everything gets backed up. All the different systems in the body eventually will be backed up. And when we talk about drainage when we talked about it in week number four, eliminating constipation is the most important part of the drainage funnel. We can't go any further in healing your body, healing your acne, until we've resolved the constipation. Okay.

Speaker 1: 18:43

So how do we fix constipation? The number one thing for most people. If you've tried all these other things, if you're eating fiber, if you're exercising, if you're drinking enough water, if you're still experiencing constipation, you likely need to heal the gut microbiome. And I've already explained why because the gases released from bacteria can lead to chronic constipation. So often when my patients come to me and they have really deep gut infections and they're experiencing constipation, I need to get their bowels moving right at the beginning. And that's when we use certain aids, certain herbs, you know, to really help get things moving while we heal the gut, because I can't properly heal the gut when somebody is still constipated.

Speaker 1: 19:33

Another way that we treat constipation is by supporting the liver. So bowel production stimulates bowel movement, bowel bowel production stimulates bowel movements and liver problems are going to affect the colon. So we need to ensure that there's enough bile being produced and, again, to do this you have to work with a healthcare practitioner that can make sure you are taking the right supplements to support the liver, to support drainage and to support bile production. One thing that you can do that I love is that lemon water in the morning. Lemon is one of those met those food medicines that will help stimulate bile secretion, so that's something really great that you can do.

Speaker 1: 20:15

You want to increase your fiber, so one of the best ways to increase fiber is chia seeds. They're a mat. You're getting a massive dose of fiber when you eat chia seeds daily. Raw fruits, green leafy vegetables these are all really great things and we should all be eating about 35 grams of fiber every single day. And if you can't tolerate that much fiber, that is a sign that there's likely imbalances and overgrowth that need to be addressed. So, for instance, if you're eating a lot of cruciferous vegetables and you're getting a lot of gas or you're experiencing a lot of constipation, that's a sign there's overgrowth and it needs to be resolved. Increasing water intake so we've already talked about this 1.5 liters per day, add some warm water, add some lemon to be sure you're deeply hydrating at a cellular level, and sometimes magnesium can be very helpful. So magnesium citrate or oxide 300 milligrams before bed, this should do the trick. However, if you're dependent on magnesium to have regular bowel movements, we need to go back to the microbiome Because, ultimately, when your gut is in great shape, when your gut is healed and balanced, you are not going to have to rely on magnesium or other laxatives to really get your bowels moving.

Speaker 1: 21:37

Probiotics Sometimes probiotics are helpful, sometimes they're not, and it depends on the testing results. For some people probiotics are going to make things worse. There's many different strains of probiotics. There's different probiotics, but looking at a gut test is going to determine whether or not a probiotic is going to be helpful. And I've included this because I think some people think oh, I just need a probiotic to fix my gut, and that's not true, because some people do very well with probiotics, that's true, but some people do worse with probiotics because they don't need them.

Speaker 1: 22:12

Removing food sensitivities so my clear skin diet we remove dairy, we remove sugar and often gluten as well to really help reduce the inflammation and that way the gut can actually start to heal. And sometimes gluten especially this can be a really big trigger for constipation. It just creates so much inflammation in the gut. And then, of course, reducing stress toning the vagus nerve If stress is a big deal for you, go back and listen to week three of the eight week clear skin challenge and see if the breathing exercise that I've introduced there is helpful. If not, you may need more in depth work to really help you shift your nervous system. If that's the case, you may want to think about my advanced clear skin program, because I have an entire module completely dedicated to helping you heal your nervous system.

Speaker 1: 23:08

And then herbal laxatives. I do use herbal laxative short term, while unhealing the gut, and this is essential because I said, as I said earlier, we need to resolve constipation as we're healing the gut. This is when you use a laxative, so laxatives are not something that are designed to be used on an ongoing basis to keep your bowel movement, bowels moving. That's not the way to use it. The way to use an herbal laxative is short term, while the deep work is being done in the gut. So this is a really important thing to understand.

Speaker 1: 23:46

So what are your next steps as part of this clear skin challenge? I want you to increase your fiber, increase your water and make sure you're moving every single day. If that's not working, try 300 milligrams of magnesium citrate before bed. See if that helps move your bowels. You know, if you're still having difficulty, do some gut testing. This is when you know you need to reach out, you need to get help. You need to do some deeper work on your gut and this is when you know that you really have to do that deeper work. It's not going to happen on your own, because we need to understand what type of overgrowth is really causing this constipation. Okay, so I hope that this has been helpful for you.

Speaker 1: 24:34

I have shared a ton of information on constipation and acne and how to approach it. If it's an issue for you, so implement many of these suggestions that I've given you. If you're really struggling with constipation, try to add in that magnesium. See if that helps. If that's not helping, you definitely need to work with somebody to try and figure it out. If you need more support, I'm here for you.

Speaker 1: 25:01

You can click the link in my show notes to watch my free ClearSkin Masterclass. I go deeper into gut healing and I share a little bit more about testing in that Masterclass. You may want to check that out. If you just want to go ahead and work with me and my team, then book a call to learn more about my advanced ClearSkin program. We are here for you. I've been doing this for 18 years, so I've pretty much seen it all. I know what I'm doing and I can definitely help you on your ClearSkin journey. So have a very beautiful day and I will see you in the next podcast episode where we embark upon week 7 of the 8-week ClearSkin journey. Have a wonderful day.