My good friend Christyna and I have been joking with each other for years about the impending doom connected with zits. When either of us is sharing details of a bad week, we frequently add the final notation (semi-jokingly), “And on top of everything else, I have a zit too! I’m sure that means I’m going to die!”

      Most people know that stress can cause skin eruptions. I can certainly testify that every, single year during my school days I got a pimple right smack dab in the center of my forehead or my chin on picture day! And who hasn’t been suddenly afflicted with a zit or a cold sore right before a first date, new job, or on a wedding day? Skin eruptions often signal that stress is taking a toll on us.  

 Stress Kills

      Prolonged stress has adverse effects on our bodies. Stress releases hormones and chemicals that cause inflammation, raises blood pressure, suppresses the immune system, constricts blood vessels, and damages the cardiovascular system.  

     But what about illness? Am I really going to die if I have a zit? Well, maybe! Skin is the largest organ of our bodies and is often one of the first signals that something inside has gone awry.

      Our skin frequently provides visual cues to internal disease. Dry skin, scaly skin, discoloration, bumps, cysts, and unexplained bruises are all symptoms of SOMETHING. That something could be as simple as dishpan hands, lack of beneficial fats (such as fish oil, nuts, avocados, coconut oil), or as serious as heart disease, leukemia, diabetes, or cancer.

 Listen When Your Skin Talks to You

      Pimples, coated tongue, weird bumps, spots, and rashes are early indicators of what’s going on inside our bodies at the cellular level. For example, the first symptom of an allergic reaction is hives or some sort of swelling that appears on the surface of the skin. While the reaction is often mild, it is still an indication that the same swelling and reacting is going on inside the body. In non-life-threatening allergic reactions, we usually are completely symptomless and unaware of any problem beyond the easily-treated hives. Severe cases of allergic reactions (called “anaphylaxis”) can be fatal if not treated immediately, which is why you should always take the seemingly harmless hives seriously. Even when reactions are mild, repeated exposure to substances the body reacts to as toxins can compromise the immune system and cause problems down the road.

 But What About the Little Stuff That We Don’t Pay Much Attention To?

      Blemishes are God’s way of giving us time to get our act together. I use to come down with a cold a few days after a single, painful zit had appeared. I rarely get colds anymore. Because, now, when I start to see a pimple coming on I take immediate action.

•  If I’m stressed out, I take a relaxing bath, pull out the lavender essential oils, get a massage, or drink chamomile tea.             
• If my zit is accompanied by fatigue I launch “Operation Cold Prevention” which involves drinking lots of water, taking Airborne or Vitamins D3, C, Echinacea, and using peppermint essential oils.
• In the event of an outbreak of a cluster of blemishes? I recommend going on a detox diet. Add some liver-regenerating herbs (like milk thistle) and watch those ugly spots shrink as your internal organs thank you for letting them breathe again.   

      With or without breakouts, drinking lots of good quality water is one of the best things you can do to keep your insides clean and healthy (hold the fluoride and chlorine please). Yes Christyna, we really could die from our zits!

  Joanne

The writer creates well-researched medical, health & wellness newsletters that assist practitioners of alternative medicine in marketing their business affordably.