The picture on the left was taken when I was in the midst of my skin issues and the one on the right is me today. I wanted to share my story in the hope that it may help someone else or inspire you to take better care of your health.

For most of my life I had been relatively ‘healthy’ (or so I thought) apart from some digestive issues which I began experiencing in my 20’s and some food intolerances. It was not until the age of 37 after a stressful period in my life that I suddenly developed painful cystic acne over my face.

This was just the tip of the iceberg as I went on to learn. Antibiotics did nothing and at the time I did not want to take strong medication (with side effects) offered by the NHS as I didn’t want to silence the symptoms without identifying the root cause. I wanted to take responsibility for my own healing and health. No one could tell me why it had happened.

This condition was painful physically but also emotionally and massively damaged my self-esteem and confidence. Eating out and socialising became near impossible as I was reacting to so many foods which caused the redness in my face to worsen, and digestive issues. It was not a fun time!

During the years that followed I submerged myself into the Natural Health world and worked with multiple functional medicine practitioners until I found two practitioners/ mentors who were able to help me understand why this had happened. Looking back I must have spent thousands over the years on trying different practitioners and supplements until I got the answers I had been looking for. My body was overloaded with toxins and inflammation that I had no idea about. Toxins and inflammation from my environment, the food I had been eating, the air I had been breathing.

I learned that I had several underlying conditions:

• SIBO (Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth) which can cause symptoms like severe bloating, nutrient malabsorption, anxiety, acne and can cause ‘leaky gut’. Hence the gut issues I had been experiencing and food intolerances. I didn’t realise that the gum which I chewed regularly which contained five artificial sweeteners could be disrupting my gut health, causing digestive issues like bloating, diarrhea and trigger headaches.
• Hormonal imbalances – the ‘Dutch test’ (not available through the NHS) was able to confirm in detail what these were. I also had no idea that synthetic hormones from the contraceptive pill I had taken for years could create inflammation, deplete key nutrients and impair my thyroid function.
• Heavy Metal Toxicity. I didn’t know that the mercury in the Amalgam fillings in my mouth I had from the dentist years ago could be having a detrimental effect on my health today. Mercury toxicity damages the Gastro Intestinal system allowing parasites and candida to take hold.
• Parasite infections. I discovered that the stool tests conducted by the NHS and those I had paid for privately were not sensitive enough to detect all types of parasites. I undertook a parasite cleanse with the help of a trained functional medicine practitioner and saw the evidence of this first hand as I passed them in my stools. Those people who have cystic acne are very likely to also have parasites.
• Candida is a fungal pathogen that normally lives harmlessly in areas like the gut, mouth and genitals. However, it can cause infections if it overgrows or enters deeper into the body, especially when the immune system is weakened which is what happened in my gut. Candida overgrowth often occurs alongside parasitic infections and I didn’t realise I had both.
• Mould Toxicity. This was the biggest shock to get my head around as I didn’t realise I had even been exposed to mould and that around 25% of the population are genetically unable to detoxify mould if they are exposed to it. I am one of these people. Mycotoxins (mold toxins) suppress your immune system and cause chronic inflammation and imbalance your hormones. Mycotoxins allow pathogens like parasites and candida to take hold in the body (this is also what had happened in my case). This was the missing piece in the jigsaw as to why my healing had been so slow before. It also manifested in fatigue, excessive thirst/ urination, and brain fog in my case but symptoms can vary for each individual.
• Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS) and Histamine Intolerance. Mast cells are our immune system’s first responders, sensing and communicating back to the brain about incoming pathogens, toxins, injuries, and other stressors. When these cells are overtaxed and dysregulated, they respond to anything as a threat, creating inflammation and a build-up of immune mediators like histamine and cytokines that create a wide range of symptoms from hives and itchy eyes to gastrointestinal distress, migraines, fatigue, flushing of the skin, and others. Mold is one of the biggest triggers of MCAS.

All of this was contributing to sluggish detoxification of the gut, kidneys, and liver which is a common cause of acne.

I have been on a healing journey ever since to reduce inflammation and detoxify my body and have learned what it really takes to create real health. This includes letting go of limiting beliefs, past hurt/resentment, and learning to forgive and love yourself unconditionally. Becoming more spiritual and practising daily meditation has been a saviour for me. I am in such a good place now and I want to share this knowledge with others so they don’t have to go through the same pain and years or research.

Healing is a journey but you can get to a good place again as I have as the body can heal itself, by itself giving the right nutrients and conditions.

If you take away one thing from my story let it be this; make your health your number one priority. Be proactive every single day to take actions to support your health and wellness. Don’t take it for granted and wait until your health crashes and you are desperate for answers as I did. Educate yourself now about the sources of inflammation and toxins in our food and environment and how to live an anti-inflammatory lifestyle. If you abuse your body over time with food, drink, environmental toxins, or stress, then one day the body will present its bill.

Remember, as the saying goes: ‘if you don’t have your health, you don’t have anything’…

P.S. One of the most important changes you can make for your health is to ditch refined sugar. It’s one of the biggest sources of inflammation. It is highly acidic to the body, suppresses white blood cells, disrupts our micro-biome, and lowers our immune function making us more susceptible to illness.

Excess sugar produces free radicals which cause inflammation which can lead to a variety of chronic conditions over time including: diabetes, heart disease, dementia, depression and even cancer.

If you are interested in improving your health then sign up for my freebie ‘The Ultimate Sugar Detox’ HERE or join the upcoming ‘Ditch the Sugar’ Challenge.

Discover how to transform your health with simple easy-to-implement steps by eliminating the hidden sugars that silently sabotage your well-being.