There’s no good health without a healthy gut. It’s crucial to your health, breaking down food to nutrients, facilitating their absorption into the blood and preventing foreign and toxic molecules from entering into the bloodstream. A healthy intestine has a major role in detoxification by neutralising or breaking down and removing toxins ingested with food. Is your gut making you sick? Are you suffering with thrush, indigestion, constipation, skin breakouts, headaches and fatigue?

 A considerable number of my clients suffer from acne and candida. An internal candida infection can severely affect general health and candida on the skin can be very distressing. Infection occurs when yeast-like organisms become rampant due to the use of antibiotics, birth control pills, soaps, or due to a low immune system or stress.

Body of Evidence

The good news is that candida can be treated effectively. The digestive system is one of my favourite areas of focus as so much can change when we optimise the functioning of the gut. Skin rashes disappear, colds become less chronic, lethargy fades, energy increases, sleep improves, hormones normalise and moods balance. Basically the health of your digestive system greatly impacts on the health of your entire body. No single organ system functions independently from the rest. Healing the gut can provide a substantial and sustained improvement on the entire body.

Food for Thought

While many substances such as pesticides, food additives and alcohol are toxins in their own right, many ordinary foods become toxins if they’re not properly digested and absorbed. So, before you can begin detoxifying, it’s necessary to heal your gut.

Restore the Balance

Traditionally, practitioners recommend a diet free from toxins, plus supplemental digestive enzymes as a first step. If the gut wall is leaky there are specific nutritional supplements that can help restore the balance by supplementing beneficial bacteria. I recommend Udo’s Choice Super 8 Hi-Count Microbiotics which is a powerful therapeutic formula of eight specific strains of friendly bacteria containing 30 billion active bacteria in every one-a-day capsule which is roughly three times more than typical sugary probiotic supermarket yoghurt drinks. Improvement can be quick, but I recommend taking a course for 30 consecutive days.

Here are some steps you can take to restore your gut flora:

• Remove all food toxins from your diet
• Eat plenty of fermentable fibre starches, like sweet potatoes and yams
• Take steps to manage your stress
• Try to do at least 20-30 minutes of vigorous exercise daily
• Take a hi-count microbiotic every day such as Udo’s Choice Super 8 Hi-Count Microbiotics

Bernie Fahy is a skin specialist with over 20 years experience.Throughout her professional career she has worked in many of the top London clinics conducting minor cosmetic procedures and treatments. She has returned to her native country as a base and provides her services from within her private clinics in Dublin, Galway, and Mayo while still conducting limited specialist clinics in London several times a year.