By now you’re probably aware that our skin is a reflex organ. It reflects what’s going on inside our bodies and largely related to digestion.
Hence why traditional treatment of skin conditions (aka antibiotics) can make things worse, much worse! For myself and Giulia Enders (Writer and Gut Scientist), included.
With this realisation she said,
“… I ceased to treat my skin like that of a dermatological problem, and began to see it as the skin of a person with an intestinal condition.” – Giulia
Our colon is a major player in digestion, yes. But it also makes up two-thirds of our immune system, and our immune system also affects our skin.
Recently, I discovered this weird, or at least for me, unexpected thing to help alter our immune system and transform our skin in the process.
That one weird thing is our mouth – aka our oral hygiene.
Weird right? But it’s because bacteria, like in the colon, play a big part.
Wait a minute. If you’re thinking, “I brush my teeth just fine, thank you!” That’s awesome, but it’s not all that’s necessary. Yes, it’s one step, but there’s more to it than that, let me explain.
There are three places we harbour bacteria in our mouth – our teeth, our tongue, and our tonsils. When bacteria get stuck in any one of these three places too long it can cause our immune system to over-react.
And an over-reaction of the immune system can cause itchy dry skin and inflammation in our joints.
That’s why we need to be aware of what we can do to alleviate bacterial build up.
First things first, I’m going to give you a little extra on what to do to beat the bacteria that resides on our teeth!
Yes, I think it’s important to brush teeth daily, preferably twice daily (but more on that later). Whether you brush your teeth with bicarb, fluoride-free toothpaste or fluoride-filled toothpaste is up to you. I personally use both bicarb and fluoride-free toothpaste.
Regardless, if you want to make your teeth next level clean, then start brushing with activated charcoal three times per week and here’s why…
Activated Charcoal
- cavities
- gum disease
- and bad breath
All caused by bacteria.
Activated charcoal dissolves plaque and whitens your teeth too.
This is a great second step, that doesn’t need to be done daily. 3 times a week shall suffice to get rid of those pesky bits and pieces that get missed by the first brush.
How to use:
- wet your toothbrush
- stick it in activated charcoal
- brush teeth with it for 2 minutes
- then rinse your mouth out with water until it comes out clean.
Activated Charcoal
Two, we need to tackle whats going on our tongue – yish!
As someone who suffered from SIBO – small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, I know what it’s like to have a thick white coat that resides on the tongue, day in and day out. Though most of us have it in the morning, we don’t have it all-day-long because with the first meal the bacteria move into the stomach and our acid destroys it. However, if you have rosacea, candida, SIBO or any other skin condition on your cheeks, it’s likely you have weak stomach acid.
And if you have weak stomach acid, this bacteria on your tongue can move to the small intestines and cause further problems.
So what can you do about it?
Two things: Oil pulling and Tongue Scraping
Oil Pulling
- kills bacteria
- and draws bacteria out of the tongue, and also the sinuses (*side note, clear sinuses are also linked to clear skin)
- put a heaped teaspoon of coconut oil in your mouth
- swoosh and gargle for 5,10 or 15 minutes (15 is ideal, but even I struggle to do this every time)
- you will notice mucus being drawn from your sinuses (that’s normal) – spit the oil and everything else out, and wash your mouth out with water.
- following this, I always scrape my tongue. You can either use a dedicated “tongue scraper” or you can use your toothbrush (but a toothbrush takes a couple of extra rinses and scrapes).
This is an incredible, chemical-free alternative to alcoholic mouthwashes and best of all, combining the two – oil pulling and tongue scraping, you are preventing bacteria from wreaking havoc on your immune system, from your mouth to your gut, and saving your skin in the process!
Ideally do this twice daily, morning and night like you would brushing. This is because of saliva production, or lack thereof, during the night time. During the daytime, we produce a lot of saliva, which contains antibacterial substances. This is to keep us safe from potentially harmful particles that can come into the mouth through our food and water. At night, however, bacteria spread as saliva production slows right down. So before we go to bed at night, incorporating the above process slows down bacterial growth, and in the morning cleans out what has accumulated over the night time – thus, keeping our immune system and skin in check.
Oil Pulling
Three is for those tonsils of ours…unless you’ve had them removed, then this won’t apply to you, but interesting all the same!
If you still get bad breath, sore throats, sore gums, tonsils or raised-red skin lesions. This could be why!
Did you know that people with psoriasis also have a high incidence of sore throats?
I didn’t, and it made me curious as to why…
Doctors have observed many cases of psoriasis clear up after having their tonsils removed.
Again, this points back to bacteria.
Bacteria hides on the tongue, and then often gets stuck and stored on the tonsils. Tonsils have deep grooves, easy for food to get stuck. And because we’re not taught this (or at least I wasn’t), we don’t clean them accordingly, and the food can get stuck there for long periods of time, bacteria accumulates, and it can wrangle our immune system from there.
A recent study I read had 85% of their subjects report a 90% improvement in their skin following the removal of their tonsils, whilst those who kept their tonsils showed no significant improvement.
These results are pretty significant! Though, I’m not suggesting you book an appointment to the dentist to get your tonsils removed, although that’s up to you. There is an alternative!
Tongue Scraping
- tonsilitis
- psoriasis
- gum disease
- and bad breath
- After oil pulling, scrape your tongue from back to front, rinse the scraper and repeat 3-5 times until your tongue is clean
- Repeat at night
You’ll be surprised and potentially horrified by what’s on there!
Which is why once you start, you can’t stop!
Water Flossing!
- it gets in the grooves, releasing trapped food (in the gums and tonsils)
- prevents gum disease
- and tackles bad breath once and for all!
I highly suggest this is used in conjunction with the other suggestions, especially oil pulling. And here’s why…
A couple of weeks ago I noticed the gums at the back of my mouth and my tonsils were feeling swollen and sore (aka infected). I realised I hadn’t flossed or done my usual oil pulling for a while, so I used a water flosser. And let’s just say, a lot came out.
I now do this religiously, and every day these dry red lesions on my face become less and less.
Water Flosser
But don’t take my word for it. Put it to the test, and let me know how you go.
If you have any tips or tricks on how you keep your mouth clean and healthy, let me know in the comments below.
Here’s to loving the skin you’re in.
xx Jess