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Have you heard the phrase “Whether you think you can or think you can’t — you’re right” from Henry Ford?
There’s so much truth to this statement and it is critical on your skin rash journey.
I’ve spoken with so many people over the last three years who have shared with me some of their greatest fears about their skin problems.
And what I’ve found is that those who believe that they’ve exhausted all hope and have tried everything and are ready to give up trying… are right about their predicament.
It’s not about what they have or haven’t done — it’s more about what they believe about their situation.
This is significant because if you don’t believe there is hope, you’ll be the first to bail at the slightest of speedbumps or setbacks.
So while we can talk about the importance of various supplements or protocols, mindset is JUST as important… and sometimes even more so.
That’s why I wanted to add in more mindset focused episodes to help you stay the course and see your skin (and situation) in a different light.
All with the purpose to keep you moving forward so that you can reach your finishline.
I believe in you… and I want to give you the tools to help you get there.
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In this episode:
- The power of your mindset to dictate whether you can make it through flares + setbacks (or throw in the towel)
- Unrealistic expectations of solutions shared online (AND why they might not work for you)
- Knowing your root causes is just the first step in the process
- Thoughts on taking lots of random supplements that might help your skin
- My beef with “healing your leaky gut” + why most people never actually do it
Quotes:
It’s not your fault that someone else’s solution didn’t work for you. It didn’t work because their root cause combo is different than yours.
All the bone broth and glutamine in the world isn’t going to fix your leaky gut if you’ve still got a super messed up microbiome.
Top 3 Mindset Shifts On Your Skin Journey For 2021 (FULL TRANSCRIPT)
Welcome back to episode #175 of the Healthy Skin Show!
In today’s episode, I want to talk about some of the most common mindset shifts that everyone in our community could benefit from as you step into the new year. Or even if you’re diving into this podcast at whatever point you’re at on your journey… these lessons could be really invaluable.
I know you are used to me presenting data and talking about researching to help your skin, but you need this episode just as much as you need data.
The reason is that your mindset will play a crucial role along your skin journey.
If you’re already feeling defeated and give in to the voices in your head that say…
“You’ll never get better.”
Or “There’s no hope so why bother doing all of this. You’re just doomed.”
Then those voices might very well be right.
The truth is that no amount of root causes that become clear to you will help you stay the course at 4 months or 8 months or, heck, 14 months (if that’s how long your journey is) if your mind can’t support you on this journey.
Because your beliefs really matter especially when the going gets tough or another flare is looming ahead.
If you don’t believe that you can get better, even the slightest setback or problem will be the thing that totally puts you off course.
That’s why I want to share this episode on mindset with you!
And I plan on doing more of these which are based on my own personal experience as well as my clinical experience working directly with clients.
It’s my hope that by sharing these shifts will help you on your journey… because they are just as important as the supplements you take or the products you use on your skin.
Shift #1: Someone Else’s Solution Might Not Be YOUR Solution
I’ll be the first to say that living with skin rashes is hell.
Eczema nearly broke my spirit.
So I understand that people who become frustrated with their doctors start seeking answers online.
If they see that a particular diet or cream or treatment worked amazingly for one person, it’s not uncommon for them to also give it a try.
But many of us who have gone down those rabbit holes have come up empty-handed… and sometimes their rashes have gotten worse.
It’s a baffling thing to see how one thing that apparently helps some people will not help you.
That’s why I stress to clients the importance of understanding what your specific root causes are that ultimately drive your eczema.
If someone is sensitive to some random chemical found in certain cleaning products, then of course it makes sense that their skin could clear up.
But since you’re not sensitive to it, removing it doesn’t make any difference in your rashes.
Remember that there are 16 root causes that I’ve identified that drive chronic skin issues. Each person typically has a unique combo of three to five root causes.
And that explains why a particular elimination diet won’t help.
Or taking certain herbs could even make things worse.
If you’re in this boat where everything that you see working for other people doesn’t work for you, listen closely to what I’m about to say —
YOU AREN’T A FAILURE.
It’s not your fault that someone else’s solution didn’t work for you.
It didn’t work because their root cause combo is different than yours.
{IDENTIFY YOUR ROOT CAUSES WITH THIS GUIDE}
The added stress of thinking that you’re doomed or you’re somehow a failure because nothing seems to work exists only because the conventional way of thinking about rashes is limited.
Even the camps that tell you that diet can solve everything (even rashes) are also misleading you. I know from my clinical experience that there are plenty of people who’ve tried literally every diet they’ve read about online and never got better.
That’s why broadening your perspective here to understand your own root causes is so critical!
And one final point here — knowing your root causes will not solve them.
So once you’ve identified what’s going wrong under the surface, then creating a plan and taking action is the next step.
Root causes don’t disappear overnight.
They take consistent, daily work that’s appropriate for what you have going on.
Should you feel overwhelmed and unsure of what steps to take, that’s where asking for help is probably your best bet.
Shift #2: The Sequence Of The Steps You Take Really Matter
Are you on a bunch of different supplements?
Do you buy a supplement after reading or hearing about it because it *might* help your skin?
Maybe you try a bottle expecting great, lasting results only to discover that nothing really seemed to change.
I find that many new clients in my practice are taking SO MANY supplements before we have started working together.
When I ask why they’re taking them, the answer is commonly, “I heard that they might be helpful so I figured it couldn’t hurt.”
Supplements can be helpful, but doing ALL the supplements might not be what your system needs right now.
Plus the “throwing everything at it but the kitchen sink” approach doesn’t actually address what’s going on to drive the rashes (and it’s downright expensive).
It can also leave you feeling like you’ve literally tried everything.
While that might feel true to you, it doesn’t change one important truth about trying to patchwork together a protocol for yourself without all the information at hand…
More is not always better.
AND that the order of the steps you take does actually matter.
For example, taking glutamine (or these leaky gut formulas) to “heal your leaky gut” all while dealing with raging rashes isn’t really doing anything but wasting money on a supplement that isn’t going to be helpful right now.
Shift #3: Your Problem Isn’t Leaky Gut
This brings me to mindshift #3… please please please stop saying that you need to heal your leaky gut.
Is it likely that your gut is leaky?
Probably.
Will taking glutamine and drinking bone broth fix it and ultimately your skin?
No, but don’t get hung up on my answer because the truth is that that is the wrong problem to focus on.
See, leaky gut isn’t THE problem.
Yes, it’s a problem, but it’s not what’s ultimately messing up your skin.
The internet and functional doctors who’ve made boatloads of money from book sales have pushed the notion that leaky gut is your biggest issue.
But what they never really focus on is what’s caused your gut to become leaky beyond the Standard American Diet and gluten (which is in all fairness the only food protein shown to increase gut permeability).(1)
While diet is certainly important, it’s likely not going to get rid of a gut infection and might not even improve absorption.
A perfect diet (even doing AIP) does not necessarily guarantee perfect nutrient status if you can’t appropriately digest and absorb your food.
I often see this in my clinical practice — shockingly nutrient-deficient clients who eat the “perfect” organic, free-range, nutrient dense, paleo, all-the-healthy-labels diet.
You can’t fix your leaky gut until you identify and address what’s causing the problem in the first place.
And THAT is the real issue you should focus on.
All the bone broth and glutamine in the world isn’t going to fix your leaky gut if you’ve still got a super messed up microbiome (aka. gut bug community) and poor digestive function.
Once you address the triggers, then you can focus on rebuilding your gut.
In the meantime, your energy is much better spent on finding and working on root causes (as I previously mentioned).
So as you embark on the next phase of your journey, please keep in mind these words of encouragement — because that’s what they really are — to help push you in the right direction.
I really hate seeing people spending exorbinant amounts of time spinning their wheels, throwing darts in the dark and ultimately suffering longer.
Because I equate rashes with suffering.
Yes, they can change you in many positive ways.
Yes, rashes can be a blessing when you’re in the right place to see the journey as that.
But in the middle of the night as you scratch yourself to sleep wishing you could sleep… it’s just suffering.
It’s my mission to help you avoid excessive suffering… and get to the healing part that gets you back to living your life relatively unworried about a flare or a rash.
Where rashes don’t consume your every thought and worry.
You can get there… I know you can.
If you’ve got thoughts or questions, leave them in the comments so we can keep the conversation going.
And then do what you can to share these nuggets of wisdom with your fellow skin rash warriors by sharing this episode.
Mindset is such a huge piece of the puzzle and like I said, it could mean the difference between staying the course to clear skin or throwing in the towel prematurely.
Thank you so much for turning in and I look forward to seeing you in the next episode!
REFERENCES
Jennifer Fugo, MS, CNS
Jennifer Fugo, MS, CNS is an integrative Clinical Nutritionist and the founder of Skinterrupt. She works with adults who are ready to stop chronic gut and skin rash issues by discovering their unique root cause combo and take custom actions with Jennifer's support to get clear skin (and their life) back.