Banishing Acne With Warm “Swamp Water”

For the first time in years, I have a face full of acne. Okay, maybe I’m exaggerating. But I do feel like a zitty teenager right now. This has been a gradual progression since resuming acupuncture two months ago. It could be a coincidence. But it makes sense that if I am working on regulating my cycles, I am going to see signs of my hormones going a little haywire in the process. That’s my theory.

As I write this I am thinking back to the lifestyle choices I was making that contributed to my clear, glowing skin…Skin that would frequently prompt inquiries such as “What do you do to get your skin to look so good” and “Wow! How do you look so young!”. My answers were always the same: Probiotics and fresh veggies.

Probiotics, I will admit, have taken a back burner. After taking them daily for a few years, I felt like I had finally found a balance in my digestive system. Needless to say, I began to back off of them not too long ago. In addition, fresh veggies and raw vegetable juices have been replaced by mostly cooked vegetables in the last couple of months. In Chinese Medicine, I’ve read that one should focus on warm foods to nourish kidneys. Raw foods can make an already imbalanced system worse. Consequently, my Vitamix has started to collect dust…until today.

After waking up with a big glass of raw cilantro, celery leaves and wheatgrass, I felt a fog quickly lift from my brain. On the flip side, I also began to feel almost a shiver deep inside my body at the same time. How can I enjoy the cleansing, healing and skin-glowing effects of plants and yet still nourish my kidney yang with warmth? I’m not sure what my acupuncturist would say about this, but I decided to do an experiment:

Warm Green Pureed Juice

Into the Vitamix (I did not measure anything, as usual):

1/2 white onion
One small handfull of fresh cilantro
A bunch of fresh spinach
A whole lot of celery
Soaked almonds
One clove of garlic
A sprinkle of dulse
Spring water

It took me almost 2 rounds of Vitamix-ing to get a big crock pot full of what my husband likes to call “swamp water”. There was no rhyme or reason behind my choice of ingredients. I simply used what was available in the fridge. I put the crock pot on the warm setting in hopes of retaining some enzymes.

In the past I have found that drinking vegetables between meals has not only improved my complexion dramatically, but also gets my sluggish digestive system moving and increases my overall energy.

So, CHEERS to a clear face! I’m keeping my fingers crossed.