RA stories

It doesn't matter what type of skin you have - dry, normal, combination, oily, acne-prone, and more - it is so important to nourish your skin on a daily basis.  Even the healthiest people can have some skin concerns, which can impact the way you feel about how you look.

Consumers are now bombarded by so many skincare options from stores, social media, and marketing - feeling very overwhelmed.  Every body is different, every skin is different.  So how do you even know what works and what doesn't?

In general, the skin is the outer reflection of your inner health, which means that your diet and what you use to nourish your skin does affect the way it looks.  (Remember that what you put ON your skin does get absorbed!)  Clear, glowing skin is an indication of optimum inner health and a good diet.

Fortunately, there are so many ways to nourish and improve your skin and to adjust your diet and lifestyle so you can look your best and achieve the look of youthful skin.  Believe it or not, the body is incredibly resilient, and even with some adjustments, you'll be able to see results within weeks or months (well, in some cases even days but it's always best to be patient).

Here are 10 ways to nourish and improve your skin starting today without feeling overwhelmed or making drastic lifestyle changes.

We may know February as the month of love.  On Valentine's Day - February 14 each year - lovers spoil each other and express just how much they love and appreciate their better half.

But did you know this?  From the Latin word Februarius, meaning “to purify“, February was known as the “Month of Purification” during ancient Roman times. It is a transitional time, finding itself just after a month of reflection and new year's resolutions.

Because of this, I wanted to interview one of the experts in functional nutrition here in Charlotte - Rhya Pachin - about gut microbiome and the importance of using food and nutrition to heal the body.  As someone with autoimmune caused thyroid issues, I can testify to the power of nutrition (and the times when I slip up and have gluten or any foods I currently have sensitivities to like sunflower seed oil, most nuts, chocolate, and much much more, I get super sick).

Rhya is licensed dietitian nutritionist with an integrative or functional approach, trained to design and supervise customized plans and elimination diets.  She helps so many people, including those with gastrointestinal conditions like IBS/IBD and those with autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthiritis (RA) and Hashimoto's.