Something horrible led to a few of my best BEAUTY discoveries ever!
Back in October of 2010, I found myself suffering with an excruciating condition called "Frozen Shoulder." It began to develop after a minor tendon tear that occurred while working out. As I rested my arm, moving it less, my shoulder capsule began to constrict. I didn't realize this until one day I looked and it appeared to have shrunk to half its normal size. The result was limited range of motion, severe inflammation, and the most intense pain I had ever experienced.
Searching for relief, I came across a few things that were said to be helpful:
GELATIN. I read that unflavored gelatin, which is essentially collagen, could be beneficial for my joints. It is said to strengthen cartilage and help with mobility in arthritis. I began pouring a packet of unflavored gelatin into plain yogurt and eating it everyday. (I also added some Stevia, cinnamon and a little vanilla flavor.) After doing this for just a couple of weeks I noticed a difference in my digestion. You know how gelatin tends to swell? Well, it ends up doing that in your intestines, too. This leads to better elimination, which leads to less toxicity in your colon, which gives you clearer skin.
After several weeks, I noticed that my skin looked firmer, too. Younger! I'd heard that gelatin helps nail and hair growth, but I found articles that dispelled those claims. I'd not heard that gelatin could benefit the skin in terms of elasticity, but what I learned was that gelatin enhances the connective tissues and this results in firmer skin.
They say there's no evidence that gelatin has a positive effect on hair and nails, but I'm convinced that the new growth of my hair and nails appears stronger after five months of use.
SLEEPING ON THE BACK. I've long known that sleeping on one's back has beauty benefits. It prevents fluid from pooling up in your face leaving you puffy, and it avoids creating wrinkles that can form from sleeping with your cheek pressed into a pillow night after night. I knew this, but I couldn't get used to sleeping on my back. Due to the shoulder pain, I couldn't sleep on either side, nor could I sleep on my stomach. I was relegated to being propped up on pillows, on my back. After several months of sleeping this way, the wrinkle on the side of my mouth (which looked like a laugh line) was almost gone. One less wrinkle, a couple of years younger-looking!
CASTOR OIL. I read that putting castor oil on my shoulder might help with the inflammation. Bought some online and began applying it to my shoulder at night, using cotton flannel and a heating pad to keep it warm. I googled the benefits of Castor oil and read that it could be useful as a moisturizer and for wrinkles. I have some persistent lines on my forehead from raising my eyebrows and I'm always trying serums and oils to combat them. I was skeptical about trying castor oil on them, because oil can cause breakouts, but I read that this oil is antibacterial and would not cause pimples.
I tried it on my forehead and under the eyes and noticed a difference within days. No blemishes resulted from the oil, even though my skin is acne prone. And the lines on my forehead and around my eyes were dramatically minimized. Excellent moisturizer for acne prone skin.
STAIR CLIMBING. Due to my shoulder pain, I wasn't able to work out at the gym lifting weights and using the machines as I had been. Actually, lifting weights improperly was what led to my injury in the first place. With the pain I was in, I couldn't even use the abdominal machines; just placing my arms in the required, positions hurt. All I could manage were leg lifts. Didn't want to get too out of shape while I was unable to do my routine at the gym, so I kept up with aerobic activity-walking and hill climbing. One day, I happened to mention this to a friend who'd just been told by her doctor that stair climbing (real stairs, not the Stairmaster) was one of the best exercises one could do. You only need 15 to 20 minutes a day of stair climbing to get into good shape. It builds endurance, strengthens and tones muscles, and it's excellent for improving bone density.
I've been climbing stairs for 20 minutes at a time for a few months now and it's been a beauty boost in a number of ways. My overall body fat is down. My butt and thighs are toned. Getting the heart rate up regularly improved my circulation. Better blood flow has helped nutrients get where they were needed, including my skin, and the perspiration has helped release toxins. The result: a healthier glow.
NO SUGAR. My orthopedist thought there was a possibility I could be diabetic, because "Frozen Shoulder" presents itself more frequently in diabetics. So, before I was able to get tested to find that I do not have diabetes, I stopped eating sugar or anything with added sugar. I even stopped eating honey, which I'd thought was better than refined sugar. I learned that pasteurized honey was not much better than glucose in terms of its glycemic index.
I learned that sugar causes the skin to age via a process known as glycation, wherein the sugar in your bloodstream attaches to proteins to form harmful new molecules. As these molecules accumulate, they damage the protein fibers that keep skin firm and elastic.
Even after finding out I did not have diabetes, I'm not going back sugar. Not only did my shoulder seem to improve (maybe there IS a glucose connection) I'm convinced my skin looks younger, and the calorie savings has benefitted my body, too.
Frozen shoulder is a miserable condition, but I'm grateful for the beauty benefits I learned and can share as a result. Feel free to try them. No suffering required!
By Toni Ann Johnson
