Happy accidents – who doesn’t love experiencing them from time to time? My most recent serendipitous moment happened a few weeks after I began taking HUM’s Red Carpet Skin and Hair Supplement. Could I truly get glowing, dewy, moisturized skin and hair from a supplement? I wouldn’t know the answer unless I tried it. My decade long search for the perfect moisturizer had resulted in the ultimate skin fail, and a lightbulb went off after reading HUM’s “Beauty Starts from Within” motto. It didn’t really matter how much product I slathered on my dry lizard-like skin every day, if things on the “inside” of me weren’t being taken care of properly.
I chose the Red Carpet from HUM over other products for several reasons – it’s:
- Gluten and GMO Free,
- Contains no corn, milk, eggs, preservatives, nuts, shellfish and the long list of unattractive and unhealthy fillers that many of today’s supplements contain,
- A vegetarian product,
- Not tested on animals,
- Made with pure and potent ingredients, and therefore more bioavailable (our bodies absorb more of the nutrients).
And so, the endeavor began. I took 2 softgels each day with my breakfast. I was expecting to see results within 4 -6 weeks but to my surprise, my skin started to look noticeable different within 2 weeks! As the Big “40” is not too far away, and I live in a cold climate (this morning it was 40 degrees!), my skin tends to run along the dry side and I can see the aging process beginning to take place. I started to get compliments on how clear and smooth my skin looked and so…I was extremely happy.
Besides the benefit I was noticing on my skin, something else even more incredible was beginning to happen. Between weeks 3 – 4, my husband said, “You seem to be feeling better these past few weeks.”
I stopped and said, “You know, you are right. I have been feeling better overall.”
This is a huge statement in my house. Why? Well, I have suffered from Systemic Lupus for 13 years now. My “normal” days are usually filled with exhaustion, fevers, and pain, and my “bad” days are filled with even worse. Now, I couldn’t pinpoint exactly what felt better, but I can tell you that overall I was feeling stronger, not as weak and tired and seemed to have more stamina and less pain.
I referred back to my calendar/journal.
***Dork Alert*** – I’ve learned to journal over the years and keep an ongoing record of anything new I try, exercise I do, places I travel, foods I eat or meds I take, as this helps me keep a pretty amazing record of what makes my symptoms better or worse.
I noticed during the past 3 – 4weeks, the only thing I added to my regimen was Red Carpet. I scratched my head. Could this beauty supplement be having an effect on my daily Lupus symptoms? I did what any good journalist would do, and began researching…
Then, it all started to make sense.
The Science Behind Hum Nutrition and How it may be helping my Lupus symptoms
Red Carpet contains Black Currant Seed Oil (1,000 mg), Vitamin E (20IU), GLA – Gamma Linolenic Acid (150g) and ALA – Alpha Linolenic Acid (120g) – what are these and how do they effects autoimmune diseases like Lupus?
Black Currant is a plant and the oil is used for multiple things including menopause sypmtoms and boosting immunity. Black Currant Seed oil also contains the essential fatty acid GLA, which research has suggested can improve the effectiveness of the immune system, help fight off disease and can also help decrease swelling and inflammation. While our bodies naturally produce GLA from LA (Linoleic acid), these amounts are decreased when someone is in a disease state, such as lupus. Dr. Alan R. Gaby, Professor of Natural Medicine at Bastyr Univeristy, discussed the findings of a study regarding GLA and RA/Lupus symptoms, citing improvements made in swollen joint counts, tender joint count, pain and overall health assessement scores.
In Sharon Moore’s book Lupus: Alternative Therapies That Work, she explains how GLA produces the beneficial PGE1 and PGE 3 which can help suppress pain in the body.
Now that we know a little more about GLA and Lupus, let’s take a closer look at ALA and Lupus. ALA, Alpha-lipoic Acid, is found in each one of our cells. This fatty acid helps us generate the energy we need to keep functioning and is an essential factor that turns glucose in our body into energy. ALA falls under the antioxidant category, meaning it helps iradicate free radicals in our body. On the University of Maryland’s Medical Center website where it discusses Lupus, it states that ALA may help lower inflammation. It goes on to state that in one study, people who took ALA and omega-3 fatty acids had better kidney function. That’s important because kidney disease (lupus nephritis) is a major complication of lupus. In addition, numerous studies have shown promising results for neuropathy when taking ALA.
Lastly, Vitamin E has been tested in numerous studies for its effects on diseases such as Lupus. The Singh 2005 study showed that Vitamin E reduce numerous markers of inflammation in the body, including inflammatory cytokines. Because inflammation is the reason behind widespread damage of tissue in a Lupus patient’s body, this antioxidant vitamin may be helpful with prevention or delay of inflammation. Also, a Maeshima 2007 study indicated that Vitamin E can reduce levels of autoantibodies in lupus patients.
While I venture into week 7, I can say that I am still overall feeling much better and stronger. I seem to last longer when performing activities of daily living and am happy to say I can even get a little more work done each day! Any lupus patient knows, when we get a little more useable time during our day, and we feel good, it is certainly a great day!
For those of you who would like more information on HUM’s products, you can visit www.Humnutrition.com. I would love to hear if any of you have had positive experience with GLA, ALA, Black Currant Seed Oil, Omega Fatty Acids and/or Vitamin E. Please comment below if you would like to share your experience.
I will continue to update all of you on my results with Red Carpet!
XO – Marisa
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