Ep. 20: How I Started Healing My Acne & PCOS With a HTMA Test

If you’ve ever felt like your body was rebelling against you — your skin breaking out, your digestion a mess, your cycles unpredictable, your energy tanked — and no one could tell you why …

This post is for you.

Because that was me.

Confused, exhausted, breaking out every day, and trying every single diet and skincare product under the sun just to feel like myself again.

And the turning point — the moment everything finally started to make sense — was the day I ran an HTMA (Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis) test.

This is the story of how HTMA became the first step in healing my acne, my PCOS, and my relationship with my body.

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When Everything Started Falling Apart (All at the Same Time)

College was the first time I realized something was seriously wrong.

I was constipated to the point of crying.

My cycles were almost nonexistent — maybe twice a year.

My weight was fluctuating, and no diet made any sense.

I tried vegan, Whole30, keto, low-carb, and “clean eating” … yet my body kept working against me.

And then the acne came.

Deep, painful breakouts that I never had as a teenager suddenly showed up in my 20s — and they came fast.

Every day, new bumps. New inflammation. And I dreaded looking at my skin.

I finally went to a dermatologist, thinking I’d walk out with a prescription and a plan.

Instead, she looked at my symptoms and said,

“You need to get tested for PCOS.”

She was right.
And suddenly, I had a diagnosis — but no real solutions.

They offered:
✔ birth control (no thank you)
✔ metformin (another no)
✔ and the classic “just eat 1,200 calories and lose weight”

I left that appointment with a diagnosis … and absolutely zero clarity.

I Knew Something Was Off — But No One Could Explain Why

My skin was breaking out.
My cycles were missing.
Digestion was unpredictable.
Energy was shot.
And my weight wouldn’t budge.

And yet every “solution” I was offered was:
❌ cut more foods
❌ take more medications
❌ eat less
❌ work out harder

It felt like trying to run a marathon with one shoe missing.

And then I learned about functional lab testing — specifically HTMA — and everything finally clicked.

HTMA Showed Me Why My Body Felt Out of Control

Your minerals control every function in your body:

• hormones
• thyroid
• metabolism
• blood sugar
• digestion
• skin healing
• stress resilience

And for years, mine were completely depleted.

HTMA revealed the truth:

I wasn’t broken — I was burned out, stressed out, undernourished, and metabolically exhausted.

Here’s what my test showed ⬇️

My HTMA Results Explained EVERYTHING About My Acne & PCOS

1. My Metabolic Type: Slow 1 (Burnout Mode)

This means:

• slow thyroid
• slow adrenals
• sluggish metabolism
• low energy
• difficulty losing weight
• chronic bloating/constipation
• hormonal imbalances

This happens when your body is so depleted that it shifts into survival mode.

Suddenly my fatigue, brain fog, weight gain, and acne made sense.

2. The Core Four: The Minerals That Control Your Hormones & Skin

These four minerals showed exactly why I felt the way I did:

Calcium – High

→ linked to fatigue, weight gain, constipation, brain fog

→ driven by long-term stress and magnesium depletion

Magnesium – High (not good-high)

→ my body was burning through it faster than I could replace it

→ correlated with low stomach acid and blood sugar issues

Sodium – Low

→ low stomach acid
→ poor digestion
→ bloating
→ constipation
→ low energy
→ acne
→ insulin resistance

This was HUGE — no one ever told me that low stomach acid can cause acne.

Potassium – Low

→ low thyroid function
→ cravings
→ insulin resistance
→ irritability
→ gut dysfunction
→ poor carb tolerance

I wasn’t “carb intolerant.” I just didn’t have the minerals to process carbs.

3. Toxic Minerals: Cadmium Sky-High

HTMA even showed high cadmium — a toxic metal found in tap water and soil in Illinois (where I live).

This explained:

• why zinc wasn’t working
• why my thyroid felt sluggish
• why I kept breaking out

No supplement, diet, or elimination plan could have uncovered this.

4. Significant Ratios: The Patterns That Predict Symptoms

This part of the test explained literally EVERYTHING about my symptoms:

• my blood sugar issues
• my acne
• my fatigue
• my period problems
• my PCOS
• my brain fog
• my digestive issues

All of it traced back to stress, blood sugar imbalance, and mineral depletion.

For the first time ever, I finally had data instead of guesswork.

HTMA Gave Me a Starting Point — A Clear Roadmap

There’s a reason I tell every woman:
“If you don’t know where to start, start with your minerals.”

Because minerals = metabolism.

And metabolism = hormones, digestion, energy, and skin.

Here’s what I changed based on my HTMA:

✔ I restructured my meals (high protein, moderate carbs, low fat)

No more keto.
Or restriction.
And definately no guessing.

✔ I started replenishing minerals daily

Real electrolytes — not Liquid IV, not random “hydration powders.”

The right sodium/potassium ratios that matched my HTMA.

✔ I supported my stomach acid

Digestive enzymes + mineral repletion = food finally digesting.

✔ I added the right supplements for MY results

Not 10 things.
Not TikTok powders.

Just:

• vitamin A
• vitamin C
• liver support
• digestive support

✔ I started managing stress like it was medicine

Because it is.

And it was the missing piece of every protocol I’d tried before.

Within Weeks, My Body Started Responding

✔ The brain fog disappeared
✔ My energy came back
✔ I didn’t crash in the afternoons
✔ My digestion improved
✔ My skin stopped inflaming after every breakout
✔ My periods regulated
✔ My PCOS symptoms eased
✔ I finally started feeling like myself again

And I hadn’t even done my GI-Map yet.

This was just from the HTMA.

Why HTMA Must Be Step One for Acne or PCOS

If your skin hasn’t cleared after…

❌ cutting foods
❌ switching skincare
❌ trying supplements
❌ following generic PCOS advice
❌ working out harder
❌ doing “anti-inflammatory” diets

…it’s because you’re missing the foundation.

HTMA shows you:

• WHY you’re breaking out
• WHY you’re bloated
• WHY you’re tired
• WHY your periods are off
• WHY you can’t lose weight
• WHY your hormones are all over the place

Once you support your minerals, your body finally has the capacity to heal.

Ready to Understand Your Body Like This?

If you’re reading this thinking, “THIS is exactly what I’ve been missing,” … you’re right.

HTMA is step one for every client in my practice because it gives us the roadmap your body has been trying to communicate for years.

For Black Friday only:

I’m offering a major discount on my HTMA package — perfect if you want:
✨ clearer skin
✨ balanced hormones
✨ fewer PCOS symptoms
✨ better digestion
✨ more energy
✨ answers without guessing

Inside the Foundations for Clear Skin HTMA Package, you’ll get:

• Your HTMA test shipped to your home
• A personalized video reading of your results
• A custom minerals + nutrition plan
• 7 days of chat access
• A 30-day check-in
• Guidance on what to do next

👉🏽 Get your discounted HTMA test (Black Friday only!)

And if you have a friend dealing with PCOS or baffling acne?

Send her this post.

There’s no gatekeeping here — we heal together.