Adult Acne! Help! Need Advice!
Hi! My name is John and I just signed onto your list. I am writing to ask
for help, or advice of some sort.
My daughter is 24 years old and suffers from a severe acne problem. It
covers mainly her back, chest, neck and face, and can become so severe it
pains to the touch. Some of the inflammations even seem cystic — large
and angry. She’s had the problem since puberty and can’t seem to manage
it. Of course, she’s been to several dermatologists. They first gave her
mild sorts of antibiotics, and it would help a bit.
They almost all want to put her on Accutane(?) but my daughter is firmly
against staying on such a strong antibiotic for such a great length of
time. (She has also stopped taking all antibiotic medications.)
My question is: are they’re effective, alternate methods for treating acne?
Hopefully through more natural, herbal, vitamin, mineral methods? I don’t
know… Chinese? Something besides pharmaceutical grade antibiotics.
By the way, she is not taking birth control pills; I heard this is one way
of helping to alleviate her problem… but then I heard the opposite.
Also, if this is of any help, it seems to worsen, I think she said, before
menstruation.
And none of us have ever had this problem, not her mother, myself, her sybs
or grandparents… in fact, we’re all just the opposite… I don’t know
where she got this.
Please, can anyone out there just give me a small snippet of advice, or
what you’ve experienced. I know she’d be happy if she could even reduce
her acne problems somewhat.
Thanking you in advance,
John
January 12th, 2003 at 3:20 pm
Hello John,
Welcome to the group.
Your daughter probably has a lot of amalgam fillings in her teeth.
That is one of the primary cause.
Diet rich in toxins and foods that she does not need is another primary cause.
Foods containing harmful lectins are another cause.
Acumulated old fecal matter in her bowel is the secondary cause.
Lot of gallstones inside her liver is another secondary cause.
She probably has intestinal parasitic animals.
Parasites are the third cause.
Parasites eats nutrients and secret toxins.
Those toxins are after absorbed by intestines, insted of nutrients that her
body needs.
Bacteria in her skinn are the fourth , last cause !!!
BUT, ARE THEY REALY BAD ?
DO WE REALLY understand how our body function ?
Trating bacteria is like cuting the cable to red light inside your car,
when there is not enough oil.
Bacteria, that cause acne, are living in simbiosis with people!!!!!
They are helping us clean our body from toxins, and they are invited by our
body.
Things that comes out from her acne contain toxins that her body does not
need.
Why killing our friends.
Isn’t red light inside your car friendly ?
The Idea to treat acne with antibiotics, makes me laugh. !!!
Read this story :
————The Fourth View———-
You buy a new car.
Imagine now you drive a car.
Suddenly, you get a red light on the control panel.
( There is not enough oil in the motor.)
You decide to conduct a scientific research to find out what is causing
that red light and how you can switch of that red light, or even to produce
something that will suppress that red light, possibly some Car Red Light
Prevention Kit.
Millions of dollars are raised for research.
Millions of cars are in question !
The Answer must be found!
Thousands of scientist start studying atom physique, light, photons,
electrons, analyzing how electron that is "running" through the conductors
is kicking of photons and creating that mystical red light.
Hundreds of cars have been cut, lamps taken out and studied by hundreds of
scientist in laboratories all over the world.
New science is born. New universities are opening. New laboratories are
opening.
The Race for the cause of red light has started. Who is going to win ?
Scientists from USA, France, Germany, UK, Switzerland ?
Japan is not far from an answer:
According to Dr. Hirahito Guramoto, Ph.D, President of TOYOTA Drug
Development Division:
"the compelling results in the in vitro studies suggest that the
Phicycal activity of these materials is, in each case, associated with the
parent, unaltered molecule, whereas the results obtained in the SRI study
suggest deactivation of those molecules in the Car bodies due to
current biotransformation. Therefore, to successfully develop these tools…"
Hundreds of new products are produced to counter the effects of this red
light.
One of the most successful products is special tool (car antibiotic) that
makes it easy to cut cable that is leading to that light, and to eliminate
that light forever. But that tool is very expensive.
There are also some cheaper cures:
Very successful, and not so expensive products are special glasses.
They are made from special kind of glass , that will prevent you from
seeing this light, while still be able to drive further. Isn’t it great.
Science is great.
It seems that problem has been solved.
____________________________________________
Then you drive your car further and you start hearing some unusual noise.
Millions of other people have the same experience.
Well, it seems that problem is getting even more complicated.
New groups of scientists are starting to research a sound, noise, how this
sound is transmitted through different kind of material, and how your ear
react on it. They are measuring speed of sound through the air and through
the metal, and trying to cure the problem.
They are creating special devices that are producing the same sound, same
frequency, just different phase , to counter the sound produced by your and
other millions cars that have been running too long time without oil.
They are creating the special kind of headphones, that will prevent you
from hearing this sound.
Cars are dying every day. Thousands of them.
Final conclusion is that your Car is suffering from an incurable disease
called
"The Car RED ACNE"
Whole new industry was born:
>>>>>>>>>>>The Car RED ACNE Industry<<<<<<<<<<
Imagine now if all those scientists have not been focused on the symptoms
of the Car RED ACNE, but if they asked that Guy who have read "The User’s
Manual For Cars", the simple question:
Tell me: Why is this light "on" ?
And that Guy told them:
"Put more oil in the motor, and change the oil filter!"
And they did it, and light disappeared.
And whole that industry never existed.
_______________________________________
This story is just a fiction.
Any similarity with real events is accidental.
—The End —
Copyright © 1999 Dusan Stojkovic
Reproduce freely but maintain © notice
If the idea to treat Acne with Antibiotics did not make you laugh,
maybe this story will.
Dusan Stojkovic
Norway
January 12th, 2003 at 10:00 pm
>If the idea to treat Acne with Antibiotics did not make you laugh,
>maybe this story will.
Many people got that idea.
My sister, Vanja Stojkovic was suffering from skin problems. She got her
first acne only 7 years old. Ever since, her face was covered with acne
and she had tried everything possible to get rid of it. After many years
of trying every possible cream, cosmetology treatment, dermatological
treatment, one dermatologist have put her on antibiotics, and she was
taking antibiotics for two years, every day. Whenever she tried to stop
with antibiotics, her face would be covered with acne the very next day,
and she did not have any alternative.
My Early health Experiences :
As a child I was very sick. As a baby I almost died of bronchitis, and
ever since until I was 15, I could not remember a single 3 months of my
life that I did not have some kind of cold, trout infection or bronchitis.
I needed antibiotics pills, penicillin injections or something similar few
times a year. I really hated injections.
At the age of 15 I started with a no-protein diet in order to change the
way I look. I was exercising a lot and became quiet muscular, but I was
much more fascinated by the strength and outlook of Bruce Lee than the way
Arnold Swarzenegger look like. Diet was created by my own ideas, while
trying to avoid too many proteins. I stopped eating meat and started
eating more vegetables, whole grains, grain sprouts … As a side effect
of this diet, my immunity improved drastically. It seemed that diseases
did not come back. So then I first realized that diet and health are
connected.
Then I read all the books about diet I came over. It took me 2 years of
reading and experimenting with my own health to realize that there are some
people who have already studied the same thing, who came to the similar
results and who found more answers then me. I was 17 when I first started
reading books about macrobiotics.
When I was 18, and my sister Vanja was 19, we attended our first seminar on
Macrobiotics. It was 1987. It was 7 days seminar, with many lectures in
different subjects, including nutrition and diet.
We were both fascinated by the things we learned from a man called Zlatko
Pejic.
His lectures were really inspiring. From the first day of seminar we
decided to stop eating sugar and other junk and to start with health diet.
After coming home from that seminar, we continued with this diet. My
sister stopped using antibiotics, and her acne disappeared after two weeks.
Since this time, neither my sister, nor me have ever needed antibiotics.
Both me and my sister, take care about what we are eating.
It is enough to eat bad foods for 2-5 days, to get first symptoms of
candida infection,candidiasis, thanks to many years of use of Antibiotics,
the miracle drug.
Dusan Stojkovic
January 13th, 2003 at 2:45 am
Dusan,
Thank you for your reply, You wrote:
>Your daughter probably has a lot of amalgam fillings in her teeth.
>That is one of the primary cause.
But she has never had a cavity… so no fillings. I’ll study your other
suspect areas.
Thank you.
John
January 13th, 2003 at 11:20 am
Dear John,
Welcome !
It is time to stop cutting red lights and get some oil.
To help you a little more, you may try these pages:
_____________________________
Essential fatty acids(EFA):
Linoleic Acid (LA)
Deficiency Symptoms:
eczema-like skin eruptions;
loss of hair;
liver degeneration;
behavioral disturbances;
kidney degenerations;
excessive water loss through the skin accompanied by thirst;
drying up of glands;
susceptibility to infections;
failure of wound healing;
sterility in males;
miscarriage in females;
arthritis-like conditions;
heart and circulatory problems ; and
growth retardation;
Prolonged absence of LA from diet is fatal.
All of the deficiency symptoms (except death) can be reversed by adding LA
back to the diet from which it was missing.
LA is found in safflower, sunflower, hemp, soybean,walnut, pumpkin, sesame,
and flax.
Safflower and sunflower are the richest source of LA.
_______________________________________________________________
Alpha Linolenic Acid (LNA)
Deficiency Symptoms:
growth retardation;
weakness;
impairment of vision and learning ability;
motor incoordination;
tingling sensations in arms and legs;
behavioral changes;
These symptoms can be reversed by adding LNA back to the diet from which it
was missing. Other symptoms that can result from LNA (or w3) deficiency
include :
high triglycerides;
high blood pressure;
sticky platelets;
tissue inflammation;
edema;
dry skin;
mental deterioration;
low metabolic rate;
some kinds of immune dysfunction;
acne;
These are not considered ‘classic’ symptoms of w3 deficiency, but often
respond remarkably well to w3 supplementation.
LNA is five times more unstable than LA and modern people consume 10-50
times less LNA then LA.
LNA is found in flax, hemp seed, canola(rape seed), soybean, walnut and
dark-green leaves.
Flax seed is the richest source, containing over 50% of its fatty acids as
LNA. Chia and kukui (candlenut) oils contains about 30% LNA. Hemp seed oil
contains about 20% LNA. Pumpkin seed oil contains between 1% and 15% LNA.
Canola oil contains up to 10% LNA and Walnut oil contains between 3% and
11% LNA.
What do EFA accomplish in our systems?
EFA Functions: "…EFAs are involved with producing life energy in our
bodies from food substances, and moving that energy throughout our systems.
They govern growth, vitality, and mental state. They hook up oxygen,
electron transport, and energy in the process of oxidation. Oxidation, the
central and most important moment-to-moment living process in our body, is
the `burning’ of food to produce the energy required for life processes."1
EFAs are also important in oxygen transfer, hemoglobin production, and
control of nutrients through cell membranes. They markedly shorten recovery
time from fatigue. And EFAs are also key in preventing damage from hard
fats. EFAs are anti-sticky and tend to disperse them. EFAs play a part in
almost every function of our body, far too many to list here.
Dusan
January 13th, 2003 at 11:56 pm
John:
When you get an answer, I would appreciate hearing it also. I have
written in about the same thing for my 22 yr. old daughter. In high
school and 3 years of college it wasn’t so bad. Then in graduate school
in went full blown. Now she’s working, she still has it on her face.
She has done the facial M-Gel Antibiotic, all kinds of astringents, BC
Pills, and something over the counter in our area, "Natures Own". It’s
two pills per day and then a cream to put on the ruptured area. Has
helped a little but not that much. She’s getting married in Sept. and
we can just see the photo’s now. I guess we can have them touched up,
buy who wants that.
So anyway, I’m interested in any reply you get.
Judy in SC
January 14th, 2003 at 7:20 am
At 14:11 30.03.99 -0800, you wrote:
>When you get an answer, I would appreciate hearing it also.
Here is one possible answer.
Dusan Stojkovic
Norway
January 14th, 2003 at 12:05 pm
<x-rich>To: Dusan, Shirley Lipschutz and Judy Lynch
Dusan, I sincerely want to thank you for your continued feedback to my
initial inquiry regarding my daughter’s acne problem.
I also would like to thank Shirley Lipschutz for the homeopathy information.
Dusan, I have bookmarked each of the pages you had included in your
eMailings, and forwarded your messages to my daughter. Hopefully, she will
study all you have written carefully.
I noticed also your keen intrest in Omega3. You prefer Flax seed to fish oil?
Also, have you any opinions about the claims given to colloidal minerals?
Lastley Dusan, I’ve included some information I’ve found a few days ago on
managing acne (Judy Lynch, besides all that Dusan was so kind to offer, you
might find some interesting info here too). Of course, I have no idea how
reputable any of this info is… some is from Dr. Weil, Dr. Atkins and Dr.
Whitaker…Dusan, tell me what you think of their methods - I already know
your opinion regarding antibiotics
THIS IS FROM WEIL’S WEB SITE:
In most people acne is more an annoyance than a calamity, although rare
forms of it can cause serious disfigurement and scarring. Acne is the
result of overactivity of oil glands in the skin, usually because of
increased hormonal activity in adolescence. It is a very common disorder of
the skin of the face, shoulders, and upper back, worse in males than in
females. Infection is not the primary cause, and long-term treatment with
tetracycline and other antibiotics should be avoided. Diet is also not the
major determinant of acne, but it is important to avoid high-fat foods and
iodine (found in shellfish and iodized salt). Clean the skin regularly with
soap and water as well as with the special acne formulas containing benzoyl
peroxide. This is an excellent cleansing agent and the active ingredient of
many lotions and creams, both over-the-counter and prescription varieties.
Do not use any skin products containing oils or dyes.
A good herbal treatment for the skin is calendula, commonly known as pot
marigold. (It is not a true marigold.) Calendula is a popular ornamental
plant that you can buy for your garden at most nurseries in the spring. Its
bright orange flowers can be made into tinctures, lotions, and creams. Try
washing your skin with tea made from the flowers, or buy ready-to-use
calendula skin products at health-food stores.
Most cases of acne will disappear by themselves at the end of adolescence,
but if acne persists or becomes severe, it should be treated more
aggressively to prevent scarring. Highly effective drugs, derivatives of
vitamin A, are available. Tretinoin (Retin-A) is a topical preparation,
while isoretinoin (Accutane) is for internal use. These drugs are safe when
used under the supervision of a dermatologist but should not be used
casually because they can be irritating and toxic.
Some very good Chinese herbal treatments for acne are available, both
topical preparations and pills. I have seen them work in some cases when
pharmaceutical drugs failed.
Sudden appearance of acne in adulthood may be a sign of hormonal imbalance
or drug toxicity (usually from steroids). Get a medical checkup to rule out
these possibilities.
——————-
ALSO FROM WEIL’S SITE
In most instances, acne is the result of overactive sebaceous glands in the
skin, stimulated by hormonal changes. Many women have breakouts associated
with the cycling of their menstrual periods. In fact, some studies suggest
that upwards of 70 percent of women notice their acne worsening the week
before their periods.
Your acne could be the result of a couple of things: The first that comes
to mind is the type of birth control pill you’re taking. Don’t be confused
if you hear that the Pill can cause acne, but is also used to treat acne –
both are true. Pills that contain a lot of progesterone or testosterone
often trigger acne, usually a few weeks after starting the cycle. Ask your
doctor about the type you take. Make sure you’re taking a low dose
estrogen pill. One in particular, Ortho Tri-Cyclen, has actually been
approved for treating acne in adult women.
You could also have a condition called estrogen dermatitis. Some women
become sensitized to their own estrogens (or the estrogens in their birth
control pills), which then triggers acne. A clue to this type of acne is
worsening of it before the menstrual cycle. A skin test can be easily done
to check for estrogen dermatitis. Studies have shown that tamoxifen,
related to estrogen, is an effective therapy of this type of acne, by
blocking the effects of estrogen on the skin.
An excess of androgens (male hormones) is also a common cause of acne. It
certainly is the culprit in most cases of teenage acne, when both maturing
girls and boys begin churning it out during puberty. Nevertheless, adult
women can make too much androgen as well. You didn’t mention if you have
any other tell-tale symptoms — hirsutism, menstrual irregularities or
infertility. This collection of symptoms, including acne, signal a
condition called polycystic ovarian disease, and is one of the most common
endocrine diseases in women. Excessive androgen production can be treated
with a host of drugs, including the Pill, spironolactone, flutamide and
finasteride.
Bottom line: First talk with your doctor about your birth control pills. If
changing them doesn’t do the trick, consider seeing a dermatologist to be
checked for these other hormonal problems. Of course, there’s the standard
treatments for acne that can be tried — topical antibiotics and/or Retin-A
– but better to find out what the underlying trigger is and treat that. In
the meantime, in addition to your good hygiene and diet, get rid of any
chronic stress you have in your life.
———————-
ALSO FROM WEIL’S SITE
Get omega-3 from flax meal. Buy whole flax seeds, keep them in the
refrigerator, and grind enough for a week at a time, using a coffee grinder
or blender. If you don’t want to bother doing that, buy Fortified Flax
powder by Omega-Life, available in health food stores. Take two tablespoons
daily, mixed in a beverage or sprinkled on food — cereal, stew, a salad.
Oh, and don’t be surprised if your acne clears up. Flax is particularly
good for skin and hair.
————————-
THIS I FOUND "SURFING" (I hate that term)
ACNE REMOVAL SYSTEM
ACNE is a misery.
It can effect your own self esteem or produce negative reactions to you in
people you want to think well of you. All too often this happens to you at
exactly the time it’s most important to you to be otherwise!. This hurts. I
have seen it first hand in myself and people I care about.
"When I met several people with who had achieved no acne or very little and
who had overcome their severe acne by using the original AeonTM Facial
Treatment PackTM, I was ecstatic."
Since then I’ve discovered that some people do better with the drug Accutane.
I no longer sell the Aeon product(s) from this page.
However, most drug stores now carry similar products that may work for you.
(I do give a brief description of this below.)
And, I’ve found some useful other tips in a book by the nutrition-wise
M.D., Julian Whitaker and elsewhere. (See the last section.)
I. Initial guidelines for you to consider:
A. If you are male, or female–& willing to abstain from sex totally or use
effective birth control; have the money to pay for it; and haven’t yet
tried it with poor results, Accutane may be worth trying. When it works, it
works very well. And, for many who use it, it effects a permanent cure.
(See below.)
B. If you can’t use Accutane, or have tried it and had side effects that
kept you from using it, or tried it and had it not work, or the acne
return–which sometimes happens to women after pregnancy, the exfoliation
approach and/ or all or part of the nutrition and related approach may help
you.
C. If your main problem is scarring, many have had good to excellent
results with the exfoliation approach by using it consistently over a
several month or longer time period.
II. Important caution.
If you do have any suspicion that you have more than regular acne, have a
dermatologist diagnose you:
Acne rosacea is something other than regular acne and can damage your
capillaries; doctors can now treat it with antibiotics, which can help
avoid permanent damage.
And, malignant melanoma skin cancers can kill you within months if not
treated early!
III. ACCUTANE:
(I obtained the information in this section from the Physician’s Desk
Reference drug reference book and from the staff of two dermatologists who
regularly use ACCUTANE with good results.)
If you can afford it and find you can deal with the side effects when you
try the drug, you may wish to work with a dermatologist who is skilled and
experienced in using ACCUTANE.
The good news is that Accutane seems to be effective for most–AND several
such dermatologists have recently informed us that it is a permanent cure
if you take a proper dose for about five months. Further, it works all over
your body–not just on your face–if that is important to you and your
individual situation.
Its worst side-effect is that it produces birth defects if taken during
pregnancy.
So, if you are a woman or young woman of child-bearing age, you must get a
negative pregnancy test before beginning it and take the birth control
pills reliably while you are on it–and sign a release that this risk was
disclosed to you fully.
By far the most common side-effects of ACCUTANE are that it is extremely
drying of your skin and mucous membranes and some tendency towards
irritation and inflammation of your lips. As a result, you cannot use
topical methods like the one we describe below while you are taking it.
Also, it mixes poorly with wearing contacts!
There are some other side-effects; but the dermatologists who use it
regularly know how to check for them and told us that most of their
patients are able to finish their five month treatment successfully. One
even used it on his own daughters–and they did fine.
Accutane treatment is moderately expensive. At this writing, it costs
between about $800 to $1400 for the doctor and nurse visits, blood tests,
etc, and the Accutane itself–
with the lower range being more typical.
The topical system we present below costs about $25 to $50 a month; but you
may need to continue to use it for two to six months to get the best
results; and you may need to continue indefinitely to maintain your
improvement.
IV. The Exfoliation Approach:
I no longer sell the Aeon TM product(s) from this page.
However, most drug stores now carry similar products that may work for you.
To strip it down to its essentials, the Aeon TM exfoliation system combined
an exfoliation treatment combining regular use of a strong glycolic acid
treatment for a few minutes each morning; a weak glycolic acid treatment at
bed time; and use of EGF–or epidermal growth factor applied just after
washing off the stronger morning treatment.
Most drug stores now carry 10 percent solutions of glycolic or alpha
hydroxy acids in various products. They also carry the weaker or five
percent versions.
(Since these products also help reduce wrinkles, they may be sold for that
purpose in your drug store.)
Many drug stores now also carry a vitamin C cream or lotion that has a
similar effect to EGF; and some may carry EGF itself.
If you use the stronger exfoliation product you find at your local drug
store according to the directions for that product each morning and follow
washing it off with the vitamin C product or EGF; and then use a weak
exfoliation product according to the directions for that product at bed
time–this will work somewhat similarly to the product I used to sell from
this page.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS:
Is this exfoliation approach perfect? No.
I have seen someone with what was a really horrible case occasionally still
get one or two small blemishes when under stress. (They did go away quickly
with this approach, however.)
Is it instant? No. Although many people take just a few weeks.
I saw a video which showed a woman with such bad, resistant acne it took 3
months (12-13 weeks) to make her completely 100% clear.
(She did feel results the first day, however; and, although still visible,
it was dramatically better and clearly healing up within three weeks. Her
,face still looked blotchy at first; but the acne had a dried out, ironed
flat look that revealed it was clearly beginning to go away.)
WHAT TO EXPECT:
DAY ONE:
A mild, prickly sensation is normal and means the products are doing their job.
By DAY THREE:
By now, you may be noticing some changes on your skin. Perhaps some
tightness or mild flaking. Don’t be alarmed. These are actually good signs,
meaning that the highly active ingredients are taking effect and your skin
is responding. Although this layer is dry and flaky,the healthy new skin is
waiting to be revealed underneath.This usually does not last more than am
week.
Those for whom this phase lasts longer often do get good results when they
persist in using the products.
"I hung in there because I heard that sometimes it takes a few weeks to see
significant results. I’m glad I did. The quality of my skin has improved
dramatically. It is healthier looking and although I still have occasional
break-outs, the problems that I had with my acne are all but gone."
In addition, even if you need to add the nutrition and other tips at the
end to reduce the acne, the exfoliation products will help to prevent or
remove scarring.
Morning Treatment:
Step 1: Use the stronger exfoliation product.
Smooth over face and neck without water, AVOIDING EYE AREA. Leave on one to
three minutes before rinsing with warm water. The slight tingling feeling
means it is working! (Never leave it on for more than 3 minutes. And, if
your body heat or the room temperature is high, one or 2 minutes may well
be enough.) Shower or shave and shower after rinsing.
Step 2: Use the vitamin C or EGF product.
Smooth it evenly over your freshly exfoliated face and neck to assist your
skin’s ability to restore itself to a normal healthy state.
Nighttime Treatments
Use the weaker exfoliation treatment before bed time.
Smooth over face and neck the last thing before retiring, –avoiding the
eye area! Do not use soap or any other alkaline cleanser before applying as
it reduces the effectiveness.
Leave it on as long as the directions on that particular product allow.
(Some weaker exfoliation treatments can be left on overnight; however, if
the product you are using suggests a much shorter time period, USE THE
SHORTER timer period! To do otherwise may well result in burning your skin.)
V. The other useful tips I found.
(These tips are from the book by Julian Whitaker, M.D., Dr. Whitaker’s
Guide to Natural Healing.
He likes different products for acne; and I’ve found some of his advice
much better than other parts of his advice. However, these seem quite
reasonable and worth trying.)
Congratulations on making the extra effort to get rid of your acne! Making
an extra effort is often the key to success in many things in life.
1. Several double blind studies, according to this book, have shown 30 mg a
day of Zinc to have superior results reducing the severity of
acne–compared with tetracycline. Although some people got faster results,
many needed to take the zinc for ten to 14 weeks before noticing good
results. By all means start taking some right away! . (Zinc is available in
30 mg tablets; and many multivitamin plus mineral combinations have 15. I
take both for general health; and I suspect 15 is too little to affect the
acne–so taking the two together for a total of 45 is probably better.
Don’t go over 100 mg per day total however. Over 100 mg you get LESS
results and possibly side effects. Also, be sure to take a multivitamin and
mineral combination that includes
Copper and Manganese, unless you have a medical condition that prevents you
from doing so. Increased Zinc intake increases your need for those two
other minerals.
2. Accutane and retin-A are variants of vitamin A.
10,000 IU daily from a vitamin pill or supplement of retinol, the animal
form of vitamin A, when taken with the Zinc and 25 to 50 mg of vitamin B6,
200mcg of Selenium, and 200 IU of vitamin E–in the natural form, has beenm
shown to reduce sebum production and reduce the severity of acne. And 1000
mg of vitamin C daily reduces the level of all infections. To improve your
odds, I recommend you try this set of supplements also.
(it is also highly desirable to take your B6 in a balanced B complex
vitamin with the other B vitamins. It will work better and give you many
other health benefits that way.)
More retinol than 25,000 IU may have some side effects; however, adding
lots of vegetables containing beta carotene, the plant form, is totally
safe, has other health benefits, and will very probably also help. I
recommend it highly.
Sweet potatoes, squash, carrots, carrot juice, broccoli, and kale are all
rich sources. Orange juice, oranges, peaches and apricots all have some.
Eat as much and as many of these foods as you can.
This is particularly important since the retinoids are a family of related
nutrients and may only work properly when taken together!
NEW INFORMATION:
In his book, Dr. Atkins Vita-Nutrient Solution, Dr. Robert Atkins describes
some multi-carotenoid supplements that may be worth trying. ( If you
overdo, you can begin to turn carrot colored; but this is reversible by
reducing the amount you take.)
He has also found that adding the above advice and carotenoids to a
temporary intake of 100,000 IU a day of vitamin A, significantly reduces
acne!
HOWEVER, because of the potential side-effects of that much vitamin A, ONLY
do this if you are regularly seeing a doctor who can monitor you for these
side-effects!
(Also, if you are female, the same precautions about potential damage to
unborn babies that apply to ACCUTANE, apply to intakes of vitamin A that
high.)
(The herb Saw Palmetto has a similar effect as these vitamins in helping
your body properly break down your sex hormones–and thus may also reduce
acne.
You can try this instead of the 100,000 IU of vitamin A –or in addition.
This is my idea and neither Dr. Atkins or Dr. Whitaker suggests it. But it
should help, if the theory explaining why the vitamins work is correct.
And, unlike the high dose of vitamin A, you do not need to be monitored by
a doctor. This herb is available in health food stores.)
3. Avoid or minimize all sources of Iodine for the first 14 weeks. (Iodine
makes acne worse!)
If you take a multivitamin plus minerals that contains Iodine, temporarily
switch to one that doesn’t. Throw out any iodized salt in your kitchen; and
buy the kind that is just salt.
(After your acne is under control, the vitamins and salt with a bit of
iodine are probably O.K., so you probably should re-add Iodine since it is
a mineral that your body needs at least a little of.)
When I was younger, I drank a half gallon of milk a day–often more. Limit
your milk to a quart or less of 1 percent or skim milk–or to half a quart
of skim milk or 1 percent milk and an 8 oz. nonfat yogurt. Not only will
you be less likely to get heart disease later, but you will sharply cut
your intake of Iodine.(The salt licks for dairy cattle are usually iodized.)
(If you cut Iodine everywhere else, the health benefits of some nonfat
dairy each day warrant keeping at least 8 oz a day, in my opinion.)
When you can, avoid fast food. The fat is no longer thought to worsen
acne–although it is still a heart risk; but all fast food tends to be
heavily salted–usually with iodized salt.
Mostly or totally avoid packaged cookies and crackers.
Almost all have a high salt content and partially hydrogenated oils; and
this nutrition oriented doctor (Whitaker) believes the transfats, partially
or fully hydrogenated oils, that virtually all of them have, worsen acne.
4. For this reason, also avoid hydrogenated oils in other ways.
Margarine, shortening, and many breads have this.
Substitute Olive oil, canola oil, or small amounts of unsalted butter for
the fats. And, buy only the breads with just butter, safe oils, or no fat.
(If a bread contains partially hydrogenated oil, it says so on the label.)
5. The doctor also suggests eliminating all refined or concentrated sugars.
I don’t totally agree. However, most commercial baked sweets have iodized
salt and many have partially hydrogenated oils! Avoid those totally. And,
cutting back some on sugar and using jam or fresh fruit instead most of the
time has other health benefits and is probably a good idea.
6. His last recommendation makes good sense.: Wash your pillowcase(s) at
least twice a week in detergent with no added colors or fragrances and
rinse thoroughly.
Dusan, I am now about to spend the next week reading through your site and
philosophies about health.
Sincerely
John Vosbikian
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