someone shed some light….
Hi Britt,
Thanks for writing back…it sounds as though you are
on the right path to trying to figure out what causes
your breakouts…and its mostly got to do with whats
on the inside, not what you are applying topically to
the skin.
I agree with you completely…there are so many
alternative therapists out there with their own
views..etc…and i have gone that route too like
yourself…its very expensive. My opinion on taking
‘chinese herbs and pills’ is to not bother. Now please
remember this is only my opinion, im not saying these
methods donot work. Through personal experience i paid
a hell of a lot of money for chinese herbs and they
made absolutely no difference to me at all. Is she
able to tell you what the pills contain? The chinese
herbalist i went to had no idea when i quizzed them.
At one point i was popping so many pills i think my
system got overloaded and that in itself can cause
breakouts.
What i have recently done myself if go right back to
basics. It sounds like your intake of water is
sufficient aswell as bowel movements. So you know your
system is flushing out what your eating preety
quickly….so you can discount toxicity from food.
In my opinion being vegetarian helps with keeping a
clear, efficient digestive system. There is a bowel
specialist who states that ‘all disease begins in the
colon’ If you eat meat from an animal that has
parasites and worms (which all meat industry animals
do) and you like your steak underdone then the chances
of getting an infestation is much much higher by
consuming food with these bacteria. If your
acupuncturist is claiming that you can get protein by
only eating meat, then i would be seeing someone else.
No question. She is obviously stuck in the dark ages,
and like you say, there is plenty of protein in leafy
greens aswell as an abundance of other non meat foods.
Also i have never heard of someone getting acne
breakouts because they have a lack of protein. In
fact, my acne got much better through giving up meat.
There is so much to say and advice to give but i don’t
want to overwhelm you more than you already are.
Most of all…try to keep as raw as you can…i know
its hard, i struggle with it too!
Im wondering with you, as you are aware of keeping a
good diet, water intake etc…whether you have a
sluggish lymphatic system. I suspect this of myself
and have been researching this recently so will update
you with info i find out as i go….but i am taking
MSM in powder form…(look at www.msm-info.com ) its a
wonderful all round supplement derived from natural
sources…..you can even make your own skin lotions
with it as msm is excellent for healing the skin.
Also to get your lymph going dry brush your skin
before bathing…you can even get a lymphatic massage
from a homeopathy centre, this helps to shift toxins
that are trapped in the layers of the skin so the body
can flush them out. Also i have read that trampolining
is good for the lymphatic system!!
One thing to remember which i try to remind myself of
before i swallow any pills of eat anything is to keep
everything NATURAL. I am convinced that
chemicals/toxins are what cause all illnesses. Even
hair shampoo and everything else we use around the
home.
I will compile a list of web sites i think you will
find very useful and informative…there is so much
info on the net its easy to drown in it!
Also remember as you have alot going on in your life,
and sound stressed with it, to take time out each day
for yourself where you let all your concerns
go…stress in itself can cause a breakout…it
happens to me still…normally a week after the stress
appears…i know in my heart that if i could have a
mindset of calm and peace 24/7 then i would never see
another spot appear again! Also i’ve been getting into
pilates…not because its used by celebrities…but
because its a good gentle way of exercising which can
be done at home, it helps you gain flexibility, and is
the type of activity after which you feel really
energised from doing instead of exhausted, like going
to the gym.
I’ll be in touch with some more info for you, web
sites etc…
Oh before i go! I found that a strawberry face mask
helped cool my face when i had a breakout…i use a
handful of strawberries (blend them in a blender),
mixed with corn starch…you could even add some msm
to that…or some lemon juice. Good for tightening
pores, so make sure you cleanse well before applying
:-)It’ll keep in the fridge for around 3 days..
Keep your chin up! 
Bec.
———————————
hi,
i just replied to another message you wrote before
this one. but i have a lot of questions. i am
vegetarian and i explained that i am on a raw food
diet but i still am only 50% raw. i have a hard time
with food control. if i’m already feeling down on
myself i use food as a comfort and i will eat
something bad like icecream. that’s only about once a
week if that. but that’s the problem it’s consistent
just like my breakouts. i would like any info you
can give me any knowledge you have would be great.
i am currently going to acupuncture, mainly for
infertility but she says once i have completed the
course of treatments my body will balance itself out
and my breakouts should go away. the problem is that
she is so anti-vegetarian and she is blaming all my
problems on my "lack of protein" which i highly
disagree with. i explained to her that greens have
quite a bit of protein. i drink a green drink in the
morning that includes about 5-6 leafs of kale and 1
cup naked orange juice. kale is made up of 50%
protein! i do eat eggs on occasion and salmon, but
only once in awhile. i was telling another member in
the group that my skin was acne free when i was eating
80% raw, taking B12 injections 3x a week and multiple
herbs as well. it’s a lot to handle but it worked. i
wasn’t affected that bad with acne then but i never
got a zit while being on that regimen. it was shortly
after the b12 injections stopped and thanksgiving came
around. that’s when all hell broke loose.
i drink at least 60 ounces of water a day. i drink
distilled water but i let my water sit in the sun for
at least 3 hours before drinking so it can come to
life again. sometimes i will just use a lemon if i am
not prepared, and sometimes i use cell food in my
water.
i have at least 2-3 bowel movements a day! that’s
pretty good i think. most people are lucky to have
one.
i have been trying to get pregnant for 3 years and
nothing is happening so i know something is wrong
inside. the acupuncturist goes against everything i
believe to be true about nutrition. she has told me i
have to quit all the herbs and vitamins i was on and
she has put me on her own chinese herbs and
concoctions. that’s fine but i don’t know. what i
think is the hardest about the alternative medicine
world is that everyone has their own ideas and beliefs
about what health really is. so every different kind
of naturopath or homeopath doctor or acupuncturist or
blood doctor etc i go see will contradict or disagree
with the last. it’s so difficult.
i want to know everything you know. i really am so
glad that you responded i feel like i’m already
getting somewhere. i hope i answered all your
questions. thanks!
britt
Hi Brittany,
Im sorry to hear you are feeling in despair with your
breakouts. I
have just posted a reply to jennifers post which you
may find
helpful, it details the ‘au naturelle’ route regarding
acne clean up
techniques, like concentrating on your diet.
What diet do you have? How much fruit/vegetable juice
and water do
you consume in a day. How frequent are your bowel
movements? Stress
can bring on breakouts too, what has occured over the
past six months
that maybe could contribute to your breakout?
I suffered terribly with acne for 13 years, became
agoraphobic,
introverted, depressed, lost all motivation for
life…all through
acne. I truly understand why you feel this despair.
The ONLY method
that worked for me was to clean up my diet. Im a
vegetarian and love
fruit and veg which helps. Consuming lots of spring
water i found
hard but this has also helped alot. Jennifer stated
that acne
indicates what is going on inside the body…this
statement i
wholeheartedly agree with….i just wish it didnt take
13 years and
alot of scarring to discover it for myself.
Look into cleansing and detox…just give it a
go…don’t disregard
it…you need to maintain a good diet for a month for
effects to
show…in the long run you will save on medications
that dont work
and possibly cause worse acne because they encourage
more sebum to be
produced becasue they dry out the skin so much.
The stigma of acne being because of lack of hygiene
really infuriates
me…i would scrub my face several times a day which
made it worse!
If you want to know specific changes i made to my diet
to help get
rid of my acne, i’ll be happy to help.
Warmest regards,
Bec.