Symptoms of problem skin
- Teenage - adolescent acne
- Acne on your face, neck, chest or back
- Acne vulgaris, seborrhea
- Presence of white head, blackheads, comedomes
- Presence of chronic rash " attributed " to allergic reactions, eczema, psoriasis
- These may not always work for everyone and long term consumption of such medication is not good for you
Conventional treatment methods for acne
- benzoyl peroxide, Clearasil, salicylic acid topical creams etc
- antibiotic medication
- isotretinoin type drugs (Roaccutane, Isohexal, Oratane & Accure ) etc
- these may not always work for everyone
Conventional treatment methods for eczema, psoriasis
Corticosteroids - with many known side effect like suppressed immune system making us vulnerable to other infections and cancer
Modern medicine's view of acne is often about excessive and over active bacteria on the skin causes the skin eruptions which we call acne. If skin is oily, as is typical during adolescence /puberty due to raging hormones, pores get clogged easily making it easy for bacterial infections to fester.
The common treatment method is therefore to get rid of this bacteria via germ killing creams, via skin peeling creams or in an extreme case via Antibiotics ( tetracycline) or very powerful drugs like isotretinoin that may have serious (harmful) side effects such as mental depression, birth defects and inflammatory bowel disease IBS. A lot of emphasis is on attacking the problem from the outside of the body and keeping the skin clean.
Unfortunately in some cases, none of above methods have any significant effect.
The common treatment method is therefore to get rid of this bacteria via germ killing creams, via skin peeling creams or in an extreme case via Antibiotics ( tetracycline) or very powerful drugs like isotretinoin that may have serious (harmful) side effects such as mental depression, birth defects and inflammatory bowel disease IBS. A lot of emphasis is on attacking the problem from the outside of the body and keeping the skin clean.
Unfortunately in some cases, none of above methods have any significant effect.
Unsurprisingly, modern medicine misses one important method, a highly effective and cheap one ... ie. cleaning from inside, cleaning blood by removing blood toxins. This is where TCM ( Traditional Chinese Medicine ) with a 4,000 year old tradition, comes in handy. TCM methods involve blood detoxification ... attacks the problem from inside the body ... not just from the surface of the skin .... with minimum side effects.
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Simple remedies for acne and pimples
- weekly mung (aka moong ) bean soup to detox your blood :
A simple way to detox your blood < click here
... for many people, this ancient food based remedy is extremely effective - daily green tea or jasmine tea to detox your blood < click here
- regular sweating though exercise, steam bath / sauna or hot shower directly on to face area for 5-10 minutes ... opens clogged pores, allows the oil (sebum) to seep out, increases sweating and toxin removal, improves blood flow to affected area
- daily bowel movement to prevent toxin build up in guts
- drink 6-8 glasses water daily to ensure proper removal of toxins via urination
- raw veggie juice ( with some ginger ) with primarily greenish leafy veggies like spinach, kale, celery may also work. Do this daily until acne starts to decrease.
Modern medicine ignores the connection between acne and poor diet. Yet many people, myself included, have direct experience of certain foods triggering pimples. Have you noticed that yourself? TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) states definite food connection in addition to other lifestyle practices (below).
Foods that often trigger acne, pimples :
- deep fried foods - Potato chips, French fries, BBQ meats
- anything heavily roasted or baked too long ( food turns dark brown)
- greasy foods - burgers, fries, chips etc
- many who eat garlic or onions regularly suffer severe acne, mouth, tongue or gum ulcers
- chocolate especially dark chocolate and coffee
- dairy products like milk, ice cream , yoghurt are triggers for some people
- chili and curry based foods ( small amounts turmeric, pepper or ginger are ok)
- alcohol especially hard liquors
- fizzy drinks including sugar free soft drinks
- astaxanthin can cause acne or mouth ulcers for some
.... anyone of the above could cause an outbreak
Lifestyle practices that often cause acne :
- constipation - not moving bowels 1-2 times daily cause toxins accumulate in blood
- water-not drinking 2 litres (8 cups) water /liquids means kidneys can't flush out blood toxins that cause acne.... especially relevant in winter when we are less thirsty
- insufficient sweating - our body removes toxins via sweating ... especially relevant in winter where sweating is minimal
- not keeping your face ( or anywhere else) clean, removing excess oil that clogs pores
- not getting enough sleep
- insufficient fruits & green leafy vegetables like Kale. Choy Sum, Bok Choi, Collard greens, Silver beet, Rocket, ( lettuce not very useful as it is 95% water )
...anyone of the above could cause an outbreak
Deficiencies in vitamins & minerals often result in acne:
- Vitamin A ( beta carotene) - carrot, pumpkin, sweet potato, tomato, paw paw & cantaloupe , best eaten with a bit of olive oil for max absorption)
- Vitamin C - orange, kiwifruit, lemon, guava, grapefruit
- Zinc - red meat, nuts, kelp, seaweed and pill supplements
Please consult a medical doctor to confirm the above suggestions are right for you.
