Article for 09-2001
Acne - It’s not just for Kids
I get a lot of calls about how to improve skin. Adults are calling
about their own skin and not just about their teenager’s skin.
Healthy skin cells are replenished every few days; therefore
it is easy to see the signs of nutritional deficiencies. For acne or dry and
scaly skin look for a nutritional deficiency and impaired bowel function.
Nutritional Facts
Vitamin C is important to the skin to build protein compounds (collagen), which
maintains moisture and elasticity. Fruit will help provide the vitamin C. A
nutrient like vitamin B helps to prevent oily skin and various inflammations.
Eat whole grains to get your natural B vitamins. To prevent premature wrinkles,
make sure you get vitamin A by eating greens and fruits. Don’t forget to
drink plenty of water.
Taking action
Make sure you are eating plenty of antioxidant foods, like sweet potatoes, pumpkin,
cantaloupe, grapefruit, carrots, spinach and tomatoes.
Herbalists, cosmetic chemists, beauty experts, and dermatologists
agree that your lifestyle is the key to health and beauty. So, address what
matters, like:
- stress control
- exercise
- hydrating the body (H20)
- salt
- nutrition
- positive attitude
- bowel function
- relaxation
Get plenty of rest. Take your eight hours of sleep each night
and schedule some personal time for yourself. Reflection and meditation can
feed the soul and help control stress and maintain a healthy perspective on
life. Don’t forget to exercise. Some benefits to exercising are:
Consider exercise as personal time for yourself.
Increase circulation to the brain and be more creative and productive.
Relax and have better sleep and sex.
Naturally take in your required water, salt and nutrients to replenish what
you worked off.
Have to worry less about calories and special weight reduction diets.
Allow the bowel to function more efficiently and remove toxins faster.
Feel better, have a positive attitude and like yourself more.
And be able to successfully manage stress.
By doing the above, it will create a snowball effect and good
things will result. Also, the bonus is you’ll have more than great looking
skin.
Acne Facts
There are about ten different forms of acne. The acne that affects teenagers
and young adults is called acne vulgaris and develops during puberty. Acne rosacea
is sometimes called adult acne. If you have been told that you have adult acne
(over 13 million Americans do), you know your body is out of balance.
I was diagnosed with adult acne five years ago. I noticed that
a blemish or two appeared when I was stressed, menstruating, tired or eating
the wrong things. I wanted to find out how I could correct this problem without
harsh chemicals or antibiotics.
If you’ve ever picked up a Physician Desk Reference (PDR)
and read about what some of these drugs do, you wouldn’t want to take tetracycline,
minocycline, doxycycline, erythromycin, accutane or isotretinoin. Also, avoid
topical steroids because they aggravate rosacea. Modern medicine believes that
acne cannot be cured. Of course, treating the symptom and not the cause will
always produce such a result.
In a recent article, I read that 10% of the untreated rosacea
developed bumps on the nose (rhinophyma). This statement is misleading. Medicine
says that if it is untreated with medication rhinophyma will result. What medicine
forgets to mention is that if you treat it yourself with a lifestyle change,
rosacea and rhinophyma will go away and never come back. I’m living proof
of this fact.
Rosacea can produce redness and swelling around the forehead,
neck, cheeks, nose and chin.
People in their 30’s, 40’s and 50’s can get it. Your eyes can
become bloodshot and irritated. You may get pimples, but they are rare and are
usually red and not whiteheads or blackheads. The symptoms resemble acne except
that the skin may be thick around the nose giving it a bulbous appearance. This
is technically called rhinophyma and W.C. Fields had it. People with rhinophyma
are mistaken for alcoholics. Spidery, red blood vessels can also appear around
the central area of the face. If you have Irish ancestry you may be susceptible
to rosacea, for it is known as the “curse of the Celts.”
How to get rid of acne and rosacea
So, what can you do? Well, there are several things. I haven’t had a recurrence
of acne rosacea after I implemented a lifestyle change. I avoided foods that
I noticed affected my skin. You will have no problem identifying the food culprits
if you keep a food journal. It isn’t hard, and you won’t have to keep
one for very long. I started with the foods that have been known to affect rosacea.
They are:
- chocolate
- caffeine
- spicy foods
- hot beverages
- alcohol
- smoked foods
- pickled foods
- marinated foods
- antibiotics
- fried foods
Other things that I avoid are:
- excessive sun
- long, hot showers
The next thing I did was increase my intake of water to two
quarts per day along with a ½ teaspoon of Celtic Sea salt. (To get authentic
Celtic Sea salt call The Grain and Salt Society at 800-867-7258. Tell them I
sent you.) I also started to pay attention to my exercise routine; I stepped
it up a bit to increase circulation, and I washed afterward with natural soaps.
I used no makeup. I also made sure that I did my bowel cleanse every three months
to remove toxins. (For a quality bowel cleanse see the Herbal Shop at http://www.thepowerherbs.com).
In addition, I reduced my refined sugar intake and used more honey instead.
I ate more whole foods; fresh fruits and vegetables (vitamin A). I consumed
no fried foods. I restricted my time in the sun to two hours a day. I also used
herbs to balance my female hormonal system, which allowed me to better handle
stress. By the third month, I noticed a huge improvement in my skin and I wasn’t
so edgy. (For P.M.S or Menopause to balance hormones go to http://www.thepowerherbs.com).
I added herbs to my supplement routine that are high in vitamin A, B and C.
My hair, skin, and nails became strong and healthy. Look for nettle, dulse,
sage, and rosemary. You will notice an improvement in your nails first, then
skin, and hair last. Give these herbs three to six months to work.
How you care for your skin is also important. I used all natural
soaps with oatmeal and honey. My skin never felt better after switching. I also
didn’t squeeze any blemishes. I allowed them to heal on their own. If blemishes
rupture, take a Q-tip® and dip it in hydrogen peroxide and let it sit on
the blemish. The peroxide will “bubble” the infection away and the
blemish will heal faster.
You treat cause and not symptom
So what is the cause of skin problems like rosacea? Toxic lifestyle. How do
you cure it? Lifestyle change. Who does the lifestyle change? You do. The doctor
isn’t going to do it for you. You have to implement it and stay with it.
So is the cause of acne and rosacea a mystery? No. A lifestyle change takes
patience. It took me a good 3 to 6 months to accomplish blemish-free skin, but
it’s been worth it. Natural healing doesn’t happen overnight. By exercising
patience and a little hard work, I was able to correct my skin condition without
becoming dependent on drugs. You can too.
Wendy Wilson Cheslak, Herbalist
Sources:
Rosenfeld, I. When The Redness Won’t Go Away, New York: Parade Publications,
August 26, 2001, pg. 8,9.
Cheslak, W. The Power Herbs: 13 Herbs Every Medicine Cabinet Should Have, Apothecary
Herbs Press, January 2001. pg. 325-327.
The information contained herein is not intended to diagnosis, treat, prevent or cure any disease. Please seek medical advice from a licensed medical physician before using any herbal products or natural therapies. The information contained herein is copyrighted by Apothecary Herbs, Inc.
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