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Bad Skin
When people realize that issues such as poor
digestion and acne can be healed with Diet,
they want to know exactly how diet can help.
While it is true that certain nutrients and
supplements can specifically help with
certain conditions, it is best to get a
sense of how overall diet can help instead
of increasing one particular nutrient in
your diet.
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Stacy was a patient of ours who
came for the exact reasons above
– acne and poor digestion that
included constipation and acid
reflux.
As common among some of our
patients, Stacy already ate a
seemingly healthy diet – lots of
complex carbohydrates coupled
with fresh fruits and
vegetables. |
She had heard that the antioxidant in fruits
and vegetables could help with acne, and
that the fiber could help with constipation.
She had even cut out most dairy and gluten
from her diet, although she was not 100%
free of these foods.
After
Diet
Typing, Stacy was prescribed the
Bear Diet for her oxidation rate and her
blood pH level. There were some changes that
she would need to make, mainly adding
protein to most of her meals and snacks.
Although her food allergy results were not
back, Dr. Hauser recommended avoiding dairy
and gluten completely with the Bear Diet. So
her current diet was not supporting her
physiology despite all of the antioxidants
she believed she was getting.
We didn't hear back from Stacy for a while,
so when she returned four months later we
were eager to see how see how she was doing.
Her food allergy results were back and she
was indeed allergic to dairy and gluten.
Stacy told us that her skin had cleared up
and she was having less breakouts. Her
energy was much better and she was sleeping
better than she was before. Her digestion
had improved although she still struggled
with constipation. We suggested some
supplements and other remedies for
constipation while encouraging her to stick
with the hypoallergenic Bear diet.
So for Stacy, the Bear Diet provided better
skin appearance, higher energy, improved
sleep, and improved digestion. Not too bad
for just a few diet changes! What do you
think could use some improvements in your
life? Maybe Diet Typing can help – now is a
time to make the change!
I'm Breaking Out!
There are many reasons
people breakout with adult acne, here are some common causes and some
tips on what to do about it.
Food Allergies
Most of the toxins in your body are released through your skin.
Acne develops from inside your body because toxins inside are
expelling. If you take medication or antibiotics they will only help
your acne for a short while. They will not get rid of the underlying
cause of the problem.
Food allergies are one of the main
causes of acne. Eating a food the body is allergic to can lead to a
continuous toxic reaction. In such a case the immune system fights
the food as if it were an invading organism. This will cause
inflammation in the skin along with many other conditions.
Most people eat dairy,
gluten (read about
gluten intolerance), and other common foods everyday so it
is hard to connect your symptoms with your eating habits. The reason
why it is so hard to know which foods are causing your acne is
because a
food allergy can cause symptoms right away or take up to
three days or even more. The acne will not appear and go away
quickly enough for you to be able to associate it with a certain
food.
It is best to be tested with a blood allergy profile in order to
figure out what foods are producing the allergic response.
Hormones also could be causing your
acne problems.
Adult acne can also come from hormone imbalances. It is best to
get your hormone levels tested to find out which hormones might be
unbalanced. Acne can be caused by an excess amount of hormones
called androgens such as DHEA-S and testosterone. Androgens are
considered "male" hormones, but adult women have androgen levels
about 1/10th the level found in men.
Your skin has a gland that creates oil called sebum. Androgen
hormones stimulate these glands to produce more sebum. Sebum plugs
up the pores and traps the oil inside. Bacteria begin to develop in
the trapped oil and as the body fights the bacteria, swelling,
redness, and fluid build up in the cells. If acne appears when going
through menopause and/or during menstrual cycles, it could very well
be hormone-related, since androgen levels usually increase during
these times.
Nutritional tips
for acne
Essential fatty acids and
eliminating toxins in your diet: Help yourself get rid of your
acne by clean up your diet and including foods rich in omega 3 fatty
acids like fish, seeds, and nuts. The skin needs essential fatty
acids to stay healthy. Many of our patients also suffer from
dysbiosis of the GI tract. In other words, they have a “leaky gut”
which is releasing toxins that come out through the skin. Many
times, these people also complain about digestive difficulties.
Sometimes nourishing the GI tract with pro-biotics can get you back
on track.
Stay away from sugar
Reduce the amount of refined carbohydrates or sugars, such as
sweets. Refined carbohydrates can lead to high levels of insulin
which, in turn, can increase production of the androgens affecting
oil production in the skin. And, of course, drink plenty of water
each day. Stay away from those sodas.
Nutrients that help nourish the
skin:
Certain nutrients have been studied and shown to enhance skin
function. Here are some of them:
Vitamin A - Many believe this
vitamin to be very effective for skin disorders. As an antioxidant vitamin A may also help enhance immune
function.
Vitamin B-12 - An essential
nutrient, one of its many functions is it can help build proteins,
which is what collagen is made of, which is what your skin is made
of!
Vitamin
B6-Vitamin B6 may help
premenstrual or mid-cycle acne. This vitamin is essential for the
proper metabolism of steroid hormones and can reduce the sensitivity
of skin to the effects of testosterone.
Zinc-especially
in the form of zinc gluconate or zinc sulfate. Zinc has been shown to helps heal blemishes,
reduces inflammation, and reduces androgenic hormonal effects on the
skin.
Essential Fatty acids- As
mentioned above, skin needs essential fatty acids for normal
elasticity and function. Often times, we find that our patients are
lacking in the “good fats” but eat plenty of the hydrogenated fried
fats. Including fish and fish oil, nuts, and seeds, can help you
achieve this goal.
What can you do?
Here at Caring Medical we test for food allergy and utilize
hormone testing which determines if you have a deficit or elevation
in hormones that may need to be corrected. Don’t feel like you have
to just suffer with acne. There may be a very correctable reason for
it.
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