re: acne

[Guest guest]

single best thing you can do is to avoid all refined sugars, flour products,

dairy and fried foods in your diet

also, avoid bananas and other heavy, sticky foods

 

take some omega-3 fatty acids, make sure the bowels keep moving (using something

Triphala along with perhaps trivrit), liver/blood cleansers like turmeric,

barberry, and/or guduchi, and some acidophilus to restore the gut flora

 

our old friend roasted barley, chicory and dandelion root is great for the skin

drunk as a tea, thrice daily

 

avoid cosmetics and detergents and use cold water to wash face

 

here is an interesting study that shows that acne is by and large an artifact of

modern civilization:

 

Cordain L, Lindeberg S, Hurtado M, Hill K, Eaton SB, Brand-Miller J. Acne

vulgaris: A disease of western civilization. Arch Dermatol 2002; 138:1584-90.

 

ABSTRACT

 

BACKGROUND: In westernized societies, acne vulgaris is a nearly universal skin

disease afflicting 79% to 95% of the adolescent population. In men and women

older than 25 years, 40% to 54% have some degree of facial acne, and clinical

facial acne persists into middle age in 12% of women and 3% of men.

Epidemiological evidence

suggests that acne incidence rates are considerably lower in nonwesternized

societies. Herein we report the prevalence of acne in 2 nonwesternized

populations: the Kitavan Islanders of Papua New Guinea and the Ache

hunter-gatherers of Paraguay. Additionally, we analyze how elements in

nonwesternized environments may influence the development of acne. OBSERVATIONS:

Of 1200 Kitavan subjects examined (including 300 aged 15-25 years), no case of

acne (grade 1 with multiple comedones or grades 2-4) was observed. Of 115 Ache

subjects examined (including 15 aged 15-25 years) over 843 days, no case of

active acne (grades 1-4) was observed.

CONCLUSIONS: The astonishing difference in acne incidence rates between

nonwesternized and fully modernized societies cannot be solely attributed to

genetic differences among populations but likely results from differing

environmental factors.

Identification of these factors may be useful in the treatment of acne in

Western populations.

[Guest guest]

The sad part is try telling that to an eleven year old that would kill you

first, just for a bowl of ice cream, even though her face is covered with tiny

little bumps. As much as I try to tell her, no sugar, no refined products, it

fly's over her head!! Her hygiene has allot to be desired as well. She plays

in the shower like a four year old, rather than wash her self properly, as I

taught her to. Especially during the time of her periods!!

Bon

[Guest guest]

> I have also been into a

> book called Nourishing Traditions which enhances the work of Weston

> Price who studied how non-western civilizations eat. My diet is really

> quite good but obviously this body is asking for it to be even better.

> I have access to the only probiotic goat farm in the nation here just

> outside of Austin, TX so am spoiled with goat yogurt for acidophilus.

> And a friend makes keifer. Although right now those don't sound as

> appealing to me as the blends that you suggested!

> Thank you again,

> Alessandra

 

your welcome :-)

 

for all of you, the weston a. price foundation is a great site for

information on diet:

 

http://www.westonaprice.org/

 

rather than worrying about what prakriti one may or may not be, the

approach generally emphasized among those in the foundation can be

compared to the Ayurvedic concept of satmya and asatmya - what is

appropriate to your constitution based on your ancestry

 

from this perspective it becomes increasingly clear that many of the

agricultural staples mentioned in Ayurvedic texts are in fact

inappropriate to folks of western-european descent, e.g. type 1

diabetes in Scandanavia is linked to an autoimmune destruction of

endocrine cells from early exposure to cow's milk, and cross reactivity

to bovine insulin

 

further, since 99.9% of our genome was formed in the paleolithic, this

concept would suggest that all agricultural staples are somewhat

inherently asatmya, to one extent or another

 

Caldecott

phyto

http://www.wrc.net/phyto

[Guest guest]

without a doubt diet is the single-most important factor in acne

in populations that don't consume the western industrialized diet, acne

is almost unheard of

see:

 

Cordain L, Lindeberg S, Hurtado M, Hill K, Eaton SB, Brand-Miller J.

2002. Acne vulgaris: a disease of western civilization. Arch Dermatol.

138:1584-1590

 

at its core, view acne as a kind of food intolerance - improperly

digested or denatured food stuffs that create ama (toxins) that

aggravate the doshas, or from a medical perspective, modify the body

ecology and facilitate the growth of microbes that ferment the fats

that cause the glands and follicles to become inflamed

 

solution:

 

1. avoid make-up and cosmetics that clog the pores as well as harsh

soaps and skin cleansers that further disrupt the body ecology - for

daily use, use chana or adzuki bean flour to cleanse the skin - ground

oatmeal can be added to soothe inflammation - ice cold water is best

for the face; to actively treat the pustules a dilute Echinacea

tincture (50%) or a cream made with Echinacea (50% v/v), applied over

the sores until they dry up, or use hydrogen peroxide or some other

disinfectant (even benzoyl peroxide in a pinch); Vicco has a turmeric

cream, but if she has white skin i wouldn't recommend it because it

stains yellow...

 

2. avoid flour, dairy, sugar, transfats, industrialized meat and animal

products, coffee and alcohol

(http://www.toddcaldecott.com/paleodiet.html); its been mentioned

before, but roasted barley is an excellent beverage for acne, to purify

the blood

 

3. direct attention to the blood, liver and bowels, using herbs that

purify the blood, increase bile and promote bowel movements, along with

fiber and probiotics to correct the gut ecology (pathogenic gut

bacteria can deconjugate hormones in the bile, causing them to be

reabsorbed and dysrupt hormonal balance) - there are many options here,

e.g. triphala+trivrit+turmeric, or you can easily find some kind of

liver formula and bowel formula at a health food store, along with

fiber (flax seed, isabgol, leafy greens, oat bran) and probiotics

(acidophilus/bifidus)

 

4. in women, consider addressing hormonal regulation specifically -

acne is usually related to excess testosterone - if she is overweight,

then this needs to be addressed, because fat cells convert estrogen

into testosterone (androgens); use herbs that balance testosterone

production such as Saw Palmetto; herbs that balance the female

reproductive system, e.g. Shatavari, Peony, Unicorn root, Chasteberry,

Aloe juice, etc.; and nutrients such as vitamin B complex, zinc and

magnesium, hemp/flax/fish oil

 

good luck...

Caldecott

todd