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Acne Cure – A Few Simple And Natural Steps To Get Rid Of Acne

Nov 27

Posted by Mike in Acne | No Comments

Acne Cure – A Few Simple And Natural Steps To Get Rid Of Acne

Acne is a skin problem that affects most people during puberty when the hormonal changes occur. A male hormone called Testosterone in both men and women, and insulin-like growth factor are the two hormones most closely linked to acne. Testosterone stimulates the sebaceous glands of the skin to enlarge and produce oil called sebum. Too much sebum and dead skin cells often form a plug and block the pores and provide a breeding place for bacteria causing redness, swelling and bulges out from the skin.

Thousands of people from all over the world suffer from acne, the skin disorder that affecting 70 to 95% teenagers during puberty period. Sadly to say this skin disorder not only affecting teenagers but also adults between the age of 20 to 50. Imagine if you suffer this skin order endlessly until your adult life. It cost you a lot from swollen and sore facial skin, feeling unhappy, gross, depress and less confidence and spending lots of money for skin care product and treatment.

Some people are lucky enough that after passing the puberty cycle the acne problem go away without leaving any scar, but some are so unfortunate left with a deep permanent scar.

Believe me having acne for more than 30 years are far from FUN!

Being Asian living in the tropics, I had larger and more sebaceous glands with thicker epidermis that are prone to acne easily. Highly polluted and dusty air is also another factor that make my skin easily clogged by mixture of excess oil and dirt which cause acne.

I was one amongst the many people who suffered from pimples during my teenage years and suffered from whiteheads, pustules and severe cysts (deep pimples and boils) during my adult life.

In senior high as a typical teenager, I suffered from a hormone imbalance and started having pimples all over my face. It began to worry me as I experience quiet severe acne then. The peer pressure amongst children was very cruel. With no time I began experiencing and living in horror everyday being harassed as a “greaser” and “speckled face” name calling. Little by little I felt stressful and less confidence and asked my parents to seek treatment.

Treatment after treatment seemed endless and lead me nowhere, until my brother who studied in US introduced me with a tetracycline as antibiotics that were recommended by the US dermatologist at that time to cure acne. I started taking tetracycline without knowing what the side effects is. At that time I only concern that the pills helped me to clear the pimples away. Later in life I regretted for taking that so-called wonder drug.

If I knew the side effect, I would rather live with acne and sought other treatment than taking tetracycline. I guess I was one of the generations that got victimized by the pills. Through the year my teeth started experiencing discoloration, leaving overall gray cast in the enamel, accented with darker horizontal lines. It kept me away from wide happy smile as this was a permanent embarrassment to me.

Later in life, it cost me further as my teeth regularly had cavities and need filling and with times the teeth became so brittle and easily breaking off for no reason. If I could turn back the time, I would definitely seek other natural cure for acne rather than taking tetracycline.

The story was not ended here, I was fortunate enough to be able to move to US for my college year. My skin got better as I lived in a sub-tropic California and the four-season state of Ohio.

But again, like the ugly shadow at the age of 22 the breakout returned and followed me around for the next twenty years. Why Me? I even wondered and asked “Mirror, mirror on the wall when will be my acne gone for all?”

I tried different type of acne lotion and ointment from over the counter products. I even tried toothpaste and squeezing out the vitamin E soft caplet, applied them to the swollen acne expecting that they would be drying off and it would sooth the swollen and redness. I even tried the papaya skin mask to no avail (had to be careful that it can only be done within 5 to 8 minutes or my skin would be damaged from the sap of the papaya skin).

I spent lots of money to seek treatment from different beauty salon and dermatologist. When I came back to my country my acne became worst and I start living in nightmare. I had severe acne that affecting all over my face, chin and neck. It was no longer whiteheads or pustules. it was a cyst of deep pimples and boils.

I felt angry, hopeless, and gross. I started seek treatment from a local salon and using a traditional herbal mask. As the boils hurt like hell and swollen, I had no choice and let the dermatologist to cut open the acne and squeeze it out. I watched in horror as acne scars began to accumulate on my face.

Later as the condition worsened I seek treatment from a so-called famous dermatologist specialized in acne treatment, the doctor did the same procedures as the previous beauty salon, cleaned my face, cut open the acne, squeezed it out and sealed the wound using electrocautery. It hurt and smelled like a barbecued meat. I was once again horror as I watched that acne scars became worse and creating deep bean-sized hole, similar to the Chicken pox scar all over my face and chin.

When the acne breakout started to stop, I stopped taking the prescription drugs and it turned out that I was having yet another even worse breakouts.

After a while I felt tired of seeking treatment and taking drugs from a doctor, and I follow one of the doctors that recommended me to start cleansing my face using baby soap and decided to stop taking drugs. I was beginning to worry that I would have to take the same drugs for the rest of my life. It worked wonder for a while but my skin became so dull in appearance.

It took me more than five years to have my smooth, vibrant healthy looking skin back and lots of trial and error to find the natural ways to do it:

The aforementioned are few steps done to accomplish my face acne free for life and get a smooth and vibrant looking skin. These might takes a year or two to accomplish.

Recently I accidentally found a better option from one of the famous e-book: Chris Gibson acne free in 3 days. Though the title seemed to good to be true for those of us who suffers from severe acne and scars, however all the steps mentioned in these e-book make sense and easily to follow, at least within 3 days of practicing the steps you will see the difference on your skin.

Hopefully all the information in this article will help those who desperately seek a natural way to cure acne and be acne-free for the rest of life, get back the self-confidence that are lost due to severe acne and feel great about yourself and appearance. Stop hiding yourself behind make-up, hats or veil.

Keep Smiling, Feel Happy and Confident at all time!

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Naturopathic Philosophy, Diagnosis and Treatment of Acne

Nov 16

Posted by Mike in Treatment For Acne | No Comments

`Naturopathy’ or `natural medicine’ is a largely pseudoscientific approach said to `assist nature’ that is `support the body’s own innate capacity to achieve optimal health’ and `facilitate the body’s inherent healing mechanisms’.

Naturopathic medicine is very safe, natural therapy with services of different alternative therapies. The age old philosophy of naturopathic medicine is based on six important principles which have their roots is Indian [Ayurveda], Chinese [Traditional Chinese medicine], Native American and Greek [Hippocratic] cultures.

The following are the six principles of naturopathic therapy.

1- The healing power of nature – naturopathy is basically the body’s inherent ability to treat itself

2- Identify and treat the cause – naturopathy believes in finding the underlying cause rather than eliminating it

3- First do no harm – naturopathy uses methods and medicines to reduce the further harmful effects

4- Doctor as a teacher – naturopathy educates patients and emphasizes self responsibility

5- Treat the whole person – naturopathy treats all aspects of body that is physical, mental, emotional and spiritual

6- Prevention is better than cure – naturopathy prevents the formation of disease into more severe condition

Although acne seems to be a disorder of skin oil glands, naturopathic philosophy is best suited for diagnosis and treatment of acne.

Naturopathic diagnosis is the best approach for identification of acne and this could be attributed to the following beneficial reasons

- It will help the patient to identify the cause of acne and also help in specific treatment for acne symptoms

- It will help in revealing the underlying conditions that impede body’s ability to function normally

- It will help to determine the proper assessment tools which are most helpful in establishing a treatment strategy specific to patient’s health

- It will help to identify and treat the underlying root cause of acne and avoid further damages to skin

- It will be a comprehensive treatment plan with range of complementary and alternative therapies.

A naturopathic doctor or health care provider will take a complete history of the patient that includes skin care, cosmetic use, diet, factors triggering flare-ups, medications used, occupational and environmental exposures, prior treatment and an examination of the face, chest and other blemishes, lesions and scars. This assessment is oriented towards the determining what is impeding patients body’s ability to function normally.

As far as naturopathic treatment for acne is concerned, from a naturopathic view point acne is an external manifestation of an internal imbalance. Nutrition is the key to treating acne. In 420 BC Hippocrates, the father of medicine said let food be your medicine and medicine be your food’.

The poor quality foods eaten by an individual clogs the pores and attracts bacteria however with consumption of better quality foods the sebaceous glands get all of the nutrients and are bound to produce good quality oil which flows well and nourishes the skin.

In nutrition, a high protein, low carbohydrate diet including vegetables, sea weeds, fish (salmon, sardines, and trouts), whole grains, sprouts and fruits is advisable and avoiding all fried foods, dairy products, processed foods, junk foods, sugar, margarine, nut butters, citrus except [lemon juice] and caffeine is suggested.

In addition, consumption of plenty of water everyday is beneficial; water helps in retaining moisture of the skin keeping it full, fresh and youthful.

Thus, by changing our diet and adopting a healthy lifestyle we can often change or reverse course of illness and restore our health. Thus, the possible lifestyle changes to treat acne in addition to eating diet high in raw vegetables and fruits and avoiding all forms of sugar, alcohol, butter, caffeine, cheese, chocolate, cocoa, cream, fat, margarine, processed food, and drinking plenty of water, beneficiary dietary supplements are also required. The beneficiary dietary supplements are

Alpha-sterol – helps open blocked pores

Tea Tree oil – is a natural antibiotic and antiseptic. Tea tree oil contains antimicrobial substance that will eliminate [Propionibacterium acnes] the causative bacterial strain of acne, thus reducing inflammation associated with skin.

Vitamin B3- improves circulation to surface of skin.

Acidophilus Probiotics – helps replenish natural good body bacteria.

Chromium Picolinate – reduces skin infections

Colloidal Silver – is natural antibiotic can be applied topically or taken internally.

Starting from diet and clinical nutrition, naturopathic treatment covers a myriad of healing practices including

Herbal medicine – once naturopathic doctor has diagnosed the lifestyle and dietary factors aggravating acne, they will decide on combination of herbs specific to acne caused and symptoms. Nevertheless, ayurvedic formulations using herbal extracts of plants like Bhavprakasha Nigantu and Charak Samhita have been found successful in treating acne.

Acupuncture – Auricular [acupuncture applied to the ear] and electro acupuncture therapies reducing symptoms of acne.

Homeopathy – There have been few studies on effective homeopathic remedies. Usually acne based treatments depend on homeopath’s knowledge and clinical experience and also patients physical, emotional and intellectual make up.

Mind or Body medicine – Emotional stress can worsen acne therefore relaxation therapies such as hypnosis, biofeedback together with cognitive imagery improve acne symptoms.

Though relaxation using hypnosis an individual becomes relaxed and this positive approach influences the activity of hormones and the immune system contributing to reduced inflammation of acne.

Biofeedback is a technique in which an individual is trained to control certain internal bodily processes that normally occur involuntarily such as hear rate [measured by an EKG] and muscle tension [measured by an EMG].

Guided imagery involves formation of mental pictures to promote a variety of favorable physical and emotional effects. This combination of biofeedback and cognitive imagery allows the person to visualize and understand bodily changes when he or she changes form being tense to being relaxed.

Hydrotherapy – is the use of water to treat acne and maintain health. Colon cleansing using hydrotherapy is the alternative medicine that has improved the conditions of acne. Many practitioners feel that overall bodily health is achieved once colon is clean and free from toxins.

Physical therapy covering photodynamic therapy and ultrasound – Both techniques are safe and painless and its duration varies with the severity of acne.

Photodynamic therapy is improving treatment of acne, using a topical medication called aminolevulinic acid which is effective and ultrasound technique is used to calm and soothe red, inflamed skin, enhancing the healing process.

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How To Alleviate Your Acne Problem

Nov 6

Posted by Mike in Acne | No Comments

Acne brings huge problems to teenagers. Teenagers who have acne feel isolated, ugly, and insecure. Who wouldn’t when everywhere you look, only clear skinned people are put on the pedestal.

You tried every acne product out in the market but nothing seems to work. At this point, you feel that your social life is doomed but fret not because acne won’t stay forever if you take the proper actions early.

First step to take is to understand what acne really is and from there you can take the necessary actions in curing or at least reducing your acne problem.

Acne is the term for plugged pores (whiteheads and blackheads), pimples, and deeper lumps (nodules) that happens in the face, neck, chest, back and upper arms. Acne is caused by build up of excess oil and dead skin in a pore. The causes of this are natural hormones, clogged skin and bacteria.

The onset of acne happens between the ages of twelve to seventeen. Almost all teenagers had acne. Many of them used non-prescription treatments to alleviate acne but more than 40% of teenagers in their mid-teens have severe acne cases. Normally, it goes away in the early twenties. Then again, there are many cases wherein acne starts or continues into adulthood.

It is interesting to note though that young men who are more likely to have severe acne, don’t consult dermatologists as much as young women do. But then again, young women are more likely to have irregular acne due to hormonal changes during menstrual cycle or due to the cosmetic products they use. This kind of acne may afflict women even into adulthood.

The ultimate question now is how do you reduce acne?

Knowing the facts that debunk the myths and misconceptions about acne may help you alleviate your acne problem.

Myth 1: Acne is caused by poor hygiene.

This may be true if you don’t wash your face at all. But if you resort to frequent and vigorous washing, it will definitely cause scarring which will worsen acne. The best approach is to gently wash face twice a day with mild soap and use appropriate acne treatment after.

Myth 2: Acne is caused by diet.

Scientific studies debunked this having found that there is no connection between food and acne.

Myth 3: Acne is caused by stress.

Stressors are not important factors in acne. Only severe stress that needs medication can cause acne as side effects.

Myth 4: Acne is just a cosmetic disease.

Acne does affect how people look but there’s no serious threat to physical health. However, acne can result to serious scarring which can affect how these people live their lives.

Myth 5: You just have to let acne run its course.

The truth is, acne can be cleared up using acne products available in the market today. If they don’t work for you, then try seeing a dermatologist.

According to Thiboutot (2000), cure of acne lies in knowing three things:

* That resolution to cure acne takes time;* That what works for one may not work for another;* and that a dermatologist’s help may be needed if all actions you take to cure your acne fail.

Remember that acne responds well to early treatment. So to prevent scarring have your acne treated as soon as acne starts showing up on your face.

————————-Note: This article may be freely reproduced as long as the AUTHOR’S resource box at the bottom of this article is included and and all links must be Active/Linkable with no syntax changes.————————-

©Charlene J. Nuble 2005. For up to date links and information about acne, please go to: http://acne.besthealthlink.net/ or for updated links and information on all health related topics, go to: http://www.besthealthlink.net/

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Acne And Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic Acid) Deficiency

Oct 4

Posted by Mike in Acne | No Comments

Acne Specialist believes there is a correlation between Vitamin B5 deficiency and acne (the most common skin disease), due to modern food processing.
Vitamin B5, aka pantothenic acid, serves the body in many ways. It is a member of the nutritionally elite group of eight vitamins lovingly called the Vitamin B complex. This powerful group of vitamins has a role in nearly every major body system and process. The Vitamin B complex keeps both body and mind functioning and in good health.
Vitamin B5, like all of the vitamins in the B complex, is essential to the body for a number of reasons (also see other sections of acne-specialist.com for more information):
-Pantothenic acid as coenzyme A is closely involved in adrenal cortex function and has come to be known as the “antistress” vitamin. It supports the adrenal glands to increase production of cortisone and other adrenal hormones to help counteract stress. Coenzyme A is vital in the synthesis of fatty acids, cholesterol, steroids, sphingosines, and phospholipids. It also helps synthesize porphyrin, which is connected to hemoglobin.
-Through the above mechanism, Vitamin B5 is also thought to help prevent aging and wrinkles and is important for hair and healthy skin. As you can imagine, it is used in a variety of cosmetic products.
-It has the ability to utilize the food it takes in as fuel for its myriad of processes, great and small. As the coenzyme, Vitamin B5 is important in cellular metabolism of carbohydrates and fats to release energy.
-It works in the regular maintenance and repair of all bodily tissues, from the cellular level on up. This makes it a critical part of the body’s efforts to fight the physical damage to which excessive stress contributes.
-Vitamin B5 serves many important functions in the nervous system — for example, Vitamin B5 contributes to the production of neurotransmitters, which are important to the ability of the nerves to communicate.
-Through its adrenal support, Vitamin B5 may reduce potentially toxic effects of antibiotics and radiation.
-Vitamin B5, acting as a cofactor or partner to other members of the Vitamin B complex as well as other nutrients, has a great role in the functioning of the adrenal glands and also promotes normal growth of the body. This is due to its role in hormone production throughout the body.
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B5 is stable to moist heat and oxidation or reduction (adding or subtracting an electron), though it is easily destroyed by acids (such as vinegar) or alkalis (such as baking soda) and by dry heat. Over half of the pantothenic acid in wheat is lost during milling, and about one-third is degraded in meat during cooking. In many whole foods, Vitamin B5 is readily available.
Only recently the general public is becoming more aware of the importance of whole foods. Yet, diets of the majority of the population are still made up of mostly heavily processed foods (available Vitamin B5 activity is lost during refinement of foods) due to our fast pace, time poor lifestyle of the modern world.
“NO WONDER THE SERIOUS GLOBAL ACNE PROBLEM, PARTICULARLY AMONGST DEVELOPED NATIONS!!!”
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Vitamin B5 / pantothenic acid is found in yeasts, molds, bacteria, and plant and animal cells, as well as in human blood plasma and lymph fluid.
Good sources of pantothenic acid include the organ meats, brewer’s yeast, egg yolks, fish, chicken, whole grain cereals, cheese, peanuts, dried beans, and a variety of vegetables, such as sweet potatoes, green peas, cauliflower, and avocados. Vitamin B5 is also made by the bacterial flora of human intestines, another source for this important metabolic assistant or coenzyme.
Fatigue is probably the earliest and most common symptom of pantothenic acid deficiency. A diet high in refined and processed foods or a reduction or destruction of intestinal flora, most commonly by antibiotic use, can lead to a vitamin B5 deficiency.
Teenagers are more likely to experience a deficiency, because their diets often include high amounts of “fast foods” sugars, and refined flours (all low in B vitamins). And the problem may be compounded because the acne often associated with this type of diet is commonly treated with tetracycline antibiotics, which reduce the intestinal bacteria and thereby the production of pantothenic acid in the colon.
Studies of pantothenic acid deficiency in rats showed increased graying of the fur, decreased growth, and, in the extreme, hemorrhage and destruction of the adrenal glands. In humans, the decreased adrenal function caused by B5 deficiency can lead to a variety of metabolic problems. Fatigue is most likely; there may also be physical and mental depression, a decrease in hydrochloric acid production and other digestive symptoms, some loss of nerve function, and problems in blood sugar metabolism, with symptoms of hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) being the most common. Pantothenic acid affects the function of cells in all systems, and a deficiency may reduce immunity, both cellular and antibody responses. Other symptoms of B5 deficiency include vomiting, abdominal cramps, skin problems, tachycardia, insomnia, tingling of the hands and feet, muscle cramps, recurrent upper respiratory infections, and worsening of allergy symptoms.
Therapeutic ranges are more like 250-500 mg daily and even higher, taken, of course, along with the other B complex vitamins. Individual needs vary according to food intake, degree of stress, and whether one is pregnant or lactating. Those people who eat a diet of processed foods, have a stressful lifestyle, or have allergies require higher amounts of pantothenic acid.
As with other B vitamins, there are no specific toxic effects from high doses of pantothenic acid. Over 1,000 mg daily has been taken for over six months with no side effects; when 1,500 mg or more is taken daily for several weeks, some people experience a superficial sensitivity in their teeth. However, it is possible that if B5 is taken without other B vitamins, it may create metabolic imbalance.

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