My face is a bit better as of the past couple of days. There could be several reasons, and I'll probably never know what it is:
- the right time of the month. my period arrived. my face exploded. my period passed, my face improves
- i finished my 21 day detox cleanse
- i have been eating almost nothing but race products, beans, nuts, fruits, vegetables, milk supplements, vitamins/supplements, and protein powder for 21 days.
- antibiotics or prescription topical meds starting to work?
i'm afraid my face will soon explode in breakouts again soon. only time will tell.
i also started reading the book my naturopathic dr recommended, called Skin Deep. it goes against everything i believe - it wants you to think deeply and reflexively about all the stupid little annoying events that happen in your life and ponder about how those events might affect you emotionally. I rather just not dwell, but alas, i said i'd try everything, and so i keep reading... and pondering...
tomorrow, second appointment with my dermatologist. Next week, naturopathic dr. again.
Tuesday, 23 April 2013
Monday, 8 April 2013
diet review
just so it's clear, here's my current diet:
- no gluten
- no dairy
- no meat except seafood (which I haven't eaten in a week...)
- no corn
- no soy/tofu
- low glycemic load (mind you not very successfully)
- no sugar
- no eggs
- lots of fluids including daily fennel/mint tea
other rules that i adhered to regardless of acne:
- no alcohol
- no caffeine
I also found out I react to the following, and thus have cut out:
- peanuts
- kidney beans
- shrimp
somewhat react to, and cut out/down:
- tomato
- sesame seed
- no gluten
- no dairy
- no meat except seafood (which I haven't eaten in a week...)
- no corn
- no soy/tofu
- low glycemic load (mind you not very successfully)
- no sugar
- no eggs
- lots of fluids including daily fennel/mint tea
other rules that i adhered to regardless of acne:
- no alcohol
- no caffeine
I also found out I react to the following, and thus have cut out:
- peanuts
- kidney beans
- shrimp
somewhat react to, and cut out/down:
- tomato
- sesame seed
milk review
(yes, literally my fridge)
giving up milk wasn't the end of the world for me (giving up cheese/dairy altogether on the other hand...). I will say that nothing will ever compare to a nice cold glass of milk, creamy latte, or a cup of hot milk before bed, but it has been a bit of an adventure to look for a substitute for milk.
first of all, the soy milks (silk and so nice) are not mine as this detox calls for no soy or soy products. (although as far as soy milks go, so nice is obviously way superior, no contest).
I also have flip flopped with drinking and giving up rice milk. When i first started the detox i was drinking quite a bit of rice milk primarily. then i decided i was having way too many carbs. I decided almond milk was better in most senses (teeny bit more protein, less calories, almost no carbs, and nice a creamy).
before giving up rice milk again, I decided rice dream was fair. I didn't try the basmati rice milk or the ryza.
The silk True Almond milk is quite good. Like I said, it's quite creamy. When I first starting drinking milk alternatives, i found most of them way watery relative to actual milk, which disappointed me because i love everything creamy. I must say, almond milk is good competition when it comes to creaminess.
The downfall of almond milk is i don't find it goes particularly well in smoothies. it's ok, but it doens't compare with rice milk. I guess the almond is not the right kind of creaminess.
coconut milk is a good substitute. way less carbs than rice milk as well, but high in fats (which i'm told by the dr i'm practically immune to, i can eat all the fatty stuff i want. not my problem). when i first started the detox diet i was a little addicted to coconut milk-pineapple smoothies. yum.
I've tried flax milk a while ago. haven't opened t his box yet but i remember it because a fair comparison to rice milk. will have to try it again.
I have no doubt in about 4 weeks i'll be so sick of milk substitutes that i won't want to look at or taste another one for 6 months... happens to everything i overdo. and i tend to overdo everything in small bursts.
AMAZING people
Today I looked at this
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=acne+coverage
Which made me feel a bit better. So many confident, brave, beautiful people out there. In general, so many people out there with acne.
On another note, today is day 7 of my detox cleanse. tomorrow starts day 1 of 7 of consuming 1 protein shake before each meal.
man am i ever sick of protein smoothies already.
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=acne+coverage
Which made me feel a bit better. So many confident, brave, beautiful people out there. In general, so many people out there with acne.
On another note, today is day 7 of my detox cleanse. tomorrow starts day 1 of 7 of consuming 1 protein shake before each meal.
man am i ever sick of protein smoothies already.
Sunday, 7 April 2013
fighting acne one smoothie at a time a.k.a Detox Cleanse
I had my follow up appointment with the naturopath on March 28. it was quite interested.
I got the results of my IgG antibody test. not sure if it's bogus considering one drop of blood yielded two pages of results indicating the amount of antibodies present in my body as a result of a list of about 80 foods..
Anyway, if it's accurate, then I'm "allergic" to, or have inflammation as a result of many foods that I have already been trying to cut out - mostly dairy and gluten products.
What was interesting, however, as that i have a high level of antibodies as a response to foods that i thought were go-to, or safe foods, including foods i was eating every single day. Namely egg (egg white yields a higher inflammatory/antibody response than egg yolk), bananas, peanuts, and kidney beans. So yet more items to add to the do-not-eat list.
i also started my detox cleanse diet which consists of 3 weeks of strictly staying away from certain foods, and drinking protein shake smoothies throughout the day. I am on day 6. By day 8, I am to have 3 protein shakes per day, which means i'm getting my daily protein in shakes alone. Gross.
the shakes are disgusting.
on the bright side, i am learning the joy of fruit smoothies, and trying different types of milk replacements.
the results? skin is still getting worse day by day as it always has since 8 months ago or so.
part of it, i sometimes think, may be due to the amount of carbs i consume. i'm sticking to the diet pretty strictly (and it's not easy. it includes cutting out tofu, soy, and corn.... what?!). with such a restricted diet, i justify to myself htat it's ok to eat a gigantic bag of potato chips or veggie chips per day. so i need to learn to cut that out and see if my skin might get better...
quite discouraging indeed.
I got the results of my IgG antibody test. not sure if it's bogus considering one drop of blood yielded two pages of results indicating the amount of antibodies present in my body as a result of a list of about 80 foods..
Anyway, if it's accurate, then I'm "allergic" to, or have inflammation as a result of many foods that I have already been trying to cut out - mostly dairy and gluten products.
What was interesting, however, as that i have a high level of antibodies as a response to foods that i thought were go-to, or safe foods, including foods i was eating every single day. Namely egg (egg white yields a higher inflammatory/antibody response than egg yolk), bananas, peanuts, and kidney beans. So yet more items to add to the do-not-eat list.
i also started my detox cleanse diet which consists of 3 weeks of strictly staying away from certain foods, and drinking protein shake smoothies throughout the day. I am on day 6. By day 8, I am to have 3 protein shakes per day, which means i'm getting my daily protein in shakes alone. Gross.
the shakes are disgusting.
on the bright side, i am learning the joy of fruit smoothies, and trying different types of milk replacements.
the results? skin is still getting worse day by day as it always has since 8 months ago or so.
part of it, i sometimes think, may be due to the amount of carbs i consume. i'm sticking to the diet pretty strictly (and it's not easy. it includes cutting out tofu, soy, and corn.... what?!). with such a restricted diet, i justify to myself htat it's ok to eat a gigantic bag of potato chips or veggie chips per day. so i need to learn to cut that out and see if my skin might get better...
quite discouraging indeed.
Wednesday, 20 March 2013
update
so depressed these days.
no improvements.
funny how i didn't want to take one tiny little pill on a daily basis, gave it up, only to have my face explode and now I take oodles of pills daily.
My regimen right now:
pills:
antibiotics twice per day
zinc supplement
omega 3 supplement
probiotics x2
Morning: sometimes i apply a topical antibiotic
at night: topical vitamin A (basically same as accutane but topical form)
diet-wise, i've pretty much given up. i still try to eat gluten free, dairy free, low glycemic, no chicken/beef/pork, but i definitely cheat on a daily basis. what constitutes as cheating though exactly? eating a small bag of popcorn chips, eating a small piece of dairy free, gluten free cake... generally up until 6-7 pm, i'm on track.
just not seeing any results...
no improvements.
funny how i didn't want to take one tiny little pill on a daily basis, gave it up, only to have my face explode and now I take oodles of pills daily.
My regimen right now:
pills:
antibiotics twice per day
zinc supplement
omega 3 supplement
probiotics x2
Morning: sometimes i apply a topical antibiotic
at night: topical vitamin A (basically same as accutane but topical form)
diet-wise, i've pretty much given up. i still try to eat gluten free, dairy free, low glycemic, no chicken/beef/pork, but i definitely cheat on a daily basis. what constitutes as cheating though exactly? eating a small bag of popcorn chips, eating a small piece of dairy free, gluten free cake... generally up until 6-7 pm, i'm on track.
just not seeing any results...
Monday, 11 March 2013
Tuesday, 26 February 2013
dermatologist appointment
after months of waiting, my dermatologist appointment finally arrived today.
she suggested I continue the antibiotics for now, and to continue with the Vitamin A cream.
contrary to what the walk in clinic dr said, the dermatologist says that I can use exfoliants, maybe once per week. She said masks are ok, moisturizers are ok. She even said my makeup is ok if it's oil free or non comedogenic. Not only is my Vichy makeup ok, there was an ad for it in her office.
She said the Vitamin A cream can be used longterm but the antibiotics should be no more than 6 weeks because then I'll start building up resistence to it. She said my clindomycin topic med is overkill. it's just another antibiotic and i'll become resistant.
She also said to wash my face with a washcloth as this exfoliates as well. Contrary to what the walk in dr said, she said tersaseptic is ok except for the fact that it might dry my skin out too much. She recommended Oxy instead, and to use it at night, continue my long term use of spectrogel in the morning.
Contrary to walk in clinic dr, the dermatologist says diet and acne are related. Only specifically carbs and sugars. She said to consume in moderation.
So the battle continues. my acne fluctuates. It is really bad right now, no signs of improvement...
she suggested I continue the antibiotics for now, and to continue with the Vitamin A cream.
contrary to what the walk in clinic dr said, the dermatologist says that I can use exfoliants, maybe once per week. She said masks are ok, moisturizers are ok. She even said my makeup is ok if it's oil free or non comedogenic. Not only is my Vichy makeup ok, there was an ad for it in her office.
She said the Vitamin A cream can be used longterm but the antibiotics should be no more than 6 weeks because then I'll start building up resistence to it. She said my clindomycin topic med is overkill. it's just another antibiotic and i'll become resistant.
She also said to wash my face with a washcloth as this exfoliates as well. Contrary to what the walk in dr said, she said tersaseptic is ok except for the fact that it might dry my skin out too much. She recommended Oxy instead, and to use it at night, continue my long term use of spectrogel in the morning.
Contrary to walk in clinic dr, the dermatologist says diet and acne are related. Only specifically carbs and sugars. She said to consume in moderation.
So the battle continues. my acne fluctuates. It is really bad right now, no signs of improvement...
Tuesday, 12 February 2013
update
i was going to call this post "some good news" but i'm not going to jinx myself or speak too soon (yes I'm superstitious like that).
I was wondering if my diet was causing me harm, so I decided to get a blood test, especially since I eat very similar meals or foods every single day with little variety, so I figured it would be best to find out as soon as possible if I lacked some nutrients or minerals or whatever. I figured since I was at the dr, i'd ask for a referral to a dermatologist in hopes of getting a second opinion (on top of the dermatologist referral I already have in two weeks)
So I went to the walk in clinic near home and saw the MD on Feb 9. I told him I was there to see him for several reasons, and immediately he said there wasn't much time, and that we wouldn't necessary get through it all (bad start). I told him primarily I was there for a requisition for bloodwork. He asked me why. I told him it was because I had changed my diet drastically and wasn't sure if it was impacting on my health. He asked me why I changed my diet. I told him because of acne.
well, he just had a field day. he excitedly (or so it seemed to me warped mind). he told me he specialised in acne and started explaining the purpose and benefits treatment. When I asked what treatment he was even talking about, he said he couldn't discuss that yet because he hadn't yet examined the acne (which begs the question - how could you even start explaining purpose and benefits of treatment when you haven't figured out what the treatment is yet?!?). (asshole)
I tried to redirect him at some point, asking him "well don't you want to know the symptoms that cause me worry about my diet and lead me to want a blood test?" (symptoms that I think might be serious like excess urination). he kind of shrugged it off, saying it could be diabetes, and then returned to the acne.
... it could be DIABETES? and shrugged it off and changed the subject? what the hell is wrong with this guy? He didn't even check off some things on the blood work requisition form like checking sodium or potassium levels. He really didn't seem to care at all about whether I was developing diabetes, if my kidneys were shutting down, or if i was dying...
anyway, he prescribed something topical to be applied at bedtime - clindomycin phosphate, and an antibiotic - minocycline.
i have stopped acupuncture after 4 treatments over 2 weeks (last visit was on Saturday, same day as the clinic visit), and I have somewhat given up on my strict diet of avoiding all sugars, milks, and only low glycemic foods (I not eat a milk chocolate every now and again, and yogurt because of the antibiotic, as well as hummus and some gluten free carb foods maybe once a day or less).
it's now day 4 and I think I'm noticing minor improvements. Not enough to say whether the topical and oral meds are helping, maybe, since the acne is still obviously there. However, I am noticing that pimples go away in less time, and don't blow up like they might have before. So things are somewhat looking up.
although the dr (albeit personality wise, still think he's an asshole) did say it would take about 8 months to treat the acne(which is almost exactly how long it took the first time around when I was 21), but he said "2013 is the last year you'll have acne" which was nice to hear even though I am skeptical.
as an aside - the blood test was done today and was not as painful as acupuncture!! Not sure why but acupuncture continued to be quite uncomfortable and painful for some needle insertions. It also didn't seem to be making a difference.
I was wondering if my diet was causing me harm, so I decided to get a blood test, especially since I eat very similar meals or foods every single day with little variety, so I figured it would be best to find out as soon as possible if I lacked some nutrients or minerals or whatever. I figured since I was at the dr, i'd ask for a referral to a dermatologist in hopes of getting a second opinion (on top of the dermatologist referral I already have in two weeks)
So I went to the walk in clinic near home and saw the MD on Feb 9. I told him I was there to see him for several reasons, and immediately he said there wasn't much time, and that we wouldn't necessary get through it all (bad start). I told him primarily I was there for a requisition for bloodwork. He asked me why. I told him it was because I had changed my diet drastically and wasn't sure if it was impacting on my health. He asked me why I changed my diet. I told him because of acne.
well, he just had a field day. he excitedly (or so it seemed to me warped mind). he told me he specialised in acne and started explaining the purpose and benefits treatment. When I asked what treatment he was even talking about, he said he couldn't discuss that yet because he hadn't yet examined the acne (which begs the question - how could you even start explaining purpose and benefits of treatment when you haven't figured out what the treatment is yet?!?). (asshole)
I tried to redirect him at some point, asking him "well don't you want to know the symptoms that cause me worry about my diet and lead me to want a blood test?" (symptoms that I think might be serious like excess urination). he kind of shrugged it off, saying it could be diabetes, and then returned to the acne.
... it could be DIABETES? and shrugged it off and changed the subject? what the hell is wrong with this guy? He didn't even check off some things on the blood work requisition form like checking sodium or potassium levels. He really didn't seem to care at all about whether I was developing diabetes, if my kidneys were shutting down, or if i was dying...
anyway, he prescribed something topical to be applied at bedtime - clindomycin phosphate, and an antibiotic - minocycline.
i have stopped acupuncture after 4 treatments over 2 weeks (last visit was on Saturday, same day as the clinic visit), and I have somewhat given up on my strict diet of avoiding all sugars, milks, and only low glycemic foods (I not eat a milk chocolate every now and again, and yogurt because of the antibiotic, as well as hummus and some gluten free carb foods maybe once a day or less).
it's now day 4 and I think I'm noticing minor improvements. Not enough to say whether the topical and oral meds are helping, maybe, since the acne is still obviously there. However, I am noticing that pimples go away in less time, and don't blow up like they might have before. So things are somewhat looking up.
although the dr (albeit personality wise, still think he's an asshole) did say it would take about 8 months to treat the acne(which is almost exactly how long it took the first time around when I was 21), but he said "2013 is the last year you'll have acne" which was nice to hear even though I am skeptical.
as an aside - the blood test was done today and was not as painful as acupuncture!! Not sure why but acupuncture continued to be quite uncomfortable and painful for some needle insertions. It also didn't seem to be making a difference.
Sunday, 3 February 2013
diet update addendum
oh! Forgot to mention that I saw a dietician. must say, it was bit disappointing. There were a lot of "I don't know"s and "I'm not very good at math", or "I can't remember at the top of my head right now" tied with " I don't have internet access right now" types of responses from the dietician.
Some things I took away:
- she feels that the people who have successfully decreased acne are the ones that COMPLETELY cut out gluten. none of this limiting-my-gluten. It has to be all the way.
- need to watch my fibre
- She hadn't heard of a low glycemic diet to treat acne, but she said that it is best to keep sugar/insulin levels stable, and prevent spikes, thus not eating a whole shitload of high glycemic foods at once. Fibre helps to level insulin levels. She had never heard of "low glycemic load", only "low glycemic index".
- I am possibly overloading on some vitamins or minerals by taking multi vitamins on top of eating loads of fruits.
- She thinks I should eat more carbs
- She thinks I might be lacking protein (not so sure about these last two)
Some things I took away:
- she feels that the people who have successfully decreased acne are the ones that COMPLETELY cut out gluten. none of this limiting-my-gluten. It has to be all the way.
- need to watch my fibre
- She hadn't heard of a low glycemic diet to treat acne, but she said that it is best to keep sugar/insulin levels stable, and prevent spikes, thus not eating a whole shitload of high glycemic foods at once. Fibre helps to level insulin levels. She had never heard of "low glycemic load", only "low glycemic index".
- I am possibly overloading on some vitamins or minerals by taking multi vitamins on top of eating loads of fruits.
- She thinks I should eat more carbs
- She thinks I might be lacking protein (not so sure about these last two)
Diet update
First, as a side note, I tried to upload pictures, but no matter what I try, it uploads rotated, so I just gave up. Plus when you upload a pic onto here, it automatically also uploads into picasa, and who knows where else on the internet world, which scared the hell out of me. so right now, no pics. sorry :(
Anywho, just wanted to update that i have been caving recently and completely giving into my sugar cravings. Partially though, I wanted to see if there was any link with acne. The past few days (about 4 days) I've been eating cookies/milk chocolate, etc at night. The first few days, I didn't notice any difference. Well.... today, my face just EXPLODED. my acne seems to have gotten 1000 times worse (I like to exaggerate). Although this coincides with getting my period which I would think is a more likely culprit.
Anyway, I decided I would probably still continue to eat my beloved cookies. Bought some gluten free ones today and they are less sugary than the chocolate coated cookies that I was eating prior. I will limit what I eat to about 2 cookies and see if it really does make my acne significantly worse... The battle continues.
Tuesday, 29 January 2013
acupunture
today i tried acupuncture for the first time. yes, desperate times call for whatever the heck measures i can randomly come up with.
mistake #1: I rushed into scheduling appointments with a dietician, acupuncturist, and almost a naturopathic dr. Instead of looking for professionals that specialize or have specific experience in treating acne, I just looked up any practitioner nearby.
so i ended up seeing a chiropractor nearby at a sports clinic (didn't know at the time she had a sports-specific clinic!) but she was open to seeing me anyway (who wouldn't? people in private practice don't turn down customers). She was super nice and was able to tell me what kind of treatment she would provide to me related to acne. plus she billed me for chiropractic services which means i can still save insurance dollars for visits to another acupuncturist if this doesn't work.
specifically, she focused on releasing "heat energy" and on points that relieve stress, since acne and stress are greatly related.
i know everyone seems to say that acupuncture does not hurt. Well, I am both a wuss and an over thinker. So I'm not sure if it was just psychological, but it was a quite unpleasant experience. One of the needles in particular went in and continued to cause discomfort - the same discomfort I feel when blood is being drawn. But my chiro just readjusted and then the discomfort was relieved. I had to lie with the needles in for about 20 minutes during which I only felt psychological discomfort knowing there were tons of needles poking into my body. Ironic the needles were in positions to try to relieve stress when I was feeling so much stress as a result of the whole experience!
now I still have soreness in may arms and in my leg. (still went for a 6 km jog afterwards though, felt ok).
I'll have to see if any changes result. so far, emotionally I feel quite good. In fact, I was talking to my husband thinking "wow, I can't remember the last time I spoke to you pleasantly, not in a pissy, stressed tone". Although, not sure it's related to acupuncture, or could simply be the satisfaction of being able to spill all my acne concerns to a health care professional.
will update on results!
mistake #1: I rushed into scheduling appointments with a dietician, acupuncturist, and almost a naturopathic dr. Instead of looking for professionals that specialize or have specific experience in treating acne, I just looked up any practitioner nearby.
so i ended up seeing a chiropractor nearby at a sports clinic (didn't know at the time she had a sports-specific clinic!) but she was open to seeing me anyway (who wouldn't? people in private practice don't turn down customers). She was super nice and was able to tell me what kind of treatment she would provide to me related to acne. plus she billed me for chiropractic services which means i can still save insurance dollars for visits to another acupuncturist if this doesn't work.
specifically, she focused on releasing "heat energy" and on points that relieve stress, since acne and stress are greatly related.
i know everyone seems to say that acupuncture does not hurt. Well, I am both a wuss and an over thinker. So I'm not sure if it was just psychological, but it was a quite unpleasant experience. One of the needles in particular went in and continued to cause discomfort - the same discomfort I feel when blood is being drawn. But my chiro just readjusted and then the discomfort was relieved. I had to lie with the needles in for about 20 minutes during which I only felt psychological discomfort knowing there were tons of needles poking into my body. Ironic the needles were in positions to try to relieve stress when I was feeling so much stress as a result of the whole experience!
now I still have soreness in may arms and in my leg. (still went for a 6 km jog afterwards though, felt ok).
I'll have to see if any changes result. so far, emotionally I feel quite good. In fact, I was talking to my husband thinking "wow, I can't remember the last time I spoke to you pleasantly, not in a pissy, stressed tone". Although, not sure it's related to acupuncture, or could simply be the satisfaction of being able to spill all my acne concerns to a health care professional.
will update on results!
Saturday, 26 January 2013
diet
So i have read that diet has no effect on acne.
....AND I have read that having antioxidants, plenty of fluids, omega 3, low glycemic diet, and avoiding dairy, meats, caffeine, and gluten can help reduce acne.
A lot of people say that in certain parts of the world, it is because of the particular diet that rarely anyone has any acne. I guess it could be environmental factors though like humidity and temperature. (Recently I went to Miami and for those few days, my skin seemed to have improved a bit, possibly due to the humidity?)
I don't want to turn to hormones again. I really prefer to find a sustainable method for treating my acne. Going back on birth control is only a temporary solution in my mind because I will soon want to start a family.
today I went to Sephora to look for possible skin cleaning products (which I'll write about in a separate entry) but noticing all the sales people who also had issues with their complexion made me think that the solution is not necessarily in skin treatments either. If these treatments worked, then wouldn't the Sephora employees be benefiting the most? I tend to stick to a very simple regimen, but out of desperation, I went and picked up some products
Altered diet:
Anywho, all this to say, I figured I would try to alter my diet, thus taking a natural approach. It never hurts to improve your diet anyway.
For some background, I should say that I had already given up eating beef a couple of years ago, and pork about 6 months ago. I was gradually trying to become vegetarian. So my meat intake is already pretty limited. I had also limited my sugar intake about a year ago so eating sweets like desserts of any sort, sweetened drinks, or even sweetened products like salad dressings and sauces for example, were pretty limited anyway. I had also given up alcohol of any sort about a year ago, as well as caffeine (except for the rare times when I drink regular black tea instead of decaf). And finally, I had limited gluten in my diet, eating for example gluten free bread, and rice based crackers instead of usual crackers.
YES. i sound completely crazy for already having cut out/down caffeine, alcohol, beef, pork, sugar, gluten. But at least having already made all these changes, I figured, what's a few more?
In the past couple of weeks I have been sticking to a low glycemic diet, cutting dairy, and focusing on maximizing on antioxidants. I've also started taking multivitamins with omega 3. Unfortunately because I work in the community, having to travel throughout the day, I am limited in how much I can drink because I have the smallest bladder in the world.
I have stopped eating breads, pastas, potatoes, etc to accompany my meals. just stick to protein, veggies, and fruits. The hardest part though was giving up cheese.... ooooh, how i miss cheese!
a couple of months ago I started substituting milk with rice milk. now i've cut out rice milk because of the high glycemic load. Instead I have soy milk, flax milk, or almond milk. Although nothing compares to a yummy tall glass of cold milk, I usually just add soy/flax/almond milk to my teas anyway, so the change is bearable.
Examples:
Some typical meals that I've been having for example:
- spinach salad with lots of nuts, strawberries, avocado, with side of fruit salad
- fish with vegetable sides
typical snacks:
- lots of fruits
- lots of raw vegetables
- various nuts like walnuts, soy nuts, peanuts, pistachios
Difficulties:
In addition to missing my milk and cheese, i find it's so difficult to go out to eat. so rare does a meal not come with high glycemic sides like potatoes, bread, fries, etc... things i also LOVE. Especially when i have to endure watching my husband munch away at these wonderfully delicious items... so naturally I steal a few bites.
Another part that's difficult is cutting out my yummy rice chip snacks. I had stocked up on these thinking I was making such a healthy move, choosing rice over gluten products. Alas, the rice snacks all pile up in my cupboards uneaten.
The first couple of weeks were going ok but having went to miami last week and having eaten out every meal, I think I'm falling back into some old tendencies. I find myself cheating and eating a few cookies here and there, a bite of bread, or a couple of fries. but generally I stick to my diet up until after suppertime (prime snack time).
Results:
Has the low glycemic load, no caffeine, no alcohol, no dairy, gluten free, high antioxidant + Omega 3 diet been helping with the acne?
Nope. :(
....AND I have read that having antioxidants, plenty of fluids, omega 3, low glycemic diet, and avoiding dairy, meats, caffeine, and gluten can help reduce acne.
A lot of people say that in certain parts of the world, it is because of the particular diet that rarely anyone has any acne. I guess it could be environmental factors though like humidity and temperature. (Recently I went to Miami and for those few days, my skin seemed to have improved a bit, possibly due to the humidity?)
I don't want to turn to hormones again. I really prefer to find a sustainable method for treating my acne. Going back on birth control is only a temporary solution in my mind because I will soon want to start a family.
today I went to Sephora to look for possible skin cleaning products (which I'll write about in a separate entry) but noticing all the sales people who also had issues with their complexion made me think that the solution is not necessarily in skin treatments either. If these treatments worked, then wouldn't the Sephora employees be benefiting the most? I tend to stick to a very simple regimen, but out of desperation, I went and picked up some products
Altered diet:
Anywho, all this to say, I figured I would try to alter my diet, thus taking a natural approach. It never hurts to improve your diet anyway.
For some background, I should say that I had already given up eating beef a couple of years ago, and pork about 6 months ago. I was gradually trying to become vegetarian. So my meat intake is already pretty limited. I had also limited my sugar intake about a year ago so eating sweets like desserts of any sort, sweetened drinks, or even sweetened products like salad dressings and sauces for example, were pretty limited anyway. I had also given up alcohol of any sort about a year ago, as well as caffeine (except for the rare times when I drink regular black tea instead of decaf). And finally, I had limited gluten in my diet, eating for example gluten free bread, and rice based crackers instead of usual crackers.
YES. i sound completely crazy for already having cut out/down caffeine, alcohol, beef, pork, sugar, gluten. But at least having already made all these changes, I figured, what's a few more?
In the past couple of weeks I have been sticking to a low glycemic diet, cutting dairy, and focusing on maximizing on antioxidants. I've also started taking multivitamins with omega 3. Unfortunately because I work in the community, having to travel throughout the day, I am limited in how much I can drink because I have the smallest bladder in the world.
I have stopped eating breads, pastas, potatoes, etc to accompany my meals. just stick to protein, veggies, and fruits. The hardest part though was giving up cheese.... ooooh, how i miss cheese!
a couple of months ago I started substituting milk with rice milk. now i've cut out rice milk because of the high glycemic load. Instead I have soy milk, flax milk, or almond milk. Although nothing compares to a yummy tall glass of cold milk, I usually just add soy/flax/almond milk to my teas anyway, so the change is bearable.
Examples:
Some typical meals that I've been having for example:
- spinach salad with lots of nuts, strawberries, avocado, with side of fruit salad
- fish with vegetable sides
typical snacks:
- lots of fruits
- lots of raw vegetables
- various nuts like walnuts, soy nuts, peanuts, pistachios
Difficulties:
In addition to missing my milk and cheese, i find it's so difficult to go out to eat. so rare does a meal not come with high glycemic sides like potatoes, bread, fries, etc... things i also LOVE. Especially when i have to endure watching my husband munch away at these wonderfully delicious items... so naturally I steal a few bites.
Another part that's difficult is cutting out my yummy rice chip snacks. I had stocked up on these thinking I was making such a healthy move, choosing rice over gluten products. Alas, the rice snacks all pile up in my cupboards uneaten.
The first couple of weeks were going ok but having went to miami last week and having eaten out every meal, I think I'm falling back into some old tendencies. I find myself cheating and eating a few cookies here and there, a bite of bread, or a couple of fries. but generally I stick to my diet up until after suppertime (prime snack time).
Results:
Has the low glycemic load, no caffeine, no alcohol, no dairy, gluten free, high antioxidant + Omega 3 diet been helping with the acne?
Nope. :(
Friday, 25 January 2013
Feeling hopeless
Hello webworld.
I hate to start on a negative note but I've decided to start a blog about my battle with adult acne unfortunately because I feel that my condition is worsening by the day and I would love to be able to connect with others who might be in similar positions, sharing the same frustrations. My hope is that someone out there is listening, and possibly even realise that they are not alone!
Here's a bit about me:
I am 28 years old and started to develop acne around age 13. It was quite bad in my teen years, and improved a bit by the time I was entering my 20s. By my early 20s I started birth control which cleared my face significantly, almost perfectly, especially relative to now.
June 2012 I stopped taking the pill because of fears around potential associated health risks. Gradually my acne returned, first in the form of many clear little bumps on my forehead, then by around September, inflamed pimples invading my whole face. By then I started wearing make up every single day (prior, I had worn makeup only about once every 1-2 months for special occasions). Now, January 2013, my acne is worse than I ever remember in life, and seemingly worsening day by day.
With built up frustration, in the past month there have been times where I broke down crying. ... then followed quickly by thoughts about how ridiculous it is that I'm crying about my appearance when I am so fortunate in so many other areas in my life.
Anywho, the battle continues. I will post pictures soon and talk about some of the things I've tried or plan on trying.
Pls let me know if anyone's out there!
I hate to start on a negative note but I've decided to start a blog about my battle with adult acne unfortunately because I feel that my condition is worsening by the day and I would love to be able to connect with others who might be in similar positions, sharing the same frustrations. My hope is that someone out there is listening, and possibly even realise that they are not alone!
Here's a bit about me:
I am 28 years old and started to develop acne around age 13. It was quite bad in my teen years, and improved a bit by the time I was entering my 20s. By my early 20s I started birth control which cleared my face significantly, almost perfectly, especially relative to now.
June 2012 I stopped taking the pill because of fears around potential associated health risks. Gradually my acne returned, first in the form of many clear little bumps on my forehead, then by around September, inflamed pimples invading my whole face. By then I started wearing make up every single day (prior, I had worn makeup only about once every 1-2 months for special occasions). Now, January 2013, my acne is worse than I ever remember in life, and seemingly worsening day by day.
With built up frustration, in the past month there have been times where I broke down crying. ... then followed quickly by thoughts about how ridiculous it is that I'm crying about my appearance when I am so fortunate in so many other areas in my life.
Anywho, the battle continues. I will post pictures soon and talk about some of the things I've tried or plan on trying.
Pls let me know if anyone's out there!
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