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!
Tuesday, 29 January 2013
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!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)