How I Stopped Letting Acne Rule My Life; Or, A Primer on Clearing Inflammation

There was a point eighteen months ago when my acne was so bad that I got facials every three weeks, and had a daily skincare routine that incorporated anywhere from 8-10 products per day. EVERY DAY, people. While my skin started to look slightly better, it was more like icing on a turd, and it got to the point where I could no longer go on pretending that I could just put a ton of stuff on my face and pray the spots away.

I had always struggled with acne, but this was different: not only was I breaking out daily with painful, active whiteheads, I had terrible cystic acne around my chin; Rosacea appeared on my cheeks for the first time in my life; and anytime I was out in the sun a little too long, even though I wore SPF, my face would get little blisters all over.

So, time to figure out the source of the constant face fire.

Hormones! they say. You break out because you have a hormonal imbalance. What they DON'T tell you is how to balance your hormones. Birth control! they say. That will balance you out. Here's a prescription for the rest of your life, don't mind the side effects that could end up being worse than the acne ever was.

("They" being doctor's of course, which--FULL DISCLOSURE--doctors are great! Listen to your physician. And, I just wanted to exercise all other options before popping synthetic hormones). 

Do you know how to balance hormones naturally? Yeah, I didn't either.

Dios mio!

I met initially with a fantastic acupuncturist, Amy P. I also began my foray into studying nutrition. It got obvious that everything I had ever learned simply no longer worked.

For the longest time prior to all this I tried (and failed miserably) to be a vegetarian. I felt I *had* to be one in order to ever succeed and be taken seriously as a yoga teacher (that's another story-Bernadette Birney breaks it down real nice here). As I deepened my knowledge about food as medicine, I learned that the foods I ate on a daily basis were not only the cause of my acne, but actually causing me to operate from a constant state of inflammation. You guessed it! ZITS GALORE.

The main staples of my diet were foods containing gluten, dairy, and soy. These are the top three most inflammatory foods among most people. While there are other foods that are inflammatory, these three are a good starting point if you suspect you are inflamed.

I chose to go 90 days free of these foods. At first I freaked out a little, because it was not uncommon for me to have cereal or bread for breakfast, a sandwich for lunch, and pasta or grains for dinner. I had to rethink and reframe my entire pantry, and expand my cooking repertoire. I was also that annoying person at the restaurant who asks the server 900 questions about the menu. I probably would have given up, but at this point, I was willing to try anything to not feel bummed out every time I looked in a mirror.

Poor Brad!

This might sound crazy, but I noticed a difference within 36 hours. My skin didn't clear that fast, mind you; however, as the days went on I seemed to have fewer and fewer new zits. The immediacy of the results bolstered me greatly as I continued my three month cleanse.

I learned about other things that may cause inflammation. A big one is refined and hydrogenated vegetable oils. Examples of these include:

• canola oil
• soybean oil
• sunflower oil
• cottonseed oil
• safflower oil
• peanut oil
• corn oil
• anything hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated
  
  
  
  

The way these oils are extracted is to put the seed/bean/grain under a tremendous amount of heat. During that process, the oil oxidizes and creates free radicals, which you then ingest when you eat the oils. It doesn't matter how many antioxidants you eat in your food or smear all over your face with fancy products, if your diet is full of these oils, you will probably undo a lot of that good.

So, I started cooking with butter, and animal fats, and coconut oil. Since soy, dairy, and gluten were off limits (for the time being), I filled my plate with high quality sources of animal protein, tons of veggies, and plenty of healthy fats (in addition to what I already mentioned, examples of healthy fats are avocados, nuts and seeds, and fish as often as I could afford it).

My skin continued to clear. People started to notice. I got a cute haircut again and sometimes would just stare at my face, marveling at it's smoothness. It felt really really good.

Acne is one symptom of chronic inflammation. Other signs are indigestion or bloating; acid reflux or heartburn; joint pain and arthritis; itchy skin, or rashes; and allergies. If you experience one or more of these symptoms, you might consider eradicating these foods from your diet to see if you improve.

While I started out very strict, over time I have been able to re-introduce these foods in small amounts without negative side-effects or breakouts. In this process, I have become pretty adept in the kitchen, and these foods are no longer my go-tos. I can now have soy in my chocolate, a slice of pizza every now and again, and my favorite cheese without my skin erupting. And, when I tip a little too far out of balance, I have a bright red reminder the next day that reminds me to up the veggie intake.

Me now*

Not everyone will be able to re-introduce foods they are sensitive to without flaring up the old symptoms. If you are one of these people, instead of focusing on what you CAN'T eat, crowd your plate with all the other delicious and nutritious wonders of the vegetable and animal world. Chances are, it will be worth a life free of chronic pain/acne/room clearing farts. Not to mention that clearing inflammation NOW will probably play a great role in keeping you disease free and healthy for as long as possible.

Let me know what you think! I'd love to hear your questions and comments.

*That's not really me. 

Election results 2012

If it isn't obvious considering I am a yoga teacher/health nut/spiritualish person living in San Francisco, CA, I will share here that I was QUITE PLEASED with the results of the presidential election. Obama is still part of the machine; however I am a stand for civil rights for all humans and who wants to be on the wrong side of history when it comes to stuff like that!???

Moving on--Prop 37, which would have required the labeling of foods containing GMO's (Genetically Modified Organisms) did not pass, which was the BUMMER of the election. I've included a handy chart for you to get a good visual on where a lot of these so-called "natural" "healthy" foods actually stand when it comes to not only the health of their customers, but their stance on protecting the environment (e tu, Ben & Jerry's!?).

It's incredibly difficult for me to wrap my head around the fact that people would actually vote against this measure; I'll take solace knowing that the campaign against GMO's isn't going anywhere. Moreover, we can still fight GMO's by choosing mindfully where we spend our money.

The following list comes from Paul Chek, outlining why it would best serve all of us (mother earth included) if we eliminate all processed foods from our diets, all of which contain GMO's. Enjoy~

CHEK Points on Processed Foods

• If you can’t pronounce a word on the label, don’t eat it! Chances are very good it is a chemical that your liver will have to work to detoxify.

• If it’s a non-food, don’t eat it! The more non- foods you eat, the more likely your body is to go bankrupt!

• The longer it lasts on the shelf, the worse it is for you! Unlike the natural foods that nature provides us with, many of the processed foods you eat today are so full of chemicals you can leave them sitting on the kitchen counter for days and the ants won’t even touch them! The bugs are smarter than we are!

• Never eat anything with “hydrogenated” or “partially hydrogenated oils/fats” in it! These are cooked fats that have been altered in a way that make them very hard to digest, as well as being damaging to the body.

• Never eat any food product that has been “enriched”! The only reason food manufacturers “enrich” foods is because they have completely killed and stripped them in processing, leaving the foods so void of nutrition that they must add things back to them.

• Currently, almost ALL processed foods contain genetically modified organisms! Eating any genetically modified food is a risk that you may want to seriously consider if you value your health.