Myth: Acne is related to diet… BUT
What the studies suggest:
Several studies have found no correlation between diet and acne.
There is no evidence that chocolate, sugar, oil, milk, seafood, or any
other foods cause acne.
BUT:
Eating foods that your body does not tolerate well will cause an
inflammatory reaction as your body releases white blood cells to
protect itself. This inflammatory reaction can reveal itself in the form
of acne. Also, if you body is not capable of digesting certain foods, it
will release portions of incompletely digested food into the blood.
Again, the presence of these foreign substances will trigger an
inflammatory response that can lead to pimple formations.
And recent studies show…
Loren Cordain, Ph.D., professor of health and exercise science at
Colorado State University, has sound reason to believe that diets high
in high-glycemic carbohydrates such as cereals, breads, cakes, chips
and candy, can lead to acne. This is because the hike in blood sugar
caused by these foods sets off a series of hormonal changes known to
provoke the development of acne.
To illustrate, eating excessive amounts of carbohydrates increases the
level of insulin in the blood. As the insulin level rises, the androgen
hormones become more active. The androgens cause increased oil
secretion by the pores. Increased oil secretion boosts the chances that a
pore will become clogged and thus result in acne.
Cordain and fellow researchers came to this conclusion about
carbohydrates and acne after having found no acne among the Kitavan
Islanders of Papua New Guinea or the Ache hunter-gatherers of
Paraguay. The diet of these two tribes consisted of fruit, fish,
vegetables, coconut, peanuts and/or game. Likewise, the two groups
consumed almost no starchy carbohydrates or refined sugars.
Myth: Stress causes acne. BUT
What the studies suggest:
Despite rumors, stress does not seem to cause acne. However the side
effects of drugs that treat severe stress may include acne.
BUT:
Stress taxes the immune system. Thus, your body is not able to protect
itself from foreign attacks as it normally could. Additionally, stress can
lead to problems such as constipation and liver stress. These
conditions alone hamper the body’s ability to properly cleanse itself,
which can result in the formation of acne.
And recent studies show…
Research conducted by Alexa B. Kimball, MD, MPH, of Stanford
University School of Medicine, and his colleagues validates the link
between a stressed immune system and an increase in the presence of
acne. Kimball studied 22 university students (15 women and 7 men)
with varying degrees of acne.
The researchers rated the students for
severity of acne during a non-exam period (approximately 1 month
before an examination) and aga in during an exam period (3 days
before an exam to 7 days after an exam). During the two acne
assessments, students completed questionnaires rating their stress
levels.
The results, which were published in the Archives of Dermatology,
found a direct correlation between stress levels and aggravated acne.
The students had worse acne during times they rated their stress level
as higher (exam periods). While making adjustments for complicating
variables like changes in sleep hours, sleep quality, diet, and number
of meals per day, researchers noticed that increased acne severity was
significantly associated with increased stress levels. Not surprisingly,
the researchers also found that alterations in diet where linked to the
presence of acne.
Along the same lines, Mary Christian, assistant professor of
dermatology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
at Dallas states that, “Stress can be a catalyst for acne breakouts
because it makes the body produce greater quantities of androgen
hormone, which in turn causes some skin glands to pump out more
oil”.
Myth: The sun is good for acne…BUT
What studies suggest:
Sunshine may work in the short-term to assist the clearing of existing
acne while reddening your skin, thus blending your skin tone with red
acne marks. Sun exposure can cause irritations that can make acne
worse.
BUT:
Plants, animals and humans need the sun. We are exposed to the sun
between 6 to 16 hours everyday. When humans were created (by
whatever magic you wish to imagine), we spent most of our waking
hours in the sun.
All these thousands of years later, humans (from
wherever they originated) are still here and the sun still shines on us.
So, why would our Maker irrevocably and systematically surround us
with something if it were “bad” for us?
Jacob Liberman, O.D., Ph,D., author of Light Medicine of the Future
hails that:
“Human beings are the embodiment of light; our troubles
and ills result from our inability to take in and use light as
a launching pad from which to heal and evolve.”
Granted, sun exposure is not for everyone; the sun is a sure ally in our
aims for health. Toxins regularly consumed by humans can react
adversely with sun exposure. Consid er all of the chemicals that are
used to make a cola, a piece of white bread, or even bottled salad
dressing. As humans regularly consume such chemicals and deal with
stress, the chance for an unpleasant chemical reaction with sun
exposure is significantly increased.
However, if we are treating our bodies as the temples they are, and
avoiding extreme use of chemicals, the sun can be (and should be) one
of our best friends. Do you think people lying in a hospital that are
pale and weak are healthy? Of course not, they need sunlight, and
several studies have shown that adequate sun exposure does help
terminally ill patients heal faster.
There was a time in our recent history when we valued the healing
presence of the sun. As Dr. Liberman points out, prior to the discovery
of penicillin in the early 1900s, health practitioners considered sun
therapy an effective treatment for numerous infectious diseases.
However this changed dramatically, as pharmaceutical companies
moved to cash in on the use of antibiotics like penicillin. Alas, the
inability to procure profits from the sun rendered it a villain.
The sun is getting an undeserved bad rap to justify our increasingly
domesticated lifestyle as humans. Think on this: How often do you go
outside?
Perhaps you are inside while you work, go to school, go to
meetings, go shopping or go out to eat. The point is most of our
activities revolve around doing things indoors. Being out in nature, and
enjoying all that the Universe has provided for our well being, has
become an activity that requires planning and work. We have
estranged ourselves from this heaven that surrounds us.
Humans need an eco-value system adjustment. We forsake the power
of the body and the nature that surrounds us. It is for this negligence
that we senselessly suffer. Giving the power to cure to drugs without
question or reflection about the consequences is robbing us of our
vitality.
I advocate having more confidence in our bodies and breaking
away from the victimizing pattern of relying on drugs for a cure. In the
next chapter, we will examine how many of the drugs and treatments
created for acne can cause as many problems as they are supposed to
help treat.