Letters from the SCD support group: Acne Tue, 22 Apr 1997 14:31:39 GMT Hi everyone! I wrote to a couple of people about acne and no one responded. I guess I will e-mail the group maybe I will get a response. I have had acne since I was about 17 years old. I have noticed when I have a flare that the acne is not as bad. I feel good and the acne is coming out as strong as ever. I have gone to dermatologists in the past and even tried over the counter drugs nothing worked. One dermatologist said to me in the past "summer is coming up you will be going to the beach and getting some sun that will cover up some of the acne". Let me tell you that was not the answer that I was looking for, and the acne didn't clear up. I did by the way get off prednisone about a month ago, I was only on it for about 21/2 months. Someone mentioned going to a homeopath for blemishes or rashes. Is it a good idea to see a homeopath for acne? How would I know if the homeopath will be good for the acne problem. I really don't want to try 10 different homeopaths until I find the right one. Does anyone have any suggestions on picking the right one, or any type of treatment that helped them that could help me. Good Luck! Jim
Re: Acne Tue, 22 Apr 1997 16:41:15 GMT Hi Jim, I too am a fellow acne sufferer. Although with me, mine started around the time my bowel problems started. Pesky issue though. I hate it. Lately I have been aware that, even unrelated to major bowel symptoms, mine gets better when I don't eat certain foods. I'm still trying to figure out exactly what those are, but my acne seemed to come up lately when I ate a bunch of dried dates. I am assuming there is some leaky-gut/autoimmune involvement here for me. But this is just me, your problem may be different since it's been so long term. That is so odd that it gets better when you have a flare. Just to give you a little of my personal finds, the chinese system of medicine refers to acne as "stomache heat," I don't know why. Just intrigues me, since we have these digestive troubles. About homeopaths, my husband is a homeopath and a pretty good one, but he's terrible with skin issues so I imagine one does have to find someone who is specifically good with skin. They seem to all have their forte, and their weak areas, even though few will admit what their weak areas are, bad for marketing, I guess. :) It's so hard to find one that works. In general, I think word of mouth works well with these things. The good ones are always the most popular. I would say, look for someone who has been practicing a minimum of ten years. Depending on the area you live in, you will probably have several to choose from and will most likely have to call 'em up and ask them some questions. Ask them what their track record is with acne and other skin issues. They should be civil when you talk to them on the phone and not try to sell you a load of cr** about other things, as in "Well, to really help you, we should do hair analysis...." They should also be really honest about how long they figure it will take to help. I say, give anyone up to three session to see if it helps, no more than that if you get no results. The good homeopaths should be able to effect some change within one session. I guess my standards are pretty high because I have really experienced how it can work. Really, homeopathy is quite amazing when it works. While I was in Mexico I got a nasty rash on my lip. My husband suggested a remedy and within fifteen minutes the thing was going down right before my very eyes (and I was feeling pretty cynical that it would help since skin stuff is not my husband's forte). Well, I hope this has been helpful. Best regards, Denise
Re: Acne Wed, 23 Apr 1997 0:46:19 GMT Hi Jim! I don't really know how to pick a good dermatologist but you might be able to find out on Dr. Weil's webpage -- http://wwww.hotwired.com/drweil/97/01/index0a.html Dr. Weil is a medical doctor who has studied alternative/holistic medicine for years. He doesn't believe that conventional medicine should be thrown out. He believes in the marriage of conventional medicine and alternative/holistic medicine. I guess this is what makes me trust him. There is a search engine on the page (called Database) and you can see what he recommends for acne and/or you can get a referral. I was looking for a biofeedback therapist and I got the name of a referring agency, Biofeedback Certification Institute of America. I contacted them and they sent me list of qualified therapists in my state. Now I don't have pervasive acne but about 1 or 2 times per month I used to get these huge pimples on my chin or cheek. Then a few months ago I heard about this new discovery on CNN about yogurt killing the pimple bacteria. And of course the major manufacturers are looking into ways to bottle that active component that's in the yogurt so they can repackage it in little tiny bottles and put a big price on it. Soooooo, anyway, I eat my homemade yogurt everyday and I just started saving the last teaspoon for my face. I leave it on for about 20 minutes in the morning just before I take my shower. I haven't had a pimple since. Try it and let me know. Nora
ACNE Sat, 3 May 1997 22:30:54 GMT Thanks everyone for your response on the acne!!!!! I found one thing that did work that Nora Colleen wrote. Yogurt helped me so much and it has only been one week since I tried it! I eat the yogurt faithfully everyday, but I never thought of putting it on my face. I do this everyday for about twenty minutes before taking my shower. It makes so much sense it helps the gut why not the skin. Thanks again to everyone. Good Luck! Jim
Re: Acne Fri, 2 May 1997 0:47:45 GMT >Hi everyone! I wrote to a couple of people about acne and no one >responded. I guess I will e-mail the group maybe I will get a response. I >have had acne since I was about 17 years old. I have noticed when I have a >flare that the acne is not as bad. I feel good and the acne is coming out >as strong as ever. > >Good Luck! > >Jim The same thing happens with me Jim and I am 32 years old. It's a bit embarrasing to still be wrestling with it at this age. Nevertheless, I have found that the same pattern with a number of other symptoms. ulcers, heavy legs and headaches/spacey-foggy feelings. These I believe are related to an incomplete healing of the gut wall. when the diarrhea stops and stools are formed, they spend more time in the gut and the amount of auto-intoxication from the products they contain increases. I have found that if you increase your fibre and alkaline/calcium rich foods (Carrot, Pumpkin,Squash, lettuce cabbage), and avoid foods that leave a phosphorus residue the problem can be alleviated. Always balance your meals. have smaller portions of meat and nuts and increase your serves of fruit, veges in particular and the yoghurt. The best answer to this problem is SLIPPERY ELM 4 times a day and PSYLIIUM 2 times. Important - with these two you must increase your water intake or you can get constipated. an increase in your water intake will help your kidneys to handle the toxic load. 3-4 glasses on rising and at least 4-5 other glasses throughout the day. you will notice a big difference in how you feel in 2-3 days. in a 3-4 weeks you should notice a difference in your skin. regards Michael
Date: Sat, 16 Jan 1999 13:16:43 -0800 From: "Shoppell, Anne (ALSH)" <ALSH@chevron.com> To: "'SCD-list@longisland.com'" <SCD-list@longisland.com> Subject: RE: New to SCD These notes ring big bells with me! I am new to the list and planning to start the diet soon. I have ulcerative colitis diagnosed in my early 20's after taking antibiotics for years for acne. After I had colitis and the acne was getting worse, I took accutane for 3 mos. And it did take care of the acne for good. But, by then I'm sure the damage to my colon was done. For me, I'm positive there is a connection between the colitis and the antibiotics. And, for me there's another problem, the years of antibiotics have made me immune to so many. I had pneumonia a few years ago and it was tough to find an antibiotic that fought it for me. Anne
-----Original Message----- From: BluesVan@aol.com Sent: Friday, January 15, 1999 1:23 PM To: SCD-list@longisland.com Subject: Re: New to SCD -------------------------------------------------------------------- SCD MAILING LIST ------------------------------------------------------------------- In a message dated 1/15/99 1:46:50 PM Eastern Standard Time, jaskot@email.msn.com writes: << I developed U.C. six years ago when I turned thirty. I have been on mostly an assortment of Asacol and Sulfa drugs with an ocassional Courtenema. I have my own theory as to how I got this temporary setback. When I was younger (In college at the time, oh incidently, I am a Software engineer, I was reading some of the messages about the connection between computers and IBD). To make a long story short, I had a face full of acne. I went to several dermatologists that perscribed antibiotics. I took them every day for several years. I believe that they upset the balance in my intestines so much that I now have U.C. and that it only manifested itself when I reached my thirties >> Ted, Your story is frighteningly similar to mine. I have Acne, I am a Software Engineer, and I contracted UC about 4 years ago at the age of 34 after about 10 years of steadily taking antibiotics(Minocycline mostly, Tetracycline and others too) to control the acne. I have been on the diet for nearly 3 months now, and it is FINALLY kicking in just now. I stopped the Minocycline when I began the diet, and I now feel that it was killing both the GOOD and BAD bacteria in my digestive tract, and therefore slowing down the healing from the diet. Whereas most people see some pretty good results within a month, it took much longer for the diet to help me. My new GI told me I had one of the most severe cases of UC he had seen back in October before I found the SCD. I got very discouraged when the diet did not work well for me after a few weeks, but I stuck to it. Remember, YOU HAVE TO FOLLOW IT WITH FANATICAL ADHERENCE or it won't work. It also takes longer to kick in for some. And by the way, I am now taking Accutane for the Acne. This is another very controversial drug, but my Acne is now severe, and I feel that I need to try this. It does not appear to be causing any problems with my UC after 1 month. This is a great place to discuss the trials and tribulations of IBD related problems. Brian
Date: Tue, 9 Feb 1999 17:08:33 -0500 Hi Guys;
Thanks P.S. I also have one toe nail that has fungus. I dont know if this is an indicator for something.
Date: Tue, 9 Feb 1999 20:24:44 -0600 It is very important to drink 8 to 12 glasses of water daily, depending on your weight. 8 eight ounce glasses plus one extra glass for every 25 pounds overweight you are. It is a much better beverage of choice than pop, or coffee or juice as it requires no digestion and purifies your system. I recommend trying this and see if your acne or skin blemishes clear up. Michelle
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