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Attribution--From www.mercola.com
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Acne affects about 85 percent of the population at some time
in their life and is the most common skin disease treated
by dermatologists. Most teens get the type of acne called
acne vulgaris, which can appear on the face, neck, shoulders,
back and chest.
Most doctors and dermatologists say that acne is not related
to diet, but I can confidently tell you that there is indeed
a link--and a strong one at that. In my own practice, most
patients’ acne clears up when they follow the no-grain
diet described in my nutrition plan
and further explained in my new book.
As I struggled with acne for the first 40 years of my life,
I wish I would have known this information when I was younger.
However, since I have come to understand the influence of
grains on health, acne has been a non-issue for me.
Why is a no-grain diet beneficial
for acne?
Eating refined carbohydrates and sugar leads to a surge of
insulin and an insulin-like growth factor called IGF-1 in
your body. This can lead to an excess of male hormones, which
cause pores in the skin to secrete sebum, a greasy substance
that attracts acne-promoting bacteria. Additionally, IGF-1
causes skin cells known as keratinocytes to multiply, a process
that is associated with acne.
Some say acne is a disease of Western civilization because
studies have found that the condition is virtually nonexistent
in non-westernized societies, where refined carbohydrates
and sugar are rarely eaten. For instance, in one study that
looked at acne cases in islanders of Papua New Guinea and
hunter-gatherers of Paraguay, no acne cases were found in
either group. The findings, which are in-line with many other
studies, make a strong case for the significant role of environmental
factors, such as diet, in acne.
Limiting grains is an integral step toward optimizing your
health. The more we study the influence of grains, and their
secondary consequences on insulin,
the more we will find that their pervasive influences touch
nearly every aspect of our health.
A Healthy Diet Can’t be “Sold”
So you may be wondering why doctors typically say diet does
not influence acne. Well, doctors cannot sell you a healthy
diet, and they are under strong influence by the drug companies
to prescribe expensive and sometimes harmful topical
acne creams and antibiotics. No one is going to get rich
from recommending a healthy diet to heal acne, except maybe
you when you start saving money that you were spending on
acne medications.
Further, many dermatologists prescribe long-term antibiotic
treatments for acne. This can be especially problematic
since every time you take an antibiotic, you kill beneficial
bacteria along with the problematic bacteria. This can lead
to many secondary conditions, such as yeast overgrowth.
The Emotions Factor
Anyone who has experienced an outbreak of acne knows that
it can take a significant psychological toll. Many people
feel embarrassed by acne, and the embarrassment can keep them
from socializing and feeling confident.
On the other hand, recent studies have found a link that
suggests stress can actually aggravate acne. One
study involving college students found that the students’
acne flared when they felt stressed from examinations.
Well, stress has the ability to make just about every disease
we encounter worse, and this includes acne. This is why it
is so important to deal
with your stress before it becomes overwhelming. There
are a variety of ways that you can do this, like yoga, meditation
or making sure you get enough quality
sleep, so it is important that you find a method that
works best for you.
My favorite tool for relieving stress is the Emotional
Freedom Technique, which involves tapping your body’s
energy meridians and voicing positive affirmations to clear
emotional blocks, thus restoring your mind and body's balance.
You can review my free 25-page report to learn how it’s
done.
Just remember that acne likely results from a combination
of dietary and emotional factors. Addressing both sides of
the equation will give you the most beneficial results.
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