214 replies to this topic

[maistro]

I created a thread in the vitamins section but unfortunately no replies. Anyway i've been lookin out for supplements and im a bit confused and not even sure if i should be bothering or needing them. But safe to say a little desperation is creeping in which isn't good, but i went out and bought this multi Skin, Nails and Hair supplement.

http://www.swisse.com/products/body-beauty...hair-skin-nails

What role have you found mutlivitamins to play in your quest for clear skin alternativista? Would you say they are a necessary tool to help aid in the battle against acne? I guess it doesn't hurt to supplement on necessary vitamins even if they don't help too much but i am worried about causing balances to mess up. This one contains fair bit of zinc and St Mary's which is some sort of herb im guessing for liver detoxing. Neither of those im not sure will benefit me as i don't know if my zinc levels are average or below average and i wouldn't know if my liver is contributing to acne in some sort of way.

Also i was reading other peoples zinc related threads, is it true that zinc and zinc supplements increase testosterone or something along those lines? I certainly don't feel comfourtable with that.

Edited by maistro, 11 September 2011 - 04:51 AM.

[alternativista]

Zinc plays a role in hormone balance, not necessarily increasing or decreasing androgens. It also inhibits the conversion of testosterone to DHT. And I believe it inhibits the production of IGF1

I can't say that multi's played any role in my acne other than how they along with everything else I do affect how well my body functions. All I cans say is that when I took zinc, B complex and C my skin became a lot less oily. Although I was also drinking less sugar at the time as my husband had just developed type II diabetes and we no longer had sugary drinks around the house, stopped at Starbucks for Frappacinos, wherever for ice cream shakes, etc. Then, I changed my diet to never drink sugar and avoid high glycemic meals and my skin cleared.

How is your diet going?

Edited by alternativista, 26 December 2011 - 07:32 PM.

[alternativista]

Some basic dumbed down info about managing blood sugar.

I wasn't sure how it was that fat lowers the glycemic impact of a food, so I looked it up. And basically--like with soluble fiber and resistant starch, and acids like vinegar--it slows down the digestion process slowing the rate at which the sugars enter the blood stream.

But the sugar is still going to get processed. So, in addition to only consuming a high GI food in combination with low GI foods, keep the high GI foods to a minimum. Small amounts only.

When a lot of sugar enters the blood stream, your body releases a lot of insulin to get the sugar out of your blood and inside of cells where it's used for energy. But your cells can only take in so much and if they are full, they won't take in anymore leaving the sugar to circulate through your bloodstream where it's inflammatory. And it binds to cells causing a process called glycation and cross linking, produces AGEs which reduces elasticity blah, blah, blah. This is how sugar is aging. And your body keeps releasing more insulin to try to get the sugar out of your bloodstream.

But, If you do some intense physical activity that uses large muscles like squats, stairs, or hills to burn up your energy stores, your cells will then take in more glucose.

Fructose needs to go to the liver FIRST to replenish glycogen stores– hence it takes longer to get to the blood stream, hence the low GI score. Then a very small amount of fructose is converted to glucose – the remainder is stored as fat.

Interesting blog post on Gnoll.org titled The Paleo Identity Crisis http://www.gnolls.org/2226/the-paleo-ident...eo-diet-anyway/

Edited by alternativista, 12 September 2011 - 03:25 PM.

[maistro]

Zinc plays a role in hormone balance, not necessarily increasing or decreasing androgens. It also inhibits the conversion from

I can't say that multi's played any role in my acne other than how they along with everything else I do affect how well my body functions. All I cans say is that when I took zinc, Bcomplex and C my skin became a lot less oily. Although I was also drinking less sugar at the time as my husband had just developed type II diabetes and we no longer had sugary drinks around the house, stopped at Starbucks for Frappacinos, wherever for ice cream shakes, etc. Then, I changed my diet to never drink sugar and avoid high glycemic meals and my skin cleared.

How is your diet going?

Well my diet is fairly routine. I've cut out dairy and wheat/fructose which basically is like a gluten free diet.

For breakfast i'll eat bowl of rice porridge with strawberries and 2eggwhites and 1 yolk scrambled with smoked salmon.

Lunch will be a meat variety with vegetables and sometimes buckwheat pasta, low gi rice or sweet potatoes.

Dinner im trying to have meat and veggies only and then i'll have a salad and can of tuna/sardines for pre bed snack.

My acne has improved/reduced since initially just cutting out dairy and then i guess slight improvements with the rest. My biggest concerns are that i got a few digestive disorders over the past 2 years thanks to bad eating habits and eating foods that my body was intolerant to but i ignored the signs. I have mild ulcerative colitis, fructose malabsorption and suffer from gastroparesis. Whilst it may sound like im a sick dog, i actually do ok consider the amount of conditions i have!

My biggest problem with the diet is the fact it's leaving me constipated now and then, i want to go once day at least and i think it's the meat that does it. I guess i should up my veggie intake somehow.

[alternativista]

^ Maistro,

Well, you need to focus on your digestion issues. Are you avoiding fruit now and/or trying to improve your fructose metabolism? Have you tried taking taurine? In addition to keeping as natural as possible circadian cycle?

[alternativista]

Benefits of sulfur - internally. Also great topically.

The below was in the Mercola newsletter. I added the italized things.

Sulfur bonds are required for proteins to maintain their shape, and these bonds determine the biological activity of the proteins. For example, as explained in the featured MSM newsletter, hair and nails consists of a tough protein called keratin, which is high in sulfur, whereas connective tissue and cartilage contain proteins with flexible sulfur bonds, giving the structure its flexibility. With age, the flexible tissues in your body tend to lose their elasticity, leading to sagging and wrinkling of skin, stiff muscles and painful joints. A shortage of sulfur likely contributes to these age-related problems.

In addition to bonding proteins, sulfur is also required for the proper structure and biological activity of enzymes. If you don't have sufficient amounts of sulfur in your body the enzymes cannot function properly, which can cascade into a number of health problems as without biologically active enzymes, your metabolic processes cannot function properly.

Sulfur also plays an important role in:

-Your body's electron transport system, as part of iron/sulfur proteins in mitochondria, the energy factories of your cells

-Vitamin-B thiamine (B1) and biotin conversion, which in turn are essential for converting carbohydrates into energy

-Synthesizing important metabolic intermediates, such as glutathione ( an extremely important antioxidant)

-Proper insulin function. The insulin molecule consists of two amino acid chains connected to each other by sulfur bridges, without which the insulin cannot perform its biological activity
-Detoxification - activates detoxifing enzymes in the liver

Edited by alternativista, 14 September 2011 - 10:22 AM.

[alternativista]

So, glad this board update is over with because I've come across some much info over the weekend I want to post.

Here are some little details that are usually left out in diet/health advice:

About plant based Omega 3 sources and our ability to convert them, or supposed lack of ability:
(This one is for you, pokemonster)

Quote

Plant based omega-3 sources like flax,hemp and chia seeds are high in ALA, but low in EPA and DHA. Although ALA is an essential nutrient, it is important to remember that the conversion of ALA to the far more essential EPA and DHA is typically quite inhibited by impaired delta 6 desaturase, an enzyme necessary for you to convert the ALA into the longer chain EPA and DHA.

Elevated insulin levels impair this enzyme and more than 80 percent of the U.S. population has elevated insulin levels. Because of this it is important to include animal based sources of omega-3 fats in your diet.

Found in this blog post about how krill oil is the best source of omega 3s. http://naturalhealth...01_archive.html

So apparently elevated insulin levels, as is typical in the Western diet habits, impairs ability to convert ALA from plants to the EPA and DHA. So, if we ate how we were meant to, without all the sugar, refined carbs, high glycemic juices and overeating, we might just be able to get our omega 3s from plants the way all the other animals do. Animals that rarely spike their insulin levels. Makes sense to me and something to look into for those that don't want to consume animal sources.

--------------------------------
Coconut Oil, ketones, thyroid and fuel for the brain (preventing Alzheimer's/dementia)

So, I've only previously seen a lot of vague stuff about coconut oil being good for the metabolism and the thyroid, but no real explanations. Chukylard recently brought up that coconut oil stimulates ketones, (without having to do the extreme low carb thing, woo hoo.) In this recent Mercola article listing his '10 best foods' to keep you healthy, despite being a brief few paragraphs, includes some real, relevant details. Like an article should. http://articles.merc...110918_SNL_MC_1

1) Your body sends medium-chain fatty acids directly to your liver to use as energy. This makes coconut oil a powerful source of instant energy to your body, a function usually served in the diet by simple carbohydrates.

2) apparently it is this instant energy affect on your metabolism that increases the activity of your thyroid. Yeah, yeah, more info is needed there.

And 3) ketone bodies may provide alternative fuel for the brain which has it's own insulin/glucose metabolism system going on and can become insulin resistant. See research by Dr. Mary Newport,

Also, your body converts lauric acid into monolaurin, which has anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-protozoa properties. And, of course, it's about the best oil for cooking because, among other things, it is stable with a high smoking point.

(Note that butter from grass fed cows is another source of medium chain saturated fatty acids.)

Edited by alternativista, 19 September 2011 - 05:22 PM.

[maistro]

alternativista, on 14 September 2011 - 10:14 AM, said:

^ Maistro,

Well, you need to focus on your digestion issues. Are you avoiding fruit now and/or trying to improve your fructose metabolism? Have you tried taking taurine? In addition to keeping as natural as possible circadian cycle?

Hi alternativista,

Thanks for your reply. I definitely need to focus on my digestion issues. One thing that hit me was that my skin was nicely clear'ish when i was in a pretty good state digestive wise earlier in the year. I was taking medication for the UColitis but i have stopped taking all meds as im not a big fan of them and just trying to go natural so to speak, One mistake i've been making is eating brocholli and cauliflower which surprisingly aren't recommended on a fructose free diet, more-so brocholli i think. I'm probably going to go on a elimination diet soon to try identify others that mite be causing disturbances but i fear my options will be too small since i want to be 50% paleo diet. Another thing i must try do is reduce my fructose loading which means spread my fruits out thru the day and i guess not have too much vegies in the one go.

Not sure how else you can improve your fructose metabolism?

Taurine im not sure about, never heard of it apart from energy drinks, and quick look just then i saw it being touted as a good muscle building component much like L-glutamine. L-glutamine has me interested as it is said/rumoured to have potential digestive tract benefits particualrly with Leaky Gut Syndrome but i'm not sure what even is but couldn't hurt to give it a shot. By natural circidian cycle i assume you mean do i go to sleep early and wake up early? Working full time has me on a routine where i'm in bed by midnight to wake up around 7 am so i am getting 6-8hrs regularly and weekends now i wake up fairly early aswell. Care free deep sleeping definitley helps with my inflammations.

[alternativista]

Maistro, About taurine, which among other things, has a role in fructose metabolism.

http://www.acne.org/...47#entry2113947

And here, i made a thread summarizing how to improve fructose metabolism.
http://www.acne.org/...bo-t299249.html

Edited by alternativista, 22 September 2011 - 10:00 AM.

[alternativista]

This site is a nice list of the nutrients that benefit just about whatever health condition that might ail you and why/how. Acne is the first ailment on the list. Candida is there as well. And other digestive system issues and skin issues. And things much more serious.

But do your own research to corroborate what they say, especially for any serious health condition. I don't know anything about these people. Be sure you know upper limits and toxicity of vitamins and minerals and look up side affects of any strange herbals.

http://www.svaasa.co...ents.aspx?word=

Edited by alternativista, 22 September 2011 - 06:39 PM.

[wicky]

I have heard that taking Alpha lipoic Acid after a meal with help with those sugar spikes and therfore reduce the incidence of acne..Can anyone comment on this? Im sure I saw it someones posts but I cant seem to locate it

[alternativista]

wicky, on 24 September 2011 - 03:10 PM, said:

I have heard that taking Alpha lipoic Acid after a meal with help with those sugar spikes and therfore reduce the incidence of acne..Can anyone comment on this? Im sure I saw it someones posts but I cant seem to locate it

Go to the first post in this thread for info on improving glucose metabolism and avoiding insulin spikes. That's what I would do to answer this question because I can't remember everything. That's why I organized all this info here.

The only thing I can think of offhand that will help after a meal, is to do some brief intense physical activity like a few flights of stairs, heavy lifting, a sprint, squats, etc. Something that uses large muscles. To burn up the glucose stores in your cells so they can take in more.

Edited by alternativista, 27 September 2011 - 11:20 AM.

[alternativista]

Intermittent Fasting may reduce hyperproliferation/hyperkeratinization:

Modified alternate-day fasting regimens reduce cell proliferation rates to a similar extent as daily calorie restriction in mice

http://www.fasebj.or...22/6/2090.short

This study is comparing the results of calorie restriction and alternate day fasting, and a modified method in which calories are reduced 85% on the alternate days. Apparently all methods produced the result of reduced cell proliferation. This study was about cancer so it mentions various cells--"keratinocytes, liver cells, mammary epithelial cells, and splenic T-cells"

Quote

Epidermal cell proliferation decreased (P<0.01) by 29, 20, and 31% in the CR-25%, ADF-85% and ADF-100% groups, respectively, relative to controls.

And

Quote

Insulin-like growth factor-1 levels were reduced (P<0.05) in the CR-25% and ADF-100% groups only.

So is the reduced cell proliferation soley due to the reduction in IGF-1? And is that totally due to improved glucose metabolism or is there an additional pathway?

-----------------------------------
Note: I'd been planning on getting a handle on the methylation/histadelic/histamine/something else related theory on acne. so I'm gathering links to threads, articles and research:
http://www.acne.org/...imine-squalene/
http://www.acne.org/...ost__p__3103897

http://www.acne.org/messageboard/index.php/topic/264918-histadelia-skinny-people-should-for-sure-read-this/page__view__findpost__p__2844723
http://www.enzymestu...methylation.htm
http://www.acne.org/...__fromsearch__1
http://www.acne.org/...__fromsearch__1
http://www.acne.org/...__fromsearch__1/
http://www.acne.org/...of-this-theory/
TH1/TH2 balance theory and excess Th2's relationship to a type 4 hypersensitivity: http://www.ncbi.nlm....pubmed/12946237

http://www.acne.org/...__fromsearch__1

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Mast cells are the key initiators of inflammation, activating potent "mediators." The mediators attract white blood cells, and activate cells that produce additional mediators.
Mediators come in many forms, including:

• Histamines
  
• Tumor necrosis factor-alpha
  
• Nitric oxide
  
• Hydrogen peroxide
  
• Interleukins
  
• Prostaglandins (produced from arachidonic acid and the COX-1 and COX-2 enzymes)

Although having a red, swollen and painful sprained ankle is a clear sign you are experiencing inflammation, you may have an undercurrent of inflammation in your body and not even be aware. And silence can be deadly.

Chronic Inflammation: Silence is Deadly

Inflammation comes and goes in your body as part of the normal healing process. However, prolonged inflammation can be devastating. Many people are experiencing ongoing, low-level inflammation without even knowing it—and this is a crucial factor behind chronic disease.
This systemic or "silent" inflammation is the evil twin of oxidation, and where you find one, you nearly always find the other. But this type of inflammation doesn't cause you any pain—it lives "under the radar," quietly lingering for years and even decades, where it silently injures your heart, brain and immune system.
Left unchecked, systemic inflammation can lead to anything from asthma to rheumatoid arthritis to Alzheimer's disease. In fact, the number of diseases linked to chronic inflammation is staggering:

• Heart disease, atherosclerosis and stroke
  
• Diabetes
  
• Alzheimer's disease
  
• Parkinson's disease
  
• Multiple sclerosis
  
• Rheumatoid arthritis
  
• Ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and colon cancer
  
• Allergies

Edited by alternativista, 29 October 2011 - 10:33 AM.

[Tunnelvisionary]

Wow, I was thinking a little while ago how hard it is to know what to do. It seems like when someone posts about how a certain food is good for your face, there is another post in the same thread telling you it is bad for your face. I respect the fact everyone has a different approach, but it became a bit much, and it got very confusing for someone just starting out.

Will definitely look over this thread and begin laying out a plan! Thanks alternativista!!!

[corgisoulpower]

Tunnelvisionary, on 21 October 2011 - 04:46 PM, said:

Wow, I was thinking a little while ago how hard it is to know what to do. It seems like when someone posts about how a certain food is good for your face, there is another post in the same thread telling you it is bad for your face. I respect the fact everyone has a different approach, but it became a bit much, and it got very confusing for someone just starting out.

Will definitely look over this thread and begin laying out a plan! Thanks alternativista!!!

It's only 'cause everyone's different. Yeah, its hard. I still have the feeling that I'm doing something wrong in the back of my mind almost always. Especially when results aren't immediate or garunteed.

[Tunnelvisionary]

Yeah definitely. I really want to take a holistic approach to treat acne, and lots of posts are encouraging, and there are plenty that are discouraging. Whenever I feel like "Aha! All I have to do is this!", there's a thread stating they had no luck doing exactly what I was thinking. Though that's no reason to not try it, cause like you said, everyone is different.

I'm encouraged by the fact that all the cleansers and medicines and creams i've used have only temporarily succeeded in suppression, which indicates to me that they're only meant for a temporary fix (at least for me!) I really hope that making improvements to my overall health will have a positive effect on my face.

[alternativista]

Mercola article about the evils in potato chips especially Pringles which he calls cancer in a can. It contains a link to a report on an EU study on Heat-Generated Food Toxicants (HEATOX) in which they found that 'there are more than 800 heat-induced compounds, of which 52 are potential carcinogens. In addition to their finding that acrylamide does pose a public health threat, the HEATOX scientists also discovered that you're far less likely to ingest dangerous levels of the toxin when you eat home-cooked foods compared to industrially or restaurant-prepared foods.'

http://articles.merc...11107_DNL_art_1

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Could be a useful tool:
http://www.greenmedi...m/page/about-us
GreenMedInfo.com exists in order to provide free and convenient access to the biomedical research available today on the therapeutic value of natural substances in disease prevention and treatment.* This website provides physicians, health care practitioners, clinicians, researchers and laypersons with an evidence-based resource through which the potential or actual therapeutic value of vitamins, minerals, herbs and foods can be determined. We also provide an alternative toxicology database which enables users to access information on the harmful properties of drugs, chemicals, vaccines, etc., which is not readily available elsewhere. Read More Here...

For example, Here's their page on Zinc listing several studies on zinc and acne as well as other skin and health issues. http://www.greenmedi.../substance/zinc

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
something I don't have time to follow up on right now: possible genes involved in acne


'Polymorphisms in the Human Cytochrome P-450 1A1 Gene (CYP1A1) as a Factor for Developing Acne' http://www.klinikum-...les/64_poly.pdf

Edited by alternativista, 07 November 2011 - 12:56 PM.

[uglies]

alternativista, many thanks for the comprehensive lists! They're a bit overwhelming right now so I hope I soon get time to investigate them further.

I have one question though. You may have answered it already and my search function didn't work, I don't know. Btw I appreciate that you're not a doctor, however you are obviously very knowledgable on the subject so perhaps you might be able to advise? I'll include as much detail as possible in case every detail counts.

Anyway, I need a good all round antioxidant such as alpha lipoic acid, HOWEVER I am on levothyroxine (Synthroid) due to hypothyroidism caused by being put on lithium from an early age, so I cannot take alpha lipoic acid because of the contraindications. I also have several other conditions (bipolar disorder, PCOS, endometriosis, SAD, IBS, insomnia; which I'm sure are all inter-related) that affect my hormones and give me acne, eczema and other forms of dermatitis. I now take fluoxetine for the bipolar (stopped the lithium years and years ago) and melatonin for the insomnia. Both work intermittently. No idea about the Synthroid though.

Given my compromises, instead of alpha lipoic acid might you have any idea which anti-oxidant would be beneficial for me? Btw sorry my English sucks, I'm tired right now and can't think straight! lol

[alternativista]

uglies, on 15 November 2011 - 03:44 PM, said:

Given my compromises, instead of alpha lipoic acid might you have any idea which anti-oxidant would be beneficial for me? Btw sorry my English sucks, I'm tired right now and can't think straight! lol

Different antioxidants do different things in different parts of the body to different free radicals. You can't pick one. You need to consume a variety of colorful, flavorful whole fruits, veggies, herbs, teas and spices.

[alternativista]

Hasn't been bumped in a while. I was discouraged for a while when the links were all broken by the upgrade. But it looks like they've done something to forward you to the new path structure so they all work again. I'm glad I didn't waste any time trying to fix all the links.

Anyway, I was thinking of gathering a list of things we should monitor/have tested in an annual checkup as opposed to the things the medical establishment think are the most important. They'd overlap of course. Like blood pressure.

So, to start:
-Vitamin D levels
-C Reactive Protein (CRP) and other markers of chronic inflammation
-Marker of chronic or frequent elevated blood sugar. Can't think of it offhand.
-LDL cholesterol particle size

Edited by alternativista, 26 December 2011 - 07:19 PM.