22 replies to this topic

[mei-ling]

A little background: Am 24 this year, have had various forms of mild-med acne since I was 11, mostly on my face, but a little on my back and even less on my chest. Have mainly tried over-the-counter topical treatments, none of them worked. Have never been able to afford a dermatologist, but am wary of antibiotics for non-life threatening situations anyway.

So I started altering my diet 16 days ago, and started supplementing my diet to help get my hormones under control (especially insulin spikes), detox the body after years of poor eating, and hopefully get clear.

Have cut out:
Foods processed in any way.
Sugar - refined, natural, you name it. This includes fruit and sugary veggies, like carrots.
Starchy veggies, tubers, roots
Grains
Soy
Corn
Nuts
Pasteurized dairy

What I do eat:
Grass-fed, pastured meat
Organic vegetables that are in season
Raw butter
Tart berries
Coconut flour
Fermented foods - sauerkraut, kim chee, raw kefir milk
Chia seeds
-edit- Wild, fresh fish

Dietary supplements:
EV Coconut oil, unrefined, 2-3 tbsp daily
Red palm oil, 2-3 tbsp daily
Flax seed oil, 2 tbsp daily
Cod liver oil, 2 tbsp daily
Evening primrose oil, 1 tsp daily
Olive leaf extract, 400mg 2x daily
Multivitamin, 2x daily
Zinc, 30mg 3x daily
Chromium, 600mcg 2x daily
B-complex, 2x daily
Magnesium, 400mg 1x daily

And am thinking of adding barley juice, niacin 500mg, and upping my chromium to 800mcg.

-edit- Skin routine:
Morning: OCM twice a week, clay mask twice a week, rest of the days no wash.
Evening: rinse with water, once or twice a week will do a honey mask
Shower only if I leave the house (3-4 times a week, if that), dry-brushing beforehand.
"Shampoo": 1 tbsp baking soda, 8 oz water
Deodorant: 1/4 C baking soda, 1/4 C cornstarch, 5 tbsp coconut oil (it really works for smell!)
Toothpaste: 2 tbsp coconut oil, 3 tbsp baking soda, peppermint EO
Body lotion: grapeseed oil, EVOO, vit E oil mix
Face lotion: neem oil, tamanu oil mix
Topical spot treatment: tea tree EO
Soap: Dr. Bronner's castille soap


I keep a daily journal, but wanted to post on the forum in case someone had a few tips/tweaks they could suggest?

Already I've noticed a general calming of my skin, a couple new spots popping up here and there, but they look like they're blackheads that are being purged, if that makes any sense. I've had a deep, deep lurker on the left side of my chin since just before beginning this regimen, it's still lurking and doesn't look to be going anywhere.

Edited by mei-ling, 31 May 2011 - 08:41 AM.

[TexMurphy01]

Well howdy there Mei.

That's one rootin' tootin' diet y'all've got there. I guess the only worry I would see is over supplementation. I mean sure, whatever works for you, but if you can make do with less I suggest you do so. It'll be cheaper and less intrusive in your life.

I'm not a great believer in the purging process (but that doesn't mean it doesn't happen). I guess what I'm suggesting is that maybe there's still something in your diet that's not entirely working (just my two cents of course). What's the deal with the 'raw butter' and why no fish?

[mei-ling]

Hiya, Tex!

You're right, there are a lot of supplements there. I try wherever possible to get the goods from whole foods, like Vit A from cod liver oil and Vit E from the red palm oil. I figure acne is an indicator that something in my body is not functioning right, and for my body to heal I need to (temporarily) help it along as much as possible. Once I'm clear I can lower the doses/start weaning off.

I forgot to put fish up there! Silly me! (edited)

Re: raw butter: the pasteurization process of dairy really denatures milk. You're basically flash heating fats and sugars to about 400C. If that doesn't completely mess up the food then I don't know what. Raw milk, as well as containing lactose, ALSO CONTAINS LACTASE, the enzyme needed to digest lactose. So people who are lactose intolerant usually can drink raw milk, esp. raw goat's milk. Pasteurization eliminates this important enzyme.

Raw milk also tends to mean that the cows were grass-fed and pastured - generally treating like animals, and not scum. Dairy from grain-fed, factory farmed cows are devoid of nutrients (like Vit A) and permeated with hormones and antibiotics. This makes sense, because what 'farmer' in their right mind would let THAT milk be sold raw? They'd be jailed for poisoning! So I make it a point to get raw diary (in small portions, besides butter) or none at all.

Oh and one final tidbit: you know how in elementary school, you boil milk to make a glue/paste? This can't be done with raw milk, only pasteurized milk. Think about it: you can make GLUE out of one milk, and not the other. I'd choose the non-glue one, personally. Haha.

[spectacled_owl]

If you're not afraid of fat and tolerate eating a lot of it....make them. They are bomb! Way better than pathetic old corn tortillas... : P I'll give you the recipe if you want.

I don't have time to read your log right now, but I'll be sure to check it out. I hope it's going well!

[mei-ling]

If you're not afraid of fat and tolerate eating a lot of it....make them. They are bomb! Way better than pathetic old corn tortillas... : P I'll give you the recipe if you want.

I don't have time to read your log right now, but I'll be sure to check it out. I hope it's going well!

Thanks owl, I think from your description I can figure something out. I LOVE lettuce wraps, you're right, they blow the corn stuff wayyyy out of the water.

[mei-ling]

May 31, day 17

Began niacin last night, am going to take 100mg with food twice a day. Even with that little of a dose I felt the "flush," the right side of my face felt hot, and my arms got all red and blotchy. My elbows tingled! It was quite fun.

The lurker's still there.. I swear it is my arch-nemesis. I will defeat you! (Thank you for not hurting.)

-edit-
As per Tex's suggestion, here are photos:

 DSC01883.JPG   1.33MB   24 downloads  DSC01884.JPG   1.19MB   18 downloads

-edit2-
OH MAN! THOSE ARE BIG PHOTOS! Have fun getting up close and personal, there, haha!

Edited by mei-ling, 31 May 2011 - 09:39 PM.

[TexMurphy01]

Congratulations on posting. Yes, those are big pictures, but I think they show at least that your acne is quite mild. I mean I know it's something you want to get rid of, but it's not too bad.

Except for that silver one. I don't know what you can do with that one.

Edited by TexMurphy01, 01 June 2011 - 02:38 AM.

[mei-ling]

No, it's definitely not the worst. I think it's the chronic nature more than the severity that really gets to me. But I should have taken a photo two weeks ago, because most of those red marks were active spots, whiteheads and mini-cysts the lot of them! Bastards!

The silver one's actually the easiest to deal with, haha! Just take it out, but it'll leave a scar.

Have you ever had a non-active (non-painful) cyst that just sat there for weeks? There's one of the left side of my chin (the photo on the right) that has literally been there over three weeks now. You can see large red blotch - meet the lurker. I don't know what to do? It's not even coming to the surface?

[TexMurphy01]

Yes, this lurker seems nice. I had one the same and it was nasty (I think I was talking about it for two weeks in my log). It was also in exactly the same place as you have yours. In the end it came to quite a chunky pustule which came to its full power just as I had to go into work.

Same for me with the chronic thing. I don't know, for example, if I behave for a while that my body will sort of get back to some kind of normality. I'd like this to be the case since I've been eating steamed veg and oven cooked fish once a day for months (in fact about 40% of the time twice a day). Not that it helps so much while I eat honey.

Also, my final and ultimate advice on spots. Don't end your statements with question marks?

[mei-ling]

Oh come off it. I'll put a question mark wherever THE DAMN WELL I WANT TO?

June 2nd, Day 19

Ok, so I'm going back home to HK in a little over a week. I've ordered all my supplements/oils to bring with me, because frankly I'm not confident I'll be able to find what I need. Of course there'll be health-stores, but I'm super strict with ingredients, and a lot of stuff is mostly derived from corn/soy, which are big no-nos for me. Also my mum's never heard of coconut flour, so I'll bring some of that too. I'm hoping I can find raw dairy, but I highly highly doubt it.

In other preparation news, I ran out of weed 2 days ago, so I am going through withdrawals. I'd seriously been considering just buying enough to tide me over till the flight, but I think it's a better idea to get it over with now, so I'm not all sickly in front of my (blissfully unaware) mother. Basically I'm nauseous for a week, and have a lot of difficulty with my appetite and eating. The last time I went through as I arrived in Hong Kong mum accused me of having an eating disorder and weighed me religiously. Though I suppose she wasn't all wrong. Weed helps me eat, otherwise even though I feel I'm empty, it takes tremendous mental effort to put food in my face. If you're going to comment, please know that I KNOW THIS IS FUCKED UP, I don't need to be reminded or judged.

So the practical upshot of this is yesterday I had two bites of scrambled eggs, and 4 oz of kefir milk - just enough to take my pills. I felt sick all day, so ended up just going to bed early without dinner, to sleep through the ickiness. I'm going to have a glass of kefir now to have my pills, and then not really worry about bringing anything into work for lunch, maybe a nibble. Thinking about food makes me feel worse. Hopefully I'll then have appetite for dinner.

I don't want to be too hopeful (I noticed this yesterday but didn't want to jinx it), but I think the lurker is shrinking? It doesn't quite feel so big in there, a lot less imposing. I've had cysts disappear back into the abyss instead of rising to the surface before, so I've my finger's crossed this is what's going on. Though, an active zit would be nice too, since then I know all that crap's OUT of me. We shall see, we shall see.

[TexMurphy01]

Do people have a trouble with you and your weed?

Also... I guess your eating this is strange, but I'd like you to maybe explain it a little more. Are you really thin?

[GreenEyes33]

Once I stopped smoking weed (I'd like to say I quit, but actually my dealer started grad school in another province and I'm too chicken to ask around to find more) my acne got worse! It never was a mental addiction type thing for me with weed; I went to school and then worked full time, ran errands, walked the dog, spent time with friends and family, and then on the weekend or when everything was done at the end of a night on a weekday once in a while I'd smoke a joint. HUGE stress reliever for me. It really relaxed me. My brain is one of those 'cant stop thinking, planning, worrying' types, so it calmed my thoughts down and really helped me. Anyways, once I stopped my acne got worse I think it was the whole lack of stress relieving part. Yeah, exercise helps and blah blah blah, but not in the same way. Good luck! I hope you can cope with stress better than I can and yours doesn't go through a bad phase there.

And I love your log! A lot of the same concepts and ideas I'm using

[mei-ling]

Tex,
Growing up in Hong Kong, drugs are absolutely not tolerated. If I ever got caught with anything on me, it'd be at least 3 months in prison, no questions asked. Also, Chinese people are generally very conservative when it comes to things like that, and tattoos and piercings. To a lot of them it's dirty and disgusting. Actually, I used to never get stopped in the streets for I.D. checks until I started getting facial piercings and visible tattoos. So I grew up really paranoid about it, and even though I'm in Oakland CA (also called Smokeland, or Oaksterdam), it takes a tremendous effort for me to smoke outside when there are people around. I have to be alone/with friends or at home. If my mum ever found out I honestly think she'd disown me or something. She already thinks I'm "weird."

The eating thing is.. well. Since I smoke everyday, and I usually smoke before I eat (and more, I'm a huge stoner), I believe I become reliant on it for appetite. I guess you could call it a somewhat physical addiction. Now that I've stopped I don't have cravings for it by any means, though I do miss it, my body just needs to relearn how to be hungry on its own. That's what I'm doing now. I've been able to eat meals now, but it feels like my stomach has shrunk, so I can't eat all that much. But I'm working on it! When I do have weed though, I eat two huge meals a day - lunch and dinner. I scarf that shit down, too, though that's more to do with Chinese eating style than the munchies (munchies fade after a while, I rarely get them now). I've always been petite, and I don't own a scale, but I'm 5'2" and under 100lbs. Have been like that for years.


Greeneyes,
I'm with you on finding new dealers. I can't stand it, and then building that relationship up all over again! I don't know about you (well, maybe I do, since I'm a no-brain-rest person myself) but I'm always so painfully aware of those boundary lines, you know? Like teacher-student, for example. I'm always afraid I'll say something and cross that boundary, like being too personal or friendly, and then the whole structure crashes down. It's the same for me with dealers. Do I come in here and hang out? Are we going to friends now? Do you want to do business then kick me out? We're friendly, but we only see each other when I want to buy so... yeah, I definitely over-think shit, haha. The worst for me right now is that if ever I want to go anywhere, I have to walk past my dealer's house, haha. The temptation!

Thank you so much for the support. I've been following your log too, we definitely are trying similar things. Good luck to the both of us! :) Godspeed!!

--------------
NB: Will update log on a weekly basis, otherwise you'll all be getting the same info everyday: "Still kind of blotchy." "Lurker's still there." "Still blotchy." "Lurker's still lurking." Ad nauseum.

[mei-ling]

Quick note before I go to bed:

Yesterday, I hadn't any lunch brought in except for 2 hard boiled eggs, and after i ate them I was still hungry. So I walk around the block and looked for somewhere promising (as in, not a burrito place) and found a restaurant that claimed it got its ingredients fresh, direct from the farmers. So I went in, ordered the grilled tri-tip and braised greens. Had to say no to the duck far potatoes, which broke my heart a little, as well as the salsa verde. Oh well. They gave me the sauce anyway, which I wasn't happy about it, but thought whatever. Ate about a third, I just wanted to be full.

After work headed to my bf's bar, and since it would've been weird for me to pull out my leftovers and eat it there, I ordered a burger patty and arugula salad. Ate about a third again, my stomach still feels tight. Brought both meals home.

Felt hungry again at around 10, so warmed up my steak and ate it. Went to bed at 11.

Woke up about 12.30, feeling nauseous as hell. Really gassy and ill. I tried to overcome it by farting/burping, but it felt like whenever I let out air I just filled back up again. I ended up throwing up my whole meal. But I felt better immediately afterwards.

Had the burger patty and salad for breakfast, was fine until about 3 hours later when I started to feel nauseous again. Took a nap to sleep it off (about 3 hours), woke up when the cats started meowing to be fed. Still felt nauseous, but not like I was going to be sick. After about another 2 hours I felt better. But I couldn't eat anything else today. Sigh.

So, have I become super sensitive to restaurant food? For the past 3 weeks I've been making all my own meals, because I know I can control what I eat, fully. I've been wary of restaurant food, because they do all sorts of stuff that I can't even begin to imagine - over-complicate things, in my opinion. I'm going to leave it a week or so, then maybe try again, staying away from beef. I don't WANT to only be able to eat food I make myself, obviously. Not just because of the time spent, but the awkwardness of it as well. We'll see. If making my own food is the only way I can feel good though, that's probably the way to go.

[fakeplasticgirl]

I know how you feel about not being able to eat out but really wanting to! To be honest, since I've been so busy lately and have hardly spent time at home, I've been eating non-home made food more than I'd like.

It might be what they cooked the food in that got you sick -- which was probably vegetable oil of some sort. I'm the really anal annoying person at restaurants now that always asks what they cook/fry/add to the food whilst preparing it. My bf thinks I'm a nutcase

[mei-ling]

Hello from Hong Kong!

Thought I'd do a quick update, as it's 2am here and I'm super jetlagged. Nothing else going on except CSI Miami, which my mum has fallen asleep to. Personally, I prefer Law and Order.

Plasticgirl,
Yes, I'm thinking that's what it is - there were braised veggies, and the sauce that I asked them not to give me that they gave me anyway. I know what you mean about being that person, that's why I didn't send back the sauce-covered food. But look where it got me! I should have followed my instincts. ALWAYS follow your instincts - I firmly believe your body knows more about itself that you do.

So some things have changed in my regimen, mostly supplemental:

-Taking Niacin 200mg 2x daily
-Added a Vit E pill 2x daily because straight red palm oil was starting to make me gag
-Probiotic 25bill + Vit D before bed
-Started drinking barley juice (from powder) and adding extra chlorophyll in between meals. I quite like it, it's the closest thing to soy bean milk I've had in a while.
-Was thinking of lowering my Zinc dose, but it's crazy-hot and humid here, and I've started getting oily again because of the transition. Will probably cut back when I'm in dry old US of A.

Speaking of soy - had a walk around Marks & Sparks today (Marks and Spencer's) and looking longing at my favourite-fucking-oh-my-god biscuits - Viennese Sandwiches, the chocolate ones. It's so frustrating, they literally are one of my favourite things to put in my mouth, and all M&S biscuits have soy in it, and added gluten. ARRRRGH. BUT they bother to use free-range, pastured eggs! Frustrating as hell.

Not much else to report, still dealing with the restaurant-induced break-out. It's durian season now, which is one of my three favourite fruits (up there with jackfruit and mangosteen). It's torture being in HK! All this amazing food that I can't touch. Buut, I'm going to wait till I've healed from this last break out, then I'm going to try some durian. I don't want to aggravate active pimples, and then that way I'll know for sure if it causes me to break out or not.

I am however, going to a restaurant tmw - Japanese, am going to eat sashimi. MMmmm! Have to apply for my HKSAR passport, then out to lunch with my sister, and one of her roommates from Beijing. Will report back on effects, though hopefully there won't be any!

[mei-ling]

Hello everyone from Kuala Lumpur!

Am in KL visiting my Auntie Chris and Uncle Seng, and my cousin Joshua. All diet restrictions are out the window, as Malaysian food is my absolute all time favourite, I haven't been here in 4 years, and I have no idea when the next visit will be. So I'm going hog wild! In true Malaysian tradition I am stuffing my face until I literally pass out. Curry, laksa, durian, Hamee, Gonlomee, you name it. Have yet to eat two other favourite fruits - mangosteen and jackfruit, but by golly that'll happen.

So I've generally not been strict, aside from making sure to supplement as normal. Overall, there (surprisingly) haven't been any huge face explosions. In fact, as my mother pointed out, overall I'm still clearing up. It's SO difficult to be strict in HK (don't even get me started on KL), it's all the food I grew up on, like dimsum and chasiu and gorgeous yummies. I still get the odd new pimple here and there (compared to when I was super strict in CA and didn't develop one new pimple), but no break outs.

I have theories! They might be bullshit, but humour me:
1. I grew up on shitty ingredients, this is what I thrive on. Haha! This is also how I explain how Chinese food in the states is juuusst that little bit off. I think they can only get good, fresh stuff, which changes the flavour and texture completely. You win some, you lose some.
2. Supplements are really helping - because now, even though I'm not eating as well, I'm still getting everything (or most things) my body needs to fight the nasties inside. This gives me great hope about going back to the States and getting clear. Damnit, I CAN SEE THE END IN SIGHT.
3. I'm happy, I'm being social, I'm not locked up in my apartment just working on stuff, as I am apt to do in the States. I even went drinking one night last week! AND for the first time ever, no hangover! Which is a tremendous feat since a) hangovers are what made me quit drinking in the first place, and b) I was mixing booze like there was no tmw - ppl in HK drink champagne like it's friggin water. I DID however wake up with my arms below my elbows numb and tingling for most of the next day, which I think has something to do with drinking. But it's not like I'm going to take up binge drinking any time soon, so I don't anticipate any serious thing happening there. But yes, I think the happy-social thing is just generally good for my well-being.

So, that's my little update. Basically I've fallen off the wagon, am loving every minute of it while it lasts, and the repercussions haven't been blood-curdling - not by a long shot.

Hope everyone's doing well! It's close to 40C in the day time here, think about always feeling like your skin is about to fall off! Nice, eh? :)

[fakeplasticgirl]

Good to know you're relaxing and not stressing too much about food being back home! I'm in the same boat, am visiting family and my grandma especially gets quite offended if I don't eat her food -- so I've been cheating, but not horribly. I'd say I'm eating 75% - 80% 'good'.. with the occasional cheat. It's nice to be able to enjoy food you always loved as a kid, so don't worry about it too much

BTW, super jealous at all the yummy authentic food you're getting to eat! love prawn laksas..yummm

[RedInferno]

God, after reading this thread, I really want some weed now. I haven't had any in such a while.

[mei-ling]

Lol at RedInferno: you must be REALLY missing bud if talk about withdrawals and nausea makes you want it! :)

So maybe I spoke too soon re: crappy food. The second to last night in KL we went to a hokkien restaurant, and I immediately broke out the next day. It could have been the restaurant food specifically, but it's probably got to do with the fact that I had switched to a carb-based diet again - basically, overloading on sugar. Aaaah sugar, you demon. Had a few really bad days because of it - depressed, didn't want to leave the house, low self-esteem, you name it. Basically felt like a shitty dog poop.

So I got back (10 days ago), and my mum's expressed interest in doing this paleo/anti-candida diet with me, because she'd like to lose some weight. I think that's been super helpful for me to be strict. We all eat our meals together at home, and take turns shopping and cooking. It's been good so far, my face has cleared up TREMENDOUSLY, and mum's lost 4lbs! I've got two weeks left here in the Kong, and we'll keep up this eating while I'm still here. Hopefully she'll keep it up herself while I'm gone, but she's still freaking out about how much fat we're eating and what that's doing to her cholesterol. I wish she'd take initiative and start doing her own reading, instead of just hearing me talk about how eating cholesterol really isn't bad for you at all - I feel like I'm fighting years of ingrained, false information. Oh well.

So just to reiterate - clearing up again! My skin's looking a lot more even, most of my whiteheads are healed/healing. I have three on my cheek (kind of like Orion's Belt) that have been there since KL, they were just lurking but they're starting to come to the surface. I have a large cyst near my mouth that's so deep it's not even started getting red yet, it's just painful. Oh, and for those of you who've been following since the beginning, you'll be ecstatic to hear the [b]THE LURKER[B] has shrunk into nothingness!! Rejoicing all around!

Will update again soon, but am feeling really good.