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I noticed this old thread of mine was in the success compilation thread, and since some people might be looking at it, I figured I'd update this original post with how things have changed since then. I'll try and make comments/changes in a different color so you guys can sort through it easily-deja /april 2011.
Hey everyone, I know I haven't been around in sooo long. Sorry!
And that's because my skin is now perfect. It's so amazing. I NEVER, ever in a trillion years thought I'd have skin like this!
In the end, it was gluten sensitivity. Yup. My overall health situation is more complicated than just that but gluten sensitivity was the cause. I discovered my celiac condition and it took a long time to really understand that gluten is in EVERYTHING. FOr so long, I thought just giving up bread, pizza and pasta would be enough, but no, even a microscopic molecule makes a huge difference. It was to be 100% gluten free, for a long long time for the reaction to stop.
Notes- All of the above was definitely true, but what I didn't know at the time was that it wasn't JUST gluten. The gluten intolerance had caused a lot of damage to my gut, as well as other food intolerances. I didn't know about the other food intolerances at the time and I still had a lot of work ahead of me. I think I received such success at the beginning with eliminating gluten alone because my body was SO damaged that ANY healing relaxed my skin a lot. So at the time it seemed like my skin was "100% better" but really, I was probably only healed about 80-90% and it took eliminating the other bad foods (soy, corn, dairy) and getting on a grain free diet to heal the gut damage. So I wasn't only avoiding allergens but HEALING so that I would be less allergic in general.
So to sum it up, I took the gluten free diet's healing power and built upon it over the next few years by also eliminating soy, corn, dairy, and going on a gut healing diet (basically a high raw version of the paleo diet-similar anyway)
It's more than my skin, my entire life has changed. And it's more than just gluten, I've also done a number of other things that have helped my body, and CHANGED MY LIFE.
Overall, I'd have to list the things I've done that have made a big difference:
1)cleansing (parasite/liver/bowel/etc), the benefits of this stuff has been debated many times here but I'll just say its important and leave it at that.
2)Emotional Freedom Technique -NOT stressing and being emotionally "right" inside is very important to overall health, this therapy is LIFE changing as far as I'm concerned.
3)IODINE therapy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I cannot stress this enough. By far the most important thing I've ever done for my body besides avoiding gluten, iodine is an ESSENTIAL nutrient, and VERY VERY important to balancing hormones and the entire body. There is so much we need iodine for I can't list it all here, but it plays a key role in detoxification, elimination, hormones, the list goes on and on, and the bullshit about it causing acne is because in the beginning, if you are gluten sensitive iodine intensifes that reaction until the antibody deposits are cleared from the skin (*this process took about a month 100% free for me*), and Iodine also may detox halogens through the skin. This makes it have a bad rap, but trust me, it WILL pass and iodine therapy will change your life. I cannot stress this enough.
I take 100mgs (thats 16 drops)a day of iodine and my skin is gorgeous. It does NOT "cause" acne.
Notes- While I still strongly believe iodine is a VERY important nutrient, something strange happened to me in the years after I wrote this post. It just became too much for my system to take heavy loads of iodine. I am still trying to figure out why exactly this is. Possibly I am ingesting some toxin I am not aware of somehow (and therefore remaining in a perpetual healing crisis if I take iodine) or perhaps my body just got enough. Either way, I am no longer taking iodine supplements at this time. I might try taking them again at some point in the future, we'll see. For now I just use sea salt with natural iodine.
4)Of course, GLUTEN FREE DIET! This is not just for skin but for the entire body. I did so much right before, and liver flushing and good diet, supplements, etc. all seemed to never work "right" and I was always like "WHY???? HOW CAN I TAKE ALL THESE SUPPS AND HAVE THEM DO NOTHING!"
This is because gluten destroys the intestines to where they cannot absorb nutrients properly. Celiac is a malabsorption disease. So I was spending hundreds of dollars a month on supplements I couldn't even absorb! Oh, the madness! lol!
Notes- All of the above is true.
Now, as long as I avoid gluten, I can eat whatever I want. Of course, I choose to eat healthy but for the most part, I can eat whatever I want. I can eat an entire box of cookies as long as its gluten free. I enjoy chocolate and chips and ice cream when I feel like it. Having a properly iodined body has completely eliminated any candida problems *no yeast infections since having been on it* so there aren't worries about eating sugar (of course I don't overdo it). Oh another thing about iodine, it's balanced my hormones so much that the nightmare PMS I experienced before is now nonexistent. And my periods are regular.
Notes- All of the above is SO not true. LOL Like I said earlier, at that time I was just enjoying the early stages of healing from gluten, but I can't eat a box of cookies or any of that nonsense. After awhile I began having consequences (breakouts and sickness) from that sort of behavior, and I learned that all grains and sugar effect my system and cause acne to flare up. The iodine stuff was true at the time, it's unfortunate that something made it stop working for me because I really miss all of those effects....
But yeah, just to be clear, you can't eat an entire box of cookies and ice cream and what not with no consequences. I definitely was hyped up and excited at the time and I spoke too soon without waiting for longer term results.
5)Proper skin care. I am using Dans BP gel, an exfoliant(It's called beginnings, and its EXPENSIVE, but worth it!), and grapeseed oil as a moisterizer(usually mixed with Dans moisterizer or a sunscreen for daytime). But honestly, I don't really think I need Dans BP anymore, I'm just using it as a "back up" which is silly because I was on the regimen for years and still had awful breakouts the whole time, it helped heal the skin reaction ONCE it was already there but because gluten breakouts(actually called Dermatitis Herpetiformis, which usually appears like a rash on the body but for many people presents itself on the face, like acne) are not the same as normal acne, it cannot prevent them. And since I know its from gluten now I'm wondering if I go off the regimen and stay gluten free, if my skin will just be normal. I'll probably just start doing the regimen every other day or so after awhile and see how I do. I wont be able to do it after a certain point anyway because I'm going backpacking around the world and wont be able to carry all that stuff with me!
Notes- As you can see, I was still using BP at the time, which showed that my skin wasn't truly healed yet back then (because of the dairy, soy and grains I was still eating) Now I don't need BP, I only use it once in a great while if I accidentally eat something that I'm allergic to and have a break out. I try not to do much to my skin these days. I do facials once in awhile with clay and what not but it's more for fun and pampering than for actual skin care. I exfoliate my skin with a loofah and dry skin brush, and I still use my trusty grapeseed oil for moisterizing!
So those are my steps.
1)proper cleansing/body maintenece
2)proper care for emotional issues
4)GLUTEN/CORN/SOY/DAIRY/GRAIN/Processed Sugar FREE/ HIGH RAW DIET! (100% and yes, "cheating" every few weeks or months DOES matter)
5)Proper skin care.
Well thats about all I've got. Thats my success story. After years and years, it finally happened for me. Please, never give up. I WAS "that girl who tried everything" until I tried the few things that made a difference. Please never give up you guys. I went from having skin so disgusting that people on the street stared at me, to having better skin that MOST people I know and being complimented on my "nice skin". NEVER GIVE UP! Believe there is an answer and there will be. Just never give up. I can't say it enough.
a few references:
Curezone-lots if info about cleansing and health
Gluten free forums, great people who KNOW what is safe and what isn't
A good instructional emotional freedom technique video
A new one I will add:
Raw food support!
^In my opinion going straight to the raw food diet is the easiest way to get to where I am now, I SO WISH I had discovered this earlier. It's pretty much the healthiest diet and it naturally eliminates all the bad acne causing foods, so you don't have to worry so much about avoiding, you just go eat some fresh salad and be happy. The raw food lifestyle has changed my life for the better and I feel better than I ever thought I could. At the time I posted this original thread I felt better than any time in my life before, but I had NO idea how great I would feel in the future once I began eating mostly raw living foods!
SO much love to all you guys! *hugs* Good luck, and let me know if you have any questions!
Notes- Well that's my update. It's been a few years since the original thread and I'm happy that my skin (and life) has only improved since then. I've learned so much about food and health because of my long fight against acne and I'm really thankful. I'd never be who I am today, or where I am today if I hadn't fought such a long hard war. I hope this update helps some of you guys. Peace and happy skin!
-deja, april 2011.
Oh and PS, I know I don't have pics up here anymore, some of you might remember that I did once, but I am not really comfortable having pics of myself up on internet forums anymore. I have shown a couple of you my before/after pics through PM and I will again if any of you are curious... but hopefully you just take my word for it than I am actually clear.
Edited by DejaClaireVoyant, 26 April 2011 - 11:30 AM.
