39 replies to this topic

[*jellybeans*]

Hey healthy people ... was wondering if you give me your opinion on something?
I am a generally healthy girl however I have two physical health conditions (other than acne) which affect me
1) IBS - which I think is to do with a wheat intolerance and possibly an acne contributor?
2) Really bad blood circulation - I have the coldest hands and feet ever and my feet go a purple corpse colour. I have had this problem ever since I can remember and yet I've always been an active person. I have been dancing since I was five and though I may not keep as fit as I should do these days I try to do aerobic exercise regularly.
I'm not trying to be smart - I am probably being completely stupid but could bad blood circulation affect acne at all?

Hannah x

P.S I don't know if its worth pointing out but when I was younger 9/10 I had something to do with my blood where the white blood cells were attacking my red blood cells.

[Sarah99]

To tell the truth, I have both of those conditions and I am also a very healthy, physically fit girl who has acne.

Here is my theory. Toxins cause acne, toxins are in the bloodstream, poor circulation doesn't help flush them out fast enough (or how ever it happens) so therefore we are more acne prone. I know that yoga seems to help my acne, and I always wondered if it was because the crazy postures increased blood flow to certain areas of the body, especially the face.

As for IBS, I tend to have very hard stools (tmi) and am prone to becoming constipated. I read about "Leaky gut" which is some sort of digestive thing where everything isn't broken down...I'm wondering if this contributes to toxins...also food alergies prevent certain foods from breaking down so the body treats the food as a toxin which then may cause acne.

Sorry that was a completely vague, unscientific answer. But no, I don't think you are crazy. I've been thinking about this connection for a while too.

ALSO, I'm very small, but I eat a TON. I just can't gain weight so there is no reason to not indulge. I'm wondering if this contributes to acne too---too many toxins for my body to handle. I tend to eat very healthily, but maybe I should try portion control. I'm on accutane now, which is helping, but I never want to go on it again so I'm trying to figure out the root of my acne so it will be gone FOREVER

[gMARIAs]

yes, bad circulation can affect acne because you aren't getting enough nutrients to your skin or body.

My circulation isn't the greatest, either. The last time I went to the doctor my blood pressure my was 98/79. My hands and feet are ALWAYS cold and I can't even sleep with my hands crossed on my chest or they'll fall asleep. My feet fall asleep easily, too, and yes, they turn that sickly pale purple/bluish color often.

However, I've been on my mostly raw diet for a good month and a half now. I'm not sure WHY it has helped, but it has. My extremities don't go cold and numb nearly as often - though they still do. I've also been doing small amounts of yoga and jogging - more improvement. Yoga is WONDERFUL for circulation, I've found - especially in addition to your aerobics. You may want to give it a try. I don't do much - I only exercise in total for about 30 minutes a day, but my goal is to make it a habit and work my way up instead of starting high and burning myself out.

If you're white blood cells were attacking your red blood cells, you may have an autoimmune disease. If you don't already know what that is, it's basically where your immune system sends a response and the body starts seeing and attacking normally present tissue. Have you looked into Crohn's Disease? It's not irritable bowel syndrome, but it's an inflammatory bowel syndrome, causing things like abdominal cramps and diarrhea. It's an autoimmune disease. IBS can actually be a symptom of an autoimmune disease. Are you having any other symptoms?

Honestly, if it concerns you terribly, you're best bet is to see a doctor - especially considering the autoimmune response you had as a child.

[finitosant]

I have also come to the realization that blood circulation has some unusual effect on my acne breakouts, its really quite a breakthrough in my mind:

1. During winter I am much more prone to bad breakouts and bad skin, and I think with the decreased temperatures on the east coast, along with less physical activity, my circulation becomes poorer during this time.

2. Whenever I drink alcohol, my face becomes flushed with blood, which possibly brings an overload of toxins to my face. When I am just drinking at home and not moving, this causes me to breakout. However, during the summer when I was at the club and dancing, I did not have much of a problem due to increased blood circulation that probably spread the toxins through the rest of my body and not just my face. I also realized that if I slept on one side of my face(usually the right) after drinking, I would break out there.

3. I hate to get R rated, but I feel this is really important. Many 'scientists' claim that masturbation has no effect on acne, but I think this is incorrect for people with poor circulation. During masturbation you are pretty much just sitting there, while your face gets flushed with blood and toxins. However, during real sex, you are moving alot more and increasing your circulation. I think this is why real sex does not contribute as much to my acne, while masturbation instantly causes me to breakout within a day. I have verified this with many weeks of experimenting and I think this is really important for guys to know.

I'm the type of guy who plays intense sports usually 1 day out of the week, and then just does nothing else for the other days. I'm going to adjust my exercise routine to include brief exercise and see if that changes things. If anyone is actually interested in seeing my results, please PM me.

Best of luck to all

[acne_combat]

you might be on to something here. I don't have the best blood circulation either... Wonder if other people too?

[pimple_popper]

I also suffer from bad circulation, not to the point where my hands/feet turn purple, but they do get cold and fall asleep frequently. I also have IBS-type symptoms, especially if I'm careless about what I eat. I definitely think these two things and acne are related.

Do you guys get dandruff as well?

[maxxie]

Something that is good for circulation is swimming (i'm not sure if thats an option for you) but yeah aerobic exercise should help. There are different herbs that can help and i'm sure you can just google it. I definately think that circulation plays a role in acne. The (hopefully healthy) food that you put in your body is carried to your organs and skin by your blood so if your circulation is poor then you arent getting use out of all the nutrients you can.

I dont have alot of knowledge on the autoimmune thing but if you had it when you were young maybe it wasn't a permanent thing. If you wanted to look into it then your doctor could refer you to a rheumatologist. You may have a connective tissue disorder (i do, but it doesnt affect my immune system).

To sarah, you said your small and cant gain weight even though you eat "a ton". Now i feel like i'm pushing histadelia (high histamine) way too much these days but it is a condition that you may want to research. Never gaining weight is one of the main symptoms because it causes you to have a rapid matabolism so you body burns food quickly and very ineffeciently which creates toxins.

Anyway that's my piece, Good luck to both of you.

Edited by maxxie, 11 March 2010 - 02:27 AM.

[*jellybeans*]

Hey guys, thanks for all your replies. For the past week I have been doing 30 minutes of exercise a day which includes toning and I have been eating much healthier. The combination of the two has improved my IBS and poor blood circulation however Im in england and it's so so cold here atm that my feet are always cold even with bed socks and slippers on. My overall complexion has improved and im coming to the end of my second week doing the regimen so I am getting mild breakouts. If I can continue this hopefully my skin is going to dramatically improve and I may drop a dress size as well x x x

[bɭesstheʄẚɭɭ]

Blood vessel diameter length is the easiest way for increasing flow.

[Polska Laska]

To tell the truth, I have both of those conditions and I am also a very healthy, physically fit girl who has acne.

Here is my theory. Toxins cause acne, toxins are in the bloodstream, poor circulation doesn't help flush them out fast enough (or how ever it happens) so therefore we are more acne prone. I know that yoga seems to help my acne, and I always wondered if it was because the crazy postures increased blood flow to certain areas of the body, especially the face.

As for IBS, I tend to have very hard stools (tmi) and am prone to becoming constipated. I read about "Leaky gut" which is some sort of digestive thing where everything isn't broken down...I'm wondering if this contributes to toxins...also food alergies prevent certain foods from breaking down so the body treats the food as a toxin which then may cause acne.

Sorry that was a completely vague, unscientific answer. But no, I don't think you are crazy. I've been thinking about this connection for a while too.

ALSO, I'm very small, but I eat a TON. I just can't gain weight so there is no reason to not indulge. I'm wondering if this contributes to acne too---too many toxins for my body to handle. I tend to eat very healthily, but maybe I should try portion control. I'm on accutane now, which is helping, but I never want to go on it again so I'm trying to figure out the root of my acne so it will be gone FOREVER

I agree with what Sarah99 said. I also have cold hands and feet from poor circulation, you should search "detox yoga" or start doing yoga or pilates to increase your blood circulation. You can go to your local library for free and borrow yoga and pilates dvds also. =)

[recoverme]

just breathe......

make sure you breathe with your stomach. When you inhale your stomach should be going out, as you produce the optimal amount of oxygen. When you exhale your stomach should be going in. Take deep big breaths. Soon you will get accustomed to this, and it will be second nature. I just realized this.

Good luck.

[dcfutbol2]

I have exactly the same symptoms as you guys... cold feet hands and acne

what ive found has worked vitamin C and B5

exercising

just relaxing and breathing

My question is what internally is causing all of this??? intestinal.. liver.. kidney health??

[databased]

1) IBS - which I think is to do with a wheat intolerance and possibly an acne contributor?

More likely, living in dim light impairs digestion. The carb malabsorption induced this way is associated with an impaired ability to absorb both tryptophan and zinc, crucial for making the zinc superoxide dismutase that keeps normal people from experiencing the immune system overreaction that triggers acne.

The effect of day-long bright light exposure on digestion is immediate and highly repeatable, IME. Working in normal indoor light, an evening Coke+burrito will reliably give me pain, bloating, gas, and wake me up in the night with acid reflux. The very next day spent in bright sunlight (or working indoors in very bright lights favoring the blue spectrum) and eating the same meal produces no digestive problems whatsoever.

It's amazing -- I no longer need any indigestion products. YMMV.

[dcfutbol2]

I would just like this topic to be discussed more. Does anyone know why sooo many acne sufferers also have bad circulation.

I have been doing little experiments lately and have found if my blood is circulating well( which takes alot of massages and yoga like techniques) then my skin looks so much better

My skin tone looks even and my red irritated eyes all but go away


The real question is why isnt my body getting proper blood flowing to my face eyes and feet all day long like NORMAL ACNE FREE PEOPLE???????

[craigeroo]

I run marathons so I really don't think it has to do with aerobic health....I do experience the purple/cold hands though, drives me crazy.

[vegangirl]

Blood circulation is not always related to the amount of exercise you get. You can have bad circulation from:

1. A thyroid issue
2. Stressed or weakened adrenals (adrenal fatigue)
3. Mineral deficiency
4. Iron deficiency

Circulation is not something that will change overnight and it can be a big contributor to acne as well as other problems like slow digestion, depression, etc. I have been working on my circulation with mineral therapy, iron and ioderal. I have seen a 70-75% improvement in about 4 months. My hands are warm and my cheeks are pink.

Please find a reputable natural health/ holistic practitioner in your area and make sure that you get a saliva hormone test and comprehensive blood test which includes testing food allergies.

The reason I suggest a natural health practitioner is because they will look at your body as a whole and give you food/ mineral supplements instead of prescriptions.

[dcfutbol2]

Wow I never knew those could be causes Vegangirl... but arent thyroid issues and adrenal issues pretty rare? and are those even fixable problems?


Also visiting a Holistic doctor is great idea and getting tests done by the.. but is that covered on health insurance usually because I am a poor college student

[Kyza]

Oh my gaaaad!!! I have exact the same issue as you OP. My hands and feet are really cold like ALL the time, even in the summer. I have no colour in my skin. I cannot for the life of me go to sleep, only once I have warmed up my hands and feet. I do have digestion problems its either - having hard stools and constipation or having really soft watery stools like three times a day. Its never normal :S Please if anyone has any cures/suggestion please help. I think this poor circulation is the reason wy my scars take a really long time to heal

Edited by Kyza, 16 March 2010 - 09:19 PM.

[vegangirl]

Wow I never knew those could be causes Vegangirl... but arent thyroid issues and adrenal issues pretty rare? and are those even fixable problems?


Also visiting a Holistic doctor is great idea and getting tests done by the.. but is that covered on health insurance usually because I am a poor college student

Thyroid and adrenal imbalances are very common place. We live in a very stressful world and we are continually taxing our bodies and our hormonal systems.

I know so many women who are on thyroid medications or are over-weight because of hypothyroidism. Adrenal fatigue is usually ignored until you have complete adrenal exhaustion and your adrenals stop functioning.

Allopathic medicine usually only treats an thyroid/adrenal/hormone issue when the system is completely exhausted. If you begin to treat these problems earlier on, you have a good chance of full recovery.

Having issues with your hormonal balances can affect so many other parts of your body such as digestion, mental clarity/mood, PMS, skin, energy, weight, libido, etc. Think about how many people you know or have heard about with these types of problems? Hormones are usually always a factor if not the cause of these issues.

As much as I didn't realize it at the time, I am very grateful I had acne as bad as I did because I was able to find the underlying issues to my acne and improve my body as a whole. Most people go there whole lives and not realize that they are out-of-balance and suffering because of it.

[dcfutbol2]

what condition did you have vegangirl? and where do I go to get tested for these health problems?