Wondering if you could go over your decision to use grapeseed oil.

I use grapeseed, olive oil or clarified butter depending on cooking time and heat. I love my grapeseed but I think it's high in omega 6s. I haven't been able to find much about grapeseed and acne so I would love a little more on your thought process behind using it.

thanks in advance

Wondering if you could go over your decision to use grapeseed oil.

I use grapeseed, olive oil or clarified butter depending on cooking time and heat. I love my grapeseed but I think it's high in omega 6s. I haven't been able to find much about grapeseed and acne so I would love a little more on your thought process behind using it.

thanks in advance

Grapeseed oil is a good source of vitamin E. I also sometimes use it as a moisturizer under my eyes. It's not that high in omega 6s unless you use a lot of it, which I don't.

Thanks for this link WishClean. I still don't understand specifically how histamines cause acne, do you have an older post in which you explain it?

In researching this, I've noticed a similarity between foods high in citric acid and foods high in histamines. I've seen a few posts about people who got clear by cutting out citric acid. I'm definitely willing to give this low histamine/low citric acid thing a try because I do breakout when I have alcohol, so there might be more to it (more foods I need to cut out).

How do you find the combo of eating low histamines works with inositol, in other words, do you need to eat a low histamine diet in order to stay clear even on inositol?

Hi everyone,

Some of you asked me to post my grocery list a while ago and I haven't had time until now.

For anyone who is interested, this is what my typical grocery list looks like. Not all foods here are 100% "pure" "whole" "natural" or whatever, but for busy people like me, this works fine. When I stick to these foods and rotate them, I don't get big cysts or face swelling. I included specific brands to help you out. I try to keep the grains to a minimum, but I don't think they hurt in low quantities. What works for me might not work for you. I'll add more if I remember more things I typically buy.

I also recommend digestive enzymes for when you feel like eating something you don't normally eat to minimize potential reactions.

- Sweet potatoes

- Zucchini, kale, carrots, cucumbers, basil, parsley, garlic, and most other green vegetables, preferably organic and not sprayed with sulfates (no tomatoes for me due to high histamines)

- spices: basil, garlic, pink himalayan salt, oregano

- grapeseed oil for cooking

- Jones All Natural Fully Cooked Turkey Sausage

- rice milk

- lots of water, including distilled water for my face

- organic honey

- African rooiboos tea (also occasionally black tetley tea for the caffeine boost)

- Naked Green Juice (liquid vitamins)

- Zero Vitamin Pomegranate water (liquid vitamins)

- publix deli lower sodium cooked ham (in water)

- Toufayan Wraps (the yeast free type), low carb low sodium low gluten

- Toffuti non dairy cream cheese (tofu spread)

- Popchips potato chips and any chips that only contain few ingredients & no colorings or vinegar

- Garden lites Veggie Muffins Carrot Berry (also other Garden Lites products might work)

- Barbara's gluten free honey cereal

- Val's Gluten free blueberry waffles

- Weight watchers chicken

- South Beach Diet Honey and Vanilla bars (great source of fiber and protein, contains some dairy)

- Occasionally: So Delicious Coconut Ice Cream (Vanilla bean, regular version because for some reason the sugar free version gives me small pimples under my skin)

I can't find the posts right now...I mentioned it several times on other people's thread esp. on the diet forum. Basically, high histamines can signal an autoimmune issue, where your body is in a "fight or flight" mode constantly and feels that it has to protect itself from things you were not allergic/ intolerant to before. In my case, I got asked by the allergist who did the blood test if I had asthma, because I was "reactive" and my histamines were high.

So, even though the allergy tests I did didn't show anything in particular (and my insurance couldn't pay for intolerance tests, which is what most people have anyway, not full blown allergies), the allergist gave me a list of histamine triggers to avoid until I build up tolerance. I eliminated most of them, like sulfates, tomatoes, unnecessary cosmetics, canned foods, anything with preservatives... and I also took digestive enzymes to help my body process the food better.

Noone could tell me why my body was suddenly producing more histamines -- i.e. more allergic reactions -- other than the fact that it's stress-related. I was under a lot of chronic stress, and I guess it took a toll on my immune system and my adrenals. Then I read more about causes of high histamines, and greengables also suggested that estrogen dominance can be a contributing factor. With inositol, I still got some deep cysts whenever I cheated on my diet...that's why I added DIM, to see if that would help and it did. I'm not going to say it "cured" me completely, but now everything is much more manageable. Unfortunately, if I overdo it with the food I can still breakout, but I can tolerate more things now...even some body lotions that used to make my skin sensitive.

btw, not all alcohol can trigger histamines, but for me, cider definitely did it...which is the no.1 alcoholic trigger. I would get red spots (with no puss) on the same parts of my skin every time I had cider...I also got that every time I had too many tomatoes, so I started connecting the dots.

If you can get a basic blood test for histamines, maybe that would be a good idea. However, if you take the test when you are not reactive, it might not show anything. I managed to get tested last-minute on a day my skin was itchy and irritated, which is why the allergist was able to diagnose me easier.

hope this helps!

Thanks for this link WishClean. I still don't understand specifically how histamines cause acne, do you have an older post in which you explain it?
In researching this, I've noticed a similarity between foods high in citric acid and foods high in histamines. I've seen a few posts about people who got clear by cutting out citric acid. I'm definitely willing to give this low histamine/low citric acid thing a try because I do breakout when I have alcohol, so there might be more to it (more foods I need to cut out).
How do you find the combo of eating low histamines works with inositol, in other words, do you need to eat a low histamine diet in order to stay clear even on inositol?

Thanks for the detailed reply WishClean.

So you've had no adverse reaction from taking digestive enzymes (I'm also really sensitive to supplements)?

Is it possible to get the test through a family doctor or do only naturopaths or specialists conduct allergy tests?

May I ask what your dose is for inositol and DIM? I think I also read on your other post that you were planning on switching from myo to chiro, is that correct? If so, did you notice a difference?

Thanks.

 

I can't find the posts right now...I mentioned it several times on other people's thread esp. on the diet forum. Basically, high histamines can signal an autoimmune issue, where your body is in a "fight or flight" mode constantly and feels that it has to protect itself from things you were not allergic/ intolerant to before. In my case, I got asked by the allergist who did the blood test if I had asthma, because I was "reactive" and my histamines were high.

So, even though the allergy tests I did didn't show anything in particular (and my insurance couldn't pay for intolerance tests, which is what most people have anyway, not full blown allergies), the allergist gave me a list of histamine triggers to avoid until I build up tolerance. I eliminated most of them, like sulfates, tomatoes, unnecessary cosmetics, canned foods, anything with preservatives... and I also took digestive enzymes to help my body process the food better.

Noone could tell me why my body was suddenly producing more histamines -- i.e. more allergic reactions -- other than the fact that it's stress-related. I was under a lot of chronic stress, and I guess it took a toll on my immune system and my adrenals. Then I read more about causes of high histamines, and greengables also suggested that estrogen dominance can be a contributing factor. With inositol, I still got some deep cysts whenever I cheated on my diet...that's why I added DIM, to see if that would help and it did. I'm not going to say it "cured" me completely, but now everything is much more manageable. Unfortunately, if I overdo it with the food I can still breakout, but I can tolerate more things now...even some body lotions that used to make my skin sensitive.

btw, not all alcohol can trigger histamines, but for me, cider definitely did it...which is the no.1 alcoholic trigger. I would get red spots (with no puss) on the same parts of my skin every time I had cider...I also got that every time I had too many tomatoes, so I started connecting the dots.

If you can get a basic blood test for histamines, maybe that would be a good idea. However, if you take the test when you are not reactive, it might not show anything. I managed to get tested last-minute on a day my skin was itchy and irritated, which is why the allergist was able to diagnose me easier.

hope this helps!

 

Thanks for this link WishClean. I still don't understand specifically how histamines cause acne, do you have an older post in which you explain it?

In researching this, I've noticed a similarity between foods high in citric acid and foods high in histamines. I've seen a few posts about people who got clear by cutting out citric acid. I'm definitely willing to give this low histamine/low citric acid thing a try because I do breakout when I have alcohol, so there might be more to it (more foods I need to cut out).

How do you find the combo of eating low histamines works with inositol, in other words, do you need to eat a low histamine diet in order to stay clear even on inositol?

No adverse reactions to digest spectrum...they are pretty mild.

Your family doctor could probably do it, but also online....there are some reliable companies that do it via the internet.

For me, myo inositol works best...chiro worked too, but it was more expensive so I stuck with myoinositol powder.

Now I take as little of inositol and DIM as possible..I try not to take more than I need. Today I only took 1/8 of a teaspoon, then 50mg of DIM or so (I empty more than half of a 100mg capsule), 1 digestive enzyme (had a large cheat meal), and 1 herpanacine.

Thanks WishClean!

Do you have any specific recommendations for a brand of digestive enzymes and a website for allergy testing?

That's awesome that you're able to stay clear and control your PCOS with low doses!

From the video I posted on your inositol thread, it seems myo and chiro work in slightly different ways. I found that chiral balance website very informative.

I'm back on chiro-inositol, and it's way too early to tell if things are fixed, but so far so good.

I'm hoping that IF the inositol gets things back on track, I can wean off of some of my other medications. Even though I've been on spiro for years, it hasn't been helping much in this last year (since I randomly started breaking out last summer). But I fear going off of it might make my acne way worse, like what happened with Diane 35. I'm also on metformin and although it has helped improve my acne, I don't know if it would be redundant. I'm wondering, IF my acne gets better with the inositol, which medication would you recommend weaning off of- spiro or met? And I think I read that you took spiro a long time ago, how was your experience coming off of it?

Thanks,

Bren

No adverse reactions to digest spectrum...they are pretty mild.

Your family doctor could probably do it, but also online....there are some reliable companies that do it via the internet.

For me, myo inositol works best...chiro worked too, but it was more expensive so I stuck with myoinositol powder.

Now I take as little of inositol and DIM as possible..I try not to take more than I need. Today I only took 1/8 of a teaspoon, then 50mg of DIM or so (I empty more than half of a 100mg capsule), 1 digestive enzyme (had a large cheat meal), and 1 herpanacine.

I use enzymedica's digest spectrum and it works well. Now I don't take enzymes with every meal, only "cheat" meals. But unfortunately, if I go all out they don't prevent breakouts 100%. If it's a light cheat meal like carrot cake or subway or something, they do the trick but a few days ago I had something fried and a lot of other things and yesterday I got 2 deep red welt-like zits in a place I don't break out anymore. So basically, you still have to watch your diet and insulin as much as you can. Have you given the herpanacine a try btw? I take a low dose of that almost every day to get some zinc and other vitamins.

No, I never took spiro, I was offered it but I didn't like the prospect of taking it for the rest of my life..the long term side effects didn't sit well with me.

It's hard to tell which to wean off....I believe met has more side effects, so for me that would be the deciding factor. Also, inositol has been found to have the same effect as met, so basically if you are taking inositol you may not even need met. Btw, if you lower your insulin too much, you could get side effects too, so you don't want to take more things than you need. I accidentally took a double or triple dose (don't remember exactly how much now) of chiro-inositol back when I was trying to switch from myo, and my blood sugar fell too low to the point where I got dizziness and blurry vision. I remember I used to get that more frequently when I was on birth control..

 

Thanks WishClean!
Do you have any specific recommendations for a brand of digestive enzymes and a website for allergy testing?
That's awesome that you're able to stay clear and control your PCOS with low doses!
From the video I posted on your inositol thread, it seems myo and chiro work in slightly different ways. I found that chiral balance website very informative.
I'm back on chiro-inositol, and it's way too early to tell if things are fixed, but so far so good.
I'm hoping that IF the inositol gets things back on track, I can wean off of some of my other medications. Even though I've been on spiro for years, it hasn't been helping much in this last year (since I randomly started breaking out last summer). But I fear going off of it might make my acne way worse, like what happened with Diane 35. I'm also on metformin and although it has helped improve my acne, I don't know if it would be redundant. I'm wondering, IF my acne gets better with the inositol, which medication would you recommend weaning off of- spiro or met? And I think I read that you took spiro a long time ago, how was your experience coming off of it?
Thanks,
Bren

Thanks WishClean,

I guess I'm thinking of hearts taking spiro. Even though met works similar to spiro, I'm conflicted about which to wean off of because met has helped somewhat in the last few months and I'm not sure if spiro has. I see your point about insulin dropping too low; the chiral balance website also talks about testosterone dropping too low when taking inositol and spiro (which I'm guessing is related to the estrogen dominance phenomena that I don't understand). Like you, I think I have a problem with high androgens and estrogen (acne, mild hirsturism, irregular period, weight in the middle, lowered sex drive).

I am not taking the vitamin yet, although I do have a bottle. Have you found it helps with cysts or just regular pimples? I'm just nervous about trying anything new because I have a major intolerance to supplements (I've broken out on vitamin C before).

Thanks!

B

PS

Do you know the allergy testing website off hand?

I use enzymedica's digest spectrum and it works well. Now I don't take enzymes with every meal, only "cheat" meals. But unfortunately, if I go all out they don't prevent breakouts 100%. If it's a light cheat meal like carrot cake or subway or something, they do the trick but a few days ago I had something fried and a lot of other things and yesterday I got 2 deep red welt-like zits in a place I don't break out anymore. So basically, you still have to watch your diet and insulin as much as you can. Have you given the herpanacine a try btw? I take a low dose of that almost every day to get some zinc and other vitamins.

No, I never took spiro, I was offered it but I didn't like the prospect of taking it for the rest of my life..the long term side effects didn't sit well with me.

It's hard to tell which to wean off....I believe met has more side effects, so for me that would be the deciding factor. Also, inositol has been found to have the same effect as met, so basically if you are taking inositol you may not even need met. Btw, if you lower your insulin too much, you could get side effects too, so you don't want to take more things than you need. I accidentally took a double or triple dose (don't remember exactly how much now) of chiro-inositol back when I was trying to switch from myo, and my blood sugar fell too low to the point where I got dizziness and blurry vision. I remember I used to get that more frequently when I was on birth control..

 

Thanks WishClean!

Do you have any specific recommendations for a brand of digestive enzymes and a website for allergy testing?

That's awesome that you're able to stay clear and control your PCOS with low doses!

From the video I posted on your inositol thread, it seems myo and chiro work in slightly different ways. I found that chiral balance website very informative.

I'm back on chiro-inositol, and it's way too early to tell if things are fixed, but so far so good.

I'm hoping that IF the inositol gets things back on track, I can wean off of some of my other medications. Even though I've been on spiro for years, it hasn't been helping much in this last year (since I randomly started breaking out last summer). But I fear going off of it might make my acne way worse, like what happened with Diane 35. I'm also on metformin and although it has helped improve my acne, I don't know if it would be redundant. I'm wondering, IF my acne gets better with the inositol, which medication would you recommend weaning off of- spiro or met? And I think I read that you took spiro a long time ago, how was your experience coming off of it?

Thanks,

Bren

 

PPS

I know you take DIM to process excess estrogen, I just read about how avocado does that as well. If you can tolerate avocado, you might be interested in incorporating it into your diet more.

basically, if you lower testosterone too much, you are left with too much unopposed estrogen. Whereas a healthy amount of testosterone is needed in order to keep the balance; you can't lower it too much. That's why some women gain weight and have melasma when they are on spiro and birth control...they both can boost estrogen in different ways.

Thanks for the avocado tip, I had some a few days ago!

Herpanacine helps to make skin look healthier...I also drink vitamin water zero every morning to get more nutrients in (especially niacin for liver support). I'm aiming for overall health that's why I try not to have any vitamin deficiencies.

I believe the website is ALCAT, but you may want to check what some users on this forum used for their food intolerances. You would need an intolerance test (probably also measuring your histamine reactions to specific things), allergy tests usually don't show much unless you are highly allergic to something.

 

Thanks WishClean,

I guess I'm thinking of hearts taking spiro. Even though met works similar to spiro, I'm conflicted about which to wean off of because met has helped somewhat in the last few months and I'm not sure if spiro has. I see your point about insulin dropping too low; the chiral balance website also talks about testosterone dropping too low when taking inositol and spiro (which I'm guessing is related to the estrogen dominance phenomena that I don't understand). Like you, I think I have a problem with high androgens and estrogen (acne, mild hirsturism, irregular period, weight in the middle, lowered sex drive).
I am not taking the vitamin yet, although I do have a bottle. Have you found it helps with cysts or just regular pimples? I'm just nervous about trying anything new because I have a major intolerance to supplements (I've broken out on vitamin C before).
Thanks!
B
PS
Do you know the allergy testing website off hand?

PPS
I know you take DIM to process excess estrogen, I just read about how avocado does that as well. If you can tolerate avocado, you might be interested in incorporating it into your diet more.

Thanks WishClean,

I'll look into the intolerance testing, hopefully it's reasonably priced. I do know peanut butter and wine give me acne (grrr, two of the best things).

I hope you keep us updated on your inositol thread re your lowered dose and DIM success.

I'll consider the herpicine more carefully, as I do have lots of scars and some clogged pores, blackheads, etc... So I could do with adding something to improve my skin texture.

I'm really hoping the inositol gets rid of my nodules this time around.

Have a great weekend!

Thanks WishClean,

 

I'll look into the intolerance testing, hopefully it's reasonably priced. I do know peanut butter and wine give me acne (grrr, two of the best things).

I hope you keep us updated on your inositol thread re your lowered dose and DIM success.

I'll consider the herpicine more carefully, as I do have lots of scars and some clogged pores, blackheads, etc... So I could do with adding something to improve my skin texture.

I'm really hoping the inositol gets rid of my nodules this time around.

Have a great weekend!

No problem, hope you find a solution. Well, my skin is far from perfect, but compared to the mess it was, I'll take what I can get. I also bought a portable high frequency device from my esthetician that helps disinfect any breakouts, diminish redness, and tone the skin.

As for herpanacine, I used to take a lot more of it, but I found that even just 1 pill a day (or every 2 days if I forget) can be beneficial. It helped me get through a nasty cold along with vitamin C.

Bumping up this old post for people who send me messages on what I eat on a regular basis. This would be a good starting point if you don't have enough time to cook and are looking for "safe" grocery store items.