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I am looking for cause of acne. Currently, I am 23 and am aware of the following: I have not that good digestion for 2-3 years. Sleep quality is bad and I wake up around 2-3 am without fail to toss and turn until 5am. I have acne and redness on my face and shouders. There is not correlation with diet and I tried cutting various foods out for some weeks to no avail.
I exercise and cook all my food. I also eat fermented veggies and make kefir. None of them helped.
I went to doctors and they found slightly elevated ALP, H Pylori in stool sample and one other doctor mentioned that I might have something interfering with bile production because my "not that good digestion" looks like abnormal stool, which is very light brown but more of the yellow color. Especially after eating more fats. I had ultrasound that revealed no stones in gallbladder and all organs are of normal size. I am inclined to believe that it is the liver that is struggling. So far I tried curcumin for more bile production but it does not help as well.
Does it sound like liver issues or something else?
Hi NationalSwift,
Have your stools always been on the yellow side? if so it sounds like Gilbertsons Syndrome, which is very mild genetic abnormality that effects the livers ability to handle Bilirubin (An enzyme that breaks down hemoglobin) It is pretty harmless but causes yellow stools. If your levels of bilirubin go too high you can suffer from jaundice which is a yellowing of the skin that can make you nauseous, tired, have tummy pains and weakness. I do not know if this is linked with acne.
I know you said you have eliminated likely suspects from your diet with no results but can I ask what specifically you have tried eliminating?
Have you tried to eliminate fermented foods? These are high in histamines (there are lots of fruits and veggies that are high histamine releasing as well.) These can cause acne in some people. Citrus and nightshades are a trigger for some people. I wouldn't give up on your dietary changes. If you suspect liver issues though keep pressing your doc to get to the bottom of it.
Good luck,
I am 24 and have finally cleared my acne with dietary changes and am possibly being biased! So get your liver checked 
10 hours ago, madeleineroose said:Hi NationalSwift,
Have your stools always been on the yellow side? if so it sounds like Gilbertsons Syndrome, which is very mild genetic abnormality that effects the livers ability to handle Bilirubin (An enzyme that breaks down hemoglobin) It is pretty harmless but causes yellow stools. If your levels of bilirubin go too high you can suffer from jaundice which is a yellowing of the skin that can make you nauseous, tired, have tummy pains and weakness. I do not know if this is linked with acne.
I know you said you have eliminated likely suspects from your diet with no results but can I ask what specifically you have tried eliminating?
Have you tried to eliminate fermented foods? These are high in histamines (there are lots of fruits and veggies that are high histamine releasing as well.) These can cause acne in some people. Citrus and nightshades are a trigger for some people. I wouldn't give up on your dietary changes. If you suspect liver issues though keep pressing your doc to get to the bottom of it.Good luck,
I am 24 and have finally cleared my acne with dietary changes and am possibly being biased! So get your liver checked
No they weren't. This nonsense started 2-3 years ago, I can't remember exactly. And I don't have Gilbert Syndrome, doctor confirmed that. My bilirubin is actually pretty low in blood tests, usually around 4-8 range.
Sure you can ask: milk, eggs, tomatoes, all meat, all milk products and fish. Nothing changed whatsoever. I don't eat citrus fruits. I only introduced fermented foods quite recently and they also had no effect on my digestion or acne. I pressed my doctor today and he's hit the wall with regards to possible liver issues. He said slightly above range ALP could be normal for me but he will ask biochemists and gastro doctors. I told him that once a month or so I feel a dull stabbing, very mild discomfort in liver area and suggested that since ultrasound shown nothing, it's time for MRI. It clearly is liver issue of some sort because ALP can be raised with bone issues but they ruled them out.
Maybe you have advice on how to support liver besides stuff like milk thistle?
There are many reasons you might have raised ALP levels, only your doctor will be able to discover why. Do you have any IBS symptoms(Other than bad digestion and yellow stools)? Higher fat diets tend to worsen symptoms, as mentioned in your original post and can cause yellow stools. An inflamed gut can cause higher than normal ALP levels and acne. Gluten is a trigger for me, as well as other things, if you haven't tried that. Low FODMAP diet should be considered if you are still interested going down the diet route. Some Doctors are hesitant to diagnose IBS as it is a bit of a mystery.
As far as liver health - you could look up coffee enemas but I don't blame you if you aren't keen! I kinda wanted to try it but I am a chicken. They are supposed to be great for flushing out your liver but probably only if your liver is overloaded with toxins etc.
I was tested for IBS which is indicated by inflammatory markers in the calprotectic levels: http://www.calprotectintest.com/english/calprotectin_in_stool.html
It came back at < 20 which indicates almost zero inflammation in the gut.
I don't have gluten sensitivity. It is tested using a blood test called ttg IGG http://www.mayomedicallaboratories.com/test-catalog/Clinical+and+Interpretive/83660 . The value returned was 0.0 which means there are no antibodies present in people with gluten sensitivity.
On 04/01/2017 at 1:34 PM, Coce99 said:On 18/12/2016 at 11:58 AM, NationalSwift said:H Pylori in stool sample
Have you undergone the triple antibiotic treatment?
Not yet. I got the meds today but want to ramp up fermented foods intake and have them ready in order to somewhat prevent intestines from being wiped out of bacteria.
Regarding milk thistle, it seems to have poor bioavailability as well as giving me a headache every time I consume it. However, I barely used it so am open for retrying.
On 1/5/2017 at 2:33 PM, NationalSwift said:Not yet. I got the meds today but want to ramp up fermented foods intake and have them ready in order to somewhat prevent intestines from being wiped out of bacteria.Regarding milk thistle, it seems to have poor bioavailability as well as giving me a headache every time I consume it. However, I barely used it so am open for retrying.
Maybe try an NAC supplement for your liver. It helped me more than Milk Thistle.
Have you tried bone broth? Helps seal the gut lining.
I had those tests done before too, said I have zero gut inflammation which is clearly wrong with the amount of problems I have with food and acne!
You could have:
-Gut permeability
-Candida/ parasites overgrowth
-Or liver issues like you said