Wow, i feel like i seriously need to get an award for the most logs on this site. Hopefully my experiences have served to help someone else in need. For me, it has been therapeutic and in a way, comforting as i have received so much love and support from complete strangers, some of you who have become people I would call friends. Well as my log states, I am about to try the holistic route again, this time integrating TCM or Traditional Chinese Medicine into my life. As many of you may or may not know, I have been down the holistic route with 3 different practioners and never once did my acne get better. It never made sense to me at all. I have also sought the counsel of members from the holistic forums for tips and tricks and while the majority have been friendly, some have gone as far as to blame me for my condition. It's been disheartening to say the least but I know that there is hope and i have Faith that God will get me through this.
Now on to the show.
1st acupuncture session
I went to see a licensed acupuncturist who has dealt with acne. He looked at my tongue and took my pulse after asking me many questions about my health. What he found was that i may be anemic and that I had poor blood circulation. He also suggested that my small intestines may not be absorbing nutrients from my food. This was very interesting to me as i bruise easily and i am tired all the time. I also get so cold or hot when others seems fine and i have been losing weight even though i eat and eat and eat (i always seem hungry).
He suggested acupuncture twice a week (which i am excited about as i have stress and anxiety issues) alongside herbal medicine which he will prepare for me.
My first acupuncture session today was fine. He used the 4 point korean one where he used four needles in my arms and legs. It didn't hurt and i felt somewhat relaxed.
The cost of all of this is totally on me as i am paying for 8 sessions and a month worth of herbs. I won't state the price but if this will help my acne and my general feelings and health, then i would gladly fork over this and more. The cool thing with this is that if i see no considerable improvement in the first month, he'll pay for me to do a second month. If by the end of the 2nd month I still am at a standstill, he will give me back my money. Can't beat good business sense.
So either way, it is much safer than accutane and hopefully it can help other issues beside my acne.
I will be adding pictures and documenting my experience as i go along.
Thanks everyone!!
JJ, I'm still going in for the appt and getting my meds but I think I want to give this a try first.
I am breaking out all over, including my forehead which has been relatively clear. I had such earth shattering cramps last night and tonight I have red, inflamed bumps all over. My face looks disgusting. Tomorrow is my 2nd accupuncture session and I will be receiving my herbs. Kinda scared and nervous to start but I have dumped so much money into this that the only place to move is forward.
Will update tomorrow.
2nd acupuncture session
Day # 1 of herbs
So i have started an album documenting my journey. Today i started drinking the herbal mixture. I will update with ingredients soon. Face is a mess. I now have acne all over my face but mostly concentrated around my mouth and chin. 2 days this week it seemed to be less red and irritated and then everything blew up last night. This is my last resort before going back to medical means.
Hoping to finally have some good news to report in the future.
Thanks Moonlight!
Your skin looks a hell of a lot better than what I was picturing, when you said your face is a mess! Are these photos after your skin blowing up last night?
How is the herbal mixture? Tasty??
It's not cystic but it is red, they hurt and it's a bunch of them. It's very obvious and the worse is when they develop pus. I guess acne is relative. Also, having gone from moderate cystic acne in my younger days, i am always scared of it going back to that level. These photos were taken today.
Tasty...you know it tastes like crap. It's no too bad though. Girl, i just want something to work. I got some unsolicited advice today from a friend who has clear skin and I just wanted to scream. This messes so much with my self esteem and I just want it over.
Your skin looks a hell of a lot better than what I was picturing, when you said your face is a mess! Are these photos after your skin blowing up last night?
How is the herbal mixture? Tasty??
It's not cystic but it is red, they hurt and it's a bunch of them. It's very obvious and the worse is when they develop pus. I guess acne is relative. Also, having gone from moderate cystic acne in my younger days, i am always scared of it going back to that level. These photos were taken today.
Tasty...you know it tastes like crap. It's no too bad though. Girl, i just want something to work. I got some unsolicited advice today from a friend who has clear skin and I just wanted to scream. This messes so much with my self esteem and I just want it over.
You are correct it is all relative. I know what you mean about being scared it's going to go back to that level. Today I got two pimples that popped up and all those feelings come rushing back! I hate it, it's a fear I think we will always have.
I imagine it does taste like crap, but if it works, why the hell not! I'd drink nasty shit all day if it means no acne! I hate when people give advice about skin period. Unless opinions are asked, don't bother giving me yours. That's my opinion. I have a friend that used to always say oh yeah my skin was just like yours, I just bought neutrogena pink grapefruit face wash and it all cleared up! It's that easy, just go buy it. Ughhhhhh it's just like screw you.
For anyone who is interested. I found this documentary online about two women treating their acne holistically - one used a naturopath and the other, TCM. Wish they did a follow up.
Tasty...you know it tastes like crap. It's no too bad though. Girl, i just want something to work. I got some unsolicited advice today from a friend who has clear skin and I just wanted to scream. This messes so much with my self esteem and I just want it over.
Jesus, what is it about acne that makes people think they can say anything? Would they do that to an overweight person? A burn victim, "What happened?" And then the ignorant at large wonder why we hide and distort our self-images. They're the same people who have comment on tattoos on someone's height because it's novel to them, regardless of the tall or short or tattooed person living the state of being tall or short or tattooed. No tact, no regard for boundaries.
I bet they're all bad drivers, too.
The taste of the soup might grow on you with positive associations. I kind of like it, like drinking an Old Fashioned or very smokey whiskey.
Since I've been promoting TCM pretty much all positively here I feel like I have a responsibility, although I know you've been down the road of putting your skin in someone else's hands before, to give gravity to how hard it is to trust the process. I think the worst part of acne is the loss of control, especially if other areas of our lives have gotten out of control because of acne.
There are all these unfamiliar herbs names, in infinite combinations, that have obscure indications like heat, wind, damp that pertain to organ "channels" that are invisible. It feels like you're dumping money and faith into the unknown, possible failure, and worse acne rebound from flushing and rebooting your body, like we haven't suffered enough false starts and disappointments with Western treatment. Being confident and trusting, waking up every day knowing you're helping yourself to help yourself, is a very important part of any kind of therapy, but especially with alternative medicine, imho. TCM asserts the mind and emotions (heart chi) influence the skin as much as liver, spleen or kidney chi, so I sincerely am sending positive thoughts your way and hope that you carry them through the road if it gets rougher, or not, to boost those balancing medicines. I hope you feel cared for AND taken care of- that's the best part of TCM, instead of the dispassionate one-size-fits-all symptomatic prescriptions we're used to.
Thanks for that link, by the way! Can you hear closely what the naturopath prescribed at 09:15? Serena-something, for adrenal fatigue? I love how the patient says she wants to get better but doesn't expect it to do away, which is practical and what dr's tell you, but the dr seems certain it will go away. Hope for us!
Thank You for this. Yes, i've been disappointed many times over and it has made me a skeptic. I trust in God though and I believe that he provides healing through people and things so I am praying that this man has a positive effect on me and my acne. I struggle with maintaining positive thinking (faith), especially when the mirror and my body is telling me a whole different story. I will try to affirmate that this is a step in the right direction. I am most definitely purging and i think it may be from the acupuncture. My cheeks are breaking out all over and my forehead has a few inflamed bumps. I will ask him about it on Tuesday for sure. I sometimes wish i wore makeup but I know it would only worsen things.
One step at a time i suppose.
3rd acupuncture session
Day # 5 herbs
My acupuncturist is a funny guy. Definitely quirky, definitely out there with his ideas but very personable. With that said, I am beginning to doubt he can help me at all. Things seem to always be getting 'better' whenever i go in. He wasn't too concerned with the additional breakouts and wanted to do facial acupuncture which i was not going for (all i need is to get an infection and develop something more serious). He also said that i have damp wind which i found strange as heat is usually associated with acne. According to him i have blockage in my stomach and need assistance with my BM. In other words, his diagnosis is all over the place. What to do, what to do. My face is simply horrid and the first day back at work was very unpleasant. People definitely noticed and it was oh so embarassing. Needless to say, accutane is looking like the next step. I'll give this a few more weeks at least so we'll see. How i hate my body.
The acupuncture itself was ok -a bit more painful than usual in terms of feeling the needles. I had a few in my right foot and three in my stomach. It was to clear blockage. I should note that after these treatments i don't really feel more relaxed so not sure what that means
In any event, going for a 4th session on Saturday....we'll see how it goes.
So I am stopping the herbs. My face has broken out to a level that i cannot begin to describe. I look like a walking infection. I am so so discouraged and at a loss as to what to do. I won't be taking the herbs for a few days to see if things ease up a bit. I see my derm next Thursday so we'll see where i go from there. I will still go for acupuncture regardless as i am stressed out.
Please pray for me as I am in a dark place right now, unable to see the light at the end of the tunnel
4th session acupuncture
I am now convinced that this guy has not a clue what he is doing. He basically said that I do not have a good mindset and that could be making things worse. He also suggested that mold from my bathroom could be an issue. Needless to say, I will continue with acupuncture because it is supposedly good for stress. I will continue the month out and when my acne does not improve, he will give me the 2nd month free. After that time has passed, i'll get my money back - no harm no foul. I honestly think holistic people are full of it. Most of those that i have been to shun medical things and at the end of the day, they take your money and run. I feel the same way about doctors. All their drugs and nothing gets solved. I am so frustrated right now. Maybe if i had made changes when i first got acne, i would have seen lifelong improvements. Right now i feel too far gone for anyone to help me.
Damn. I had my fingers crossed for you.
There are Wind type acne, and 'all over the place' is how holistic medicine works. The first type my Dr wrote about in her book was Lung Meridian Wind Heat Type, followed by Damp Heat in GI Tract, and Pleghm Stagnation and Blood Stasis type, but those are just a few channels acne can manifest in. Then there are modifications for each depending on what your pulse felt like and your tongue looked like and what your pustules looked like.
And they two TCM docs I worked with made sure I was going #2 2-3 times a day, or more. Da Huang, in particular, really made me flush. If you were flushing and not using the bathroom like you were on a liver cleanse, your skin may have been working overtime on the herbs. Either way, all of the toxins under your skin wanted out.
It seems absurd to guarantee something in 2 months when everyone's body is so different. My acne was more resistant because of my adrenal issues, and there was a point where things seemed worse and hopeless. Those herbal blends are delicate and there are so many combinations. Your acne is very resistant, and your adrenal issues are always going to be front and center with it. It could have taken months for one dr to make headway, and yeah, who has time for that.
I hope you are able to target your root cause while taking Accutane and that you find the right practitioner that genuinely cares about your health.
I was hoping this was it for me too. Session 6 and 7 were more of the same confusion and after session 6, i felt numbness in both my hands. I told him about it and of course he never addressed it. He hasn't even asked me about the herbs and how that's going. I have my final session with him on Saturday. I asked him today about what will happen after that session as my acne is as bad as ever and he said he will get back to me. I am seriously considering suing if i do not get my money back or continuation of sessions. I am so disillusioned with holistic stuff. He said to me that i was the exception. I honestly felt like crap when i heard that. Am I hopeless? Am i doomed to live with this nonsense for the rest of my life? What have i done to deserve this? What have any of us done to deserve this?
I truly believe that only God can tame this affliction.
So you know its bad when the person treating you sends you an email stating that your case was more difficult than anticipated. Yup...i got dumped......by my TCM guy. He did offer to return my money and I took him up on it. Back to the drawing board. Any holistic practioner that I see after this must do blood/saliva testing and not that muscle testing /electro magnetic crap that i've been through. I wish I had tried to fix my skin and health years ago before ingesting all the toxins that I have. Only God at this point can change the course of things - that I am convinced of 100%