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If Diet Can Control Acne Flair-Ups, Then Why Do Doctors/dermatologists Never Give Any Dietary Advise?

MemberMember
20
(@heinstar)

Posted : 09/14/2015 3:56 am

I'm 24 and I've had moderate to severe cystic acne since I was 16. Every time I went to the doctor for help with my cystic acne, the only thing they did was prescribe me high dosages of antibiotics over a long-term. They never gave any me dietary advise or told me that diet was connected to acne. In fact, they did quite the opposite, they told me that diet had nothing to do with acne and I could eat whatever I want. I don't believe that's true because once I stopped drinking A1 protein milk, I stopped getting huge cystic acne.

 

After suffering with acne for 8 years, I've only recently found out how effective juicing raw vegetables (especially drinking carrot juice) was for my acne. As soon as I started drinking a glass of carrot juice a day, within weeks, my acne started to go away and it prevented my acne flair ups even more effectively than antibiotics like minocycline or doxycycline. If I knew how effective carrot juice was for my acne, I wouldn't have taken 200mg minocycline for 6 months when I was 19 years old which might have been the cause of my series of serious gut problems that I've developed 1 year later after being on minocycline. Because after going on minocycline, I've developed IBS-C, fecal impaction, redundant colon and host of other digestive problems.

 

My acne became really bad last year so I went to see a dermatologist for the first time and he immedietely decided to put me on Accutane. But I couldn't last for longer than 5 days due to the severe side effects (severe depression, irritability/anger and fatigue all day).

 

So why do doctors never give dietary advise like to avoid certain foods / eat more veggies / start juicing / drink a glass of fresh carrot juice a day for preventing acne? Why do they always immediately go with the route of prescribing Antibiotics or Accutane? At the very least, I feel like the doctors have the obligation to inform the poor, desperate acne sufferers that diet is connected to acne and there are ways to treat acne other than with antiboitics or accutane.

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MemberMember
7
(@thenatural)

Posted : 09/14/2015 10:12 am

They are taught about the research into treatments and prescribe treatments based on that research, such as Benzoyl Peroxide.

Some doctors claim there is a link, such as Mark Hyman and Josh Axe, but they aren't even dermatologists.

 

I think they don't speak about diet because there needs to be more research first. I guess you can also say that they make more money by prescribing things than telling you what to eat.

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MemberMember
167
(@jazzguy)

Posted : 09/14/2015 9:48 pm

 

I agree with the others....the links between diet and acne aren't well proven. But people are genetically built to be individuals and what doesn't work for most people could work for some. It seems like you have found eliminating milk is helpful for you. From what I've read, dairy products (bovine) and high glycaemic load foods are what most of those who promote diet for acne improvement recommend avoiding. Doctors like anyone else read the literature and draw their own conclusions where there is no clear right or wrong answer, so many doctors will say there's no link between diet and acne while a few might discuss this with you.

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MemberMember
86
(@skindeeply)

Posted : 09/15/2015 5:37 am

Doctors are taught to practice medicine, not nourishment-- meaning they are only taught to diagnose medically established diseases using the respective guidelines of their medically established symptoms and treat those symptoms with FDA approved and regulated (again, medically established) drugs.

 

So what goes into making a treatment (i.e. drug) medically established? On average, 12 years and over $350 million--which is what it takes to get a new drug from the laboratory onto the shelf. Here's a rundown of the FDA approval process:

 

Once a company develops a drug, it undergoes around three and a half years of laboratory testing, before an application is made to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to begin testing the drug in humans. Only one in 1000 of the compounds that enter laboratory testing will ever make it to human testing.

If the FDA gives the green light, the "investigative" drug will then enter three phases of clinical trials:

  • Phase 1 uses 20-80 healthy volunteers to establish a drug's safety and profile. (about 1 year)
  • Phase 2 employs 100-300 patient volunteers to assess the drug's effectiveness. (about 2 years)
  • Phase 3 involves 1000-3000 patients in clinics and hospitals who are monitored carefully to determine effectiveness and identify adverse reactions. (about 3 years)

The company then submits an application (usually about 100,000 pages) to the FDA for approval, a process that can take up to two and a half years. After final approval, the drug becomes available for physicians to prescribe. At this stage, the drug company will continue to report cases of adverse reactions and other clinical data to the FDA.

So, in sum: In order for a medical treatment to receive FDA approval, it must present a certain amount of research to support its specific claims. These required studies cost hundreds of millions of dollars and take a decade or more before becoming FDA approved and medically prescribed. All of the drugs that end up even making it to FDA consideration have been funded by pharmaceutical companies because they have reason to believe they will make a profit off of the drug, making it a worthy investment. They often even handpick the team conducting these studies, making the researchers, scientists, and doctors leading the study paid employees of the pharmaceutical company. The research-based pharmaceutical industry currently invests some $12.6 billion a year in new drug development. Historically, the drug development figure doubles every five years.

 

Follow the money trail:

 

1. The research-based pharmaceutical company sells the drug to the FDA.

 

2. The FDA sells the drug to the medical community at large, while the

pharmaceutical marketing department sells the drug to the public at large.

 

4. The pharmaceutical representatives sell the drug to the doctors.

 

5. The doctors sell the drug to their desperate patients and jaded colleagues.

 

As far as biological patents go, natural, biological substances can't be patented unless they've been sufficiently isolated from their naturally occurring state--for instance, with insulin or b12. So if you can't patent a carrot, you can't make big money from a carrot (unless you're Monsanto, of course ;)). There's no reason to spend a decade or more dumping $350 million into testing something that you won't see a profit from, so hardly anybody does.

 

In my opinion, the only reason that just about any substantial research IS done on natural treatments and nutrition is if developers believe they have a way to isolate or synthetically create an inorganic form of the substance in question and either develop a drug out of it, or fortify foods (usually dairy, wheat, corn, or soy) with it for selling points. And only then does its significance become even marginally required knowledge of the FDA, allopathic medical practitioners and indeed, the general public.

 

Since next to no significant education in nutrition (let alone naturopathic medicine or holistic health) is required of allopathic doctors in medical school, it's generally not a consideration in their practice of medicine. At most, doctors will only ever consider an "alternative" treatment or holistic lifestyle change as a supplementary course of treatment. They are taught how to relieve isolated symptoms using isolated drugs, not how to return a body to full health. They know sick bodies. Not healthy ones.

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MemberMember
19
(@rittdk01)

Posted : 09/15/2015 3:57 pm

Diet Helps the skin, body and overall health. Acne is caused by a lot more than food, so diet isn't going to cure acne. If you have severe or cystic acne, diet definately isn't enough.

 

U go to the derm for results, not to get Kevin Trudeau advice.

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MemberMember
86
(@skindeeply)

Posted : 09/15/2015 8:41 pm

On "derm results"...

 

 

Accutane is linked to serious side effects like birth defects, thoughts of suicide, depression and bowel disorders. Roche stopped manufacturing it in 2009, but there was no official recall.

 

 

Accutane (isotretinoin) is an acne medicine originally developed as a chemotherapy drug that reached the U.S. market during the early 1980s and quickly become a best-settling prescription drug. Since then, a number of studies have connected Accutane to numerous side effects ranging from birth defects to Crohns disease to suicide.

Although the drug was hailed by dermatologists as a breakthrough treatment for patients with severe acne, Accutanes dangerous side effects affected thousands of patients during the past 30 years.

In the summer of 2009, Accutane manufacturer Roche Pharmaceuticals stopped manufacturing the drug. Representatives for Roche said the acne treatment had hit the end of its life cycle because of the end of its patent and the addition of several generic Accutane drugs to the market.

Roches brand-name Accutane had a market share of less than 5 percent of the market at the time of the decision. A number of generic equivalents of isotretinoin remain available today.

Doctor Warnings:

 

 

The first prescriptions of Accutane were written in 1982, and a year later came the first report of a baby born with malformations after Accutane was taken during pregnancy. In 1983, there were two Dear Doctor letters special communications the FDA requires drug manufacturers to send out if the drug label is not complete in covering the extent and severity of side effects sent out, alerting physicians of the possibility of birth defects. From 1984 to 1988, seven more of the letters went out.

 

The FDA was not alone in noting the dangers of Accutane. Dr. Frank Yoder, one of the scientists involved in the discovery of Accutane, wrote a letter to the Journal of American Medicine in 1983, informing the public of the possibility that Roche was not clear in alerting users of the toxicity associated with Accutane.

That same year, a nonprofit health advocacy group, Public Citizen, petitioned the FDA to add warnings of birth defects to Accutane labels. The FDA took action in 1985, when a black-box warning, indicating that Accutane can cause fetal deformities and possibly fetal death, was added to the medication.

By 1988, a pregnancy prevention program had been put into place, with the goal of decreasing the number of woman getting pregnant while taking the drug. The program was eventually effective in decreasing the percentage of woman getting pregnant while taking the drug, from 4 women per every 1,000 a year to less than 2 for every 1,000. However the number of prescriptions given out also increased, keeping the number of affected pregnant women taking Accutane high.

Other countries had even stricter rules about Accutane use by women of childbearing age. For example, in Britain, prior to receiving the medication, women were required to agree to have an abortion if they became pregnant during treatment.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) played a role in affirming the danger of Accutane by publishing information on the fetal toxicity of the drug, conducting a study of Accutane-exposed pregnancies to raise awareness, and sending a letter to the FDA in 1998 recommending that the drug not be sold due to these dangers. Also, the CDC division of Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities received reports of infant death following maternal exposure to Accutane.

In June 2009, as the number of adverse events reported to the FDA and lawsuits from patients continued to grow, Roche stopped manufacturing Accutane. The company said it was an economic decision based on generic brands of the medication taking over the market. Accutane was recalled in 11 other countries.

 

Milder Side Effects of Accutane:

 

 

Most people experience some measure of common side effects with Accutane use and should not be concerned unless these conditions worsen or become extremely painful. With more serious side effects, however, a doctor should be consulted immediately.

Common side effects include: Diminished night vision; Increased bone injuries due to thickened or weakened bones; Increased reaction to UV exposure; Red, cracked or sore lips; Nosebleeds; Changes in nails; Peeling skin; Unusual hair growth or loss; Bleeding or swollen gums; Fatigue; Voice changes; Headache; Slow healing of cuts or sores; Cold symptoms; Dry skin and eyes; Muscle aches

Birth Defects Related to Accutane:

 

 

The FDA gave Accutane a pregnancy rating of X, which means it should not be taken during pregnancy because there is evidence of fetal abnormalities when it is used during pregnancy. The FDA reported that infants whose mothers took Accutane were born with both internal and external abnormalities such as cleft palate, missing ears, facial dysmorphism and central nervous system malformations.

In fact, among Accutane-exposed pregnancies, 42 percent of infants suffer from birth defects.

Because of the high risk of miscarriage and deformities, the FDA worked with Roche to create programs to ensure that Accutane users were not and would not become pregnant. The first program was put into place in 2002 and was called SMART (System to Manage Accutane Related Teratogenicity). SMART required qualification stickers on prescriptions, signed consent forms, patient education videos and information guides. In addition, doctors and pharmacists were required to read literature on the risks.

In 2006, a stricter system was put in place, called the i-PLEDGE program. The computer-based system required registration by pharmacies, doctors and patients. Within the system, negative pregnancy tests from approved labs were periodically required before medication was dispensed, prescriptions only covered 30 days at a time, and users were required to utilize two types of birth control.

According to a 2007 study funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, the rate of elective abortions for patients who got pregnant during Accutane use was 84 percent. This rate was based on 90 women, out of 8,609, who became pregnant while taking Accutane. Of the remaining pregnant women, three had spontaneous abortions, two had delivery trauma that resulted in neonatal death, and nine infants survived. One of the nine was born with face and neck abnormalities.

 

Gastrointestinal Disorders:

 

 

Women of child-bearing age are not the only ones who have suffered after taking Accutane. Adults of all ages, as well as teenagers, have had their lives interrupted with other serious side effects, which may include inflammatory bowel disease and suicidal behavior.

Roche maintains that it was not aware of side effects relating to inflammatory bowel disease, however, early animal trials of Accutane by Roche showed evidence of gastrointestinal bleeding in dogs. Another early study by Roche of 523 patients found that 21 percent experienced gastrointestinal disorders.

Since Accutanes release, many patients have sued after developing gastrointestinal conditions, mainly consisting of inflammatory bowel diseases that come in two forms. One is ulcerative colitis, associated with inflammation of the digestive tract and ulcers in the large intestine and rectum. The other is Crohns disease, which may develop anywhere in the intestinal tract and can cause fistulas and bowel obstructions. Both conditions can be devastating, causing patients to suffer for years from symptoms like vomiting, rectal bleeding and diarrhea. In addition, patients may require surgery to remove parts of the bowel.

 

Psychiatric problems have also been linked to Accutane use. From 1982 to May 2000, the FDA received hundreds of reports linking isotretinoin use to depression, including 37 suicides, 110 hospitalizations for depression or suicidal behavior, and 284 cases of non-hospitalized depression. Roche responded to the reports of depression and suicide in 1998 by adding a warning to the medications label stating that Accutane could cause psychiatric disorders.

According to a study in the book Drug Injury: Liability, Analysis and Prevention, Drs. Donald Marks and Tzarina Middlekoop found that the number of formal adverse reaction reports, from national and international health agencies, of suicide and suicidal behavior associated with Accutane use reached 500, making it the fourth highest number of adverse reactions in the United States prior to 2005. The mechanism of action that makes Accutane cause psychiatric events is not fully understood, nor has a link between depression and Accutane been proven. However, the high number of reports of depression in people without a psychiatric history suggests there is a link.

 

Accutane Lawsuits:

 

 

Kamie Kendall, a New Jersey Accutane user who was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, won a verdict of $10.5 million in 2008. That verdict was later vacated.

In 2010, another bowel disease case involving Accutane was decided in Atlantic City, N.J., when Andrew McCarrell who required five surgeries and the removal of his colon was awarded $25.16 million. Roche is appealing.

In 2012, also in Atlantic City, two more claimants who developed bowel disease, Kathleen Rossitto and Riley Wilkinson, were awarded $9 million each for damages. Roche is also appealing these verdicts.

These are just a few of the 7,000-plus lawsuits that have been filed against Roche over the debilitating side effects of Accutane.

While some claimants receive millions for damages and medical expenses the numbers do not compare to the companys revenue from selling the dangerous drug. For example, annual Accutane sales at their peak, in 2000, were up to $759.4 million.

Lawsuits against Roche are not limited to bowel disease. They also come from patients and families of patients who have experienced side effects such as birth defects, depression and suicide attempts. Because warnings were added slowly between the time Accutane was released in 1982 and the time it was discontinued in 2009, some cases hinge on the dates that the medication was prescribed, when health concerns were diagnosed, and when warnings were publicized.The FDA called for an additional warning on Accutane in 1998, advising users that the drug could lead to depression and suicidal tendencies. The FDA also examined the link between Accutane and increased incidence of depression or thoughts of suicide. Between Accutanes debut in 1982 and 2000, the FDA received reports of 431 cases of depression, suicidal ideation, suicide attempts or suicide in patients treated with Accutane; twenty-four committed suicide while taking the drug, and another 13 ended their lives after quitting the drug. Patients who are experiencing any of these side effects should consult an experienced attorney who understands how to win an Accutane lawsuit.

Accutane Discontinued:

 

In June 2009, Roche stopped manufacturing Accutane, citing sluggish sales due to growing competition from generics. The manufacturers patents expired in 2002, and many companies began selling the cheaper, generic versions of the medicine. Generic equivalents include Amnesteen, Claravis and Sotret.

 

Roche continues to sell isotretinoin under the name Roaccutane in other countries.

http://www.drugwatch.com/accutane/recall.php

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MemberMember
19
(@rittdk01)

Posted : 09/17/2015 7:06 pm

^^thats naive to think that a doc would prescribe accutane without trying everything else first. It's also naive to think that accutane level acne could be "cured" with diet.

 

They give accutane to people with severe, scarring acne after all else fails. kids with disfiguring acne scars are likely to suffer severe depression and every imaginable mental health issue.

 

see my skin crazy diet thread to see my skin. I have minor scars that really messed with my head. I shutter to think how I would have felt had I not gone on accutane and ko'd acne.

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MemberMember
410
(@alternativista)

Posted : 09/22/2015 3:22 pm

Because doctors are poorly educated in nutrition even though it's absolutely ridiculous to have ever even thought that diet didn't affect absolutely everything going on in your body. And despite the fact that there's been tons of research for the past several decades into the postprandial affects of eating, chronic inflammation and it's role in disease, and of course, the many roles played by individual nutrients.

 

And because during the years of their education they get thoroughly indoctrinated in the belief that drugs are the solution to everything.

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MemberMember
20
(@heinstar)

Posted : 09/26/2015 12:07 am

Because it's not proven. I eat plenty of vegetables, did juicing, etc. and it did NOT clear up my acne.

 

Not proven =/= doesn't work. There's tons of anecdotal evidence which suggests that juicing clears up acne, even moderately severe ones. Eating vegetables is not enough, you need to juice them in order to consume higher amounts of nutrients like antioxidants, phytochemicals, polyphenols, flavonoids and so forth. How long did you juice for?

 

I suggest juicing raw carrots, raw beetroot and lemons for a start. And make sure you juice using masticating juicers(not centrifugal) such as Omega/Oscar horizontal single auger juicer or vertical single auger juicers like Kuvings B6000. If you have the money, the dual gear juicers like Tribest Green Star Elite are great too.

 

I understand that juicing may not work for everyone especially for those who are suffering from extremely severe cystic acne. But neither does antibiotics or accutane, so why aren't juicing recommended as one of the treatment for acne?

Diet Helps the skin, body and overall health. Acne is caused by a lot more than food, so diet isn't going to cure acne. If you have severe or cystic acne, diet definately isn't enough.

 

U go to the derm for results, not to get Kevin Trudeau advice.

 

And juicing provided just that, "results" even better than antibiotics I was put on for a long time.

 

Also, the point I'm trying to make is that my acne could have been controlled through juicing. So it was unnecessary for the dermatologist to put me on Accutane. He should've asked if I've tried juicing before putting me on a chemo drug.

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MemberMember
30
(@andrei11)

Posted : 09/27/2015 2:41 pm

That's true, diet can control acne (for some of us), but not completely cure it, which is what dermatologists want in the first place and I think that's what everybody should aim for asap, because this disease can linger for many, many years. I've learned a lot in the last 8 months in which I've kept a super strict diet to the dot. Imo, if someone wants to make a relevant test about the connection between acne and diet, they should probably have thousands of persons trying to completely remove from their diets sugar, dairy, gluten, high GI food etc. for at least 6 months, because completely removing and reducing are two different things when you try to battle acne. My dermatologist always said to me that I have to keep this diet like a diabetic, keep it on the dot, it doesn't work with half measures, but that's just crazy and I'm not willing to do this for the rest of my life. Most of the people think that if you are cutting out the amount of "bad for acne" stuff you eat, you will get cured and that's why it doesn't work for them most of the times. You have to take the highway and cut it out completely, but even then it might not work for you.

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MemberMember
0
(@realfoodie869)

Posted : 09/27/2015 2:51 pm

 

What a fantastic question!

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MemberMember
0
(@lunna)

Posted : 09/30/2015 12:18 am

Most US medical schools (86/121, 71%) fail to provide the recommended minimum 25 hours of nutrition education (2015), so it™s hard for dermatologists to advice on diet.
So, they just don't know the topic.
There are many researches that prove that diet, stress, exercise and sleep affect acne. Nevertheless, it takes time for medical society to start to implement it. And it's not quickly.

There are few integrative dermatologists in the US, so they work in the 21st century ;)
The graph was taken from the holistic dermatology website (I don't know if I can mention -moderator will correct if not)

Example: acne treatment

Conventional Dermatology acne treatment What I do with natural acne treatment Patient History
Nurse/physician™s assistant takes a brief patient history (5 min). Patient History
With holistic skincare, I take your history personally, and also include a thorough history of digestive function, including drugs and events which disturb the GI tract. Examination
After triage, the examination focuses on the local skin problem. Examination
I examine the local skin problem, and then widen my scope to include the entire system, looking for other signs of organ malfunction to correct, throughout the body. Diagnosis
Conventional dermatologist makes a conventional diagnosis of the œdisease present, using biopsy, scraping, or other lab tests. Diagnosis
In addition to the conventional dermatological diagnosis, I make a second œcausal diagnosis for the chain of events involved. I also use Applied Kineseology, tongue diagnosis, and advanced electronic testing devices,and your history help understand what affects the digestive tract, and other sources of stimulation of the inflammation going on. Finally, if necessary, I will use lab tests, conventional and otherwise. Treatment
Treat with a pill and/or a cream to suppress your rash (acne, etc), rather than correcting the actual cause of your condition. Treatment
We aim to unravel all of the problems and reactions which led to your skin™s inflammation, improving your digestion, aiding the function of supportive organs, all or mostly with herbal treatment, diet changes, and natural supplements, rather than drugs. We call this natural dermatology, holistic dermatology, alternative dermatology, or integrative dermatology.Drugs and surgery are considered only when they are the best alternative. Side Effects
Since treatment often involves suppression of the body™s immune system, infection or other problems steroids, may have negative results. Antibiotics may wipe out normal bacteria in the digestive tract, setting the stage for yeast overgrowth, and all of the related damage to the intestinal barrier, including bloating, overweight, poor digestion, acne, rashes, brain fog, and more. The underlying problems often still persist. Side Effects (all positive)
Happily, the side effects are often improved energy, normalization of digestion, reduction of allergies, and pain, and weight loss.
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