I've been battling with that pesky
pimply-arm thing for the last, ohhhh, ten years or so, right? Well,
since we've moved in with the -laws, it has slowly trailed down
onto my left forearm, now reaches to my right inner elbow and I just
noticed yesterday that it's starting to creep over my left shoulder to
connect to the other arm. Yes, like a hideous bolero jacket. What the
truck is going on?
I decided to copy my rockin' sis and do some dirty work. I mentioned it to Teresa (Herb School
Goddess) when I got attacked by sawgrass digging up jewelweed in a
murky ditch, and she said it seemed like I had a B-vitamin deficiency.
Wha-what? B-vitahuh? How is that possible, I must ask, for moi to have any sort of vitamin deficiency, what with my food intake? Garp.
So,
here's the original write-up by Dr. Thomas Cowan, to which I returned
after doing a [literal] ton of digging for additional information that
actually made sense and which also eventually pointed me back to my starting place:
A strategy for dealing with acne begins with effective "bowel cleansing"
and healthy bowel flora (the normal lacto-bacteria that live in our
intestines). This has always been considered the cornerstone of every
natural acne treatment. The best remedy for this is ...
to eat about 1/4-1/2 cup of fresh, unpasteurized traditionally made
sauerkraut every day and then take one teaspoon of Swedish Bitters in
warm water before bed. You can make the sauerkraut yourself following
the recipes in
Nourishing Traditions
. There is also a brand called
Bubbies, found in the refrigerator section of a good health food store.
There are also scores of other lacto-fermented vegetables, fruits and
drinks described in
Nourishing Traditions
that you can try. Sauerkraut,
however, should be the cornerstone of treatment as the high sulphur
content of the cabbage is especially valuable in skin cleansing. (Cabbage
juice is valued in Irish folk medicine for giving a beautiful complexion.)
Another area of importance is the inclusion of the proper fats in the
diet (such as good quality butter and olive oil) and excluding the
commercial vegetable oils and hydrogenated margarines and shortenings.
[You] should also take 1/2 teaspoon or 3 capsules cod liver oil daily
and 4-5 capsules of evening primrose daily as supplements.
Raw foods should be included liberally in the diet, including vegetables,
fruits, milk and even meat. At the same time, sodas,
sugar and junk foods [should be declined] as much as possible.
Finally, there should be some attention to sweating and the general
cleansing of the skin. If [you are] athletic, exercise
heavily, then brush [your] skin vigorously (with a loofah) and then rinse
off in cool-cold water. This is like a skin "exercise." If [you are] not
athletic, one to three saunas weekly followed by a cool shower will
aid detoxification. You might also look into a good herbal skin treatment.
I recommend the Hauschka Cosmetics products, available from Raphael
Pharmacy (916) 962-1099. They have a trio for acne treatment that consists
of capsules containing silica and herbs, a special face lotion for acne
and a cleansing cream.
I also located this letter on the WAPF website:
Your website neglects to mention high doses of the water-soluble vitamin B5
(pantothenic acid) for curing acne. It does wonders, without of course the
damaging effects of Accutane.
Ted Sawyer
Des Moines, IA
Thank you for sharing this important piece of information with us. Good
sources of pantothenic acid include nutritional yeast and liver. Other
nutrients that help in the treatment of acne are vitamin A (available
in cod liver oil, organ meats, egg yolks and butter) and zinc (available
in shellfish and red meat).
So that equals...
1/2 cup Sauerkraut per day for SULFUR, as it detoxes the skin
1 teaspoon Swedish Bitters beferr bed, as a bile-stimulator
Consumption of proper fats, like raw butter and olive oil {check!}
Bump up Cod Liver caplets to 3 per day {check!}
Look into the Evening
Primrose supplement for GLA [the manufacture of which is compromised by
a lack of b vitamins (mentioned above by Teresa) and compromised
Thyroid function (common issue in my family)]
Raw Foods, veggies/fruits/milk/meat/ {check!}
B Vitamins in the forms of Nutritional Yeast and Liver
Vitamin A in the forms of cod liver oil, organ meat, egg yolks and butter {check!}
Zince in the forms of shellfish and red meat {check!}
--
Looks like I'm not doing quite as well as I could be. Here's an average day:
Breakfast:
- 2 mugs yerba mate plus 1 tbs maple syrup each
- 2 eggs or 1 egg plus 1 yolk cooked in 1tbs coconut oil
- sprouted wheat toast with excessive use of raw, pastured spring butter
- 2 caplets cod liver oil to supply 10k IU Vitamin D
- 2 pieces natural bacon
- 1 cup raw milk
Lunch: Eat Fat Lose Fat leftovers from lastnight's dinner, examples=
- Beef
broth-based Vegetable Soup with a Grilled Cheese sammy (sprouted wheat
bread, raw milk cheddar cheese, toasted in organic butter), drunk with
a home-made kombucha/mate tea/pomegranate juice blend over ice
- Roast
Chicken with Coconut Peanut sauce, raw cheddar cheese slices, sourdough
wasa crackers, olives, crispy almonds, drunk with water or kombucha
- Leftover Red Meat Curry (real recipe name!) with iced mate tea or kombucha
Snack: about 4pm, examples=
- asian pear or peach from the farmers market and a handful of crispy nuts
- cup of coffee with raw cream and 1tbs maple syrup
- hunk of raw cheese
Dinner: similar to lunches, we really follow the recommendations in the Eat Fat Lose Fat Everyday Gourmet section.
Now,
I'm noticing that, while I do consume kombucha fairly often, I'm not
including other fermented foods in my diet. I regularly do the bitters
and nutritional yeast thing, but truly not consistently. So, it looks like a
prescription for sauerkraut and bitters, an additional cod liver oil
caplet, buying evening primrose caplets, possibly an additional egg
yolk, and consistent use of bitters and nutritional yeast. :D
Here's to day 1! Woohoo, smoothie time!
**Forgot to mention my unfortunate Starbucks obsession. I have a quad grande breve white mocha or cinnamon dolce latte about three times a week. According to their website, the white mocha has 54g sugar, and the c.dolce has 39g. Could it be the sugar and ultra-pasteurized doodoo contributing to my backne? We'll soon see. I'm turning a cold pocky shoulder on the white devils for a little while. Yes, soon we shall see, but know this; I'll miss you, Starbucks!
(Such a sad, sorry individual I am!)
