Acne can affect a person’s life more profoundly than a lot of people realize. It can be embarrassing, painful, and even cause a person to become depressed and isolated. Those who suffer from serious acne have likely tried virtually every cream, pill, and pad on the market. And others can’t really afford to go through a trial and error process. This can be frustrating to say the least.
But here is what most people don’t really realize, or at least they don’t give it the serious consideration it deserves: Acne is not a skin problem. Acne is a health problem. This distinction makes all the difference. Trying to treat acne symptoms with astringents and medicated creams is like trying to bring a wilting, dying flower back to life by spray painting it! All the flower needs is some water and maybe better quality soil. All you need to treat your acne is a better quality diet and lifestyle.
The following is a list of some lifestyle changes you can make immediately to get your acne under control:
1. Go as organic as possible. Go as natural as possible. The mainstream world of food processing and manufacturing does not have your best interests in mind. Most of the foods we buy on the shelves, in the frozen food sections, and at fast food restaurants are pumped full of chemicals that our bodies simply aren’t equipped to deal with. As a result, our bodies try pushing all these toxins and foreign invaders out as fast as possible… through the breath, the elimination systems, and yes… the SKIN!
Eating natural foods like fresh, organic vegetables, fruits, whole grains, seeds, nuts, herbs, and sprouts will clean up the toxins in your body, undoing the damage that’s been done and preventing new damage from occurring. And take in lots of antioxidants. The best source of antioxidants is berries. Blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, raspberries, and grapes, especially when organic, can work absolute miracles on your skin.
2. Consume lots of yogurt with live, active cultures. We’re talking about the real stuff here, not the sugary kids stuff. The goal here is to clean out the digestive system so that your body is free to repair itself. Did you know that digestion requires more of the body’s energy than any other function? Free up some of that energy and your body becomes a self-healing, self-repairing machine!
3. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! Water eliminates toxic build-up. It keeps the blood cells moving and not sticking together. Purified water keeps your body working efficiently, so that it can heal your skin naturally.
4. Steer clear of too many animal products. Generally speaking, excess meat and dairy clog you up and throw your hormones out of whack. In fact, they dump a whole bunch of hormones into your body that aren’t even yours… they were the animal’s! As if that’s not disturbing enough, these “foods” are full of trans fats that absolutely overwhelm the system. They also create an acidic environment in the blood stream, leading to a whole host of health problems, acne being one.
Ideally, the only kind of animal product you would be consuming is fresh fish, although egg whites do have some important health benefits. Try natural substitutes for meat and dairy. And if you’re craving something with substance, but don’t want to eat meat or a meat substitute, one of the healthiest and most satisfying foods you can put in your body is the magnificent avocado!
