Desperate to get rid of health problems...

[Dissident]

I have been facing many different health challenges and I feel like it is the end of the road here. When I look back at all the efforts I have put into changing my lifestyle and diet in the past year - all the money I have spent on supplements and books, it depresses me.

I have done 3 rounds of accutane in the past, and still have severe cystic acne on my face, back and chest. I have never had nice skin for longer than a few months at tops. It is extremely painful because whenever I have good skin I feel great and my social life is great, but as soon as it comes back I generally tend to isolate myself from most people and my mood is greatly affected. It depresses me because I feel like I am putting a stop on my life every time just because of my damn skin, but I can't help it - I cannot function well in the outside world without healthy looking skin. It contributes greatly to my well-being in general.

Another problem is that I have had blood in my stools as well as some mucus for multiple months now as well, and can't seem to get rid of them. I have cut out all dairy a couple weeks ago and was suspecting it to be the culprit for the acne and perhaps mucus in stools, but so far I still am having problems. I cut out pasteurized dairy (organic kefir, yogurt, goat cheese) before that and when I realized there was no progress I cut out raw cheese as well. It seems that my skin doesn't break out as much, but I still don't have an acceptable level of acne. I'm starting to think that it has absolutely nothing to do with diet, and that no matter what I do I will be plagued by it for the rest of my life. Not pleasant.

I am thinking of trying zero carb because it is the only thing that I can see that I have not tried yet. I am ready to give up after that and be dependant on accutane for the rest of my life (if necessary). I've tried so many different diets from raw veganism/vegetarianism to Wai to raw omnivorous and I am still plagued by acne. I have tried so many skin care products as well, and nothing seems to work as well as my urine, which still doesn't work as well as I'd want to. If anyone has any suggestions for me it would be greatly appreciated.

[TylerDurden]

What kind of foods are you eating at this stage? We need a clearer picture so as to find out what your issue is.

[Dissident]

I have been eating a lot of raw fish for a few months before last couple weeks. I used to eat raw fish every day, sometimes twice a day. Céviche preparation with celtic sea salt. Mainly salmon, tuna and blue marlin, with sauerkraut and a small portion of raw cheese.

Currently I've started eating raw, 100% grassfed bison. Ground and steak cuts. Between 1 and 2 pounds a day, replacing the fish. Going to start eating some beef from the same source as well, the only source I could find was frozen. I eat a decent amount of fruits. Bananas, mangos, some berries, oranges. I wasn't eating any grains for a long time but just restarted eating some 100% organic sprouted bread after realizing that I still had problems without them in my diet. I ate a lot of salads with red peppers, red cabbage, broccoli, yams, sometimes fruits mixed in with balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar, tamari and udo's oil sprinkled with lots of spirulina and kelp and dulse. Looking to cut the sprouted bread out of my diet now since I'm wanting to give raw paleo a real try. Other than that I eat eggs every day, both raw and cooked. When I cook them (with coconut oil) I try not to cook them for too long as to not cook the yolk, but only the white to make it more bioavailable. I have eaten junk food only a couple times in 2009. Been extremely strict with my diet. 85%+ of what I've eaten in 2009 has been organic and raw. I eat some raw honey (might have been heated, but haven't experienced problems from eating it).

I take raw colostrum but no other dairy at the moment. Some probiotics supplements as well.

[goodsamaritan]

How old are you?  Your size? Weight?  How long have you had cystic acne?
What kind of detoxes have you done? Colon cleanse, kidney cleanse, liver flushes, skin detoxes?
What drugs are you taking?
What supplements are you taking?
What chemicals do you put on your skin? Soap, shampoo, lotion, laundry soap, dishwashing soap, etc.

Paleo diet means organic / grass fed / wild everything. Are your eggs fertilized?  Is your salmon wild?

Have you tried fasting?  Any kind of fasting?

I used to have cystic acne when I was in my teens so I know what dermatologist injections and steroids felt like.

Accutane was given to me way back in 1986, I now see that accutane damaged my liver.  I formed lots of liver stones, I had full blown eczema in 2005.  I had to do 20+ liver flushes and go on a 14 day orange juice fast and go wai diet then raw paleo which has done the trick.

[jessica]

i would cut everything out of your diet(air diet, just kidding!) besides fish/meat, dulse and probiotics and for about a week and then slowly reintroduce foods.  i would definitely stay away from high sugar/starch/carb fruits(mangos, bananas) and veggies(cooked yams, legumes) and vinegars.  from my own experience even too much spirulina will cause a breakout, although i dont get cycstic acne i do have two places on my face that will breakout if i eat even a few too many(2 for a few days) apples, so i feel they are definitely a good indicator of my sugar sensitivity!  i would watch out for eggs as well, i know a lot of people here consume them and i myself find them delicious and marvel at their nutritional content, but when i got a blood test i was shown allergic to them so stayed away from them for one year, when i tried to reintroduce(a slightly warmed yolk) them my allergic symptoms showed right back up!  keep on with the probiotics and maybe make yourself some sauerkraut/fermented cabbage/beet juice and drink that just to keep the liver and blood clean and a good supply of healthful bacteria in your gut to fight the beasties giving you acne! hope that helps!

[TylerDurden]

You might consider "high-meat" as a last resort. it's mainly recommended for long-term RPDers but some newbies somestimes feel the need to try it earlier. Also, a number of us have food-intolerance/allergies towards coconut oil - best to avoid it(raw coconut oil  gave me even worse digestive issues than raw dairy). And the sprouted bread should go at some stage, too.

[Dissident]

How old are you?  Your size? Weight?  How long have you had cystic acne?
What kind of detoxes have you done? Colon cleanse, kidney cleanse, liver flushes, skin detoxes?
What drugs are you taking?
What supplements are you taking?
What chemicals do you put on your skin? Soap, shampoo, lotion, laundry soap, dishwashing soap, etc.

Paleo diet means organic / grass fed / wild everything. Are your eggs fertilized?  Is your salmon wild?

Have you tried fasting?  Any kind of fasting?

I used to have cystic acne when I was in my teens so I know what dermatologist injections and steroids felt like.

Accutane was given to me way back in 1986, I now see that accutane damaged my liver.  I formed lots of liver stones, I had full blown eczema in 2005.  I had to do 20+ liver flushes and go on a 14 day orange juice fast and go wai diet then raw paleo which has done the trick.

Lots of questions... thanks for the reply. I'll try to cover everything.

I am 22. I'm 5'11 and about 144lbs. Fluctuates a lot. I've had acne since I was 15. Accutane always does the trick but it always comes back.

I've done one liver flush and that's it, no other detoxes other than being on a raw vegan diet for a few months. I have the internal cleansing kit from blessedherbs.com here and was thinking of doing it soon. Contains the colon cleansing kit as well. Supposed to be the best kit out there.

I take absolutely no drugs at all. I never take caffeine, never eat or drink refined sugars. No smoking, no alcohol. Only drug I have taken in the past years has been a very small amount of marijuana in rare occasions, and accutane.

Right now I am not taking many supplements, but I have taken all sorts of supplements. I take colostrum on an empty stomach in the morning, as well as Candida Clear, vitamin D3 (5000 IU) and liquid zeolites. Some New Chapter vitamin C as well. Before bed I take 5-htp with b6 and a sleeping formula called theanine serene from source naturals which helps me get really good, long night sleeps. I am also about to start taking a product called SuperIonic with fulvic acid from Omica Health.

The soaps that I use are MSM soaps or Dr. Bronners soaps. Shampoo from Aubrey Organics a couple times a week. Skin lotion is an MSM lotion with Tea Tree Oil and another one from Home Health containing Salicylic Acid. I alternate between both, have had good results using them. Laundy and dishwashing soaps are commercial garbage that my roommates buys.

My eggs are not fertilized. I cannot find them anywhere in Quebec. I ate wild salmon whenever available.

Never fasted.

[Dissident]

i would cut everything out of your diet(air diet, just kidding!) besides fish/meat, dulse and probiotics and for about a week and then slowly reintroduce foods.  i would definitely stay away from high sugar/starch/carb fruits(mangos, bananas) and veggies(cooked yams, legumes) and vinegars.  from my own experience even too much spirulina will cause a breakout, although i dont get cycstic acne i do have two places on my face that will breakout if i eat even a few too many(2 for a few days) apples, so i feel they are definitely a good indicator of my sugar sensitivity!  i would watch out for eggs as well, i know a lot of people here consume them and i myself find them delicious and marvel at their nutritional content, but when i got a blood test i was shown allergic to them so stayed away from them for one year, when i tried to reintroduce(a slightly warmed yolk) them my allergic symptoms showed right back up!  keep on with the probiotics and maybe make yourself some sauerkraut/fermented cabbage/beet juice and drink that just to keep the liver and blood clean and a good supply of healthful bacteria in your gut to fight the beasties giving you acne! hope that helps!

Thank you for your advice. When I was on a vegan diet, it was definitely the time where my skin was the clearest, so I would think it is most likely related to dairy or eggs, or perhaps both. I might have an allergy to both of them.

[TylerDurden]

You should really get rid of the colostrum as well - dairy is problematic for many people.

[Dissident]

You might consider "high-meat" as a last resort. it's mainly recommended for long-term RPDers but some newbies somestimes feel the need to try it earlier. Also, a number of us have food-intolerance/allergies towards coconut oil - best to avoid it(raw coconut oil  gave me even worse digestive issues than raw dairy). And the sprouted bread should go at some stage, too.

I had no idea about coconut oil. I've been eating it almost every day one way or another for a year.

What exactly is high-meat? Zero carb approach I would assume is one, but is there anything else?

[Dissident]

You should really get rid of the colostrum as well - dairy is problematic for many people.

I was taking enormous amounts of colostrum when my skin was clear (but no other dairy) so I eliminated it from the possible culprits. And strangely enough, some people swear by it being great for the gut and against acne, my two main problems. I just came across this thread on acne.org today where this mother says that they tried everything for her son (and she really did try many things, she listed them all) and putting her kid on colostrum cleared him up completely. She said he can now eat anything without breaking out. It made me think of trying to get through my tub of colostrum super fast to see if it would yield the same results, or if it would show otherwise and then I'd know for sure dairy isn't for me.

I'll take it out for now to see if it helps any.

[goodsamaritan]

You need to look into fasting as part of your arsenal.
Fasting includes not taking any supplements.
Today I take zero supplements.

See http://www.eczemacure.info/blog/2007/11/25/what-i-learned-from-my-14-day-orange-juice-coconut-juice-fast/

See http://www.drbass.com/

[Dissident]

Thanks for the links. I'll look into it deeply.

[jessica]

Thank you for your advice. When I was on a vegan diet, it was definitely the time where my skin was the clearest, so I would think it is most likely related to dairy or eggs, or perhaps both. I might have an allergy to both of them.

yeah raw vegan (and low glycemic) did wonders for my skin, but i definitely craved fat and protein so i started eating raw meat, i dont know what it is with chickens though, even their raw meat breaks me out, possibly their diet?

i would definitely stop using soap! and detergent(i will admit i use baking soda in my wash) get a nice soft rag or loofa and just brush off your skin wet or dry, try not to take hot showers or expose your facial skin to hot water.  i have found that apple cider vinegar works well on zits(stings a bit) i used to use a teatree oil based lotion on my face but now only use it on breakouts or rashes(i get them from stress) and do jojoba oil on my face(it seems greasy at first but you have to massage it in, your face will get used to it and your skin will be incredible soft)
your skin is like this big sensitive organ and it does best with stimulation and the ability to BREATHE! so clogging it up with lotions, attacking it with chemical saturated clothing and not exercising it(cold water/weather to get capilaries open!) will atrophy it just like any muscle or organ.  its interesting to note that most people have breakouts on their face, i think i have read that this is because it is the most open to the environment so your body takes that as a sign to expel the toxins from that area so that they are not left stuck under clothing or i guess what your body might recognize as hair(notice most people dont have zits on their scalps) this maybe be a bunch of shit but i thihnk it makes sense.  although it does not explain buttboils!!!!!!!(not that i get those! )

ok enough talking about zits....!

have you ever had your hormone levels tested?

[Dissident]

No, never had them tested. Wouldn't know how to go about that...

[TylerDurden]

I had no idea about coconut oil. I've been eating it almost every day one way or another for a year.

What exactly is high-meat? Zero carb approach I would assume is one, but is there anything else?

read about high-meat here:-  http://www.rawpaleoforum.com/display-your-culinary-creations/high-meat-recipe-preparation-for-more-advanced-rafers/
 it's basically aged raw meats.

Re colostrum:- it may not affect your acne, but being a dairy product could easily harm you in other ways(allergies/food-intolerance work in multiple, different ways from person to person).

[RawZi]

It made me think of trying to get through my tub of colostrum super fast to see if it would yield the same results, or if it would show otherwise and then I'd know for sure dairy isn't for me.

    My son is vegetarian and does not ever touch eggs, meat, fish or any other animal foods than (raw cow) milk and (raw cow) butter.  I have reason to believe he has a severe taurine deficiency.  I read that colostrum has more taurine than milk (and cow milk has less taurine than other animal foods).  Anyway, I got (raw) colostrum this week, my first time.  It's thick, yellow and grainy textured.  It digests much easier than (raw) milk, and settled his stomach, as his stomach had been bothering him just recently. 

    The colostrum came in a regular milk bottle, and we're using it that way, no problem.  Although it IS thicker than milk, it's thinner than coffee cream.  I think it would be inconvenient in a tub package.  Yours came in a tube?  Is it powdered?  Is it like butter?  I can't picture this. 

[Dissident]

Yes, powdered form.

[van]

colostrum from healthy grass fed cows is a wonderful food for many, when it comes in raw fresh state milked in the first few milkings.  In powdered form it has lost it's original brilliance.  Yes, in some lab identifiable form, chemists may be able to identify all the various elements in live colostrum, but they won't tell you about damaged proteins, oxidized fats, denatured vitamins, inorganic minerals, dead enzymes...
  Even if it's freeze dried, the cells have been frozen/broken open and now exposed to all kinds of oxygen.  Calves never drank frozen colostrum or milk, let alone freeze dried.  It's been messed with.  Kind of hard to find this time of year, although large dairies do bring in calves year around, but you might like to try the real stuff;  raw and fresh to compare. 

[RawZi]

Calves never drank frozen colostrum or milk, let alone freeze dried.  ... try the real stuff;  raw and fresh to compare. 

    Calves drink it warm, not cool.  They can't gulp; because they have to squeeze the long teet with their tongue constantly as they drink.  We can take a lesson if we want to drink colostrum.  It should not even be cold, and like dissident said, let the colostrum rest on your tongue as the calf would have.  They innately know how to get the best nutrition from it.

[goodsamaritan]

Dissident, my 6 year old boy is allergic to any form of the species chicken.  Whether organic, fertilized egg or home grown chickens.

So we have switched to duck eggs and duck meat.

Maybe you are allergic to chicken too?

[RawZi]

... any form of the species chicken.  Whether organic, fertilized egg or home grown chickens.

So we have switched to duck eggs and duck meat.

    Duck eggs are so much more nutritious too.

... accutane in the past, and still have severe cystic acne on my face, back and chest. I have never had nice skin for longer than a few months at tops. It is extremely painful because whenever I have good skin I feel great and my social life is great, but as soon as it comes back I generally tend to isolate myself from most people and my mood is greatly affected. It depresses me because I feel like I am putting a stop on my life every time just because of my damn skin, but I can't help it - I cannot function well in the outside world without healthy looking skin. It contributes greatly to my well-being in general.

Another problem is that I have had blood in my stools as well as some mucus for multiple months now as well, and can't seem to get rid of them. I have cut out all dairy a couple weeks ago and was suspecting it to be the culprit for the acne and perhaps mucus in stools, but so far I still am having problems. I cut out pasteurized dairy (organic kefir, yogurt, goat cheese) before that and when I realized there was no progress I cut out raw cheese as well. It seems that my skin doesn't break out as much, but I still don't have an acceptable level of acne. I'm starting to think that it has absolutely nothing to do with diet, and that no matter what I do I will be plagued by it for the rest of my life. Not pleasant.

I am thinking of trying zero carb because it is the only thing that I can see that I have not tried yet. I am ready to give up after that and be dependant on accutane for the rest of my life (if necessary). I've tried so many different diets from raw veganism/vegetarianism to Wai to raw omnivorous and I am still plagued by acne. I have tried so many skin care products as well, and nothing seems to work as well as my urine, ...

    BioSET was helpful in getting rid of my acne.  I had to go through the whole protocol though.  You might be better off just going zero carb.  I have no idea which is better.

    Apparently I also had a very major blockage will my illeocecal valve.

[Dissident]

Dissident, my 6 year old boy is allergic to any form of the species chicken.  Whether organic, fertilized egg or home grown chickens.

So we have switched to duck eggs and duck meat.

Maybe you are allergic to chicken too?

Highly doubt that. I ate raw chicken breast just a few days ago, and although I caught a cold soon after I didn't have any problems with it. I've been eating eggs all my life and never really had any problems from it. I would think if I was allergic it would show not only through skin would it?

[RawZi]

Highly doubt that. I ate raw chicken breast just a few days ago, and although I caught a cold soon after I didn't have any problems with it. I've been eating eggs all my life and never really had any problems from it. I would think if I was allergic it would show not only through skin would it?

    There are various types of allergies.  My son tested extremely (as in the highest amount of type three possible) type iii allergy to one absolutely plant derived food.  That was from blood tests.  You want to know how it shows outwardly on him if he eats a little of it?  A little bit of acne, and not even the same day.  You can bet a lot deeper stuff is going on with the allergy though, that no one can see on the outside.

What makes it additionally complicated is that there are 3 delayed allergy pathways, or hypersensitivity reactions. In other words, in looking for the existence and identity of a delayed allergy, there are 3 different sets of criteria to examine. An immediate allergy is considered a Type I allergy; the 3 types of delayed allergies are:
 
 Type II - Reactive Antibody: This immune response to some external antigen much resembles the immune response to a pathogen like a virus or bacteria. Cell and tissue damage is often a consequence of a Type II reaction. A hypersensitivity to drugs, like Penicillin, is often a Type II reaction. Conditions typically involving Type II reactions include Coombs'-positive hemolytic anemias, hyperacute graft rejection of an organ transplant, Hashimoto's thyroiditis, and Goodpasture's syndrome (or anti-glomerular basement membrane disease).
 Type III - Immune Complex: Reacts similarly to a Type II allergy except that it can be caused either by a foreign substance (external antigen) or by the body attacking its own cells. Inflammation is often a consequence of a Type III reaction. A hypersensitivity to antibiotics and allergy symptoms including hives, rash, and painful joints can indicate a Type III allergy. Conditions typically involving Type III reactions include cryoglobulinemia, serum sickness, RA, SLE, leukocytoclastic vasculitis, bronchopulmonary aspergillosis, hypersensitivity pneumonitis, and many types of glomerulonephritis
 Type IV - T-Cell Mediated: Also known as a "contact allergy" this hypersensitivity occurs only when an antigen makes direct contact with the skin. The antigen is usually a chemical that come in contact with the skin, not a food that is consumed, although physical contact with certain foods could produce the same Type IV reaction. When contact occurs, instead of antibodies being produced the immune system produces T-Cells which either cause toxic damage to the tissues directly or releases cytokines that activate macrophages, killer cells, and other elements that cause cell and tissue damage. An example of a Type IV hypersensitivity is an allergy to latex or even poison ivy. Conditions commonly associated with Type IV reactions include tuberculosis, hypersensitivity pneumonitis, and allograft rejection.

[Dissident]

Well from the looks of it I could be allergic to pretty much anything in one way or another? I can't just avoid all foods except meat can I? It seems logical to me that I should pass some tests to see what I am allergic to instead of doing guesswork because it could be just about anything from what you guys are telling me.