Wednesday, December 3, 2014

Gluten: The Greatest Enemy of Clear Skin

Gluten: The Greatest Enemy of Clear Skin

Over the weekend I was researching material for today's blog topic and stumbled upon this interesting article written by Maura Henninger, a Naturopathic Physician. This article in very informative, the only area that I had some cause for concern was her comments on castor oil. It's not that it isn't a great oil, it depends on what you're using it for. Use caution when applying it to your face, it's thick and can clog pores. Another issue to be aware of about castor oil is that it can cause thickening and darkening of hair, so be aware of this in regards to areas above the lip and on the jaw and chin areas (but it sure is great for the eyebrows and eyelashes), personally, I like to use this oil for internal medicinal purposes. I found this article to be very interesting and truly helpful so I decided to share it with you. Enjoy!
When Lisa, who works as a nurse at a nearby hospital, entered my office, her big, relaxed smile was the first thing I noticed. But her easy manner quickly fell apart when she started talking about what had overwhelmed her for the last five years: cystic acne that wouldn't budge, no matter what she did. Her skin had been beautiful - perfect -- all through puberty, high school and college; who'd never had to think twice about it. Until she turned 24 and great big, painful pimples started to turn up, starting on her jaw but soon spreading all per her face. She'd tried a number of approaches: a vegan diet, chemical peels, herbal supplements, and medications prescribed by her dermatologist. Nothing helped, and she was becoming increasingly desperate.
Adult-onset acne is a common complaint I see in my practice. The American Academy of Dermatology has cited studies that have shown that women after age 20, in particular, develop acne at greater rates: 50 percent between ages 20-29 and 25 percent between 49 and 49 . People who get acne in adulthood often have beautiful, perfect skin throughout adolescence, the period of time usually associated with fluctuating hormones and nasty breakouts. While women with acne caused by menses-related hormone imbalance are a familiar sight in my practice, I find that another culprit is all too common: gluten, and the havoc it wreaks on the gut that, in turn, affects the skin.
Let's start with a brief primer on basics of this tricky offender. Gluten is a protein in wheat and other grains (oat, barley, rye, spelt) that makes bread dough sticky. It's also in a number of places you wouldn't expect: imitation meats, soy sauce, ketchup and ice cream, among others. Because of its gumminess, it's also added to cosmetics, toothpaste and shampoo. It's all but unavoidable. Some people respond to gluten with symptoms like diarrhea, intense abdominal pain, fatigue and bloating -- all of which are severe and occur immediately after consuming a food containing gluten. This is often diagnosed as celiac disease, which is an autoimmune, inherited disorder in which the protein portion of gluten incurs an inflammatory response in the small intestine. It's diagnosed by a blood test or intestinal biopsy. Click the following link to finish reading this article:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/maura-henninger-nd/gluten-and-acne_b_2601648.html