When the sebaceous glands secrete too much oil, acne is the result.

The oil normally flows from the glands to the skin’s surface. If, though, the dead skin cells accumulate, they can clog the pores. Since the skin reflects our internal health, acne is sometimes an indicator of toxic conditions.

Too much waste product in the kidneys, liver, lungs, intestine or digestive problems can all give cause for breakouts. Other causes include allergies, high fat diet, emotional problems and pollution.

Good overall health is reflected by clear glowing skin. To achieve this skin, you need a balanced diet with regular exercise, adequate sleep and avoidance of such detrimental habits like smoking. High dose vitamin and mineral supplements may actually worsen the condition.

By altering hormone levels, stress often triggers a flare up of acne. In turn, hormonal changes can stimulate food cravings, especially for commercial chocolates and other sweets. This means that the acne sufferers may erroneously attribute the acne to gorging on chocolates or sweets, rather than stress, the real culprit for both.

Researchers believe that nutritional yeast and foods containing zinc, like wheat germ and lima beans are helpful at clearing acne.

Skin Hydration
Because almost all biological reactions require water, it is vital to health.

Health professionals advise drinking eight 8-ounce glasses of water daily to improve circulation by making blood less viscous, thus opening blood vessels. The body cannot effectively flush waste and disease-causing toxins from the body without adequate hydration. Water helps at maintaining proper functioning of proteins, enzymes and connective tissues.

A powerful probiotic and blood cleanser is garlic. It can help your system internally t clean itself out, which means it would help to reduce acne. Garlic’s most powerful medicinal effects are felt when it is eaten raw and crushed. The taste and smell of garlic may be very strong, but it is not normally offensive. Raw garlic can be sprinkled on top of a meal at the end of cooking, added to a salad, included in a sandwich, among other innovative ways of eating it.

When applied externally, the nutritional and cleansing properties of garlic also give it a reputation as being an effective acne treatment. A cut clove rubbed gently on the affected area is reported to help reduce acne. Even after washing, garlic leaves a strong smell, so don’t apply it just before going out! Note: Raw garlic is very powerful and can produce a burning sensation and skin reddening, so don’t over do it topically.

Basic hygiene. Make sure you wash your face with mild soap every day, and don’t let your hair get greasy because the hair oil seems to make your face oil worse. It’s also a good idea to regularly wash icky, sweaty hats or sweatbands you use in sports.

Avoid mineral oil. This means avoid mineral oil based cosmetics and sunscreens and go for water based products when possible because they don’t clog the skin as much.

Diet. Try and eat plenty of fresh greens and vegetables while staying away from oily fast food. Although acne has more to do with hormones than diet, some people find that fried foods or cheap commercial chocolates disagrees with their skin. Be aware of what you eat, so if you have a bad breakout you can recognise possible triggers.

Do not eat:
Animal products, pork, lamb, beef, chicken, cooked dairy products and margarine. Refined (white) flour products, white rice, white pasta, white bread, processed foods including canned foods, packaged foods, frozen foods, chips, donuts, cakes, biscuits, hard alcoholic beverages, soft drinks, flavoured drinks, cordial drinks or any other beverages that contain sugars and other chemicals and colourings.

Do eat:
All sprouted seeds, grains and legumes including, mung, alfalfa, mixed salad, ect. All raw and steamed vegetables (including potatoes) which are best to eat later in the day. All fresh fruits, raw nuts and seeds including almonds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and sesame seeds are best. All whole grains, rolled oats, brown rice, rye, barley, buckwheat, linseed meal, millet. Whole meal bread, whole meal pasta, brown rice. Sun dried fruits like apricots, figs, dates and peaches. All fresh vegetable and fruit juices. Herbal teas with pure water (do not add milk or sugar).

The number solution: use baking soda as a facial cleanser and scrub.

For more on this topic and thousands of other Self Care tips, check out my "encyclopaedia of wholefood medicine", the Farmacist Desk Reference.

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