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What foods are good for skin? What should be applied to the skin? Living in a dry climate makes matters worse. My skin is terrible. What can I do for it? My article entitled, The Optimum Diet for Any Illness, may answer some of your questions about food restrictions. If you eat only the healthy "Phase One Power Foods" that I talked about in the article, you will be eliminating most of the contributors to dry skin. These vegetarian power foods will help you build your strength and health over time (green leafy vegetables, salad greens, cooked greens, cruciferous vegetables, avocado, some grains, and essential fats). Of course, the best way to consume all of these power foods is raw; however, you may have problems digesting them that way. Cook them less and less until you are consuming a majority of your food raw. Juice the vegetables as often as you can to rebuild your body faster. If you start to detoxify too fast, temporarily decrease the amount of raw food and juices you are consuming. Listen to your body and set a comfortable pace for it. Make it fun! The prophet Daniel ate these foods and was found healthier than his peers after only ten days (Daniel 1:12-16). Why don't you take his ten-day test and see if you feel any healthier? The best lotion I have found for relieving the itching and burning and, eventually, the dry skin is Lily of the Desert's Aloe Vera Gelly. I believe it works so well because it's organic and 99.5% aloe with vitamins A, C, and E added. Most others are not organic and contain far less aloe. Also, avoid wheat, peanuts, and dairy products for a while. It could be that you are allergic to one of them. If you have a history of asthma, you likely are allergic. Stay away from citrus fruits for a while, too. They tend to aggravate the symptoms. Studies show that dry skin may also be a symptom of omega-3 fatty acid deficiency. Organic, cold-pressed flaxseed oil is the richest vegetable source of omega-3 fatty acids. This is essential in keeping your skin and body well lubricated. If you don't eat enough greens, take a tablespoon of this to get your daily requirement. Fish is also a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids, but the concentrated toxins in most fish make the wisdom of this choice doubtful. For supplements, find an organic, whole-food, concentrated supplement, such as Body Balance or Barley Harvest. You will need a supplement that contains essential omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins A, E, and B complex, zinc, and magnesium, which both of these supplements have in abundance. Check if you have changed detergents or soaps lately that might be irritating your skin. Also, eat more green, leafy vegetables and yellow vegetables such as carrots, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, and winter squash. Drink plenty of distilled or filtered water and avoid drinks or foods sweetened with aspartame (NutraSweet). Fiber contained in the above power foods will also help. Stress reduction through prayer, relaxation, and exercise is valuable as well. Ever since I started a vegan diet consisting of a lot of fruit and veggies, I've lost weight, but I'm breaking out more. And my skin is oily. Why the sudden change in my complexion? The best answer I can give you without knowing more about your situation is that you are experiencing detoxification symptoms. Toxins from within your body are likely cleansing through your skin. Other detox symptoms are runny stool, bad breath, nausea, fever, chills, headaches, etc. These are all temporary and will subside once you've detoxified and remain on a healthy diet. If the oily skin persists, evaluate your oil intake. If you must use oil, then use organic, extra-virgin, cold-pressed olive oil in cooking. Use healthy fat substitutes whenever possible; however, omega-3 fatty acids are essential. Organic, cold-pressed flaxseed oil is the richest vegetable source. If you don't eat enough greens, take a tablespoon of this to get your daily requirement. Fish is also a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids, but the concentrated toxins in most fish make the wisdom of this choice doubtful. Another possible reason is hormonal imbalances. Animal products are typically injected with hormones, especially the synthetic estrogens, and cause hormonal imbalances in humans. We are estrogen dominant and need natural progesterone cream to counter the imbalance. You can find natural progesterone creams in your local health food store. They are harmless and can quite possibly help. You can even apply it directly on your pimples. Other signs of estrogen dominance are hot flashes, fibrocystic breasts, low libido, vaginal dryness, water retention, PMS, and fatigue. If you suspect that your problem is hormonally related, see my article entitled, Hormonal Imbalance. Does diet really affect one's complexion? My 18 year old son has cystic acne and would like to try the drug Accutane while he is home from college for the summer. This drug makes me uncomfortable but I understand his desire to be rid of the acne too. Do you have any suggestions? Diet has a major effect on complexion. Most skin problems are caused by a nutrient deficiency. For instance, blackheads are usually caused by a lack of magnesium and vitamin A. Chronic whiteheads may result from a lack of vitamin B1. Consistent raised spots (like chicken skin) on the back of the arms or thighs suggest a need for magnesium, vitamin A, or essential fatty acids. Cystic acne suggests that your son needs to modify his diet significantly. First, let me dissuade you from using drugs to treat
his problem. Isotretinoin (Accutane) is a powerful drug
used in the treatment of acne. Isotretinoin has the
following significant side effects:
Isotretinoin may increase the level of blood fats, sometimes to risky levels. Occasionally it may affect the liver. That's why regular blood tests are necessary when taking isotretinoin. The principle behind the drug is to decrease the amount of oil produced by the skin's sebaceous (oil) glands in order to reduce the acne. That sounds fine, but why not treat the cause rather than the symptom? As anxious as your son may be to get rid of his acne, there are no guarantees that Accutane will permanently cure it. In fact, there are no guarantees that it will cure his acne at all. He may be stuck with his acne and any of the side effects as well. It is my opinion that the risks are too great. Let me offer you an alternative. I will discuss what foods to avoid and then list what foods and regimens will help eliminate his acne. Most of us eliminate toxins through our skin in some way, i.e. perspiration, rashes, blisters, ulcers, and acne. Acne often occurs when the skin's sebaceous glands cannot eliminate oil from the skin fast enough. Often, this is a result of too much fat and too few essential nutrients in the diet. The first foods that your son should eliminate are all animal products (meat, poultry, fish, eggs, milk, butter, and cheese). They all contain saturated fat that is very difficult for the body to cleanse. This fat has far more serious side effects than acne, so he will feel better in many other ways after eliminating animal products. He should also reduce vegetable fats, especially hydrogenated oils, such as cottonseed oil and palm kernel oil. Margarine should also be avoided. Additionally, make sure he is not allergic to his soap, shampoo, or laundry detergent. Acne is also irritated by stressor foods, such as caffeine, refined sugars, and alcohol. Processed junk food can also be a problem, such as soft drinks, chocolate, candy, cakes, and pies. He should also avoid all bleached, white "foods," such as white bread, pasta, sugar, and rice. Use whole-grain alternatives instead, such as whole-wheat bread, whole-wheat pasta, Sucanat, and brown rice. Health food stores are abundant in these alternatives. He should increase his water intake, preferably distilled, to help his cleansing. Increasing his fiber will also help the detoxification process. In general, you need to provide a healthy diet for him. What is the definition of a healthy diet? Well, I can give you the definition that I feel is correct after seven years of studying nutrition and food in the Bible. My web site (and future book) will elaborate further on the details. A healthy diet consists of 85% raw fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds. (Since he is reducing his oil intake, leave off the nuts and seeds.) Start each morning with raw fruits and their juices. Give him a raw salad for lunch with some whole-grain bread or brown rice or a raw-vegetable sandwich. The evening meal should consist of a raw salad with a green or yellow vegetable and a baked potato or two. Any whole-food starch will do, of course, i.e. potatoes, brown rice, whole-grain bread, whole-grain pasta, etc. If he gets hungry before bedtime, give him some fruit. I know it's hard to stay satisfied with no meat in the diet. In the morning, I have to eat some kind of fruit every 30 minutes to an hour until lunch time arrives. About two hours after my lunch salad, I might be hungry again, so I'll eat a small snack of baked potato chips or carrots. Supper is more filling because of the cooked starch and vegetables, so it might be three hours before I want a snack. Then, I'll eat a banana because it lasts longer in the stomach. Fruit digests very quickly because it is mostly water. It took a while for me to get used to eating small amounts more often, but it is the healthiest way to eat. Some call it grazing. The point is that the quantity of food does not matter as much as the quality of it. When you buy him a snack, ask yourself, "Will this cleanse him or clog him?" If it's white rice, white bread, white pasta, cheese, meat, dairy, or junk food, it will clog him. If it's low-sodium, baked chips, carrots, celery, or any raw fruit or vegetable, it will help to cleanse his system. Yes, he will have to eat more often to satisfy his stomach, but he will be far healthier with a clear complexion. He might experience some cleansing or detoxification symptoms for the first few days. His acne might even get worse at first. Don't be discouraged, though. It is common sense that raw fruits and vegetables are healthier than any other food, so don't think his body is rejecting the food. It is simply cleansing out the toxins in his body. He should avoid aspirin for headaches because it will cause the detox to stop. Just let his body cleanse. Hopefully, he won't experience too much discomfort. Most people only experience mild cleansing. See my article entitled, The Optimum Diet for Any Illness, for more information. My two sons have tiny white bumps on their cheeks that look like acne, but have no head. These have been there for several years, and I have not been able to find out the cause. These bumps are also on the backs of their upper arms. The chiropractor said it was a deficiency of essential fatty acids. I have been putting flaxseed oil in their fruit smoothies at breakfast and did that faithfully for five months. The chiropractor had said it would take about six weeks for the bumps to go away, but they are still there. Do you have any idea what I should do? These little bumps are called "chicken skin" acne. Your chiropractor was right about the essential omega-3 fatty acids. Flaxseed oil is definitely the best source for them. You were doing great sneaking it in your kids' smoothies. The bumps may also be a sign of a magnesium and vitamin A deficiency. You may be giving them the right foods or a supplement that contains these essential nutrients, but certain foods inhibit their absorption, such as the trans-fatty acids found in margarine and hydrogenated oils (cottonseed oil and palm kernel oil, usually found in potato chips and snack foods). Avoid any hydrogenated oils, keep up the flaxseed oil, and make sure they have an organic, whole-food supplement that contains magnesium and vitamin A. I recommend Body Balance because it tastes like black cherry juice. Kids love it! Can you tell me what to use for eczema? My back is making me miserable (itching, burning). I have tried everything I know to try. I even stopped taking Body Balance to see if it was the cause. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I'm so sorry about your itching. I know exactly how you feel. Us Loys have always had skin problems. The best lotion I have found for relieving the itching and burning and, eventually, the dry skin is Lily of the Desert's Aloe Vera Gelly. No other brand (and I have tried them all) will work for eczema. You can find it at many health food stores. A 4-oz tube costs nearly $4. Since your back is the biggest problem, I suggest you get two or three tubes. I know it's expensive, but it has done wonders with my hands and hairline (where I get eczema). I believe it works so well because it's organic and 99.5% aloe with vitamins A, C, and E added. Most others are not organic and contain far less aloe. Get your wife to put a thick coat all over your back. Since it's so irritated, it will likely burn. Your back will soak it up quickly. Every time it feels dry, have her put another coat on your back. At first, you will need to keep your back (and any other areas) coated well throughout the day, especially after your shower. Eventually, as it heals, you will only need to apply it morning and night. It should lessen in the summer and worsen in the winter (one more reason to hate cold weather--give me Hawaii). You might want to call the health food stores and check if they have it in stock. This item sells well. It may take a while to see improvement, but the aloe will work if you hang in there. Also, avoid wheat, peanuts, and dairy products for a while. It could be that you are allergic to one of them. If you have a history of asthma, you likely are allergic. Stay away from citrus fruits for a while, too. They tend to aggravate the symptoms. Studies show that eczema may also be a symptom of omega-3 fatty acid deficiency. If nothing has improved since you've stopped taking Body Balance, I would start taking it again. It supplies the essential omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins A, E, and B complex, zinc, and magnesium that are usually deficient when eczema is present. Check if you have changed detergents or soaps lately that might be irritating your skin. Also, eat more green, leafy vegetables and yellow vegetables such as carrots, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, and winter squash. Drink plenty of your filtered water and avoid drinks or foods sweetened with aspartame (Nutrasweet). Hopefully, we can ascertain the cause and you won't experience any more symptoms. Most of the time, eczema is an allergic reaction that worsens in dry, cold weather. You can take a warm (just above body temperature) bath with one cup of bicarbonate of soda mixed in to help relieve the itching for now. Apply a cold compress to relieve the burning, too. The aloe vera gelly I recommended will help to control the rash itself. Kenneth E. Loy, Jr., CN
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