Healing Acne

Do you suffer with cystic acne? If so, you’ve probably tried a number of topical ointments, creams, scrubs, and other products to try and clear it. Unfortunately, many of us live in cultures that place a great deal of importance on appearance, making acne even more challenging.

It’s often considered normal to be plagued by pimples as a teenager, but many people continue to battle this symptom well into adulthood. In any stage of life, there’s a reason behind the acne, and it’s not hormones (hormones are simply a trigger). I revealed the underlying cause of cystic acne decades ago and have helped many people rid themselves of this condition.

Every once in a while someone may get some clogged pores that result in a very mild case of acne, but this naturally occurring acne is rare. If you suffer from more than just the occasional clogged pore, there’s an underlying issue behind your acne. For a complete understanding of acne and how to heal, read Liver Rescue: Answers to Eczema, Psoriasis, Diabetes, Strep, Acne, Gout, Bloating, Gallstones, Adrenal Stress, Fatigue, Fatty Liver, Weight Issues, SIBO & Autoimmune Disease.

Acne Misconceptions and Blaming Hormones

There are two prevalent misconceptions surrounding acne. One is that the body is overproducing sebum and dead skin cells, which can lead to clogged pores. Certain medical professionals suggest that if bacteria from the skin’s surface gets into these clogged pores, these areas will grow infected and inflamed. This is inaccurate. Acne is not made up of the naturally occurring oils in your body, and these oils in no way lead to cystic acne.

The second major misconception is that hormones cause acne. Hormones seem like a likely culprit because acne tends to worsen during puberty and for many women during certain times in the menstrual cycle. Some women, who may not have even suffered from acne as a teenager, may begin to struggle with acne later in life around their menstruation each month.

Medical communities are unaware that during a woman's menstrual cycle, 80% of the immune system is redirected towards assisting the reproductive system. That means that only 20% of the immune system is left to support any other health issues your body may be working to heal. As a result, if you normally suffer from acne, migraine headaches, eczema, fatigue, aches and pains, brain fog, depression, joint pain, or any other symptom or condition during your cycle, it may reappear or worsen.

Next time pimples pop up during menstruation, recognize that it’s not your hormones. There’s another underlying cause that was already present, and the shift in the focus of your immune system is affecting the severity of your breakout.

Acne & Antibiotics

If you’ve suffered from cystic acne, it’s likely your doctor has recommended antibiotics. One reason may be that antibiotics have been recommended for virtually every health issue over the years. A second reason is that antibiotics, when they were first used to treat severe cystic acne decades ago, actually seemed to help the patients' skin. Doctor’s didn’t know why, they just knew antibiotics were linked with improvement.

When doctors stumbled upon this supposed cure, it ignited the trend of using antibiotics of all kinds to treat acne. The reason antibiotics seemed to help is that acne and cystic acne are related to streptococcus and are bacterial in nature. However, that doesn’t mean antibiotics are a true or lasting solution.

Streptococcus

Medical communities aren’t aware that streptococcus is the cause a number of health issues, including acne, UTIs, pneumonia, SIBO, yeast infections, bacterial vaginosis, migraines, styes, and sinus problems. Even if you don’t have any other streptococcus-related symptoms and feel fairly healthy overall, you may still have chronic, low-grade streptococcus sitting in different areas of your lymphatic system stirring up acne.

If you suffered from strep throat as a child, it’s likely you’ll notice acne arise as a teenager or adult. It may not be a severe case, and it may only appear every so often depending on the severity of streptococcus in your system.

If you frequently suffered from bronchitis or pneumonia as a child, you may end up battling severe acne later in life as well. Other health issues as a child that may be a sign for acne later in life include tonsillitis and/or frequent styes. Medical science and research aren’t aware that streptococcus is the cause or a factor in any of the conditions.

When streptococcus is in your body it can move from the liver to your lymphatic system. Your body may be able to keep the streptococcus under control for the most part, but there might be times where the bacteria reaches the derma and works underneath it, which can lead to cystic acne. For this reason, if you continuously run yourself down by making unproductive food choices, leading a stressful lifestyle, and lacking self-care practices, your immune system will have a difficult time managing any chronic strep in the lymphatic system. Because of this, the streptococcus is more likely to push through to the surface of the derma.

Lymphatic channels are all over the body, and consequently acne may arise in a number of places. You may notice acne appear on your chest, shoulders, neck, face, head (top, back, sides, or crown), hairline, breasts, armpits, legs, groin, and/or underneath and around the butt. If you suffer from both acne and eczema, you may not only have strep, but a heavy viral load in your liver as well. (The true cause of eczema is a complete mystery to medical communities. Learn more about eczema, psoriasis, and rosacea in Liver Rescue).

It’s challenging to truly eliminate streptococcus bacteria. Lymphocytes, which play the biggest role in managing and lowering strep in the system, need a sufficient amount of zinc, other supplements, and supportive foods to best control and fight back against strep. Without proper fuel, the lymphocytes won’t be able to prevent streptococcus from reaching the derma. I include recommended supplements and dosages in Liver Rescue.

Doctors prescribe antibiotics for some of their patients who suffer from cystic acne. What these doctors don’t realize is that their patients’ cystic acne is due to antibiotic-resistant streptococcus building up and creating scar tissue underneath the derma. In these instances, the body creates pus-filled cysts above the derma in an attempt to fight against the bacteria while lymphocytes underneath the derma are trying to hunt down rogue streptococcus bacteria.

The Growth of Streptococcus

Decades ago, there were just two groups of streptococcus with a small number of strains connected to each. Antibiotics at the time were able to knock down these basic strains of streptococcus (and therefore, improve acne). Unfortunately, these groups of streptococcus have grown increasingly antibiotic resistant, and now groups A and B have turned into groups A through Z with a number of mutated strains offshooting from each group. (Research and science are aware of groups A through H at this time).

Although antibiotics were useful for cystic acne sufferers in the past, that isn’t always the case today. Sometimes antibiotics are necessary, but frequent overuse of antibiotics has led to numerous antibiotic-resistant streptococcus strains.

Streptococcus strains can be picked up on doorknobs, on toilet seats, in restaurants, and other public places.

If you’re using a public restroom, flush the toilet prior to using it, even if the water looks clean, and place paper on the seat as well.

Wipe your hands with handi-wipes after touching public surfaces or doorknobs.

Note that streptococcus can be passed through kissing and sexual contact as well.

This information is not meant to make you more fearful of things in this world. Rather, I hope it brings you a sense of empowered awareness. If you pick up a strain of streptococcus or are battling chronic streptococcus from childhood, know that you can build up your immune system, fight off this bacteria, clear acne (or any other condition caused by streptococcus), and move forward.

Supportive Steps

The reason antibiotics are unlikely to work is because once you ingest antibiotics, they usually sit in your liver and can feed low levels of streptococcus. This is true even if your cystic acne seems to improve for a period of time. If you want to truly heal acne and eliminate the underlying cause, your best option is using natural antibacterials (refer to Liver Rescue).

Healing Foods

Fortunately, there are many things you can do to naturally fight off streptococcus and start to heal acne:

• Garlic is incredible for killing streptococcus.
• Onion can kill streptococcus and H. pylori. (People with certain strains of streptococcus usually have H. pylori as well).
• Greens such as mâche, spinach, kale, chard, butter leaf lettuce, red leaf lettuce, and green leaf lettuce help kill streptococcus over time.
• Cherries and all berries contain antibacterial properties that help fight streptococcus.
• Bananas are fantastic for combatting strep.
• Wild blueberries breakdown streptococcus and heal other strep-related issues, including SIBO, UTIs, pneumonia, styes, migraines, bacterial vaginosis, yeast infections, and sinus problems.
• Peppermint, oregano, thyme, sage, ginger, turmeric, cayenne pepper, and cinnamon are some herbs and spices with strong antibacterial properties.
• Cucumbers.
• Tomatoes.
• Red bell peppers.
• Winter squash.
• Sweet potatoes and other tuberous roots.

The more fresh fruits and vegetables you eat, the more fuel you’ll have to lower the levels of streptococcus in your liver and lymphatic system. Help make this dietary shift by lowering your intake of meat and animal foods if you eat them and lowering your intake of grains, seeds, and nuts if you’re a vegetarian or vegan. (Learn how to properly support your liver in Liver Rescue).

Foods To Avoid

Some foods fight against streptococcus, but others actually feed the bacteria. Here are a few of the most important foods to avoid while healing cystic acne:

Eggs: Eggs feed all different bugs, including streptococcus. This is the number one food to avoid if you’re battling strep. Streptococcus loves eating eggs. Also, when you eat eggs, your lymphatic system fills with mucus and is forced to try and clear this mucus out. If you put raw egg in a petri dish with any strain of streptococcus and observe it under a microscope, you’ll see a feeding frenzy take place.

Gluten: Gluten also feeds streptococcus.

Dairy Products: If you have streptococcus in your system, avoiding dairy products such as cow’s milk, goat’s milk, cheese, butter, ghee, kefir, and yogurt for an extended period of time can be highly beneficial and even essential. You have to eliminate these foods for a lengthy period of time because streptococcus can take a while to clear out of the system. If you’ve eaten dairy products up until now, it’s likely you have deposits of dairy products in your liver and other parts of your body. The streptococcus will eventually look for old deposits of dairy products that can be found in crevices of the intestinal tract and elsewhere in the body. But over time you can clear out these old, damaging deposits.

Canola Oil: It feeds streptococcus, and it’s highly inflammatory.

Corn Products: Corn feeds streptococcus in your system. Avoid corn and corn products.

It usually takes some time for acne to completely clear, but have patience and know you’re fighting off the true underlying cause.

Healing Supplements and Teas

High-quality supplements can support your immune system and help you heal. For supplement and dosage recommendations, see Liver Rescue. For the highest quality supplement recommendations, see the Preferred Supplements page.

• Zinc Sulfate.
• Vitamin C.
• Lemon balm is an antibacterial and antiviral powerhouse that can kill strep, lower Epstein-Barr, and rebuild the immune system. You can use the alcohol-free tincture and/or make lemon balm tea and drink it throughout the day.
• Selenium can help repair tissue that’s been damaged by streptococcus.
• Goldenseal is a powerful herb that is most beneficial when used two weeks on followed by two weeks off. (Without breaks, this supplement may stop offering as much support).
• Licorice root.
• Oregano oil.
• Chamomile or peppermint tea, taken daily.

For more healing tips, check out Liver Rescue.

If you’re currently on an antibiotic to help control your cystic acne and want to change your protocol, it’s important to work with an understanding doctor or practitioner who can help you safely transition to a new protocol.

Streptococcus has never built up a resistance towards any fruit, vegetable, herb, or spice. With the correct foods and supplements, you can build up your immune system, kill off any streptococcus or other havoc-wreaking bugs, and live your life free from cystic acne.

Moving Forward

While working to heal your cystic acne, take one day at a time and do not lose hope. Healing streptococcus may take patience and persistence, but you are on the way to embracing a life free of acne. As you incorporate more and more pieces of the protocol, you are healing more than just your acne. These healing suggestions can transform your health in countless ways and leave you thriving!

This item posted: 22-Jun-2017

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