My Stress Gives me Acne and my Acne Gives me Stress!

Acne doesn’t stop for everyone after high school. I’ve seen plenty of patients in their 20s and older looking for help with their acne. I often hear a similar story from patients: things are really stressful right now, my diet has been off, I’m not sleeping well, my periods have been wonky and I think all this is causing me to break out! And they are usually correct. Acne is often the end result of a lot of things going wrong. That’s why creams, washes and face procedures may help partially but they don’t always completely resolve it. To get good results, acne needs to be treated from the outside and the inside.

Stop the Stress Cycle

Stress is one of the most common acne triggers I’ve seen in my practice. Acne can also trigger a lot of stress. This can make for a cruel stress-acne-stress-acne cycle. Implementing strategies like mindfulness and exercise is important for soothing stress. When that’s not enough, I recommend acupuncture and certain nutrients and herbs to cool down the body’s stress response. Sometimes you may benefit from a cortisol test to see whether this stress hormone is too high or too low. Both scenarios may contribute to acne and they are treated differently.

It's also important to make sure you’re going to bed at a reasonable time and getting enough hours of sleep. This is key for the health of your skin cells and for keeping inflammation and your stress hormones in check. If you struggle with sleep, there are many natural options for improving the quality of your sleep.

When you’re more stressed, you’re more likely to pick at those pimples. That means spreading more acne-causing bacteria around your face and worsening your acne. We’ve all been there. Quelling stress can help you break those nervous habits that are worsening your skin.

Don’t Forget the Rest

Lowering stress is important for reducing acne but there is also other work that needs to be done. I work with my patients to optimize skin-essential nutrients, reduce foods that trigger inflammation in the skin and test and treat hormone imbalances like estrogen and testosterone abnormalities. Combining all of these approaches makes for a powerful punch against acne.

Facial Acupuncture

To reduce acne scarring, even out skin tone and improve the health of the skin I recommend facial acupuncture to some of my patients. I like to combine it with regular, traditional acupuncture which is especially powerful for reducing stress. Like I said before, acne needs to be treated from the outside and the inside.

So if you’re longing for that dewy, fresh skin, let's make it happen. Treating acne may seem superficial but once it’s under control you would be amazed at how much your confidence can soar. Once you feel confident, you feel more excited about heading out into the world and facing work, social situations and life in general.

How Food Affects Your Mood

This was a food-filled weekend for many of us. I think we all understand that certain foods can leave us feeling bloated, nauseous and groggy. But did you know that food can affect your mood as well? If you’re finding it hard to keep up with the demands of your work and family life because you’re feeling down or stressed it might be time to revamp your diet.  

Inflammation and Your Brain

Many foods can trigger inflammation. This is especially true for processed foods and foods you have an intolerance or sensitivity to. This inflammation can happen in your gut as well as the rest of your body. It has been found that inflammation in your body is able to affect what goes on in your brain – and not in a good way. The inflammation can trigger feelings of anxiety, stress and even depression.

The Gut-Mood Connection

When you eat foods that your body can’t deal with, it damages the health of your gut bacteria. As bizarre as it sounds, the health of your gut bacteria is deeply connected to your mental health. Scientists have associated unhealthy gut bacteria with mood problems. Giving your body the right foods can improve your gut health.

Nutrients and Blood Sugar

Adding the right foods into the diet is just as important as taking the wrong foods out. In order to feel your best, your diet needs to be rich in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, healthy fats, quality protein and other phytochemicals. These are key nutrients for a healthy brain and happy mood. Your diet also needs to be able to keep blood sugar levels stable as spikes and crashes in blood sugar are a recipe for stress and anxiety.

If you feel like you don’t have time to do all the things that are important for keeping mood troubles at bay, just start with small improvements to your diet. You will notice a difference over time. If you need help fixing your diet or if you’re wondering if you need food sensitivity testing, don’t hesitate to reach out. The connection between diet and mood is often overlooked. The sooner you get your diet right, the sooner you can get back to feeling like yourself so you can tackle your day with enthusiasm and be present and fully engaged with your loved ones.

Gluten-Free Made Easy

Today’s post is meant to be a quick, practical guide to help you with gluten-free eating. Gluten elimination can be helpful for a variety of health conditions. Some common things I find it helpful for are chronic pain, digestive issues, skin issues, thyroid health and allergies. 

Perhaps you just want to experiment with your diet. Or maybe you were told by a health care provider to go gluten-free. Whatever the case, you can use this guide to navigate the world of gluten-free eating.

With this article I aim to reduce any anxiety you may have about gluten-free eating. It may seem daunting at first. Doesn’t everything have gluten in it? What will be left to eat? Will I have to live off expensive, special foods?

There are actually many everyday foods that are delicious and naturally gluten-free. Below, I’ve listed some of them. For more information you can look at the Canadian Celiac Association’s website . Let’s dig in.

Foods that you can use as staples:

- Gluten free bread/ pasta/ wraps

- Chickpeas

- Quinoa

- Corn

- Gluten-free oats: oats are naturally gluten-free but they can be contaminated with a significant amount of gluten. If you need to be really strict, get oats labelled "gluten-free".

- Sweet potato

- Regular (white) potato

- Rice

- Cauliflower rice

- Zucchini noodles

- Eggs

- You can also skip the starch sometimes and have unprocessed meat, poultry or fish with vegetables as a main meal

Snacks

- Many brands of hummus are gluten-free, you can have it with veggies or gluten-free crackers

- Home made guacamole with veggies or gluten-free crackers

- Fruits or veggies

- Apple or banana slices dipped in peanut butter: nut butters are a grey area. Some are gluten-free, some are not. You’ll have to do some research before you pick one. Most are low in gluten so if you’re not strongly sensitive (i.e. a celiac patient) you may be fine. Almond butter is usually gluten-free.

- Bars labelled "gluten-free"

- Unseasoned nuts

- Plain popcorn

- Cheese (if you don’t need to be dairy free as well)

- Energy balls made with mashed dates and your favourite nuts and seeds

- Sweet potato or kale chips (homemade)

- Rice cakes: check the ingredients to make sure there aren’t any gluten-containing additives or get one labelled "gluten-free"

- Plain yogurt (you can add fruit and honey)

Treats (if you need to let loose once in a while)

- Home-made peanut butter cookies: see note about nut butters above

- Nachos and salsa: check salsa ingredients for additives containing gluten. Many nacho brands are gluten-free but always research before.

- Many common types of chips are gluten free

- Most ice cream and sherbet

- Chocolate chips

Note: don’t forget about drinks – drinks made with barley (like beer) contain gluten.

Of course, you can get adventurous and check out gluten-free websites and recipe books. They can teach you how to make gluten-free meals and treats.

If you need more help with your diet, reach out to me. As a naturopathic doctor I offer food sensitivity testing. If you’re curious about your food sensitivities, book an appointment or free 15-minute consult. We can talk about whether this test is the right fit for you.