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.

Fed up With Feeling Irritable all the Time? Hormone Balancing May be the Answer

I’ve gone through it. I know others who have gone through it. Many of my patients complain about it. That feeling of inexplicable irritability and anger. Snapping at your husband, kids or parents. Complaining about everything. Feeling jealous, stubborn and like you just want to argue against every idea or plan being sent your way. Life sure would be easier if you could get along with everyone…but you just don’t feel like it.

But then the guilt comes. You wish you could be a more pleasant mom, wife, daughter, friend, co-worker. You might feel like you’re “failing” in these roles. You wish you had more patience and that your home or work environment could be happier. It just feels so out of your control.

First, don’t beat yourself up. You’re only human and you have every right to experience all the emotions that come with being human. Second, some of your irritability may be totally justified. Some of it may be a sign that you need to work some things out with yourself emotionally. But some of it could also be a sign that something is off with your health. Often, hormonal imbalances can contribute to grumpiness. Common culprits are estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, cortisol and thyroid hormones. When these hormones are too high or too low you could end up feeling anxious, depressed or irritable.

I went through a period of extra irritability myself. It was not like me at all to feel so grumpy for no reason. Sure, I would get irritable from time to time like anyone else - but this was a whole different level. I hated feeling like this so I decided it was time to test my hormones and sure enough there were imbalances. When I put myself on a protocol to re-balance my hormones I felt amazing. I felt like myself again and my energy, mood and motivation skyrocketed (a crazy acne breakout also cleared up as an added bonus). I’ve seen this type of transformation in my patients as well when we committed to testing and treating their hormone imbalances. Sometimes the change is quick (like in my case) and sometimes it’s a gradual transition to brighter, happier days. Either way it’s worth it.

So if you feel like you’ve tried everything to calm your irritability and it’s not working, consider investing in your hormonal health. Get back to feeling like yourself and shining your light on everyone around you.

Why You’re Feeling Constantly Overwhelmed

Life can feel like a hamster wheel sometimes. Like an endless loop of rushing to be on time, working, running errands, doing chores, and sleeping (poorly). There’s often barely enough time to gather your thoughts and take a breather. Living in this state can destroy your motivation and morale making you not want to do anything other than curl up in front of the TV all day. But, of course, you can’t do that. You still have roles and responsibilities, people still depend on you and it’s not always feasible to take a sick day from life.  

But what if there was a way to feel more at ease through all the chaos? There may be no way to avoid your busy schedule, but you can learn to thrive in the midst of it. Learning how to overcome that feeling of overwhelm can get you back to feeling fresh, alert and motivated. It can help you get a much better handle on life allowing you to feel less anxious, less depressed, more productive and better able to juggle all the demands work life and family life throw at you.  

Fight-or-Flight Mode

Let’s go back in time for a bit. When your caveman ancestors were feeling stressed their bodies went into fight-or-flight mode. In this mode the heart rate speeds up, muscles contract, blood pressure increases, and the body is completely revved up. The human body was designed to respond to stress this way – it’s how our caveman ancestors survived the dangers around them. In order for the body to get into this survival mode it has to amp up the stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline. Our ancestors would be in this mode for short intense bursts like during animal attacks or tribal battles and these bursts were followed by time to rest and recuperate.

Fast forward to modern life. We still have the fight-or-flight response wired into our bodies. According to scientists, the key difference is that our fight-or-flight mode is being activated way more often at a constant low or high level with way less time to rest and rejuvenate. It’s being activated by things like bills, work deadlines, traffic, daunting responsibilities and sleep deprivation. On a biological level, this survival mode is being activated by inflammatory foods that stress out our bodies, toxins in the environment that burden our bodies, gut dysfunction that makes our bodies vulnerable to inflammation, hormone imbalances that confuse our bodies – I could go on forever. We’re relentlessly revved up both mentally and physically with no time to recover.

The end result is a constant feeling of overwhelm.

Stopping the Hamster Wheel

A lot of your schedule and responsibilities may be out of your control but there are still powerful, natural things you can do to reduce overwhelm. When you can master overwhelm it can transform your life. Not only do you feel better but health conditions like anxiety, depression, IBS, irregular periods and obesity become easier to manage. If you want to go through life with more ease and enthusiasm, don’t ignore this feeling of overwhelm. Don’t accept it as just a fact of life. Get help and treat it like you would any other health condition. Reduce the feeling of overwhelm and watch yourself excel at work, at home and in all areas of your life.

The Anxiety Program to Take Back Control of Your Life

You just don’t feel like yourself when you’re facing anxiety. Going out, doing chores, running errands become a drain. You have to give yourself a pep talk just to get out the door and face the day. The thought of an upcoming social event fills you with apprehension rather than excitement. You overthink, expect the worse and dwell on the negative…it’s exhausting.

So you fill your day with some calming essential oils, you take deep breaths, you go to yoga and while it certainly helps, it still feels like you’re struggling to stay afloat. It takes a toll on your physical health making you tired, ruining your skin, throwing off your stomach and making you crave junk food. It’s frustrating so you end up feeling irritable and sad and sometimes you take it out on those closest to you.

In a 2016 survey done by CAMH, 40% of participants reported having anxiety or depression. You’ll find different stats depending on the survey you look at, but the bottom line is always the same – it’s a REAL problem and it is COMMON. Let that last word sink in. You’re not alone, you’re not crazy and you’re not selfish or overreacting by seeking help.

The 8-Week Anxiety Program I run is designed to help you regain a sense of control over your stress and anxiety. It digs deep and hits at the root causes of your symptoms. It’s not a cartful of “anxiety supplements” – it’s a full body, lifestyle-makeover approach because that is how anxiety should be treated. Here’s the breakdown of each week:

Week 1 – Calm the Nervous System

Week 2 – Restore Nutrition

Week 3 – Fix Unhealthy Thinking

Week 4 – Balance Hormones

Week 5 – Heal the Gut

Week 6 – Regulate Blood Sugar and Reduce Inflammation

Week 7 – Mind Hacking Habits

Week 8 – Connect to Resources

You can choose to do this program with or without weekly acupuncture.

Not sure what each week entails? Book a free 15-minute consult so I can properly get into the details with you.

By the end of the program you will have spent 8 solid weeks working on taking control of your anxiety. You will have put yourself in a position that makes it harder for anxiety to find a home in your life. You will feel more in control of your anxiety rather than feeling like your anxiety is controlling you. You’ll walk away with key strategies that will help you thrive in the face of anxiety. Most importantly, when you tackle anxiety, you can move on, live the lifestyle you strive for and bring out the best version of YOU for you and your loved ones.

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.

Are Low Motivation and Low Mood Holding You Back from Health?

Imagine living just one day in a perfectly healthy way. You wake up refreshed and ready to go. No need for caffeine. You make a healthy breakfast for you and your family. Everyone is out the door on time feeling put-together and enthusiastic. You get through the day on healthy snacks and a healthy lunch – no cravings for afternoon sweets. You get home still humming with energy to not only make a healthy dinner but to work out as well. By bedtime all your evening chores are done and you’ve wound down enough to fall asleep within 15 minutes of hitting the pillow.

Contrast that with the reality that most people deal with. Waking up feeling unrefreshed. Definitely not “enthusiastic” about the day ahead. Tormented with cravings for sweets, carbs and coffee to get through the day. Just enough energy to make dinner after work but certainly not enough to work out. Lying in bed feeling tired but still not able to sleep.

Most people have a huge gap between their current health habits and the ones they wish they had. How do you even begin to move in the direction of the healthy lifestyle you dream of? Many try to muscle through on raw will power. You declare that, starting this week you WILL work out three times. Starting this week, you WILL NOT give in to cravings for junk food. But then as each day rolls around, you’re hit with the reality that you’re not motivated to do these things. You just don’t want to.

It’s hard to follow all the steps for a healthy lifestyle when you feel down and have zero motivation. You can try to impose all kinds of rules on yourself but if your mind is not in the right place, it won't happen. This is why it’s so important to be gentle with yourself and start with the right foundation. You need to nurture yourself back to better health rather than trying to force it.

Whenever I have a patient who is stuck in an unhealthy lifestyle, they’re relieved when they find out that I won’t be throwing them on a super strict diet, exercise and supplement plan. Because both of us know they’re not ready for that. We start at the foundation. We work on gentle ways to restore good quality sleep, balance stress hormones and support mood. We replenish nutrients that are lacking. We SLOWLY take out toxic foods, habits and chemicals that drain energy and cloud thinking.

With this approach, mood steadily begins to rise as patients start to feel less drained and more clear-headed. Motivation returns. Soon enough doing a couple minutes of exercises here and there doesn’t seem so far fetched. Resisting cravings is not as hard as it was before. Healthy recipes are more appealing. You get the picture. An upward spiral has begun. Habit by habit a new, healthy lifestyle is being created. All because we started with nourishing the things that are important for mood and motivation.

That healthy lifestyle can seem impossible from where you’re standing right now. But with the right approach, I have no doubt that you can get there.

Facial Acupuncture FAQ

Does it actually work? Almost all of my patients have been happy with their results.

How many sessions do I need? 5-10.

When will I start seeing results? Usually by the 3rd session - earlier for some people!

Does it hurt? It feels like little pinches on the skin. Most patients agree that it is not a very painful experience.

Is it covered? If you have naturopathic medicine coverage, you care will be covered under that. When I do facial acupuncture, it’s not just about the skin. I also incorporate acupuncture points for addressing other concerns (e.g. stress, sleep, anxiety) and we work on improving your overall health. This wholistic approach to health (and to skin care) is the basis of naturopathic medicine.

Where do you put the needles? I insert them in different regions of the face. I can also put needles in different acupuncture points on the body to help with your other health goals (e.g. digestive issues, stress, anxiety, poor sleep and so on).

Is there anything in the needles? No. Nothing is injected. The needles stimulate your own skin to boost circulation and trigger a healing response.

How long are the sessions? 30-60 minutes.

Will it make my skin worse if I stop doing it? No. Facial acupuncture does not make your skin dependent on it.

What do I do if I want to ask more questions before starting? Book a free 15-minute consult by clicking the button below.

Ladies, Do You Have Symptoms of Low Testosterone?

When women think of their hormones the first thing they think of is estrogen. But testosterone plays a huge role in the well-being of every woman. High testosterone has a lot more attention than low testosterone. This is because it’s commonly known that high testosterone is linked to PCOS, acne, scalp hair loss and facial hair growth. Not many women know how having low testosterone can impact them.

Another name for low testosterone in women is “female androgen deficiency syndrome”. The most well-known symptom of this condition is low libido. However, not every woman with low testosterone has low libido. There are many other symptoms like:

- Low motivation

- Fatigue

- Depression

- Feeling generally unwell

- Osteoporosis

- Increased body fat

Low testosterone is most common in post-menopausal women. It can happen in younger women as well. It also seems to be common in women who are burnt out or experiencing something called “adrenal fatigue”. This could be because some of your testosterone comes from the adrenal glands. These are the glands that produce adrenaline and take a big hit when we’ve been stressed or overworked for too long.

More research needs to be done on this important syndrome and more women need to be aware of it. I test for low testosterone through blood or saliva tests. There are many herbs, nutrients and lifestyle protocols that I recommend to raise testosterone levels in women.

The transformation that you feel when your hormones are brought into balance is incredible and so worth the effort. I encourage you to learn more about all your hormones - including testosterone.