Expert: Kindred Beisinger penname K D Elizabeth Beisinger - 9/14/2005

Question
Hello,
I am an African-American female, and have been plagued by skin problems for as long as I can remember. I have many facial scars from pimples that I picked at over the years, out of anxity. I still get a lot of pimples for an adult, mostly during my premenstrual period. For about ten years, I have also been prone to things like painful sebaceous cysts on my trunk, frequent enlarged lymph nodes in my groin, armpits and neck, and once I had a very painful boil in my vulval region. Right now I have a quarter-sized, tender nodule that enlarged rapidly over the past three days. I've also begun to notice that small, dark sores are appearing on my arms, thighs and lower jaw. They are not from injury, and don't look like moles. They eventually turn into black, slightly raised, round, smooth spots. They're never more than about a centimeter in diameter, and don't hurt or get larger over time. Does it sound as though I have a diagnosable condition, or am I just prone to skin eruptions that I can do nothing about, except leave them alone (that's hard)? Is there anything that I can do in terms of diet or natural supplements to improve my skin? Thanks so much for your help!

Mia B.

Answer
Dear Mia,
I know this may sound wild, but your condition is not a skin condition.  It is deeper than that.  Although I am not diagnosing, I can explain how this sort of thing comes about.  First, the system that is truly the affected one, is the digestive, with immune being the secondary system affected.  Literally when the digestive system does not eliminate the toxins efficiently enough, the immune system begins to attack the toxins that remain but as we humans continue to "take in" more toxins, the immune system starts to weaken, as it is only designed to fight for a "time."  Usually at this point, most people begin to feel sick or they catch something that's "going around" due to the weakened immune system, then go to the doctor for antibiotics, which will kill the "good bacteria" in the intestines.  Then the body attempts to eliminate toxins in another way, through the kidneys and urinary system, but most of us don't drink enough water, and too many other things; to help the body in this endeavor, so the next attempt to excrete toxins is through the skin, which brings us to your symptoms.
My recommendation is:  no soda pop, minimal quantities of tea or coffee and increase water to 8 full glasses a day.  Go to a health food store or check the internet for detoxification products and colon cleanses.  Avoid antibiotics.  Spend the next few weeks just consciously aware of what you do eat.  If it doesn't grow on a tree on in a garden, it has chemicals added to it, and many of those are difficult for the body to break down.  Avoid artificial sweeteners.  
I truly believe you can get on top of this problem.  And getting your body detoxed will also help through the premenstrual discomfort.
I wish you well and will pray for you.
Kind Regards,
Kindred