Food Medicine: My struggle with acne, IBS, and more.
In past posts and blogs, I’ve alluded to the fact that I was drawn to the field of nutrition by first trying to figure out how I could make myself feel better.
My digestive issues began when I was a child: I always recall having a stomach ache as a kid. I had the “overnight” stomach flu a multitude of times, and remember never feeling the same afterwards. I’m sure if you asked my parents today about it, they would say it was psychosomatic (which, I’m sure is partially a contributing factor). Most of the “psychosis” was that every time I did have a stomach ache, I was scared I was going to get sick (and I HATED puking, still do). The fact is, I was an extremely picky eater growing up. I wouldn’t touch a single veggie (until I began forcing myself to change my palate at age 18), and most of my diet consisted of white, processed carbohydrates like mac n cheese, alfredo pasta, eggo waffles, and potatoes. Fortunately, I was always fond of meat, so at least I was getting in animal protein on a regular basis. I was extremely fortunate to grow up in a family where home cooking was a priority: although I wasn’t eating nutrient dense foods (sheerly because I would refuse), being exposed to home cooked meals was probably the only thing that kept me from wasting away.
When I gained more freedom in high school (by friends and myself learning how to drive), I started eating a LOT of fast food. Like….a lot of it. We had an off campus lunch in high school (which I completely disagree with now, in hindsight), which meant we had 30 minutes to rush to the nearest fast food joint and scarf down food as quickly as possible. My taco bell order was two soft tacos, no lettuce, add sour cream, plus a cheesy gordita crunch (no lettuce, either), in case you were wondering. I was an athlete (I was on my high school’s competitive dance team), and was practicing for 4-5 hours a day. I started noticing the effects of my lifelong eating habits during my senior year: I started to gain weight, and I was getting nauseous during practice pretty regularly (in fact, during a rally my senior year I actually had to run off mid-way through a routine because I started dry heaving)...not great.
Let me backup a bit: shortly after I got my period for the first time, I started breaking out. I tried all the things: I used Proactive like it was crack, “personalized” acne skin care lines, anything you could think of. Then, right before my 15th birthday I went to go see a dermatologist, and thus began the 15 year journey of further destroying my gut and dysregulating my hormones. I left that quick dermatologist appointment with a prescription for an oral contraceptive and a 3 month round of a tetracycline (oral antibiotics). Something to highlight- I had not had my period for even a full YEAR before I began the pill. And of course, the pill worked like it “should:” I noticed an improvement in my acne for many years, and my uncomfortable problem just seemed to go away….
Let me pause for a moment and clarify something:
I am NOT anti- birth control. The birth control pill was an extremely essential part of pulling women out of oppression and giving us the freedom to become educated, choose not to have children, and begin meaningful careers. I am extremely grateful for the birth control pill, since I do NOT want to have a child at this very moment (nor would I have wanted one at 15). However, I am opposed to the birth control pill being used as a “fix all” solution to women’s problems. Like MOST medications, the pill does not fix your issues or cure imbalances, it merely covers up your symptoms by suppressing your normal hormone production mechanisms. I digress. Back to the timeline…
After about 4 or 5 months on this antibiotic with absolutely no end in sight (I remember thinking to myself, will I have to take this for the rest of my life? What is the point of this?) I decided just to stop taking it. And that was that. I proceeded to live my life until my freshman year of college, when I began messing around with the type of birth control I was using. Supposedly they “stopped making” the type of birth control I was on, and I had to switch brands (with a slightly different formulation/ dosage). My body really didn’t like the change (I was throwing up after taking it pretty regularly), so naturally not knowing what else to do, I decided to further confuse my body and try other forms of BC. I tried the nuva ring, which made me feel really anxious and not great overall, and eventually went back on the pill (I think I tried at least 2 or 3 different versions of the pill over the following years). Of course, throughout this entire process, my skin was going nuts, and my stomach was a mess. Beginning my freshman year of college didn’t help the situation- eating cafeteria food and chipotle was how I was surviving. Then I got a job working at the front desk of a 24 Hour Fitness. Because I was on staff, I got access to discounted personal training, which I totally took advantage of. I remember telling my trainer early on that I wanted a diet plan: I was starting to become curious about how diet might be influencing my symptoms, and having not eaten vegetables for 18-19 years of my life, I was honestly concerned about my long term health. The diet plan looked something like: oatmeal for breakfast, chicken/ brown rice/ veggies for lunch and dinner, a protein shake in between meals (and after workouts), and a salad before bed. Ummm excuse me, did you say salad before bed?! I’m going to have to start eating something green?? I expressed my concern to my trainer, but after some convincing, I started gagging down veggies in my dorm room, slowly but surely.
Although the diet was extremely restrictive (and not something I would ever recommend), it was the catalyst for my palate beginning to change. I was starving on this diet: I remember shoving down spoonfuls of skippy peanut butter in my room, just to get by until my next meal. But after a month or so I started to notice HUGE changes: I felt great, I was lean and building muscle for the first time, and my skin was really clear. My stomach issues seemed to greatly subside, as well. I began to get curious: curious as to how this could all be connected, and how nutrition played a role. Flash forward a couple years, of course this diet was NOT sustainable. Slowly but surely, although my food repertoire was expanding, the “healthy” habits did not persist. I started gaining weight again, and my skin started getting worse again. Sometime in those years I decided I wanted to go off of the pill, and chose to get the copper, non-hormonal IUD. Having suppressed my cycle for 6-7 years, and still not fully eating a nutrient dense diet, it’s no surprise my symptoms returned. I decided to try conventional medicine once more, and scheduled an apt with a dermatologist.
Talk about the most frustrating appointment of my entire life…
I was prepared with all sorts of questions to ask this doctor. I had begun researching diet and the connection to acne, and was excited to share my entire health history and life story with him, and see how he could help. He walked into the room and immediately said, “So you’re here for acne? Ok here’s the deal…”. Without even having told him my name (or said anything for that matter), he proceeded to explain to me how accutane is the only cure for acne and he sees great results with it. He slid in the fact that I’d have to sign a bunch of paperwork agreeing to be on two types of birth control while on it (because it's teratogenic and causes extreme birth defects), and would have to be closely monitored with regular blood work because of its potency. Immediately my gut told me no. I had heard what accutane did to some of my friends in high school, and wasn’t ready to put my body through that. I finally got a word in and asked if there was another option, before we resulted to accutane. He said he would put me on 3 months of oral antibiotics and a topical retinoid, and sent me on my way. The entire appointment took a total of maybe 5 minutes in length.
So I began another round of antibiotics. This time (I assume because I wasn’t on an oral contraceptive) my face EXPLODED after a few weeks of beginning the meds. Like, so bad. I was not only ashamed to go out in public but was in extreme pain from all the cystic welts on my face. I wish I had more pictures from that time in my life….the only one I have is from far away, and I have a hat pulled down as low as possible, trying to cover my shame. After calling the dermatologist, I was reassured that it “gets worse before it gets better” and to just stick it out. It never really got that much better- I was left with SO MANY scars, and continued to break out for the entire 6 months I was on the antibiotic. Later, I began planning to hike the john muir trail, and after half a year of being on a medication that wasn’t helping me at all, I decided to wean myself off and completely stop taking it before my long through hike (I mean, 21 days of meds is HEAVY when you are walking 200+ miles, lol). Over the next few years the acne came and went and came back again (I certainly saw improvement the more I learned about nutrition, and ate more of a variety of whole foods), and finally around 2017 I decided to go see a new gyno to see if I could finally get some different answers.
Trying to hide all the cysts on my face on a hike with my wonderful Dad!
This gyno was nice, but again, limited by her conventional medical training. I don’t blame her for putting me back on the pill- that’s all she knew how to do. She was kind and listened to me, and “tested” me for PCOS (although I did not have many of the telltale signs, nor did she specify at what point in my cycle to test for certain hormones). So we ripped out my IUD (that also became dislodged, for a fun additional fact), and I started the pill again (which I am still on today, more on that later). That same year I began my professional journey into the world of nutrition and enrolled in the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, my first health coaching certification course. I learned so much- I changed the way I was eating, changed the way I thought about food, and gained evidence-based strategies to improve my overall health (and others, too!). I felt great for a very long time: my weight normalized, my skin cleared (also due to the BC, I’m sure), and I wasn’t dealing with many digestive issues.
Me feeling pretty darn good after about a year back on BC, and 8 months after graduation from IIN.
Flash forward: a lot of life happened.
I went through a few relationships (most bad, lol), started seeing clients, dove deep into teaching yoga, moved to Alaska, started rock climbing, met the love of my life, and settled here in Central Oregon (for now). Throughout that time I was still seeing clients on the side, and decided I wanted more education to make this whole nutrition thing my full time gig. In the past 2 years (since moving to the Bend area), I started noticing some of my symptoms beginning to return. Acne, eczema (which was new), and digestive issues. I then started grad school in January of 2022, and shit kind of hit the fan (literally). I like to use this analogy with my clients who feel that their symptoms started showing up, or returning, out of nowhere: our “issues” are like a box of tinder. We begin collecting these pieces of tinder throughout our lives that slowly get added to the box. One day, a single match comes along and lights that mother-effer up like a Christmas tree. Hence, your sudden onset of symptoms.
13 years of oral contraceptive use, a cumulative 11ish months of antibiotic use (not including rounds I was on for actual illnesses over the years), nutrient deficiencies as a child, multiple stomach bugs and traveler’s diarrhea, plus gosh knows what else, are all my tinder. My match: starting graduate school while trying to juggle work, build a business, keep up with rock climbing, and try to remain a decent partner/ daughter/ friend to those who I love in my life.
Yeah, it’s a lot. In the moment, I couldn’t figure out “what was wrong with me.” I eat super well, move my body regularly, do all the things I should be doing, and yet I was experiencing daily chronic diarrhea, reacting to foods with painful stomach cramps, my skin was breaking out, my anxiety was always present, and I just felt like a bag of garbage most days. Fortunately, my “match” that lit my box on fire is also my saving grace: I have all the tools and resources at my disposal to help myself heal. I have a team of professors, indefinite textbooks/ resources, and fellow practitioners to lean on. So, I have begun the long journey of finally healing my root causes, once and for all. It’s not been all rainbows and ponies, but oh boy am I learning a lot.
I’ve been starting by healing my gut, addressing nutrient insufficiencies (caused by both the pill and my gut issues), and am beginning the process of coming off birth control. I’m feeling better already: both physically and emotionally, but I know it’s going to be a long road ahead.
I share this with you to let you know a few things: one, you are not alone.
Two, you are not crazy. Your symptoms are very real, and if you don’t feel like you are getting the support you need, it’s time to find a new team of practitioners. Three, healing is a PROCESS. No matter your goals or current health status, change takes time and is NOT linear. That shouldn’t discourage you, rather I encourage you to approach your journey with curiosity and grace, knowing that every step you take in the right direction IS benefitting you in one way or another. It is absolutely possible to get better, it might just take time.
I am so passionate about the work that I do because I firmly believe food is medicine. Most of what I’m dealing with could have been prevented or corrected much earlier on with the proper diet and lifestyle modifications, targeted protocols, and natural therapeutics (instead of damaging medication). There is absolutely a time and place for western/ conventional medicine, however, it greatly misses the mark in the prevention & treatment of chronic diseases and conditions. If you’ve experienced anything similar, let’s talk. I’d love to hear your story, and if it’s helpful, share resources or advice that might help you along your journey. If you made it this far, thanks for listening.
xx,
Amanda
