I suffer from migraines and so I was going through a list of foods that can trigger them, as mine have recently worsened. One that tops the list is NutraSweet or aspartame. I never use those blue packets to sweeten my drinks so I thought I was safe. Then I looked over to my diet peach Snapple and it was on the ingredient list. Now, I consider myself to be a very healthy eater and I have healthy habits in general. I don’t drink or smoke and never did. I realized that this innocent looking bottle was making me very sick. I was getting my migraines 5 days out of 7. I stopped drinking it and have had 12 migraine-free days.

It got me to thinking about how most people have a sensitivity to something. So getting back to skin, as I am a dermatologist. We know that there are many skin conditions that are worsened by certain foods. Maybe when I tell this to patients, they don’t take it seriously. I certainly wasn’t cautious enough with my own health. It is possible that we could cut down on some of the medications that we use if we had a better diet. Acne rosacea is flared by yogurt, soy sauce,vinegar, avocados, chocolate, citrus, spicy food, tomatoes and alcohol. New studies show that acne is improved by a diet that eliminates diary that has hormones and by a low glycemic diet. A high glycemic diet that contains processed carbohydrates, white breads and unrefined sugars raises insulin levels and may affect the androgen levels, or male hormones which tends to flare acne. Psoriasis seems to be helped by eating fish high in alpha omega oils. I remember 20 years ago, a patient telling me that every time he went to Japan his psoriasis would clear.

I know sometimes it is easier to just take a pill and use a cream. I think it is useful to see the body as a whole and realize everything we ingest has an effect. In this fast paced world of junk food and unrecognizable food,you just need to stop and think,what are you putting into your body. It may take a few more minutes or a little bit more thought or planning but try to eat the purest and least adulterated food. Now in the morning when I make my tea I save some for later in the refrigerator and ice it. So now I have fresh brewed ice tea instead of chemical-laden, disease producing ice tea.