Freedom from Acne

"Everything in life is easy once you know how to do it. Before I began studying Traditional Chinese Medicine, I worked here at Frontier Medical Institute as a nutritionist. I would see patients for treatment of acne from time to time and would use every trick in the book to try to eliminate it. I always had marked improvements but rarely ever "cured" it. This was frustrating to me from a practitioner's level but also on a personal level because I also suffered from acne. In my third year of Chinese Medicine school I finally began to understand what really causes acne. Since then, I have had great success with patients who have this compliant. It is one of my favorite conditions to treat." - Karen Kurtak LAc Dipl Ac

Acne is a very treatable condition using a combination of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Functional Nutrition. The beauty of Chinese Medicine is that it provides an explanation as to why different people get different types of acne. This enables us to treat the root of the problem so that, in time, there is no recurrence and no further treatment is necessary. There are at least six separate causes of acne in Chinese Medicine. The easiest cause to treat is a condition called "toxic heat". People with this condition often get lucky at their local health food store because the herbs that are supposed to treat acne actually work for this condition. The other causes of acne are not so straightforward. They are often an elaborate web of imbalances that are complicated by hormone fluctuations, stress, wrong diet, and poor lifestyle choices. Treatment of these complicated types of acne requires a lot of effort and participation from the patient but the rewards are worth it.

Additional Benefits of Traditional Chinese Medicine
One of greatest strengths of Chinese Medicine is its inherent understanding of the body as a whole. It is very rare to have only one symptom or manifestation for any problem. There are usually several signs and symptoms that are connected to the main complaint. In many cases, the patient isn't even aware of these symptoms or doesn't realize that these symptoms are not normal. When someone undergoes treatment for one condition in Chinese Medicine, all the other problems that are connected to that main condition will also resolve. The benefits often include:

• Clearer thinking
• Better energy
• Enhanced sense of well being
• More even emotions
• Resolution of digestive disturbances
• More restful sleep
• Many gynecological problems can resolve or improve as a result of treatment

What Treatment Involves

Initial Evaluation
We will assess the causes of your problem from both a Chinese Medicine perspective and a Functional Medicine perspective. This involves answering questions about your medical history and current symptoms along with Chinese tongue and pulse diagnosis. In addition, we will collect a hair sample for elemental analysis. The reason for this is that certain heavy metals (such as Tin, Lead, Cadmium, Aluminum, Antimony and Mercury) can be the pivotal cause of some conditions and are not usually detectable using standard Chinese Medicine diagnosis. If these toxic metals are present, they can interfere with successful treatment. This test also helps us to ascertain the following:

• Status of detoxification
• Status of nutrient absorption
• Status of some digestive conditions
• Early bone breakdown

For more information about this test please click here.

During your initial visit we will:

• Determine the approximate number of acupuncture treatments you will require -- usually between 8 and 20 treatments administered once or twice per week.



• Identify any supplements and topical applications that will be necessary for your particular treatment.



• Formulate an individualized herbal prescription. Due to significant variations in price, the cost of herbs is not included in the initial evaluation.



• Counsel you on effective and appropriate diet and lifestyle changes.



• Administer one acupuncture treatment.



• Prepare a written summary for you of your diagnosis and entire treatment plan. You will receive this summary on your follow-up visit.

If you have an extreme aversion to needles, don't give up. Please ask us about alternatives.

NOTE: If you have records of recent blood work or testing you have had done, please bring these to your first visit. Also, please know the names and dosages of any medications or supplements you are taking. Better yet, bring them with you.

Treatment of Acne Scars
Most acne sufferers often have scarring. It really is possible to improve or reverse the scarring with some supplements and topical preparations. This issue is addressed as part of the program and will be discussed at your initial visit.

Things you can start doing today to improve your acne:

• Quit drinking coffee! Even decaf. Replace it with green tea. Our favorite is Yama MotoYama.



• Quit eating any foods that contain sugar, fructose, glucose, etc.



• Avoid artificial sweeteners.



• Avoid foods that contain hydrogenated oils. Read the labels!



• Avoid alcohol.



• EPA/DHA fish oil capsules -- take at least 6/day - flax oil doesn't work as well.

Please call Frontier Medical Institute and ask for an appointment with our acupuncturist -- Karen Kurtak. Please specify that you are requesting acne treatment.