Is Your Morning Coffee Giving Causing Your BellyFat?

Let’s cut to the chase here…

Drop that sugar filled, calorie drenched coffee and pay attention to this quick article.

First, let me tell you little bit about the Deadly Sugar Addiction some of us face and how it’s preventing you from shrinking your midsection – no matter what you do.

You’ve heard me discuss this before and I can’t stress it enough…

Too much sugar = excess carbs = a lightning-fast rise in insulin levels = MASSIVE FAT STORAGE. Not to mention the other health problems it causes you…

In addition to adding extra BellyFat, here are 9 things the piling sugar is doing to your health RIGHT NOW:

1. A chilling rise in blood sugar levels makes your body produce more insulin. Over time, your body becomes resistant to insulin, putting you at risk for developing type 2 diabetes.

2. Sugar slaughters the growth hormones that keep you healthy and youthful.

3. Sugar feeds cancers, allowing them to grow and crush out healthy cells.

4. Sugar increases cholesterol and can cause high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease.

5. Sugar causes food allergies and can contribute to eczema.

6. Sugar can cause drowsiness and lack of energy.

7. Sugar can alter your DNA’s structure.

8. Sugar lowers your immune system so you’re less able to fight bacterial infections. Sugar also feeds yeast growth and throws off your pH levels.

9. Sugar can damage eyesight and contribute to osteoporosis.

I know – YUCK!

Makes you think about what you are putting into your body each day… all to get you going in the morning.

The Vegetables That Fight the Root Cause of BellyFat

I’m going to talk to you about something that may be a little sensitive for you…

Now we’re both adults here and I don’t feel the need to sugarcoat this so here goes…your hormones may be sabotaging your weight and beauty.

See, there are certain, toxic chemicals you’re exposed to every day through no fault of your own (they’re nearly impossible to avoid unless you live in a bubble).

They’re in your food…they’re in your water…in the air you breath…and they’re building up in your body.

As you age, these chemicals trigger an imbalance called The Estrogen Effect and it can cause you to age prematurely…and grind your ability to lose weight to a screeching halt.

Why?

Because The Effect stimulates your body to store BellyFat instead of using it for energy.

Put another way – unavoidable chemicals are causing your BellyFat!

Luckily I have a simple answer that will help you FIGHT The Estrogen Effect, nourish your natural beauty, and keep you looking and feeling your best far into your golden years.

The secret comes from special class of common veggies…

They’re packed with a key phytonutrient that has the power to restore order to your hormones, burn off persistent weight gain, and could even begin to reverse the premature aging that comes with hormonal imbalance and extra body fat.

It’s really a miracle…

So what is this special class of veggies?

They’re called Cruciferous Vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, kale, bock choy, collard greens, radishes).

And they can help you regain control of your body – and finally look the way you want naturally.

Yes – it’s just that simple. But what’s that you say?

You’re NOT a veggie fan?

I get it…

I wasn’t either until I discovered a few helpful tips to make your taste-buds sing.

Here Are 5 quick tips to Help You Get More Vegetables Into Your Diet (and enjoy it):

1. Get All Dressed Up: Add some olive oil and garlic, salt-free spice blends, and when you GO GREEN, GO NUTS! Raw walnuts and almonds are healthy and taste great in veggie dishes.

2. Wash ‘em down: Juice your veggies with some fruit to add sweetness and a healthy boost of flavor.

3. Hide – No Need to Seek: Throw ‘em in a salad or tuck them away into a casserole. You won’t even know they’re there!

4. Dazzle Them With Color: Making the plate pretty automatically enhances the flavor of any food.

5. Get Them All Up In Your Grill: It’s a healthy way to cook and really adds a great “backyard” flavor to your veggies.

All of these tips are a great way to start incorporating more vegetables into your meals and help you shed unwanted layers belly fat, but there’s much more you can do in addition to adding these miracle foods to your diet…

What else can I do to lower my blood pressure?

You can do other things to control your blood pressure in addition
to taking medicine:

• „ Lose weight.
• „ Exercise regularly.
• „ Drink less alcohol.
• „ Do not smoke.

Ask your doctor or nurse to help you start making changes.

What is high blood pressure?

“Blood pressure” is the force of blood in your arteries as the heart pumps blood. This pressure is measured by two numbers:

• The top number, or “systolic” pressure, is the force when the heart beats. 
• The bottom number, or “diastolic” pressure, is the force when the heart relaxes between beats. 
• These numbers are usually given together.

Your blood pressure rises and falls a small amount during the day, but doctors can tell from several readings over time if your average blood pressure is higher than normal. Normal blood pressure is less than 120/80. This means that the force of blood when your heart beats is 120, and the force is 80 when your heart is between beats. High blood pressure, or “hypertension,” usually refers to blood pressure that is 140/90 or higher. 

How common is high blood pressure?

High blood pressure is one of the most common health problems in America. Although people of all ages can have high blood pressure, it is more common in people who are over 65 years
old. The National Center for Health Statistics states that African Americans get high blood pressure more often, and at an earlier age, than other races. More African American women than men have the condition. High blood pressure is more common for people who are overweight, eat salty foods, drink a lot of alcohol, smoke tobacco, or do not exercise regularly.

Why treat high blood pressure?

High blood pressure makes the heart work too hard, can cause narrowing of the arteries, and can lead to heart disease, heart attack, kidney disease, and stroke

External Acne Care: The Pros and Cons of Washing Your Face

Acne is basically an internal condition triggered by several underlying factors. However, there are additional external acne symptoms that may enhance the formation of acne or interfere with the healing process of your existing acne on the external level (e.g. the external acne environment). Without handling these external triggers, it will be very difficult for anyone to overcome their acne challenge, especially when the holistic treatment is performed while the individual still suffers from “live” and “evolving” acne.

Clogged or very large pores, oily or very dry complexion and bad skin hygiene do not cause acne but they interfere with the healing process of the skin and make your external acne environment more prone or “susceptible” to acne.

Taking care of your skin on a daily basis by incorporating simple and easy to follow protocols may not only enhance the healing process of your existing acne it will also balance your skin ph levels, making it smooth, even toned, radiant and healthy looking.

Although there are many types of cleansers available for different purposes (exfoliation, clean, medicate), washing your face twice a day using a gentle antiseptic and anti-bacterial 100% natural soap like tea tree oil soap, or Cetaphil soap can help reduce inflammation, swelling and redness and significantly improve the overall appearance of your skin without the irritation, allergy reactions and over-dryness that over the counters like Benzoyl Peroxide can cause.

Washing your face should always come after a good 5 minutes steaming routine. After the steaming, follow these 3 easy steps:

1. Use lukewarm water to get the soap wet.

2. Apply the soap to your face using your fingertips in a circular motion.

3. Wash your face gently and pat your skin dry using a cotton towel.

If your sebaceous glands are producing too much oil (due to hormonal imbalance that should be fixed internally), then you probable have excessively oily skin and large pores. To tackle that problem externally, do not use alcohol and water astrigent, instead use soap like Neutrogena clear pore oil Controlling astrigent or even better apply an all natural mask made of bentonitre or egg whites.

An extremely dry skin can also be treated internally through balancing oil secretion protocols and dietary changes and supplementation, including the regular intake of 10 glasses of pure water on a daily basis. As for the external care, applying lots of good quality moisturizer such as 99% Aloe Vera gel while avoiding harsh and un-natural external care products; can significantly reduce your dryness.

Warning: Excessive washing of the face can cause mild to moderate irritations and increase redness and inflammation, defeating its own purpose.

If you have sensitive skin, the best practice is to test each product prior to using it, using dollar size amount on your chin, regardless of its quality or the nature of its ingredients.

Acne Don’ts: The 7 Things You Should Never Do To Your skin When You Have Acne (And Even If You Don’t)

You skin is the largest organ in your body. Besides helping the body in the process of toxic elimination (One of the main acne contributing factors), it also protects your body against temperature changes, and from harmful invaders.

By working with your skin and not against it you pave the way to an enhanced healing of the skin. Your skin will look and feel better; it will become more even toned and vibrant.

On the other hand, by constantly doing the following, you are weakening the natural protecting capabilities of your skin, you are slowing the healing process of your skin, and are making your skin look bad and making your acne worse:

1.Smoking

Besides lung cancer, heart disease and early aging of your skin (e.g. wrinkles), smoking causes the contraction of the small capillaries and blood vessels of the skin, thus depriving your skin from the essential oxygen I needs for the creation and maintenance of healthy cells.

2. Using Topical Steroids

Over the counter or prescription cortisone based creams, especially the potent types, can eventually thin your skin and worsen your acne condition in the long run in addition to the irritation, redness and other side effects steroid creams can cause. Moreover, topicals by definition address the symptoms of acne (inflammation, itching, puss), they do not treat the root cause of the disease. Nevertheless, taking care of your skin externally is highly recommended but should be performed gently using pure natural ingredients such as diluted tea tree oil.

3. Taking Antibiotics

Antibiotic treatments like tetracycline aggravate your acne in the long run and also severely damage your internal system in the process. Antibiotics destroy all the bacteria in your system including the good, probiotic bacteria like acidophilus that have many essential qualities that promote clear skin. One of these qualities is the ability to protect your digestive tract from parasites and fungus (that constantly stress and damage your liver, one of the most important organs responsible for the healing process of your skin).

4. Shaving with Four-In-One Razor blades

Never use these four-in-one razor blades when shaving especially if you have large bumps and painful cysts. The reason is that blades that guarantee the “closest shave” will cause severe irritation and will damage your skin. Always use a single blade when having “live” acne.

5. Picking Your Skin (popping and squeezing included)

Never, never and ever touch, pick or squeeze your blemishes, regardless of how temping and “safe” it may seem. By doing this unprofessionally, you make your acne worse by aggravating your existing inflammation and pushing the puss deeper and wider into the skin. There are in fact very effective and safe ways of dealing with small whiteheads or blackheads but I would strongly recommend leaving that to the professionals if you care for your skin and wish to prevent further scarring.

6. Taking excessive amounts of Vitamin A

Vitamin A from natural sources (green leafy vegetables and beta carotene fruit and veggies) and in small quantities can significantly enhance the healing process of your skin but when taken excessively it can seriously damage your liver and cause severe health problems and side effects.

7.Use over the counters for your Rosacea

That one is a no-brainer. Taking over the counters that by definition make your skin red and irritating is definitely not something you want to do when surfeiting from rosacea. If you suffer from rosacea, always consult your dermatologist prior to applying over the counters on your already inflamed and highly sensitive skin. 

Acne Bacteria and The Acne Environment

Contrary to popular belief, acne bacteria do not cause acne. Life long acne researcher exposes the true connection between acne bacteria and acne formation. Discover why acne is not a problem with your skin.

Propionibacterium acnes, or p acne bacteria, the bacteria we all have on our skin is an essential life form. Like all life forms it fights to survive and sustain their lives. Surprisingly, these microscopic creatures that conventional medicine taught us to believe are the cause of acne, are actually a small part of the acne puzzle and a vital player in sustaining our inner balance and the health of our skin.

Acne bacteria are not contagious and everyone has acne bacteria on their skin, regardless if the individual suffers from acne or not. Streptococcus bacteria, for example, exist in everyone's throat, but it doesn’t always cause a strep throat or tonsillitis. The reason is that similar to the acne bacteria these bacteria will not trigger the formation of a strep throat (or acne in the case of the acne bacteria) unless the specific condition or the right “environment” is created.

It is important to know that as long as the acne bacteria stays in balance with your internal system, acne bacteria will “mind their own business” and will defend the body from colonization of harmful bacteria. Acne bacteria feed themselves from the secretions of our sweat and sebaceous glands, and in a balanced biological state, sustains the flexibility of our skin.

Acne is an environment that forms only when the production of sebum on the skin is excessive. This excessive production of oil is triggered mainly by hormonal imbalance.

When blood toxins (usually blood toxins that are expelled through your skin) are mixed with this over production of oil, the p.acne invades the hair follicles and starts to multiply. The P. acne multiplies by feeding themselves of the oil using enzymes. As part of this feeding process, acne bacteria produces free fatty acids that irritate the skin. The body calls the white and red blood cells to defend itself. The red and white blood cells often cause an inflammatory response, that results in the familiar symptoms of acne: swelling, pus, whiteheads, nodules and pustules.

Killing the acne bacteria using antibiotics is a fruitless and destructive approach. Taking antibiotic is destructive because it upsets the natural balance of the P.acne in our body, eradicates the good probiotic bacteria and enables the intrusion of harmful bacteria to skin. Taking antibiotics is fruitless because constant intake of antibiotics will eventually cause the p.acne to become resistant to antibiotics. It is a fruitless approach also because it doesn’t stop the environment that caused the P.acne to multiply.

The only way to stop acne permanently is to neutralize the acne environment (when the bacteria multiplies and feeds on blood toxins and excessive production of oil). To stop acne, you must balance oil secretion and discharge your body from accumulated toxins and control the nutritional, hormonal, psychological and environmental triggers.

The secret for permanent clear skin is therefore, neutralizing all the factors that form the acne environment while keeping the p. acne bacteria at an optimal balance.

Quick Acne Treatments Exposed: The Truth Behind Miracle Acne Cures

Can acne be cured quickly and without effort? Is there really a revolutionary acne treatment overlooked by the medical establishment that wipes off acne in days?

The recent proliferation of quick fix acne treatments, miracle cures, and instant acne formulas, has caused consumers to wonder if these alternatives are actually worth their hopes and hard earned cash. Can there be an overwhelmingly easy to follow and quick acne treatments that produce results in days?

The difference between simple and easy

If someone has mild to moderate acne that is uncommonly triggered by allergy to certain foods, then they can often begin to clear their acne very quickly and easily, relative to their previous disappointing results. All they have to do is improve their nutrition by eliminating these acne-aggravating foods and a quantum leap can often be made.

With that distinction made, let me state unequivocally that achieving permanent clear skin is never really “easy”. There is always effort and discipline involved, as there is with any worthwhile achievement. Endlessly searching for an easier way, a fairy tale quick fix, a miracle cure, a holy grail, is a misguided quest and it will lead you nowhere.

Curing acne is very simple, but for most people it is not easy. There's a big difference between simple and easy: "Simple" means the process is not complicated - if you do x and y you'll get the desired result. "Easy" implies that something can be done with little or no effort. Anyone who tells you they've discovered an “easy” or "very quick" way to clear acne is simply and boldly lying.

You can only reap what you sow

Achieving lasting clear skin requires two things:

1) You must be willing to put some effort

2) You must be patient

The problem with many people is that they are terrified from anything that appears to involve some work. They’re always looking for short cuts. As soon as they see something that promises to cure their acne "quickly," "easily," "effortlessly," "while they sleep," and so on, they whip out their wallets and take the bait.

Make no mistake; people who are prone to acne and have beautiful clear skin, especially celebrities and famous models, have worked very hard to get where they are. Many famous people with acne prone skin who now have flawless complexions have made a sacrifice to get there.

It's an absolute law of the universe that you can't get something for nothing. Your acne will fade away and your skin will become clear and glowing in direct proportion to the amount of effort you put in. You can only reap what you sow.

The 5 crucial components to an effective clear skin plan

An effective clear skin program must have five crucial components:

1. Internal and external cleansing

2. Internal strengthening and rejuvenating

3. Hormonal balancing

4. Lifestyle optimization

5. Goal setting and motivation

Except for those with acne triggered by allergies to food, it‘s extremely difficult (if not impossible) for most people to achieve permanent clear skin in days and without effort.

So there you have it. You have a solution. It's simple (just follow the steps) but it's not always easy. From here you decide what to do with your acne and your health. Like everything, in the end, it all comes down to your choices. 

Acne Cures: Is there a Natural Acne Cure that Works?

Are there natural acne cures that work or is it a new age myth? Is there a permanent cure for acne or are all acne sufferers sentenced to the Sisyphean battle of tackling the ‘on the surface’ symptoms? Is there an honest, natural and safer alternative to the endless use of over the counters and to the nasty side effects inflicted by conventional drugs, creams and topical acne treatments?

Most dermatologists and other western medicine followers have already answered that controversial question by claiming that acne, among other diseases simply cannot be cured.

There are 2 reasons for that:

1. Most dermatologists don't even know what the real cause of acne is. It's amazing but true. They are highly familiar with the symptoms of acne and they specialize in tackling the 'on the surface' symptoms, but unfortunately they cannot tell you what the internal conditions are that cause your acne to form in the first place. If you don't believe me just ask your dermatologist.

2. Most doctors work in conjunction with the pharmaceutical and drug companies and the latter is not motivated, so to speak, at discovering a cure for Acne or Aids or Cancer - simply because hundreds of millions of dollars have been spent on finding treatments for the symptoms of diseases. Why? simply because their global aim is to make more profit by creating consumer dependency. By applying medications and creams that deal merely with the symptoms while ignoring the source or the internal cause of the disease, acne will never be cured. The average acne sufferer will become more and more reliant on drugs that temporarily calm the symptoms and that means steady income for the drug and pharmaceutical companies.

There's a lovely metaphor describing acne among other chronic diseases and the way modern medicine deals with these afflictions: If you manage to kill all the mosquitoes around a stale pond using chemicals, for a little while there will be no mosquitoes.

But since the source of the problem (what causes the mosquitoes to appear) is still there – the stale, disgusting pond where mosquitoes can find food and fertile ground for laying their eggs – mosquitoes will always come back!

The same thing happens with your acne!

Without eliminating the source of your acne condition, you will never get rid of your acne. Without fixing the internal problem that is causing your acne, you may find temporary relief, but your acne will always come back until you do something fundamental to eradicate the cause from within...until you make the pond (your body or internal system) a place where ‘mosquitoes’ cannot exist.

Ultimately, every disease results from a breakdown within your body. All major diseases and chronic conditions are warning signs of something very fundamentally wrong inside. Deepak Chopra refers to this as "The violation of simple laws of nature that make our body function."

The very surprising truth is that you are lucky for having acne. Let me explain...Acne, like constant headaches, irritable bowel syndrome or dandruffs is only a small message from your body that something is wrong internally and should be addressed and corrected.

Now, there are two choices you can make - you can:

1.Ignore that message - big mistake! The internal imbalance that caused your acne will, in most cases, turn into a chronic condition. Now instead of just having acne you'll start having other hormonal imbalance or toxic overload related symptoms in addition to acne. Because the internal problem is not fixed, the disease symptoms get more and more intense.

2.Listen to your body and start fixing the internal problem that causes your acne to appear in the first place; you will not only get rid of your acne you will also achieve beautiful, healthy, even toned clear skin complexion, re-balance your body and prevent future hormonal or toxic overload related conditions.

The simple truth is...you are out of balance. We now live a 'far-from-natural' lifestyle. There are over 300 synthetic industrial chemicals present in our bodies that did not exist 50 years ago. We are filled with toxins from the food, and medication we ingest and use.

By fixing the internal condition that causes your acne in addition to adopting a healthy lifestyle (healthy diet & mindset, cleanse & detoxify, hormonal balancing etc.) you will put your body back into balance – holistically - your acne will cease to exist and you feel as healthy and attractive as ever!

It doesn't matter what type of acne you have. Whether you suffer from: acne vulgaris, acne Conglobata, acne Rosacea, Acne Fulminans, Blackheads, Whiteheads, Papules, Pustules, Nodules or Cysts: The principles required to cure your acne are basically the same. The "holistic" ways of treating people have been around for thousands of years, and they absolutely work whether you have teen or adult acne; whether you suffer from acne on your back, shoulders or chest or if you suffer from female related acne such as menopause acne or acne due to monthly cycles.

Whatever your acne condition is, when you finally decide to stop making the same acne treatment mistakes that have been holding you back and begin applying the holistic approach to curing acne, you can literally choose to become clear and stay clear. You will have the power to make it happen.

Accutane Side Effects Exposed: Side Effects of the Miracle Drug and the Alternative to Accutane

If you suffer from severe case of acne that has failed to respond to conventional treatments such as antibiotics, then your dermatologist may recommend the use of the popular Accutane or Isotretinoin. Accutane is a potent oral drug from Hoffman-LaRoche that has been proven highly effective for reducing acne symptoms dramatically after only one course of 15-20 weeks.

With its undoubting success at battling even the toughest cases of acne and ever-growing popularity among teens as a miracle drug, why is Accutane still considered the most controversial pharmaceutical on the market? The answer: a documented list of severe and sometimes permanent side effects.

Although some of the side effects associated with the use of Isotretinoin are mild and tolerable (dry lips, dry eyes, nosebleeds, extremely dry skin, increased sensitivity to the sun and thinning hair) there is in fact a long list of serious side effects that have been reported due to the use of Accuttane which persisted even after the drug therapy was stopped. Among those are: Severe aches and pains in the lower back and large joints, severe allergy reactions that include moderate rashes and difficulty to breath, vision problems, hearing loss, permanent liver damage, persistent migraines and headaches and skeletal hyperostosis which is an excessive bone growth that occurs along the sides of the spine.

But perhaps, the two most bothersome of all Accutane side effects are its potential to cause severe birth defects if taken by pregnant women or women that became pregnant while taking the drug and the suggested link between the intake of Accutane and the changes in mood, severe depression and suicidal thoughts.

Since, Isotretinoin can be harmful to the fetus, it should not be used during pregnancy and women should avoid pregnancy for at least a month after the use of Accutane. Additionally, because of its severe side effects, nursing mothers must avoid the drug completely.

Although researchers still argue whether Isotretinoin causes depression or not, Roche the manufacturer of Accutane, openly shares information claiming that Accutane and its generic, isotretinoin, can alter mood: "Synthetic derivatives of vitamin A, can negatively impact brain chemicals such as dopamine and serotonin."

The FDA website warns: "All patients treated with isotretinoin should be observed closely for symptoms of depression or suicidal thoughts, such as sad mood, irritability, acting on dangerous impulses, anger, loss of pleasure ... mood disturbance, psychosis, or aggression."

Moreover, statistics show that between 1989 and 2003, there were 216 reported drug-linked suicides among U.S. teens younger than 18. Of these, 72 suicides were linked to Accutane (isotretinoin). The next highest number of suicides in that time period -- 55 -- involved Prozac (fluoxetine).

Accutane works by reducing the size and output of the sebaceous glands and thus stops excess oil production. The problem is that Accutane damages your skins sebum glands and liver function in the process. By the time you stop taking the drug, your skin oil glands will return to function but your liver will not be able to properly balance your hormones and prevent the over production of sebum.

Isotrteinoin also normalizes your keratinization (the shedding of dead skin cells), improves fat metabolism and reduces inflammation. But all of these benefits can be easily achieved using all natural dietary, supplementation and skin care alternatives and without the side effects. For example: Foods that are rich in Vitamin A and Beta Carotene can help reduce the secretion of oil by the sebaceous glands. Simple home made peels made of Papaya can easily replace the peeling action of Isotrerinoin and sleep optimization, and regular exercising including vitamin, C, E, Zinc and Colostrum can boost the immune abilities of the body and thus reduce inflammation.

Accutane is not the solution to acne. Not only does it treat the symptoms of the disease and not the internal cause, stopping your skin's natural oil production, can in most cases, result in extra dryness combined with the acceleration of the skin's aging process (yes! your skin will look older). Moreover, Accutane severely damages your liver function among other side effects, which in turn destroys your delicate inner balance and your natural healing abilities. Hence, it is doing the opposite of curing.

A long-term acne solution should address the internal cause of acne by tackling all acne contributing factors and neutralizing the acne environment - the only, safe, natural and effective way you could ever achieve lasting acne freedom. 

Acne Diet Link Exposed: Is There an Acne Cure Diet that Works?

Acne Diet and The Money Factor: You Can't Sell a Healthy Diet 

Ask any medical doctor if there is a connection between diet and acne and almost all of them will claim there is none. Quoting from the Journal of the American Medical Association: "Diet plays no role in acne treatment in most patients…even large amounts of certain foods have not clinically exacerbated acne". 

With years of medical education and clinical experience behind these claims, how can we the simple folks who suffer from acne challenge these statements and think otherwise? The answer is: doubt. Doubt, if its stays in the borders of reason, can open many doors otherwise will stay forever shut. Believe it or not, doubt can change reality. Doubt can cure your acne and doubt can even save your life. 

Fact is, countless of acne sufferers have reported that their acne seemed to get worse when they consumed certain foods and saw dramatic positive change over their acne condition when they eliminated the same foods from their diet and when certain foods with specific nutritional value were incorporated into their diet. 

So why do dermatologists so stubbornly insist that diet does not cause acne? The answer: you can't make a profit promoting a healthy diet. At least not as much money as you could make by selling drugs and over the counters. There is a huge pressure upon doctors coming from the drug and pharmaceutical companies to prescribe expensive medications and lotions that create dependency. The truth is, that your doctor is in a way, a hostage by the trillion dollar drug companies. Did you know that the drug companies, who have no interest in producing something that they cannot control financially, sponsor most medical schools? 

The right diet, although not a solution by itself, can, in many cases, dramatically reduce inflammation and even completely clear one's acne (if you're one of the lucky ones who's acne is triggered by allergic response to food). Promoting a clear skin diet simply means less profits for the drug and pharmaceutical companies. 

The truth is that conventional medications will never cure your acne, simply because they are pre-designed NOT to fix the internal cause of acne. They are pre-designed to deal with the external symptoms of a disease as they create more and more dependency and more dependency means making more money all at our expense and ignorance. 

The Theory That Diet Doesn’t Cause Acne Is A Myth 

The dogmatic theory that diet does not cause acne and that acne is merely an incurable genetic disorder was based upon two dated researches published in 1969 and 1971 that were aimed at studying the connection between diet and acne. 

These studies were the foundation of the ‘acne symptoms treatment strategy’, meaning, because acne is a genetic disease that cannot be prevented, the only way to deal with acne would be to tackle its symptoms (bacteria, inflammation, puss, redness, greasiness), by applying creams, antibiotics, taking prescription drugs and over the counters. 

Surprisingly enough, years after the above studies were published, clinical trials and in depth researches experimenting the acne diet link have found that the studies from 1969 and 1971 had came to the wrong conclusions and were in fact seriously flawed. 

Recent studies have clearly found a significant connection between diet and acne. It appears that the wrong diet is now thought to be one of the leading acne contributing factors that can negatively affect hormonal regulation and the natural process of toxic elimination, which can seriously aggravate one’s existing acne. 

Diet Shapes Who You Are (Including Your Acne) 

In the same way that crashing waves shape beach cliffs and just like the wind shapes the canyon walls, slowly and methodically over time, so does eating shapes and effects our physic, our internal system, our physical and mental being, from the organ down to the cellular level. 

The idea that an object foreign to our body that is inserted by the food that we eat, has no effect on us, or has no impact on chronic conditions such as acne is absurd. Diet is the primary thing that affects and shapes who we are. 

Diet has cumulative effect on our bodies, and that includes our skin condition and acne, which is a manifestation of a chronic internal problem slowly shaped and built by the wrong daily dietary choices over the years. 

Acne Diet and The Kitavan Islanders 

While in the U.S, more than 80% of teenagers between 16 and 18 have acne and more than 17 million Americans suffer from some form of acne, there is an interesting evidence that native people that live and eat in traditional ways, have significantly lower to no occurrences of acne. 

In 2002, Dr. Cordain and his colleagues published a landmark study that examined 300 people living in the Kitavan Islands off the coast of Papua New Guinea that showed that none of the islanders had even one blemish on his or her face. Similar to the Kitavans, no case of acne had been observed when the same experiment had been conducted upon the South American Indians called the Ache, living in a remote jungle in eastern Paraguay. 

The natives of Kitavan and the South American Indians had no access to the latest over the counters, topical creams or conventional acne medications and they had no dermatologist to consult with. The only vast difference between them and American or European citizens is their diet. 

Acne Diet and Sugar: The Sweet Poison 

Aside from the fact that sugar is a 100% pure chemical with zero nutritional value, recent studies have clearly shown a connection between the consumption of sugar and the aggravation of acne. 

When you consume any form of refined carbohydrates (white sugar, white flour, white rice) here's what happens: right after you insert that 'sweet poison' into your body, it rapidly spikes up your blood sugar levels. Your body needs to bring those levels down so it secrets a surge of insulin, other male hormones and an insulin-like growth factor called IGF-1. The excretion of these hormones overwhelms your liver and your internal system in general. The excess of male hormones encourages the skin to excrete large amounts of sebum oil: The greasy substance that encourages the p.acne bacteria to grow, resulting in the aggravation of your acne.

Acne Diet and Dairy Products: Got Milk? Got Acne 

If you thought sugar can aggravate your acne, here's another major nutritional player in the formation of acne: behold the miracles of milk. Milk (all dairy products included) is the most harmful, mucus forming, allergenic and acne aggravating food you can find. Surprised? I thought so. After years of constant brainwashing by the media, who can blame us for thinking milk is good for strong bones and healthy teeth? The truth is: every sip of milk contains 59 different raging hormones, (which trigger the hyper-production of sebum oil resulting in more acne), saturated animal fat, steroid hormones, dead white blood cells, and cow pus in abundance! 

Did you know that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) allows 750 million pus cells in every liter of milk (about two pounds) produced in America? Think about it, the next time you pop a pimple. 

Scientific studies already point the finger at milk as one of the worst acne aggravating foods: "As pointed out by Dr. Jerome Fisher, 'About 80 percent of cows that are giving milk are pregnant and are throwing off hormones continuously.' Progesterone breaks down into androgens, which have been implicated as a factor in the development of acne...Dr. Fisher observed that his teenage acne patients improved as soon as the milk drinking stopped." 

If there's one element you should remove from your diet in the quest for clear skin make it this one. Not only will you see an immediate improvement over your acne, you'll feel a huge weight has been lifted from your body. If you worry about calcium intake, don’t! Milk being acidic forming food creates a leeching effect where calcium is taken from your bones to balance the acidity. Milk actually deprives your body from its calcium resources. Green leafy vegetables, nuts and seeds are not only excellent sources of calcium they also have the powers to help you fight your acne symptoms. 

Diet Is Only One of The Factors That Cause Acne 

Dairy products and sugar are not the only acne aggravating foods. The two above cannot sum up the list of western made acne triggering foods. There are several other foods you should clearly stay away from if you ever wish to clear your acne. The good new is that there are tons of other foods such as essential fatty acids that are not only excellent for your skin, they can actually help you clear your acne, by re-balancing your body and promoting to an acne-free environment. 

The right nutrition plays an important part in the complex process of acne formation. When doctors claim there is no link between diet and acne because certain individuals can eat specific foods and get acne while others eat the same foods and don't, these doctors have failed to realize that there are several factors involved in the formation and aggravation of acne and diet is only ONE of them. 

The Final Verdict On The Acne Diet Connection: How To Finally Overcome Your Acne Challenge 

Acne is a complex condition that is triggered by several underlying factors. The only way to neutralize your acne condition is to tackle all these acne-contributing factors-holistically. Since the wrong diet is only one of these acne-triggering factors, in most cases no special diet can cure acne. 

There is a however, a tight connection between diet and acne formation. Dietary factors can trigger and aggravate your existing acne. Avoiding the wrong foods such as milk, sugar and hydrogenated oils, and eating cleansing and hormonal balancing foods such as green leafy vegetables and essential fatty acids, can help your skin heal itself from the inside out and dramatically reduce your acne symptoms. 

There are also several important dietary principals that you must understand and follow if you ever want to cure your acne for good. 

Taking responsibility over your body and adhering to these dietary principals along with taking the necessary steps to tackle all acne contributing factors, holistically, will not only cure your acne permanently and give you the flawless acne free skin you deserve, following these principals will also significantly improve your overall health, mental well-being, look and feel. 

What Can Herpes Support Groups Do For You?

The purpose of herpes support groups is to help you deal with the psychological aspect of herpes and provide information about treatments and research. People often write to me for support. They either feel ashamed, helpless, and dirty or just want the pain to go away. I do everything I can in my book Herpes Wise and on my website to tell people how to alleviate the physical pain, but Im fully aware that I cannot provide psychological pain relief to all of my readers. Thats why I feel local herpes support groups are important.

The International Herpes Alliance defines the role of a support group as an entity that can provide medical advice, refer patients to clinics and doctors and help people pass through different emotional stages. They say that for most people, genital herpes is a psychological disease, not a physical one. I must agree with that. People are afraid of herpes and often fear rejection. Some people just deny being affected by herpes. These are the people who dont disclose they have herpes to their new partners. Deep inside, they often feel dirty and ugly and lack self-esteem. Going to a herpes support group will help them express themselves and build confidence, eventually breaking the isolation that they confine themselves in.

People usually feel very anxious at the beginning. Is this the end of my sex life? Is there a cure? How do I get rid of it? These are all very common questions. Talking about it freely and no longer feeling lonely will release the pressure. Some people will talk a lot about it. I am one of them. Others will only speak to a few people. Getting support and staying well informed is the first step toward empowerment. People eventually learn to adapt and control herpes or at least not let it control them.

If you feel very anxious, ashamed or dirty you may want to participate in a local herpes support group. There are several forums online. Online support groups are a good place to start. People can learn to talk about herpes, share personal experience and speak with others who are already in control of herpes. Seeing that other people get on with their lives relieves part of the anxiety.

Offline support groups can offer human face-to-face contact. That is essential for people who feel ashamed and tend to withdraw into themselves. Going to a local support group, meeting people, and shaking hands with them, may be an important step toward self-acceptance and love.

I feel that taking care of the physical part of the disease is like treating 20% of the pain with painkillers. Doctors usually dont provide psychological support for people who are diagnosed with herpes. Statistics confirm that most people are left dissatisfied by their doctors appointment. Herpes Support groups can provide the friendly environment that a doctor cant. However, they cannot change the fear of herpes that is rampantly growing in our society.

Herpes can be controlled and doesnt have the power to ruin our love or sex lives. We do. If we accept herpes, then maybe we can help people understand that it is not that bad to have it. We can promote healthier ways to respond to STDs in general.

Using Essential Oils Successfully With The Herpes Virus

Using Essential Oils Successfully With The Herpes Virus – A Personal Account

Aromatherapy Oils and the Herpes Virus – One Person’s Success Story

The Herpes Simplex virus (or HSV) is a difficult disease. It is widely known as incurable, with painful skin lesions on sensitive areas of the body. The lesions reccur more often for some people than others – their ‘outbreaks’ tend to be related to periods of high-stress. Modern medicine does not offer a cure, though there are pharmaceutical preparations available to limit the frequency and duration of HSV outbreaks. With a reputation as ‘incurable’, ‘painful’, ‘not-so-pretty’, and varieties described as ‘oral and labial’ or ‘genital’, the disease can be a little challenging and embarrasing to say the least.

Well, I’ve been through this. I’ve had the painful lesions, had to deal with the regular outbreaks of painful cold-sores in my mouth and on my lips (I was blessed with the ‘oral’ variety). I’ve been through those great internal debates on how to break the news to a partner (thankfully always returning that look that says something like ‘Oh! I thought you were going to tell me my cat just died…that’s no big deal’). Though it still seemed like a big deal. Regularly having those few days of feeling like a flu was coming on, followed by a few days of outbreak – at what always seemed like the worst of times. On top of it, being an athlete, training really hard tended to cause outbreaks as well – weightlifting in particular. Maybe it was just really strenuous, or maybe I wasn’t actually a ‘weightlifter’ – but that heavy lifting would almost always lead, once again, to an outbreak.

I freqently wondered in the midst of these bouts with HSV if this was something I’d have to deal with for the rest of my life – I tried doctor prescribed medicines, Lysine and other remedies, but none kept the virus at bay enough to really make a difference.

Then someone introduced me to essential oils, and I learned a little about their studied antiviral activity. I stumbled onto research performed with a certain oil known as Melissa. Melissa essential oil is distilled from Melissa herb, a plant with a long history in natural medicine. The plant yields a relatively small amount of oil compared to other aromatic varieties, so it’s cost seems a little high. But formal investigation has been being going on in Europe for many years applying the oil to herpes lesions, with very promising results. One company has even extracted a component of the oil and sold it in a prescription form (though I have not read of any evidence showing the extract works better than the oil itself).

The most encouraging statement regarding the use of Melissa on herpes was made by Dr. Dietrich Wabner, a professor at the University of Munich: he stated that a single application of Melissa may lead to a complete remission of the disease. A possible cure! I’d figured I had nothing to lose, so I tried a little bottle of the oil.

Searching further, I found a regimine for the oils’ use. Melissa might not lead to a complete remission in just one application – other healers were finding success when the oil was applied to the affected area when an outbreak felt ‘imminent’. The oil was applied perhaps three times per day during the outbreak; this was repeated the next several times the user thought an outbreak may be coming on, and through the duration of the skin healing. My outbreaks were usually on my tongue at that point (though they started on the palate of my mouth). I would get a very fatigued feeling for a few days, then my tongue would get what seemed like individual taste buds that would feel as though they were burnt (and yes, I have had medical confirmation as to their cause). I also had lesions on my lip, but not as often. So I began the Melissa oil program – just one drop in my mouth a few times a day – and thankfully I actually liked the taste!

Well, perhaps the single dose worked for some folks, but I wasn’t quite so fortunate – though I was certainly not discouraged. The history of Melissa and it’s healing powers was renoun, and I kept up with the program. Despite continuing to have outbreaks, they were shorter, and they seemed to occur less frequently. And after a while, it dawned on me – the outbreaks had stopped completely! And believe me, my life has been no less stressful – more so if anything. Also, while outbreaks do tend to happen less freqently for some over time, I had been living with this for 15 years and they were still fairly regular. But no matter how stressful my days were, how heavy my weight training sessions or other athletic endeavors, the outbreaks have not returned!

For individuals who may have more sensitive skin than I, or have outbreaks in more sensitive places, Melissa essential oil can be diluted in a vegetable or nut oil (Hazelnut oil or Rosehipseed are commonly used) to 1/10th or even less of the total volume and be just as effective (some say that even 1% will work). It is important to note – and repeated many times in the literature – that taking any essential oil orally, or appliying undiluted to the skin, should be done with extreme caution – whatch your own reaction closely and proceed accordingly. I do not have experience with application to the genital variety of Herpes simplex, but the texts do not make a distinction – this may be where a carrier oil could come in handy. But whatever way it’s used, the system should be followed closely: apply Melissa 2-3 times a day to the affected area when an outbreak is on the way, and use it until the sores have healed completely. Follow this method for the next several outbreaks; there are no guarantees, but this may work for you or someone you may know – and what a wonderful thing it can be!

For sufferer’s of Shingles, another Herpes virus variety causing lesions of the skin, Ravensara (Ravensara aromatica, or ‘True’ Ravensara) oil has been used. Individuals have found relief using Ravensara in a 50-50 blend with Tamanu Nut oil. The Tamanu Nut sooths the skin during the healing process and keeps the Ravensara in contact with the sores. I have not heard of this offering a complete cure, but I have heard of this blend really helping relieve discomfort of this condition.

So if you choose to use aromatherapy oils like Melissa or Ravensara yourself (or to a recommendation), find a trusted source for the essential oils. Find ‘true’ varieties of each – Melissa is often adulterated, and the real thing is generally priced between $10 and $20 per milliliter (about 25 drops, which actually goes a long way); Ravensara should be of the ‘Ravensara aromatica’ variety. Be conservative with direct application – remember that diluting the oil has not been reported to reduce efficacy. Yes, I liked the Melissa oil straight, and never had a problem – but others I’ve known have had sensitive reactions – though this may have been related to UV exposure. Be good to yourself and listen to your body – may you achieve healing success!

Treatment Of Genital Herpes

Genital herpes is a sexually transmitted disease caused by the herpes simplex viruses (HSV) type 1 and type 2. Most genital herpes is caused by HSV type 2. Most people have no or minimal symptoms from HSV-1 or HSV-2 infection.

When symptoms do occur, they usually appear as one or more blisters on or around the genitals or rectum. The blisters break, leaving ulcers or tender sores that may take up to four weeks to heal. Typically, another outbreak can appear weeks or months later.

Although the infection can stay in the boby forever, the number of outbreaks usually decreases over a period of years. You can pass genital herpes to someone else even when you experience no symptoms.

The symptoms of genital herpes vary from person to person. Some people have severe symptoms,such as many painful sores, while others have mild symptoms. An initial outbreak of genital herpes usually brings about symptoms within two weeks of having sexual contact with an infected person and can last from two to three weeks.

The early symptoms can include: an itching or burning feeling in the genital or anal area; flu-like symptoms, including fever; swollen glands; pain in the legs, buttocks, or genital area; vaginal discharge; a feeling of pressure in the area below the stomach.

There is no treatment that can cure genital herpes; the virus will always be in your body. Certain drugs such as acyclovir, valacyclovir, and famciclovir can shorten outbreaks and make them less severe, or stop them from happening. Depending on your needs, your doctor can give you drugs to take right after getting outbreak symptoms or drugs that you can take on a regular basis to try to stop outbreaks from happening.

When used along with safe sex practices, Valacyclovir can also help prevent you from passing the infection to someone lse.Talk to your doctor about which treatament plan is best for you.

During outbreaks, these steps can speed healing and prevent spreading of the infection to other sites of the body or to other people. Keep the infected area clean and dry.Try not to touch the sores. Wash hands after contact. Avoid sexual contact from the time the symptoms are first noticed until the sores have healed.

Immune boosting Beta-mannan is very helpful in suppressing and reducing severity of outbreaks, but surgical treatments such as cryosurgery will not help. Treatments for this condition include free-form lysine or supplemental high-lysine low-arginine diet is beneficial. Natural therapies are: red marine alga (a antiviral blocker); blue-green alga Spirulina platensis specially processed (antiviral agent); Micronutrient (episode suppressor); Colostrum Immunoglobulins (anti-microbial for infants); Beta-mannan (promotes healing); Olive leaf (oleuropein-antioxidant boosts immune responders) and Vitamin C (antiviral nutrient).

There is no cure for genital herpes. Once you have the virus, it stays in your body and there is a chance that you will have outbreaks. Medicine can shorten and stop outbreaks from happening.

There are things you can do to protect yourself from getting genital herpes. The best way to prevent any STD is to practice abstinence, or not having vaginal, oral or anal sex. Have a sexual relationship with one partner who has been tested for herpes and is not infected is another way to reduce your chances of getting infected.

Protect yourself with a latex condom every time you have vagina, anal or oral sex. Condoms should be used for any type of sex with every partner. For vaginal sex use a latex male condom or a female polyurethane condom.

The Many Faces Of Herpes

Genital herpes is not the only kind of herpes that exist today. There are other forms like cold sores and these can be painful and embarrassing as well not to mention the fact that they are a harder form of herpes to hide. Did you know that there are over 80 different forms of the herpes virus? It is a good thing that only 8 of them affect humans. The most common forms of herpes can affect both the mouth and genital areas, they do not stick to one localized area.

Genital herpes is the most well known form of herpes and it affects millions of Americans today and each and every year at least 1 million more herpes cases are reported. You can get this type of herpes through any sort of skin to skin touching and it is something that both men and women can get. The symptoms of genital herpes are rashes, bumps or even blisters. When you are having a genital herpes outbreak you are much more contagious than when you are not although herpes can still be spread when there are no symptoms felt or seen.

You can also catch herpes through oral to genital contact, not just genital to genital. Herpes is a virus and just like a cold it can be easily spread from one person to another. Some of those who get herpes cold sores only get these painful blisters once while others get them throughout their entire lives. If you have ever had a cold sore then you have herpes and you always will, there is nothing that can be done to get rid of this herpes virus.

You can get herpes through any sort of contact and sexual contact is the most common way to transfer this virus. Any kind of sexual contact including genital, oral and even anal sexual contact will put you at risk.

The Ethics Of A Life-Long Herpes Infection

From day one my own personal life-long herpes infection has presented me with several ethical challenges. It has challenged me on the question of who to tell and when. It has challenged me on the issue of what to say and how to others with herpes. It has challenged me on the question of “Do I have any responsibilities towards trying to prevent the people in the community who do not herpes from getting it, and if so what are they”?

On how to tell and when:

When I was diagnosed with herpes the doctors told me that it was safe to have sex with others as long as I avoided having sex during outbreaks and that I would get warning signs of when an outbreak would be coming. Luckily, we are working with much better information these days. A person with herpes is potentially contagious every-single day of the year and safer sex including using a combination of a condom or dental dam and an anti-viral gel is the best way of ensuring that one
isn’t inadvertently spreading the virus.

I was an irresponsible coward when I first got herpes. Because thedoctors told me that I wasn’t contagious without outbreaks and because I was in the habit of using condoms, I decided that I only had to tell someone that I had herpes if and when it seemed like the relationship was turning serious and there would be regular sexual contact. I had justified my cowardice by thinking that the risk to others was too small to stick my neck out and get the rejection due to a herpes leper. Please don’t be like me. Not telling someone before you have sex that you have herpes is absolutely the wrong thing to do. There’s no real way to justify it. I now tell potential lovers I have herpes even before the first date. It gets the weight of this guilt most herpes people have off my chest and to me it feels like the right thing to do.

Many people tell me that it’s okay if you’re not going to have sex with someone to wait and see if the relationship becomes serious before telling them about herpes. Sure this is much better than waiting until after sex, but to me it still isn’t good enough. If you care about someone, if you respect them , why not tell them as early as possible so they can decide if they want to invest the energy and time in getting to know you better? Isn’t it a bit manipulative to allow someone to develop feelings for you without warning them that they risk a life-long viral infection if they get involved with you? Think about it. If you wait until they are already emotionally attached to you, they may feel compelled to continue with the relationship when they may not have if you had told them up-front. It takes more courage and integrity to tell early but it feels better to have the weight off your chest and the person you tell will usually respect you for giving them the choice.

I am especially appealing to men since I believe that men are not as protective of their sex partners when it comes to telling about herpes as women are. Guys, please don’t have sex with anyone without telling them about your herpes. And if they don’t know the facts don’t understate the risks- herpes is a more physically and emotionally devastating disease for women than it is for men and it is much easier for a man to give a woman herpes than it is for a woman to give it to a man.

On how and what to say to others with herpes:

I am a holistic healer- a herbalist and homeopath. My family have been healers for many generations in my native country of Trinidad and Tobago and as far back as Africa. I had little to no interest in treating herpes as a healer until I got herpes myself. Wanting to change a negative to a positive, I decided to make the holistic treatment of herpes the cornerstone of my practice. The bible says “the stone that the builder refused, I will make my cornerstone. Bob Marley and the wailers sing about it too.

It didn’t take me long once I decided to become a holistic viral specialist to realize that I was confronted with a daunting challenge. Most professionals including all the herbalists and homeopaths I know rely heavily on referrals to build their client-base. Here I was now working with a client-base that I was never going to get a lot of referrals from. My patients with herpes don’t go around telling the world that I helped them with their outbreaks. Some of my patients have yet to tell their significant others that they have herpes, many have not told their closest friends and their family. I am not a company. I don’t have an advertising budget. The only way for me to reach out to others with herpes and encourage them to come for me for treatment was to speak out in public about my herpes work and about herpes in general. This forced me to be far more out of the closet than would have been my personal choice.

I seem to always create challenging situations for myself. Speaking to others with herpes is not a task for the faint of heart. Some people like to shoot the messenger- I have the bullet-wounds to prove it. But I can say that speaking to others with herpes has been and continues to be one of the most gratifying experiences in my life. I feel a deep bond with many of the people with herpes who interact with me. I felt this kind of bond when I played team sports. I’ve felt this kind of bond all my life with other black people. There’s something about “us against the world” that can make people tight with other. I love my herpes friends. I love my herpes patients- even the ones who misbehave. I am not grateful for getting herpes, but I don’t regret it either. Nevertheless, the truth hurts, and I have some bitter truth to tell others with herpes:

Having a lover who also has herpes isn’t a free ticket for unprotected sex. Even if you both have the same strain Even if one gave it to the other. Having unprotected sex with each other can and often will make one or both partner’s cases of herpes worse. It’s called re-inoculation and it’s a message many with herpes don’t want to hear.

If you have herpes or cold sores you are potentially contagious everyday and there is no sure way to tell if you are shedding virus. So do consider using a condom/dental dam combined with an anti-viral gel when having sex and do be careful about sharing wet towels or wash cloths with others.

No two people get herpes the same way so you are going to have your own individual experience with the virus and will have to find your own way of dealing with it on all the different levels you will have to deal with it.

A cure for herpes in our lifetime is unlikely and there are no quick-fix solutions for managing herpes. Herpes cannot be managed with a topical agent alone- whether it be creams, lotions, or essential oils. Managing herpes takes changing your diet, managing stress and other triggers, and may also require either taking herbal medicine or drug therapy.

You may not get fewer outbreaks as you get older. While this is often the case, since no two people get herpes the same way, other diseases, menopause, self-abuse, re-inoculation by unprotected sex and other factors can change the pattern of frequency and severity of outbreaks at any point during your life-long journey with herpes.

Cold-sores are just as contagious if not more contagious than genital herpes and you can infect others when there are no signs of sores present.

Having herpes does make you more vulnerable to other sexually transmitted infections including HIV, cervical dysplasia and genital warts.

Daily use of l-lysine is an ineffective strategy for treating herpes and can do more harm than good. There are more effective natural remedies such as garlic for treating herpes without side-effects.

On talking to those who don’t have herpes:

The reality check for me is that the mainstream and alternative media do not want talk about herpes. They would prefer to keep us in a ghetto. There is a lot of misinformation floating around and people without herpes have few places to turn to hear the facts about herpes. They don’t hear the facts in their churches, young people are not being educated enough about herpes in school. Most parents aren’t teaching their children about herpes, older siblings are not passing information down to the younger ones.

It’s really up to us who have herpes to try harder to dialogue with those who don’t. HIV won’t be the last word in human population control from the world of viruses. If we don’t learn how to better protect the population from getting herpes and other sexually transmitted infections we are going to be in a lot of trouble. Herpes is a gateway disease it provided easy access through your mucus membranes for any sexually transmitted virus.

It is my unshakeable conviction that those of us in the herpes community need to be more vocal in the media and to also reach out to those around us. Each one teach one. Each one reach one.

The Demonization Of Genital Herpes

Those of us who have so-called genital herpes are caught between a rock and a hard place. On one hand we are ostracized by the minority of the population (about 40%) who dont currently have herpes simplex in their body, which is bad enough, but more cruelly we are often isolated by our fellow members of the herpes community who have so-called cold sores (heroes simplex 1 of the mouth and face). Frankly the lack of support form the majority of population who has cold sores bothers me far more than the stigma placed on me by unsympathetic members of the uninfected population. After-all they dont know what it feels like to have herpes so I can cut them some slack. But for those of you who have cold sores and continue pretending that you dont have herpes and who distance yourselves from those who have their outbreaks genitally rather than facially- shame on you. If it wasnt for your unwillingness to come to terms with the reality of your herpes infection, the herpes community would be a more united majority of the population far more empowered to boldly go out into the community and reject the unjust and irrational stigma placed on people with herpes.

Sixty percent of the population has herpes. We are living in a herpes nation. There is no reason for us to be a despised minority. If we were more united and more out of the closet we would be in a so much better position to inspire understanding and support from those who do not have herpes. We would be better able to educate young people on herpes prevention and herpes awareness. We would be better able to reach out to the people with herpes who have had their self-esteem devastated.

So-called cold sores are herpes. I have had too many people in my clinic and through the Internet say to me, I dont have herpes, Ive never had an STD, but I do get these cold sores on my lips.

Herpes is herpes whether you get your outbreaks above the waist or below the waist. Its true that people with type 1 herpes of the mouth and face often have fewer outbreaks than people with herpes type 2 of the genitals, but it is also true that herpes of the mouth and face is just as contagious if not more so than genital herpes. It is also true that many people with type 1 herpes of the mouth and face shed virus without symptoms and are giving many people type 1 herpes on their genitals from oral sex. It is also true that herpes of the mouth and face can spread to parts of the body that genital herpes rarely ever spreads to including the nostrils and into the brain, the hands and fingers, down the esophagus and into the stomach, into the eyes, and elsewhere.

For those who dont have herpes and give people with herpes a rough time, I really have no words for you. If you believe that having genital herpes is an indication of promiscuity or moral deficiency then you are probably too far-gone for anything I say here to reach you. And for the record I dont think theres anything inherently wrong with promiscuity. I got my herpes in the context of a monogamous relationship but I wouldnt feel bad about myself if I had been infected by herpes through promiscuity. How you got herpes is irrelevant. Herpes is a virus. Viruses have different strategies for gaining access to our bodies. A virus that chooses sex as its preferred method of infection is less scary to me than an airborne virus that indiscriminately devastates huge populations in a matter of days.

Jesus said let he is who is without sin cast the first stone. I say let he or she who is without a virus cast the first stone. Between the Chicken-Pox virus (a member of the herpes family), the Epstein-Barr virus (another member of the herpes family), the HPV virus (genital warts and cervical dysplasia) and Herpes Simplex there is virtually no adult reading this article who doesnt currently have a virus in their body and except for the HPV virus, these viruses are lifelong infections and thats without even discussing bacteria, fungi, yeast, and protozoa.

Herpes has been around since the time of the dinosaurs and affects akmost every animal with a backbone including cats and elephants and many animals without a backbone. In fact cats and elephants are dying of herpes. I know that cats can be randy but I have never heard of anyone accusing elephants of being promiscuous. If anyone has ever seen an elephant orgy let me know so that I can print a retraction.

When someone has the integrity and courage to tell you that they have herpes they are making themselves vulnerable to you. How you react can often either crush them or help set them free from a prison of shame. I believe that most people are intelligent and compassionate. Please treat people with herpes with the compassion and understanding we deserve. We are the same people we were before we got herpes. We are no less moral, no less attractiv, just as good in bed, just as good of a friend or son or daughter or brother or sister as we were before we got herpes. When someone tells you they have herpes if you treat them unsympathetically it only discourages them for telling others about their herpes in the future, which isnt a good situation for anyone. When someone tells you they have herpes its an opportunity and challenge to you to show that you are not prejudiced and mean-spirited. It is a chance for us all to create more love and understanding.

For those of us who have genital herpes – dont buy into the lies and myths that make you ashamed and marginalized. You can choose not to let herpes define you and dominate your life. No one can take away your power and dignity except for yourself.

When someone gives you a bad time for having herpes instead of dwelling too long in anger or sadness, just forgive them for they know not what they do. Embrace all the beauty and love around you and if there isnt enough beauty and love, create it. You are a human being equipped with infinite potential for loving and appreciating the wonders of this world.