Watch and listen closely as 7 years of a losing fight comes full circle for this brave woman.
(this video is her gift to the world)

Part 2

One of the many missions of this project is to bring awareness to the subtle suffering that is all around us at work, in the family, and with friends.

More important than the awareness is the vivid proof that all of these chronic ailments are beatable with the proper weapons and focus.




This spotlight case illustrates many of the emotional issues that were posted up here last year.

Specifically:

Control Issues
The Agony of Defeat
Baffled by Prior Failure
Vegetarians with Acne

(see the Emotional Issues Category of the Blog)

When a young intelligent woman has tried all acne medications, eats an amazingly balanced diet, dances all week, and is surrounded by comforting people…, it is truly BAFFLING to her why she would still get acne every single day. When this goes on for 7 years without a vacation, many people begin to crack under the cummulative heartache of the defeat.

Mild persistent cases can ruin lives in subtle ways that onlookers will never understand.

It’s the subtle moodiness, lack of interest, or desire to go back home to bed that chips away at our entire society.

My goal is to both bring awareness to these emotional reactions and then to open doors to the real possibility of transformation.

In this case, note how the emotional issues are amplified by prior failure despite enormous efforts.

(Acne patients are often times the most motivated people around.
Awareness of ongoing struggles despite great efforts will hopefully rise from this video project)

Be well,

-Dr. Neal

©2010 “Witnessing Transformation” by Dr. Neal Schwartz

This is likely a long-awaited post.

I will share with you my firm stance on the issue of food and acne as an innovator in the field and a lifetime sufferer.

Let’s review first why there is such a controversy to begin with:

-For several decades, Board Certified Tenured Dermatologists have held an adamant stance that “diet is not related to acne” based on multiple studies that have failed to prove any correlation.

Aside from possibly Milk and Iodine, you will very rarely hear from a dermatologist or Family Practitioner that food and acne are related.

On the other side,

-you will hear from a huge group of acne patients that some foods trigger worse episodes than others. You will also hear from some sufferers that mild or extreme dietary changes lessoned or even stopped their breakouts.

So it seems we have a problem here??

Either the most credentialed skin care specialists on the planet are completely incorrect or patients are completely deluding themselves??

Dermatologists, who mostly have not had decades of active acne are saying “No” and lifetime sufferers are saying “Yes”

FAQ:

“So Dr. Neal, what’s the real story with Diet and Acne??”

Many people have asked me this question and I believe now is a good time to end this confusion once and for all.

As an innovator of this field, I present to you:

Dr. Neal’s Clinically Derived, Non-Theoretical, Firm Stance on Diet and Acne:

Before getting into this very emotional topic, allow me to first preface by saying I always try to eat very well and recommend conscious eating and living to everyone around me.
Today we are going to be talking about the common mistake of living life with “fears of certain foods”

Here’s the situation:
Many people come into my office scared of eating pizza, chocolate, caffeine, salt, citrus, breads, chinese food, gluten, soy, greasy food, french fries, hamburgers, and many more specific foods. When I ask, they tell me that these foods make them breakout worse than when they avoid them.

(should I believe them??)

Since female acne patients can accurately describe worsening of their condition before menstruation, why wouldn’t they be able to accurately describe worsening with other changes in life???
This is one reason i trust the story of my patients who speak of breakouts with specific foods.

The other reason is because I already know that when my own skin is already out of control, dietary changes affect my oiliness and skin activity as well.

Note** the key detail in the above statement is “when already out of control”

To understand chronic conditions on the next level, It’s important to first teach the difference between an “Aggravating Factor” and a “Cause”

This is a very important distinction:


“Aggravating factors” aggravate existing conditions.
“Causes” bring on a afflicton that would not have occurred otherwise.

If an aggravating factor is strong enough, it can bring an asymptomatic person to a state of symptoms. However, these factors are still not considered “causes” when dealing with common chronic conditions of life. All Chronic conditions have no real root cause as they are a part of a spectrum of humanity. We are all predisposed to them at varying levels on the bell curve of predisposition.

(i.e. aggravating factors can only be the straw that breaks the camel’s back in the case of chronic human conditions)

I’ll use an example to illustrate an “Aggravating Factor”:

” Billy usually has no problem eating spicy foods. However, since his stomach has been acting up lately…, he decided to skip on the hot sauce today.”

In this example, the hot sauce is a known aggravating factor that only plays a significant role when there is already an irritation or inflammation present.

The same is true for Acne:

If there are foods in your life that you are avoiding because you know they will worsen your acne, you may be making a wise decision to avoid this loaded aggravating factor. However, here’s the part of the story you have yet to experience….

If you were to “Totally Inactivate” the skin at a much higher level, you would be able to eat any individual food without fear or consequence to your skin.

How am I so sure of this??

Because the majority of patients you see in the videos let me know they were scared of certain foods before entering the program. When completed, I ask them if they are still scared of “greasy foods” for example, and they tell me, “I can eat whatever I want without fear.”

(similar to the upset stomach conversation. When Billy’s stomach feels resilient and strong again, he can eat spicy foods without fear or consequence.)

I’ll bullet point some facts from the office to help summarize the reality here:

–Food can act as an “Aggravating Factor” of any active inflammatory situation including acne.

–Doctors who say Food has absolutely nothing to do with acne most likely have never had 10 years of acne. (they are quoting studies)

–Holistic practitioners and enthusiasts who hype up dietary changes as the “Cure” for acne are hurting many people by creating confusion, false hope, and needless scarring from wasted Time.
(improper focus on aggravating factors alone)

–Eating consciously does affect every system of the body including the skin.
(think aggravation and allieveiation rather than “Cause” and “Cure”)

–In contrast, eating unconsciously can have a cumulative negative effect on the look and behavior of the skin.

–When “Totally Inactivated”, you can eat whatever you want without immediate fear or consequence to your skin.

–If food still “breaks you out”, your skin is not in great control at this moment.

–All cases can be totally inactivated and freed up from fears of living and eating.

–And of course, no case is special. (acne is clearly a self-victimizing condition)

Bottom Line:

**Although foods may aggravate your current skin situation, they are neither the cause nor the cure regarding the chronic human condition of acne.

**Healthy eating is always recommended for countless reasons. (primary being energy, mood, and wellness consciousness)
However, when the skin is “Totally Inactivated”, you can eat any individual food without immediate fear or consequence.

**If you are still scared of foods, your overall chronic condition is not in great control.






hope this helps,
-Dr. Neal






©2010 “Food and Acne: (the biggest controversy since sliced bread…)”
by Dr. Neal Schwartz

I propose a New Law that requires all Acne companies to post this warning with every advertisement in the same way the drug companies are forced to mention potential side effects in their commercials.

It is the irresponsible smiles of the Acne commercials that leaves people baffled and bewildered by their own failure.  They are irresponsibly making acne seem easy to beat.





To display what I see every week in the office, I will lay out the exact emotional phenomenon as it repeatedly unfolds.

We’ll use “John” as an example…

1)   John views widespread commercials showing happy people with success over a real medical condition.

2)  John buys the product as a “consumer” with the expectation that it will work as it did on the commercial.  His only responsibility in this “consumer” relationship is to pay for it and follow the instructions.

3)  John uses the product exactly as directed.

4)  John uses it patiently, “hoping and waiting” 2-3 months as directed.

5)  3 months later, John is angry that he still has bad acne despite perfect compliance.   John begins to lose trust and hope.

6)  John’s expectation was very high solely based on the commercial, and his experience did not meet his expectation.

(It is our expectations that determine our satisfaction.  In this case, John is very upset and will be slower to trust any company in the future.)

Why did John get so upset??


The exact reason John is upset is because the company who ran the infomercial did not mention that over 60% of people using their product do not get the results seen on the commercial.   And even more upsetting,  John was never told that the people themselves in the commercial were wearing makeup and altering the lighting to make the results seem great.

This upsetting phenomenon is happening every day to millions of people.  I am often left to pick up the emotional pieces in the aftermath when people come to the office or contact me online.

I believe it needs to stop, as the emotional results can be devastating to our whole community.   A society of distrusting, hopeless people who are angry at all big businesses for selling false hope.


In the world of beauty and fashion ads,  people have forgotten Acne has always been, and will always be, a medical condition that often times requires help from an expert practitioner.



To correct this widespread problem, Here is the legistlation I propose:

1) All Acne marketing be treated like prescription drug marketing as these products are also dealing with a medical condition.

-With this new responsibility will come the requirement to use zero makeup and zero camera or lighting alterations.

2)  All Acne companies are to be required to specifically disclaim the variablity in their results.

For example:

 ”Results may vary. If not improving, please seek other alternatives as time = scarring”

When a “Customer”  fails in this new scenario,  It causes much less anxiety to know the failure is more “the norm” than a special, unseen “affliction.”



Bottom Line:

Although always treatable, Acne is not always simple to fix.

There needs to be a higher level of accountability to get this message across while still giving hope to those who need.

Simple Benzoyl Peroxide and Salicylic Acid regimens have failed millions of people  (i.e. your case is not special)

When responsibly communicated.., those who fail will be less likely to self-victimize themselves as a special, untreatable case.

In a related conversation:

Are you Baffled that your dietary changes did not fix your skin??

When dietary strategies are hyped up as a “solution” for acne, maybe there should be some awareness of the warning above…?

In the conversation of “First do not harm”,  I’d like to emphasize the idea that reckless and irresponsible promises often cause real emotional wounds.

Proper Accountability and Responsibility is the key to prevent future needless suffering and self-victimization.

Acne commercials need to be held accountable for the emotional problems they have helped create,

-Dr. Neal

©2010 “Baffled by Prior Failure??” by Dr. Neal Schwartz

Hey Everyone,

It’s me Dr. Neal…

Things around the office have been crazy and I wanted to take a moment in the new year to say hello and let you know that I am here for those who still need.

I will always be available for the group who has slipped through the cracks of both the Western and Eastern medical systems.

After decades of passionate adventures and inspirations, my life’s work as a physician, a personal sufferer, and an inventor has revealed itself in its full potential.

It’s exciting, but more importantly, it’s what needed to be done.

Too many people have needlessly suffered, wasted years, victimized themselves, arrested their development, repressed their dreams, and created negative energy because of this chronic ailment.

I think we all have seen enough, and felt enough.  We have learned our lessons of compassion and humanity through personal suffering and it is now time to find comfort and peace in the moment once again.

It is time to truly feel comfortable in our skin at a level that allows us to fully express our individual personalities without inhibition or distraction.  The time has come.   It’s very exciting,  and very overdue.

As this mission advances onward,  further innovations will be used to give a larger group of people the same personal support that has created this magical gallery.

Here’s what’s coming in 2010:

1) Audio-Video Capabilities:

After speaking with many medical ethics professionals,  it appears that it will indeed be possible to fully disclaim and expand the virtual “client” relationships using audio and video conferencing.  This possibility could help give someone from across the country or across the world the needed trust and details in this new program.

2)  Elaborate Innovations in the Email System:

People always ask me,  ”How are you going to keep up with all the emails?”

and my answer is always,  ”I’m not sure yet,  but I do know that this practice will keep inventing ways to handle the traffic. This ongoing brainstorm is one of our top priorities.”

We have already added the first innovation to the email system and be ready for more elaborate inventions in the future that will allow thousands of emails to be handled with perfect precision.

3)  Lifestyle Modification Videos and Resource Expansion:

As you go through the blog,  you will notice that I have a passion for helping people fix up their anxiety, depression, lack of energy, and lack of enthusiasm for life.  This lifestyle section of the blog is going to expand in 2010 with more personal wellness videos geared to move people into action with specific plans that have worked dramatically for my patients in the office.  I will be teaching more basic fitness, advanced fitness, fitness tricks during work, music therapy, artistic expressions as a treatment for the mind, efficient home tricks to bring down stress,  and many more detailed techniques of living and feeling well.  As an inventor, you can expect these tricks and techniques to be both original and efficient in ways that bring real results.

4) More Video Testimonials:

You guys will let me know when everyone gets the reality that this is a treatable condition with no exceptions or special cases. Until that time, you know there will be more videos coming.  As always,  a special thanks goes out to the brave souls who have shared their stories.   You have saved many people from the same chronic suffering.

Talk to you soon,

-Dr. Neal