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Acne Experience
Facts on Acne
Who's at Risk?
Western Treatments
Chinese Approach
East meets West
Acne Formula
Toxicology
Diet and Acne
Acne Images
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The Old Beijing Doctor
My decade-old acne condition was relieved by an old doctor in Beijing in 1995. According to him, he has a success rate of 99% in treating acne patients. Since my introduction of him in my Acne Control web site, there have been inquiries of his whereabouts. A couple of acne sufferers asked me for his address, actually prepared to go to Beijing for treatments.
I did write to him on behalf of the viewers. The mail was returned, indicating a wrong address. I have not been able to get hold of him since. Perhaps he has moved. I will always remember the old doc and feel grateful towards him. He saved me from years of hellish agony.
The Acne Formula we have on this web site is a simpler and, from my perspective, an improved version of the old doc's program. I've done quite a bit of research and thinking on why his approach works. I now believe the reason lies in his insight of combining two different yet complementary kinds of medical approaches¡XChinese herbal formulas and Western antibiotics/cortisone-like hormones--together. The end result is a program that can take care of both the internal causes and the external pathogens of acne.
His program was elaborate, time-consuming (while I was in Beijing, I had to go to his clinic for vein injections for two hours everyday), and expensive (it cost over US$40 each time. Should I have gone through with the whole program, I would have paid over US$2,400. And that was 1995 in Beijing! I think the old doc must have made enough and retired.). It consists of four parts: vein injections of hormone, antibiotic and vitamins; oral intake of Chinese herbal medicine, hormone, antibiotic and vitamins; application of a topical cleanser; and a strict dietary program. The whole program lasts 60 days.
Here are the details of the Beijing Program:
I. Vein injection of hormone, antibiotic and vitamins.
Dexamethasone 2 mg, Cephradine 2000 mg, Vitamin C 2500 mg, Vitamin B6
100 mg, 5% Glucose 250 ml.
For people with average acne condition, take the vein injection 15 days in a row. Stop for 10 days, and then resume it 5 times more but take it once every other day. Total: 20 injections in 35 days.
For people with a more serious condition, take the vein injection 30 days in a row. Stop it for 10 days, and then resume it 10 times more but take it once every other day. Total: 40 injections in 60 days.
IIa. Herbal tea.
25 grams of peony tree bark
25 grams of Chinese Wolfberry root bark
50 grams of honeysuckle flower
20 grams of forsythia
25 grams of dandelion
15 grams of amur cork tree bark
25 grams of summer cypress
20 grams of white bark
25 grams of portule herb
15 grams of pine pollen
25 grams of figwort root
40 grams of Job's tears seed
This daily dosage is to be taken orally once a day for 60 days.
IIb. Hormone, antibiotic and vitamins.
Prednisone 5 mg tablet, 2 tablets each time, taken once in the morning;
Metronidazole 200 mg tablet, 1 tablet each time, taken twice a day;
Vitamin C 100 mg tablet, 2 tablets each time, taken twice a day;
Vitamin B6 10 mg tablet, 2 tablets each time, taken twice a day;
Vitamin E 50 mg tablet, 2 tablets each time, taken twice a day.
This oral medication is to continue for 60 days.
III. Topical medications.
Sulfur liquid (5% sulfur), clean face with it twice a day;
Cream (8% sulfur + 2% resorcinol), put it on before sleep.
IV. Dietary program.
During treatment, avoid greasy and spicy food, seafood, poultry and beef. Pork is fine. After the acne has been cleared, one should still watch out for greasy and spicy food. Have lots of vegetables, fruits, and drink at least 8 cups of water a day.
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Side Effects of the Medicines Used
Prednisone and Dexamethasone are both synthetic, cortisone-like hormones. Cortisone-like hormones are very strong medicines. They have side effects that can be very serious if used over long period of time. They may lower our resistance to infections. Also, any infection we get may be harder to treat. Always check with your doctor as soon as possible if you notice any sign of a possible infection, such as sore throat, fever, sneezing, or coughing.
Usually, taking these medicines for a couple of months will not cause serious side effects. For me, my appetite increased after taking prednisone. Suddenly, I enjoyed food very much and gained 15 pounds in two months.
Metronidazole has been shown to cause cancer in laboratory animals on long term
therapy. There has not been any case found in human. Consult your doctor first and use
the medicine according to instructions.
Analysis of the Beijing Formula:
The use of cortisone-like hormones and antibiotics in oral and injection forms are
ways of speeding up the initial stage of the healing process. The dosages are unusually large. While the average daily dosage for individual herbs is about 10 to 15 grams, the herbs used in the Beijing formula are mostly 25 grams and above. The daily dosage for the herbal tea is 310 grams in total--three times the dosage for a normally large prescription. You need a huge pot just to put the herbs in.
This program employs heavy dosage of many strong medicines for a quick, shocking effect. If your body can take it, your acne will be shocked out.
Prednisone and Dexamethasone are hormones used primarily to provide relief for inflamed areas of the body. They lessen swelling, redness, itching, and allergic reactions. They
are often used as part of the treatment for a number of different diseases, such as
severe allergies or skin problems, asthma, or arthritis.
Metronidazole and Cephradine are antibiotics used in the treatment of infections caused by bacteria. The medicines work by killing off bacteria or preventing their growth.
Certain vitamins and minerals supplements can improve skin health; just be careful
not to overdo the recommended daily dosage, as some can be toxic in high doses.
Vitamin C reinforces collagen and helps balance skin pigment by inhibiting
melanin production. It also works to reduce redness and inflammation. Vitamin
B-complex helps breakdown excess hormones. Beta-carotene and vitamin E are a
safe, effective way to get and metabolize the vitamin A that reduces oil production. Zinc helps strengthen the immune system and heal acne scars, while chromium picolinate may help make better use of the body's essential fatty acids. Selenium helps control inflammation.
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Combination of the East and the West
I believe the cleverness of the Beijing physician lies in his combining Western medical practice with Chinese medicine. While no one medical approach alone seems to be able to effectively control certain stubborn kinds of acne, combining the two medical systems proves to be able to get the job done.
The question may be raised as to why one medical system alone seems to be ineffective, but two systems together are able to do the job. My thoughts on this are as follows:
As we know, acne develops when the sebaceous gland gets plugged. The sebum it excretes is trapped and is not able to flow out in its regular pattern around the hair follicle. Two factors help to block off the hair follicle: excessive supply of sebum and the dead skin cells.
Antibiotics and cortisone-like hormones are effective in killing off bacteria and
reducing inflammation. However, swelling and redness are only the outward appearance and happen only after acne is formed. Antibiotics and these kinds of hormone are helpless in reducing excess sebum flow or lowering the rate of shedding skin cells.
Among Western medicines, there are remedies such as Accutane that can reduce sebum production. It is a good acne combatant. The downside is that this strong medicine carries also substantial side effects. Most people shouldn't take Accutane for any long period of time. The frustration of having breakouts coming back more exorbitantly once Accutane is stopped is well known (see Acne Experience.)
What does this leave us?
The logic is simple. We need something that can get rid of the acne embarrassment quickly, while guaranteeing a long-term solution. To achieve this, it seems only a combination of the West and the East would be possible. The West provides the powerful and targeted medicines to suppress the breakouts, and once the job is done, the long-term solution would be left for the herbs of the East.
There is no antibiotic in Chinese herbs. There are herbs that have bacteria fighting properties, similar to that of antibiotics. Since they are natural, their bacteria fighting and anti-inflammatory properties were discovered through long period of observation by our ancestors. Generally, they are not as effective as chemically engineered antibiotics.
What herbal formulas are good at are their unique properties to restore the impaired organ functions and bring them to a new balance. Contrary to general understanding, herbs do have side effects. Some are even toxic, or lethal. However, a good formula will use a combination of herbs to minimize or eliminate the side effects through mutual restraint and antagonism.
As such, herbal formulas can be taken for longer period of time. For some chronic and stubborn diseases like acne, herbs generally provide a better solution as we need them to work their magic in our body through a slower process of adjustments and refinements.
Do we need as heavy the dosage as the Beijing program prescribes?
After several years of experiments and with additional understanding of herbs through studies, I now think the heavy dosage of the Beijing program is more of a commercial choice than a medical one. Patients are impatient. A quicker show of improvement will reinforce the patient's confidence to accept and continue with the therapy. After all, it's a pretty long and expensive program.
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