You Can’t Go Back
This amazing before and after photo is used by permission from Steak and Butter Gal or Bella Ma, and is from her YouTube channel where she tells the story of how the carnivore diet healed acne and other skin conditions.
If I’m right about tetracycline ultimately causing my type one diabetes, am I wishing I could go back and change things? No, of course not. Let me explain. When I was 15, I had acne, all over my face. I hated it! My mom took me to a dermatologist, who prescribed tetracycline, a very strong antibiotic as well as pretty serious external applications of lotions and potions for my face. In my memory, I took this antibiotic for a solid year.
This was the same year I started feeling terrible, I couldn’t even complain because it wasn’t really describable——General malaise, stomach didn’t feel right, no energy. Sure, I complained to my mom, and I’ve told this before—- she took me to our family doctor, who literally rolled his eyes at her, and made her feel stupid for bringing her daughter to the doctor for such frivolous symptoms. I got a B12 shot and my mother was told it was “growing pains”. Here’s where I mention the year was 1970.
Several months go by and there’s no improvement. Then, in April 1971, the classic signs of type one diabetes, excessive thirst and weight loss, and lethargy begin.
But, because of how my mother had been treated by the doctor, in her heart, in total humiliation—- she was unable to take me back. Then, I started to “spot” in my underwear between periods, and Mom was almost relieved. She could take me to a gynecologist! Long story short, this gynecologist diagnosed me partly from smelling my breath, (breath smells strong in a state of heavy and dangerous keto acidosis) partly from hearing my symptoms, and partly from a urine sugar test. And we were told to come to the hospital the next morning. I spent a week at the hospital learning how to give a shot, all about insulin, and given the exchange list of foods and my new diet. But that is another story, maybe my next blog.
At the time, I didn’t make the connection of tetracycline and the diagnosis of type one diabetes or t1d. But after reading about the many side effects of this particular drug and this study:
“Here we review experiences that were made from using a tetracycline-inducable promoter system (tTA-system)to express TNBFalpha at various time during an ongoing autoimmune process, such as the destruction of pancreatic bet-cells in a mouse model for human type 1 diabetes.”
I’m actually not sure this means anything except that the possibility exists that type one diabetes could maybe have been caused by long-term usage of tetracycline. Does it matter? No, I’ve still got t1d, I can’t change that. Ultimately I don’t think it really matters what the cause, in my case was. “Causes include viral, infections, vaccines, lower levels of vitamin D, increased insulin demand” reported by diabetes.co.uk. In my research, I’ve found additional causes are heredity, environmental toxins, (tetracycline), and triggers such as gluten.
The purpose of this blog though, was not to stir up emotions on figuring out the exact cause, it was to talk about what if I hadn’t had acne as a teenager? Or was able to heal acne using the carnivore diet?
I have listened to countless podcasts and read innumerable testimonials about the carnivore diet improving the health of individuals. Many individuals healed serious conditions such as type 2 diabetes, bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety, rheumatoid arthritis, IBS, Crohn’s disease, lupus, and ACNE, and other serious skin conditions like psoriasis and eczema. I’ve heard of many, many cases of acne among adults clearing up on the carnivore diet. But, until recently there weren’t very many teenagers involved in the carnivore diet, although lately there have been more and more.
On a podcast on YouTube called Carnivore Vitality, 2 Month Update (18 years old)
Among a very long list of ailments that these 2 teenagers, 18-year-old men, mentioned that got better, acne meds were listed, and acne was mentioned. In the second video on these fellow’s channel, Carnivore Vitality entitled The Carnivore Diet Saved My Life, in this almost 9 minutes remarkable video, not only talks about healing cystic acne and bad skin but also being able to avoid painful side effects of the acne drug Accutane among many more conditions healing.
I’ve also been told by a woman who is in a carnivore group that I’m in, that her 13-year-old son’s acne cleared up after he started a mostly carnivore diet.
And a YouTube channel called Carnivore Camaraderie by Joey Schwartz, another 18-year-old tells how the carnivore diet cleared his skin of rosacea.
Additionally, an excellent article on Carnivore Insider called Beat Acne and Skin Problems with a Carnivore Diet by author Paul Nganga, mentions plant toxins could be blocking certain nutrients, like zinc that could be preventing acne and that the carnivore diet simply is anti-inflammatory, removing inflammation removes acne!
https://carnivoreinsider.com/beat-acne-and-skin-problems-with-carnivore-diet/
I’m hoping my blog will be encouraging to young people who are experiencing teenage or adult acne to avoid medication and try the carnivore diet! Yes, I can’t go back, but you can go forward to beautiful skin and a beautiful life.
