The surest way to know that there is no truly effective treatment for a condition is to count the number of treatment recommendations. The more recommendations, the less likely it is that any of them have a significant effect. I’m not sure if there is a tipping point. Whether 6 or 12 or 20 recommended treatments guarantee that you will have less than complete cure.

Here are some of the recommendations from just one article.

  • Drink six to eight glasses of water daily
  • Avoid foods containing trans-fatty acids: milk products, cookies, chips, margarine, chocolate, shortening and hydrogenated oils
  • Keep bed linens clean,
  • Wash gently twice daily — soap with aloe vera is good
  • Avoid cosmetics associated with new acne outbreaks
  • Don’t touch your face
  • Put your head over steaming water for a few minutes — don’t get burned
  • Avoid birth control pills associated with an outbreak
  • Avoid stress, sun exposure, caffeinated drinks, and certain spices
  • Use products containing benzoyl peroxide — protect yourself from the sun
  • Use tetracycline, or isotretinoin (Accutane), or a vitamin A derivative called Retin-A — protect yourself from the sun
  • Start a cleansing diet
  • Make sure you eat a low-fat, high-fiber diet.
  • Start taking supplements that promote healthy skin
    One by one, each of these non-drug treatments will be examined here.7/20/07 21:54 JR
Hi, I’m JR

John Russo, Jr., PharmD, is president of The MedCom Resource, Inc. Previously, he was senior vice president of medical communications at www.Vicus.com, a complementary and alternative medicine website.