The Everything Guide to Herbal Remedies (30 page)

Acne is a disorder of the sebaceous glands that causes clogged pores and pimples on the face (and occasionally the neck, chest, and upper back). Acne occurs when the sebaceous glands produce too much sebum, which can combine with dead skin cells and block the pores. The pores can become infected (most often with bacteria), creating more inflammation.

Conventional medicine treats acne with a three-pronged approach, using medicines that reduce bacteria, unclog pores, and minimize (or remove) oil. OTC remedies include cleansers and treatments made with antibacterial and astringent ingredients like benzoyl peroxide or sulfur and exfoliants like salicylic acid, alpha-hydroxy acids, or retinol. All of these can cause skin irritation and drying. For example, benzoyl peroxide can cause redness and stinging (it’s a bleach as well as a bacteria killer).

Prescription treatments include topical retinoids like tretinoin (Retin-A), adapalene (Differin), and tazarotene (Tazorac). Topical antibiotics include erythromycin and clindamycin (Benzaclin, Duac); antibacterials include sulfacetamide (Klaron) and azelaic acid (Azelex). Oral antibiotics include tetracycline, doxycycline, and minocycline. Oral contraceptives such as drospirenone/ethinyl estradiol (Yaz) are also prescribed in some cases. The drug isotretinoin (Accutane) is sometimes prescribed for very severe or resistant cases.

Retinoids can cause irritation and increased sensitivity to the sun. Antibiotics can also increase the likelihood of sunburn along with gastrointestinal upset. Birth control pills can cause digestive problems and headaches and increase your risk for several serious conditions (including heart attack and blood clots). Isotretinoin can cause muscle aches—and severe birth defects when taken by women who are pregnant. Here are some herbal alternatives:

Unless they’re battling acne or another skin condition, most people don’t pay much attention to their skin until it starts to show its age. In your thirties, your skin starts losing firmness and volume—and developing lines, wrinkles, and spots instead. And in most people, those telltale signs show up first—and most prominently—in their faces.

Doctors know that as much as 90 percent of what we once thought of as “normal” signs of aging is actually sun damage, or photoaging. Thus, prevention is key (see
Chapter 13
).

Dermatologists talk about ultraviolet (UV) radiation in terms of UVA and UVB rays. UVBs, which are shorter and don’t penetrate as far into the skin, are responsible for sunburns and tanning. UVAs, on the other hand, are longer and go deeper into the skin. UVA rays are the biggest culprits in photoaging and skin cancer.

Both types of UV radiation damage superficial skin cells and destroy the tiny blood vessels that supply nutrients to the skin. Sun exposure generates free radicals, which cause oxidation and play a role in both disease (cancer) and plain old aging.

Conventional medicine offers several pharmaceuticals and treatments to fight the effects of aging in skin. They include antioxidants like prescription tretinoin (Renova) and OTC retinol as well as vitamins C and E, moisturizers like propylene glycol, and exfoliating agents like glycolic acid. These products can improve skin texture and reduce the appearance of lines, but they can also cause skin reactions and increased sun sensitivity.

Conventional practitioners also use injectable wrinkle-fillers like hyalauronic acid (Restylane) and collagen and shots of
botulinium
toxin (Botox), which temporarily paralyze facial muscles. Potential side effects include pain and swelling (Botox can cause drooping eyelids or other unwanted paralysis). Herbal medicine offers a few alternatives:

In America, dieting may have replaced baseball as the national pastime. We spend more than $30 billion a year on weight loss supplements (more than a third of dieters have used them). But many people—more than 65 percent of adults at last count—struggle with weight, and most are unaware that plants, including herbs and spices they may already have in the cabinet, can hold the key to healthy eating and weight management.

At any moment in America, between 25 and 50 percent of us are on a diet. But we’re not making much progress: Our national waistline has been expanding over the past thirty years. Experts predict that 86 percent of adults will be overweight or obese by 2030, a situation that will cost the health care system more than $956 billion. Rates of obesity among adults doubled between 1980 and 2004, and have held steady ever since. Obesity is now recognized as a bona fide disease by experts everywhere, from the American Medical Association to the Internal Revenue Service.

To put it simply, you’re overweight if you weigh more than what’s considered healthy for someone of your height, and you’re obese if you have too much body fat.

Most doctors agree that having more than 30 percent body fat if you’re a woman (or 25 percent of you’re a man) means you’re obese. Another measurement is your body mass index (BMI), which is calculated using your height and weight: Having a BMI of 18.5 to 24.9 is considered normal, 25.0 to 29.9 is considered overweight, and anything over 30 is obese. To figure out yours, divide your weight in kilograms by your height in meters, squared. Or multiply your weight in pounds by 703, divide that number by your height in inches, then divide again by your height in inches.

In both men and women, obesity has been implicated in a host of health problems, including cardiovascular disease (CVD), osteoarthritis, and several types of cancer, as well as various kinds of disability (obese people are also more likely to die from any cause). For example, experts guess that 20 percent of all cancer deaths in women can be blamed on body weight.

The numbers on the scale and the BMI table aren’t your only concern. Storing fat in your midsection—having an “apple” instead of a “pear” shape—is a known risk factor for CVD and other health problems. In fact, the waist-to-hip ratio measurement is now considered more predictive of chronic health problems than BMI. Measure your waist at the navel and your hips at the widest point, then divide waist by hip measurement. A number that’s greater than 1.0 for men and 0.9 for women is considered high risk; 0.9 for men and 0.8 for women is considered average risk.

Obesity is also tied to disorders such as sleep apnea, which is a chronic condition that causes you to stop breathing for short periods of time during the night. Sleep apnea can cause daytime sleepiness and difficulty concentrating—and it’s also been linked to heart failure. Sleep apnea is significantly more common in people who are overweight.

Experts recommend eating a balance of carbohydrates, protein, and fat, with an emphasis on whole foods (vegetables and whole grains) instead of processed ones.

An adult should try to get 45 to 65 percent of the day’s total calories from carbohydrates (primarily complex carbs from fruits and veggies, not refined carbs as from sugary or highly processed foods), 20 to 35 percent from fats (mostly unsaturated plant oils instead of saturated animal fats), and 10 to 35 percent from protein. Carbs and protein deliver four calories per gram, and fat has nine calories per gram.

You also should aim for eating 14 grams of dietary fiber for every 1,000 calories you consume. Fiber is essential for healthy digestion and elimination.

At the most basic level, weight comes down to a simple equation: If the calories you take in through foods and beverages equal the calories your body expends through its essential metabolic processes and the physical activity you do, your weight will remain stable. If the calories in are greater than the calories out, you’ll gain weight. If they’re less, you’ll lose weight.

A calorie is a measure of energy. Technically speaking, it’s the amount of energy required to raise the temperature of one gram of water by one degree Centigrade. In terms of diet, the calorie is used to show how energy-dense a food is (how much potential energy it contains). The more calories a food contains, the more energy your body can get out of it. Your body breaks down food and gets its energy from it through the process of metabolism.

Your daily caloric needs are based on your gender, age, BMI, and activity levels. The average woman between thirty and fifty years old needs about 1,800 calories a day; a thirty-to-fifty-year-old man needs about 2,200. These are the recommendations for sedentary people—active people and athletes need more.

Unfortunately, most of us consume far more calories than we metabolize. All that extra energy is stored in the body as fat.

A pound of body weight represents 3,500 calories. It doesn’t matter where they come from—salads and turkey burgers or French fries and mayonnaise—when you’re talking about simple weight gain or loss.

By the same token, it doesn’t matter, at least in the short term, if you create your calorie deficit by exercising three hours a day and eating sensibly or by starving yourself and popping diet pills. But in the long run, you’ll be able to achieve and maintain a healthy weight only by combining nutritious and balanced meals with regular, vigorous exercise.

Thanks to the popularity of the Atkins and South Beach Diets, most of us have heard of the glycemic index, or GI. This is a measure of your body’s glucose (blood sugar) response to carbohydrate-heavy foods. High-GI carbs, such as sugars and highly processed grains, are digested quickly and create a rapid rise in glucose; low-GI carbs, such as whole grains and beans, are processed more slowly and produce a gradual blood-sugar increase. The more low-GI foods you eat, the lower the glycemic effect (GE) of your meal—and the more satisfied you’ll feel.

The glycemic effect is determined by several factors, including the amount of fiber (higher fiber equals lower GE), fat, and protein on your plate. Generally speaking, a higher GE means a higher BMI.

Another consideration is the thermic effect of food, or TEF
(thermogenesis
is the process by which the body generates energy—or “burns off” the calories you consume). Scientists estimate that TEF—the energy it takes for your body to digest the food you eat—represents about 10 percent of your daily calorie expenditure.

Thus, eating foods with the highest possible TEF means burning more calories without expending any extra effort. Research shows that protein has a TEF that’s as much as three times greater that carbohydrates or fat. Protein also produces greater satiety than other nutrients.

Of course, you can’t eat all protein—experts recommend getting between 10 and 35 percent of the day’s calories from protein. Thus, you’ve got to make your choices count.

Many herbs have centuries of safe and effective use behind them. Some are being incorporated into over-the-counter (OTC) products, and others can be used as single-herb treatments.

Prescription weight loss medications are reserved for people who have an increased risk of developing health problems because of their weight. That means people with a BMI of 30 or more, or people with a BMI of 27 or higher and an obesity-related condition such as hypertension (high blood pressure) or diabetes (see
Chapter 7
). These drugs are not supposed to be used for “cosmetic” weight loss, and they’re not for people who haven’t already tried the old-fashioned diet-and-exercise route.

Herbs, on the other hand, can be used safely and effectively by people with less weight to lose, and most work more gently to achieve the same weight loss effects, with fewer problems. Here are some to try: