Dear doctor,

I'm so embarrassed and I don't want to go to school because I have a lot of pimples especially on my cheeks, nose, and neck. I went to so many clinics and they were better for a while, but after I stopped seeing the doctor they popped up again.

My friends told me these clinics are trying to make their patients get stuck with them. Is it true? I started to agree with them after the pimples popped up when I stopped using their products and face wash. Do you think it will be harmful if I continue with these acne clinics?

Why do I have so many pimples? What should I do? Are there any natural solutions? I don't want to use the products from clinics. Please answer my letter in POP. My friends also want to know about this.

Pimple is a very annoying thing for teenagers, but it can also occur with adults. The main factor of pimple is the amount of sex hormone which stimulates more fat production of the skin (sebum). This is why pimples usually appear with the part of skin that produces a lot of fat such as face, breast, and back. However, the more important factor is food as "we are what we eat." Though we can hardly control the sex hormone, we can control the food we eat.

One thing we need to know is that there are often so many chemical substances in food that some of them are not even deserved to be called food. Yet, our new generations still favor these kinds of food because of their attractive look from synthetic colors, smells, and monosodium glutamate. These substances are in readymade food such as soda pop, instant noodle, snacks, sausage, hot dog, and hamburger which have the same taste all over the world as the copyright's owners order their franchises to use the same substances.

Many researchers in Britain have pointed out that in each day the British consume 1,000 kinds of chemicals in food which can be counted as 10 tablets of aspirin.

Think of the health education that you studied when you were young. There are only 5 groups of essential food. Therefore, synthetic colors and smells, monosodium glutamate, and borax are not needed as they have no advantages for the body. They are like garbage. Moreover, when they are taken into the body, the body have to work hard in order to get rid of them. The two important organs for this elimination are liver and kidney. The kidney works as a filter driving out the useless substances through urine. On the other hand, the liver uses enzyme to make a chemical reaction called oxidation to drive away the toxin. Then, the undesirable substance called oxidant from the process of oxidation destroys the cells of the whole body making our health weaken. If they are accumulated and the body can't eradicate them in time, they will pop up everywhere including on the skin. This is one of the causes of pimple. Thus, food with beautifying substances that are not needed are called "junk food". You have to stop eating these foods if you want to minimize pimples.

Pimples can also be aggravated by milk and dairy products. We have to know that the cells in the body receive food from capillaries which are very small. The cells will be healthy if the blood in blood vessels flows conveniently. When we eat foods that create mucus, they will be digested slowly, thus, suspending in the blood vessels and between cells or accumulating in some parts of the body waiting to be eliminated. Milk which has always been advertised as nutritious product actually creates a lot of mucus. In the old days, the European housewives made use of milk as a glue to repair shoes or stick something on the wall. They boiled it down until it became starch paste and kept it for these works. Likewise, when we drink milk it will be sticky and hard to get rid of, thus, popping up at the sebaceous gland of the skin. This is why we always see teenagers who like to drink milk, eat butter or chocolate have a lot of pimples more than usual. This leads to the more serious diseases such as allergy, sinusitis, and breast cancer. For more information please read "Women's health - Milk, true friend or enemy?" and "Pimples and Naturopathy" by Ruamtas printing house.

How to treat pimples with naturopathy?

First, stay away from junk food, milk, yogurt, sour milk, and ice-cream. This will probably make many of you daunted because they are all your favorites. Ask yourself whether you want to look good or not. Some people followed this rule for only 1-2 months and they got better.

Second, fast in the right way. Though the liver can decompose free radicals, it needs to take a rest. If we eat without choosing, the liver will have to work hard and unable to get rid of the bad substances in time. Therefore, we should eat little for some times so that the liver can clear those substances. This method is called "detoxification".

Fasting can be divided into 2 methods:

1. Cancel dinner- after lunch, promise yourself not to have dinner. This method is not harmful at all and it is also one of the eight commandments suggested by the Buddha. Anybody who had been ordained or practiced Dharma must have experienced this before. Fasting can not only provide a peace of mind but also health care as well. You can start with juice if you can't really fast but it has to be fresh such as orange juice, etc. During this period, don't do any activities which require much energy like going to a concert as you can be easily faint. Do this for 3 days. If you can handle it, go on for 4 more days. If you can't, try again next week.

2. Fast all day once a week- when you complete the first step, choose a holiday (maybe Saturday) and tell yourself you're not going to eat anything especially meats, fats, and carbohydrate for 24 hours. Here is what you should do: in the morning, have light breakfast such as a glass of orange juice and a dish of papaya. After that, eat only papaya when you feel hungry until you go to bed. For people who dislike papaya you can choose another kind of fruits like guava or apple. For the day after, just eat normally. Please note that durian will not do as it is too sweet and contains high calories.

For the 6 days left, have only 2 meals (breakfast and lunch). Then, fast again on Saturday. Try to do this for 2 weeks and notice the result. For the first week, you will probably feel weak and tired all over the body. Some people may find more pimples pop up. Don't be panic because you are in the state of driving away the toxin. Just drink juice when you feel weak. When you reach the second week, the pimples will get better.

This method can not only eliminate toxin and cure pimples but also heal allergy and help to loss weight as well. However, this is not suitable for children and pregnant women. Teenagers and diabetes patients should not do it for more than 2 weeks. If you want to do it longer than that you will need to consult the naturopathic doctor.

Nevertheless, young people should ask a permission from your parents first. If they agree, you may probably persuade your mother to do it with you so that she can have a slim body too.