Ayurvedic Approach to Treat Acne and Other Skin Disorders!!!!

Acne is one of the most common skin disorders. Adolescent acne typically begins at puberty, when there is a rise in testosterone. This time period marks the end of the kapha stage of life, childhood, and the beginning of the pitta stage of life, adulthood. The hormonal changes and emotional energies of adolescence result in a rise in pitta dosha, creating pitta-type imbalances, such as acne. Acne can also happen later in adulthood and is typically caused by hormonal shifts, ama or toxins in the body, and/or emotional stress.

The skin works as an organ of elimination, naturally seeking to remove the excess pitta and toxins from the body. Psychologically, acne can have devastating effects on one's self-image, negatively affecting self-esteem and often leading to depression. Ayurveda offers simple remedies and a natural approach combining a healthful diet, herbs, lifestyle recommendations, pranayama, and meditation to help soothe the body and promote clear, healthy skin.

Diet:
Following a diet that consists of plenty of fresh organic fruits, vegetables, and grains and eliminating substances that increase pitta and ama formation are the most important ways to balance pitta dosha.
-Include foods that have cooling effect on our body such as green vegetables, basmati rice, tender coconut, cucumber, and cilantro.
-Aloe vera juice is a cooling bitter tonic for eliminating excess pitta from the body; try a half cup twice daily.
-Drink plenty of fresh water.
-Avoid hot spices, chili peppers, oily, fried, processed, or fermented foods.
-Limit alcohol, tobacco, and caffeine.

Lifestyle:
Here are some daily practices that can minimize the aggravation of pitta dosha and bring balance to the skin:
-Cleanse the skin twice daily - once in the morning and once before bed - with a gentle cleanser. Be mindful not to over-cleanse or scrub too hard. This can lead to an over-production of oil.
-Exercise regularly. Adopt a cooling practice of yoga or swimming. During warm months, try not to exercise during the pitta time of day (10am-2pm).
-Limit sun exposure. Try moon bathing to cool pitta's intense fire.
-Avoid hostile environments. Surround yourself with nice people who love you.
-Minimize emotions of anger and criticism. Find a way to release these emotions, such as yoga or meditation.
-Cultivate peace, patience, and tolerance to bring more joy into your life and help cool your temperament.

Herbs:
The Ayurvedic pharmacopoeia offers some wonderful herbs that help restore balance to the body and promote healthy, lustrous skin. Some of the effective blood purifying herbs includes Manjista, Neem, Turmeric, Guduchi, and Burdock. Triphala is known to support elimination, detoxification, and tonification of the gastrointestinal tract. When there is excess heat in the GI tract, Amalaki can be used to help cleanse natural toxins and eliminate excess pitta.

Ayurvedic herbs can also be used externally to support healthy skin. Neem is renowned for its actions as "antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and antifungal". It is extremely cooling in nature, making it "most effective in inflammatory skin conditions". Washing with Neem soap is ideal for oily skin, while Neem oil can be used for dry, inflamed skin.

Yoga:
Yoga helps to keep the channels of the body open to help move toxins out. Moon salutations can be a most beneficial exercise for calming and cooling pitta dosha. Boat and Bow asanas target the small intestine, an important seat of pitta dosha. Including a spinal twist in your practice massages the liver and spleen, organs of pitta. Forward bends are cooling in nature and bring a sensation of peace to the mind.

Meditation:
Sitting for meditation once or twice daily can ease anxiety about physical appearance, reduce emotional stress, and combat depression. The negative emotional factors associated with acne can lead to more ama in the body, creating a positive feedback system producing more acne. Meditation is a method of shifting those thoughts, by getting in touch with your true essence where beauty is more than skin-deep.

Pranayama:
'Shitali Pranayama', the cooling breath, is excellent for eliminating pitta from the body. The practice is as follows:

Sit comfortably. Curl or roll the sides of your tongue upward into a tube or "straw" for sucking in air. Inhale slowly through the rolled tongue, and then close the mouth and exhale through the nose. Practice for 15-20 rounds of breath.