Treatments for acne, especially those found in private dermatologist center can literally cost a huge chunk of someone’s monthly salary. Because having acne on the face affects one’s self confidence so deeply, those who could not find help in various expensive over-the-counter medication and supplements have no choice to be resort to these centers as the last resort.
Many skin products that seemed to be effective in treating acne would probably contained chemicals like steroids, which is detrimental to the body’s health.
If there is a free alternative, effective but tough to implement, I wonder if anyone’s willing to try it?
Based on a recent book that I am reading, called Your Body Believes Every Word You Say by Barbara Hoberman Levine, she offered some hope for acne sufferers through a research on the works of Dr Wallace C Ellerbroek. Below is an excerpt from her book (page 54- 55):
Dr Wallace C Ellerbroek was for many years a prominent California surgeon, psychiatrist, and amateur psycholinguist. After years of informal research and a formal research project using acne patients, he realized that diseases arises not so much of what happens to us but as a result of how we see things and the things that we tell ourselves. He once wrote: “It isn’t what happens that bugs you, it’s the things that you say in your head about what happens that makes all the machinery get messed up, and leads to varieties of diseases.”
Dr Ellerbroek tested his theory of disease on a group of thirty-eight acne patients, aged 13 to 46. Acne patients “pick at” their lesions and they frequently feel “picked on” in life. His patients generally interpreted anything they did not like as abuse aimed personally at them. His thesis was that the acne would improve if the “picked on” thought pattern and other contributory behavior be decreased or eliminated. He treated them with a combination of psychological and psycholinguistic therapy designed to change the patients’ thinking so that they no longer felt like victims. Based on subjective observations by himself and the patients, the results were excellent. Of the thirty-eight original patients, thirty were judged 80 percent improved within eight weeks. Over a longer period of time, more than half of the patients achieved clear skin. The remainder showed 80- 90 percent improvement.
As most of us would not have access to his method of treatment, there are things we can do to help ourselves:
1. Choose our friends carefully
Sometimes we may want to be seen in popular or cool gangs. Often, these groups have a member who acts like the “clown”- who is often picked on. The clown is probably us. We need to be honest and ask ourselves- is these people worth it? If we allowed ourselves to be picked on, aren’t we betraying ourselves?
Choosing friends who match our interests and have respect for us can help us increase our self-esteem and confidence. These friends can be ‘boring’ but they’re the ones who would be there when you are crying.
2. Don’t take criticism and direct speech too personally
A lot of people are born blunt and direct. And they do not know that. They have absolutely no idea that sometimes the words coming out of their mouth really hurts the feeling of others. Often, they don’t really mean what they say, and if you confront them later, they may even forgotten that they have said it.
A saying from an ancient master have always stuck on to me:
“Don’t believe everything you hear. If they say that you’re a dog, check to see for yourself if you’ve got a tail. If you don’t, then they’re wrong.”
In things that I’ve chosen to do in life, I have received a lot of scolding and discouragement from even those people close to me. Yet, I’ve learned over the years not to take it personally- because if I do, their words would dictate and rule my life. If I can do it, I am sure you can too….it just take practice 🙂
3. Read self help and positive motivational books
They are many good self-help books in the market that can help broaden your mind and guide you towards that change. A good book definitely cost less than a branded dermatological cream. But beware- there are equally a lot of so called self-help books in the market that are written from the perspective of a ‘victim mentality’. Don’t buy these books- you may end up worst than before.
Books that revolves around the theme of changing within, that we should not blame others and be accountable for everything are the ones that you can get.
