What acupuncture + a carb-free diet does for you

Thoughts on the surprising lifestyle changes I experienced from a 3 week acupuncture program.

Fair warning: I do talk about needles in this post because I talk in detail about acupuncture. If you don’t love needles, maybe skip this one.

For the last 3 weeks, I’ve been going through an acupuncture program that includes acupuncture 3 times a week and following a carb-free, sugar-free, processed-food free, and low-fat diet. I was first recommended this program from a family friend—“It helped my acne a lot plus it’s great weight-loss system.” The skin comment was what drew me in (but I’d be lying if I said the weight-loss aspect didn’t perk my ears!)

I’ve been struggling with adult acne for just about 2.5 years now. Initially I thought that it was just my hormonal changes that was causing the flare ups so I got off birth control (I was on an IUD at the time) and gave my body time to stabilize. After about a year, it was clear that while yes, the acne did seem related to hormonal imbalance, my body should have stabilized from the birth control changes by then. Around the same time, I also started to question my relationship with stress and anxiety. That’s when things started to click into place.

I noticed that my acne worsened during tougher moments in my life. The reason I believed they are still hormone-related is because stress actually has a direct impact on our hormonal system, particularly in women. When we experience stress, our body releases cortisol, which can disrupt the delicate balance of other hormones like estrogen and progesterone. This can then lead to sebum production inflammation, and ultimately, acne breakouts.

The acupuncture program

Choosing acupuncture was a bit of an impulsive reach but I have seen a lot of improvements in other areas of my life when I’ve done acupuncture in the past so I decided why not—what do I have to lose?