Ryan Cormney

Hello to all,

This is my first post and I'm glad I found such a great group of people who can hopefully shed some light on the mystery of my chin. I've been a vegan for 8months and experienced a one minor set back, which I've been investigating for the last few months. My switch to a plant based diet was easy, but I chose to take it further to a raw food diet(in June until August) and that's when my chin began to break out on either side, but not with pimples, something a little different. I also lost a lot of weight dropping down to around 135(guessing b/c I never weigh myself anymore). This was pretty thin, considering I'm about 6'3". I tried to put on some weight, during the two months that I was eating raw foods(about 90%), but nothing stuck to me.

I felt better than ever, but the chin thing really concerned me. I really want to get back to the raw food diet, but I need a little guidance. I may have an over active thyroid(b/c even when I used to eat the standard fat and cheese American diet, I only weighed around 165). Or my calorie intake was way below my expenditures. Anybody have any favorite high calorie raw food recipes for food and/or drinks?

Unfortunately, I switched back to a predominantly cooked diet and my chin still hasn't cleared up. My first hypothesis was detoxification(likely a factor during my raw food diet), my second was a new allergic response(possible, but the breakout occurred after almost everything I ate), my third hypo was overacidity b/c my chin would break out more after eating and burn until I would wash it, and my latest hypo is that my intestinal flora is off producing metabolic wastes that irritate my chin. I've been taking golden seal and echinacea root for the past week and I've noticed a considerable improvement in the condition, but still the breakout continues...I also have taken L. acidophilus for the last few days to see if this will help.

question: Has anyone else experienced such a response, and/or has anyone come across info showing that certain bacteria in the G.I. tract can cause a break out of this sort(not clogged pores, but more like acidic wastes causing the irritation)? I can feel what I think to be lymph nodes on either side of my chin that are full of fluids(deep under my skin) that produce white tops(pus) after I eat(varies in degree). I also think complex carbohydrates make the condition worse. I'm cutting the majority of those out as of now(mainly breads, and pastas).

I've read various sources along the way and tried many different things, but I think the herbs are working out. I did a juice fast(during my raw food days) that cleared it up, but the problem reoccurred almost immediately after I starting eating again(all raw). This is what lead me to believe that the acidity was secondary to the source of the problem.

I feel like this is a strange way to introduce myself so I'll say a little more about what I'm up to outside of experimenting on myself. I'm a first yr. med student at San Antonio(just moved from L.A.), who is much more interested in the Holistic approach to med. I plan to use my M.D. as a background in diagnosis, but I will stress nutrition(a raw food diet once I figure it out), lifestyle, and natural ways of healing in my future practice. I'm an active member of PCRM, and I'm working to get a greater emphasis on nutrition, preventive med., and the holistic aspects of healing here in S.A.

My girlfriend and I have been hosting weekly vegan dinners that have been a great success, increasing the awareness of my fellow med students and a few other locals(15 people at the last one). Hopefully, we'll be able to host raw food dinners in the future.

I just started a recycling program for my apartment complex. S.A.'s environmental awareness is well below par.

Aside from all this, I find some time to study, which I must get back to....

Any comments are greatly appreciated and I hope I may help others in the future,

Ryan

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