Birth Control Pills May Also Ease Acne

Q. You recently ran a question about a teenage girl with acne. Nothing the dermatologist prescribed had worked and her mother refused to consider birth control pills for her.
My heart goes out to her. I too have suffered with acne my whole life, starting when I was 10 years old. I am now 35.
My parents took me to dermatologists who prescribed pills and creams; we changed my diet; we tried sun exposure and no sun exposure. They kept trying because they knew my self-esteem was suffering. Acne makes you feel ugly.
At the age of 16 I saw a gynecologist who suggested birth control pills. I was raised strict Irish-Catholic, but Mom was open to anything that might help me. Within two months of starting birth control pills, my skin was considerably better!
I am one of those people whose body loves the pills. As soon as I stop taking them, my skin starts to break out. I hope my experience will help convince that mother that birth control pills could be the magic she wants for her daughter.
A. When all else fails birth control pills can be helpful. The hormones counteract testosterone. Yes, young women make this male hormone too. Not every woman tolerates oral contraceptives as well as you do, but doctors frequently prescribe them for hard-to-treat acne.
Q. I have taken Lipitor, Zocor, Lescol, and most recently Crestor. They all cause severe muscle and joint pain as well as loss of memory. Now my doctor wants to switch me to niacin (Niaspan) to lower my cholesterol. Will this really work and is it safe?
A. Long before statins like Lipitor or Zocor came along, doctors prescribed niacin (vitamin B3) to lower cholesterol. It can be quite effective, as this reader discovered:
“I had double bypass years ago and went on Zocor. It was very effective in reducing my total cholesterol, but I had to stop it because I needed to take Gleevec for cancer.
“I have been taking Niaspan instead. My total cholesterol is lower than it was on Zocor. My HDL is significantly higher and my triglycerides are much lower with Niaspan.”
Low triglycerides and high HDL cholesterol are beneficial. Niacin may achieve these goals better than other drugs, but it can cause annoying flushing. Because niacin may affect the liver, it requires medical monitoring.
We are sending you our Guides to Heart Health and Cholesterol-Lowering Drugs for more information on natural approaches, as well as benefits and risks of medications. Anyone who would like a copy, please send $3 in check or money order with a long (no. 10) stamped (60 cents), self-addressed envelope:
Graedons’ People’s Pharmacy, No. CL-75, P. O. Box 52027, Durham, NC 27717-2027.
Q. I have used Chap Stick on my hands for paper cuts and hang nails for almost 40 years. It also helps heal minor cuts and abrasions.
I wrote to the company once with that finding, and they sent me two tubes and a “thanks.”
A. We thank you, too. Because this product is designed to stay put on lips, it should stay put on hands as well. The petrolatum base should help moisturize skin.
Q. I’ve been taking Ambien nearly every night for insomnia. My doctor has just given me some samples of Sonata. What are the advantages of this drug?
A. Sonata is very short acting, so a person who wakes in the wee hours with at least four hours to go before rising can use the medicine to get back to sleep. Ambien