Can Banning Bananas Banish Blemishes?

Q. I was having problems with acne on my face and head. It seemed to keep coming back in the same spot and getting worse every day.

I stopped eating some of my usual foods for two weeks at a time. When I gave up eating bananas, every pimple on my face and scalp went away completely! Six months later, I’m still pimple-free. So what happened?

A. Decades ago, teenagers with acne were told to avoid burgers, chocolate, shakes and fries to keep their faces clear. The idea of staying away from fatty foods was later discredited, and most dermatologists will tell you diet has no impact on acne.

A study of people living in non-industrial societies suggests that may not be quite true. Dermatologists found fewer blemishes among people eating a low-carb diet that does not raise blood sugar quickly (Archives of Dermatology, Dec. 2002).

Bananas rank in the middle of the glycemic index, a measure of how quickly blood sugar rises in response to a food. We don’t know whether anyone else would benefit from avoiding bananas, but we’re glad your experience was fruitful.

Q. I am a registered pharmacist and use and recommend garlic for many ailments. My question is, since sulfur is one of the primary constituents, will it cause an allergic reaction in people with sulfa allergy?

A. It’s easy to understand how people might confuse sulfa with sulfur because the names are so similar. Sulfur is an element and is found in many foods. It is essential for good health and is the eighth most common element in the human body.

Sulfa is the designation for sulfonamide drugs such as the antibiotic sulfamethoxazole. Many people develop allergies to such medicines and may experience rash, fever or even trouble breathing. This reaction is not caused by sulfur, so there should be no need to worry about using garlic.

Q. My 86-year-old father suffered with severe heartburn for nearly 2 years. It would wake him in the middle of the night and cause him all sorts of trouble. Endoscopy ruled out other causes, so his doctor prescribed various heartburn medications, to no avail.

Finally an old friend of his asked him if he'd been drinking hot chocolate. Sure enough, he'd been having it every day. He never dreamed that something he drank in the morning would give him trouble at night. But that was it!

He gave up the hot chocolate and no more problems. His friend had a similar experience. I hope this information might help someone else experiencing unexplained heartburn.

A. Cocoa and chocolate relax the ring of muscle that separates the stomach from the esophagus. This may allow stomach contents to splash back into the food tube and cause irritation and heartburn.

People who are sensitive to heartburn may need to avoid cocoa and chocolate, not to mention several other culprits such as soft drinks and coffee. We are sending you our Guide to Digestive Disorders with a discussion of foods to avoid and many other strategies to relieve heartburn. Anyone who would like a copy, please send $2 in check or money order with a long (no. 10) stamped (63 cents), self-addressed envelope: Graedons' People's Pharmacy, No. G-3, P. O. Box 52027, Durham, NC 27717-2027. It can also be downloaded for $2 from the Website: www.peoplespharmacy.com.