Meds

Many years ago, I suffered with a bout of adult acne. My GP at the time - a Creationist, no less - told me that there was nothing to be done but wait for it to exhaust itself, which might take ten years. 

Well, I tried all sorts, hoping to find a cause. And almost everything I tried seemed to work at first but then, after a couple of weeks, it would return. If only one could bottle the placebo effect!

Speaking of placebo, for a while I saw a nutritionist, but I gave up on her when she suggested I try a couple of homeopathic remedies, which thoroughly undermined my confidence in her.

And yet there are many remedies that one doesn't really hear about, presumably because pharmaceutical companies can't make money from them. My two favourites are hemp oil and turmeric, the latter of which seems to be very effective at keeping gout at bay.

But I do try other things from time to time, usually in the pursuit of something (other than wine) that might ensure a good night's sleep. Magnesium glycerinate is the latest candidate. 

Oh, and as to the acne: I was at a consultation with my then wife, when the surgeon turned from the examination and asked why I didn't do something about my acne. 

I told him that I'd been told there was no way of treating it. "Nonsense" he replied. One short course of antibiotics and it was gone.