The Hidden Cause of Acne: How Toxic Water Is Affecting Your Health and What You Can Do about It Kindle Edition

I'm flabbergasted. I've had acne for the last 30 years and seen several dermatologists. Not any of them gave me a clear explanation of why I had acne nor anything that really helped it (and now I realize that the medicines they gave me to put on my face probably did more harm than good). They also never gave me anything to treat the acne on other parts of my body. I had settled into a deep resignation that I would have acne for the rest of my life. I've had a successful social life but the acne took a toll on my self esteem.Recently I bought an expensive suit for a job interview and about the same time my face broke out so badly that a friend of mine said, "What's going on with your face?" I thought, "Why am I spending so much money to make my clothes look good when my face looks terrible?" Without any real hope I searched around the Internet looking for new theories of acne and after not finding any did a simple search on Amazon. Thank god this book showed up in my search and on a whim I decided to buy it.One month after putting into practice the recommendations in the book my acne is gone. Gone. I keep checking the mirror every morning to convince myself that it's real.I have two minor quibbles with the book. The author leans heavily on her own experience with acne to inform and substantiate her message and as a result my "anecdotal results radar" kept going off while I was reading it. I'd always much rather see the results of a well-designed scientific study than to hear about anyone's anecdotal results but when there isn't a relevant well-designed scientific study then you have to take what you can get. Fortunately I kept my mind open. My other quibble is that the author's writing style gets quite silly at times and I found myself judging it because what I really wanted was for the solution to be presented by a field of experts specialized in studying this problem (i.e., dermatologists) using sound science and communicating in a professional tone. Unfortunately (as the author brilliantly documents in the book) the field of experts has let us down and science has been executed in an embarrassingly unsound way. I can be judgmental all I want but at the end of the day what I care about most is results and the silly Ms. Gardner delivers the goods. My quibbles are minor and I'm left with nothing but gratitude and admiration for the author.

This book is INCREDIBLE and the author is a freakin genius!!!! Let me give you a back story about my acne because I always loved reading other people’s acne stories when I was suffering from heavy breakouts-- it gave me so much hope that my acne COULD be cured.I'm a 26 year old woman and I've had acne since I was 13 years old. I grew up in a family who all had acne- My dad and my 3 siblings (1 sister and 2 brothers). My dad, sister, and 2 brothers all went on Accutane to clear their skin. However, I tend to view things more holistically than my family does and the side effects from Accutane have always terrified me! Because I rejected Accutane, I spent years trying different methods to clear my skin, such as: antibiotics, birth controls, topicals, cleanses, diets. You name it, I tried it (Proactiv, Murad, Rodan and Fields, The Ordinary, probiotics, zinc, magnesium, bentonite clay, apple cider vinegar, liver cleanses, parasite cleanses, colonics, enemas, seeing naturopaths, homeopaths, multiple dermatologists, etc). And let’s not forget trying to cut out sugar, dairy, and gluten. Some of these methods worked for a few weeks, but none of them cured my acne 100% and most of them actually made my acne worse. I was miserable and felt like I was going insane trying to clear my skin.But throughout all the trial and error, I knew there HAD to be an answer for my acne and I was determined to find that answer. I knew there had to be a major missing piece from the puzzle, I just couldn’t figure out what the missing puzzle piece was.Enter this author. I discovered her blog about 9 months ago and it literally changed my life. I don’t exactly remember how I stumbled upon her blog but I AM SO GLAD I DID. She was the first person I’d come across who had EVER mentioned the concept of fluoride causing acne. I counted down the days until her book was released and once I finally received the book and read it, it was like my entire world changed. To realize that my acne was coming from the water I was drinking and from my toothpaste and from some of the foods I was consuming….IT.ALL.MADE.SENSE. This is why my acne had never cleared in the past. It doesn’t matter what products you put on your face or what cleanses you do. If you have acne and you’re still consuming fluoride, you’re still going to have acne.Fast forward to now, I have eliminated about 95% of the fluoride in my diet and my skin is perfectly clear. I am in control of my acne and I now know that if I break out, it’s from something I consumed. It’s not from genetics, it’s not from stress, it’s not from my hormones being out of whack, it’s not from me not washing my pillow cases or not washing my hands (as dermatologists would like you to believe). It’s from FLUORIDE.I never in a million years would have figured out that fluoride is the reason for acne. This book is an answered prayer and God bless the author. Anyone struggling with acne needs to read this book. Thank you Melissa!!

What a prolific book! I just finished it and I am so inspired by all of Melissa Gardner's hard work and wealth of knowledge that she has shared. Not only is this a disheartening expose, but one which resonated with me on such a personal level, as she basically tells my story, in telling hers. I have suffered from acne, hormonal issues, anxiety, and insomnia for most of my life. I grew up in LA, which has also been fluoridated my whole life, so I have never NOT been victimized by fluoridation. I have literally tried everything to heal my health issues and acne, to no avail. I should also note that I am a health practitioner (Licensed Acupuncturist, Massage Therapist, and Holistic Nutritionist) and none of the modalities or knowledge I have, have ever helped to health my maladies. Now I know why! It's the freaking poisonous water and toxic halides in our food and environment! While reading her book, I began implementing the tools, steps, and removal of fluoride from my life, and I can honestly say, I am already noticing a positive difference in my health issues! I am concurrently following the iodine protocol as the adjunct therapy to removing fluoride (and bromide) and that is helping immensely as well. I am so thrilled and grateful to have this powerful knowledge! Not only is it healing me and my loved ones, but since I am a health care provider, I will be looking for this issue in my patient's health histories and health complaints, while educating them as well. The title of the book was a draw for me, as acne is definitely one of my issues, but this book is for everyone-- those with acne and/or those with depression, insomnia, hormonal issues, thyroid issues, cancer, and more. So, basically everyone in the U.S. I am also so motivated to get involved politically as well. Read this book and reclaim your power!

Melissa Gallico’s book is very important - not just to those suffering with acne but everyone. Written with the same depth of historical digging and revealing the underbelly of current policies as Nina Teicholz in Big Fat Surprise. Even though a smaller percentage of U.K. water is fluoridated, the chemical implications of chlorine, another halogen in the periodic table, are equally worrying. I recently started filtering my tapwater and using a filtered shower head and my acne is subsiding. I’ve also started taking a few drops of nascent iodine and the results have been startling. I’m no spring chicken - 46yo and have been battling acne for over 30yrs. This book holds a very important key. But that’s just how my body deals with contaminants - other people develop other health issues. Read this book. You won’t regret it.

I will be reading this again and again. So much information! A little heavy on the Disney musical references but still a very important book on fluoride and iodine.