Do you have neck, back or shoulder pain while using Spironolactone for acne?  Read on to understand why and learn about other ways to get rid of acne while improving your overall health.

Here in Los Angeles I see a lot of adult patients taking Spironolactone for acne.  These patients are pleased with the results of this medicine, and have only come to see me because they have some sort of upper body pain or stiffness.  They may also mention incessant urination.  Often they do not associate these common side effects with their medication.  Spironolactone is an aldosterone antagonist and used to treat high blood pressure.  Aldosterone regulates how much water your kidneys filter out of the blood for discharge, acting as a diuretic. 

Traditional East Asian medicine has a very sophisticated lens for assessing fluid metabolism and the health of the blood.  Blood should not move too quickly nor be too static, and it should contain the right amount of “water” (fluids).  Healthy blood both nourishes muscles and contains the functional energy of the body, distributing it through the entire body the way sap distributes life function throughout a tree.  When the blood is deficient or dry, muscles can become stiff and dry.  The blood can no longer contain the life force so it no longer spreads healthily through the body but rather flares up into the upper body, causing headaches, pain, even hair loss!

Your local skilled acupuncturist and herbalist can address these imbalances.  More importantly, we can treat the acne so that you don’t need to go on the Spironolactone in the first place!  It is common to use beautiful flowers to treat acne because they are cooling and clear toxic heat.  Some common flowers we use are honey suckle (shown above), forsythia, and violet.  Beauty to beget beauty, what could be more magical?

Not only will you feel more radiant and be in less pain by using Traditional East Asian medicine to treat your illness, your long term health will benefit.  The health of the blood determines so much, even emotional wellbeing!  Issues with blood may go unnoticed until there are important hormonal shifts in the body, such as a viral illness or perimenopause.  

For someone who is considering a future pregnancy, this is also extremely important.  We prepare people for pregnancy by promoting healthy fluid metabolism and harmonized blood.  Diuretics disrupt these mechanisms. Acupuncture and herbs regulate these symptoms so that your symptoms resolve, and your body is at peak fertility.