“Acne is not a disease to be treated. It is a message to be heard. Our role is to stop and listen.”
-Melissa Gallico, The Hidden Cause of Acne
There’s a new book that I’m excited to share with you! It’s called The Hidden Cause of Acne: How Toxic Water is Affecting Your Health and What You Can Do About It.
This book is about two things. First, it’s about the corrupt science that has led to the widespread use of fluoride here in North America. The author, Melissa Gallico, makes a compelling case for how a lifetime of exposure to fluoridated water, foods, and dental products affect human health and can lead to much more than just acne, like the symptoms of other illnesses such as fibromyalgia and depression.
This book is also a highly personal account of fighting back against adult acne, and winning. In this way, it’s easy to identify with if you’ve ever dealt with the frustration of acne. Gallico keenly chronicles the indignities incurred by acne sufferers and the sometimes worthless “help” from the mainstream medical establishment. For instance:
Have you ever been told by a derm that you should stop touching your face with dirty hands to cure your skin? (Geez, thanks doc, glad to know you think I’m both filthy and lacking in self control.) Or have you ever been obtusely informed that the inflammation and blemishes on your face have absolutely nothing to do with your diet or environment?
If today’s mainstream medical establishment understood acne as well as they pretend to, adult acne simply wouldn’t be the epidemic it is today. Because of this, I’m glad Gallico has added her illuminating perspective to the conversation.
Who should read this book?
I recommend this book if you are:
- A dermatologist
- A holistic health or functional medicine professional
- A public health specialist (this story goes far beyond acne, believe me)
- Anyone interested in how an industry’s self-serving priorities can seriously influence science and lead to flawed public health initiatives
And most of all…
- A frustrated and fed-up acne sufferer who has tried everything and can’t seem to get rid of those blemishes!
Although I doubt this book contains The Cure for every single individual with acne, this book provides valuable insight to underlying causes of acne and other chronic conditions.
An unlikely author
Gallico isn’t your typical skincare guru. A former military intelligence officer and FBI intelligence specialist, Gallico has also instructed classes for FBI analysts at Quantico. She’s a bonafide badass!
Her training as an intelligence analyst has allowed her to do what a dermatologist, research scientist, or a public policy talking head would be unlikely to accomplish. She leaves no stone unturned, questioning long-held assumptions that today’s medical and public health leaders have inherited from previous generations. She presents the science in a way that an expert can respect, but a layperson can understand.
She is more than an educator, however. In this book, Gallico’s encouraging voice feels like a (very, very smart) best friend who’s encouraging you to not give up on finding a way out of acne. She writes, “The government’s policy has been that industrial chemicals are innocent until proven guilty, but that doesn’t mean it has to be our policy too.” She wants to give you the tools and information so you can find true healing.
Gallico is the voice we need. She doesn’t speak from some ivory tower down to us mere acne-ridden mortals. No—she speaks with humor, clarity, and compassion as one who has also faced the indignation of adult acne.
Where to Purchase
You can find the book on Amazon for $14. Get it here.
