DR. WALLACE: No lectures please; just answer my question. If you don't choose to answer it, I won't be offended. I'm hanging around with a group of guys who are into alcohol. I, too, have started to drink, but the guys never put pressure on me to join them when they have a few cold ones. Since I'm new at drinking, it doesn't take a lot of alcohol to get me high.
Since my parents are nondrinkers, I don't want them to know that their 17-year-old son is drinking. When I do drink too much, what is the fastest way to become sober? Hot coffee just doesn't work for me. — Nameless, Portland, Ore.
NAMELESS: Cold showers have the same affect as hot coffee as a remedy for intoxication 00 none at all. There are no remedies. Time, and time alone, will return an intoxicated person to a state of sobriety. The amount of time it takes depends on how much you drink and how much you weigh.
This is not a lecture, just a few words of friendly advice. Alcohol, as you know, is highly potent and can become addictive. The number of deaths and injuries, devastated families and wasted money, for which it bears responsibility, is staggering.
Also be aware that if the drinker becomes an alcoholic, he or she is an alcoholic for life. There is no cure for the disease called alcoholism.
I'm not sure that you will take my advice to make friends with guys who don't drink, but continuing to consume alcohol is a one-way ticket to trouble!
GRANDMOTHERS USUALLY HAVE THE CORRECT ANSWER
DR. WALLACE: I'm 14 and have a clear complexion. I always thought one of the reasons for this is that I never eat French fries, chocolate or ice cream. But my best friend's mother said the food you eat, even junk food, has nothing to do with skin blemishes. My mom says this lady doesn't know what she's talking about. But when I asked my grandmother about this, she agreed with my friend's mother.
What's the scoop? I actually like French fries and ice cream.— Trudy, Seattle, Wash.
TRUDY: I'm probably asked this question more than any other: "Are pimples and acne caused by ...?" (Fill in the junk food of your choice.)
My authority on complexion problems is Dr. Jeff Lauber, a Southern California dermatologist who says there is no evidence of a link between food and acne or any other skin disorder. High levels of iodine found in shellfish and some table salt may aggravate existing skin problems, but never cause them.
According to Dr. Lauber, acne is a condition caused when skin pores become clogged. The trouble usually begins (unfortunately) during the teen years, when the oil glands of the face, neck, chest or back region begin to over-secrete. The skin oil mixes with bacteria and dead skin cells, hardening inside the pores and forming a plug. Acne blemishes form from this buildup of oil and bacteria beneath the skin surface.
Medical research has developed drugs that have proven highly effective in suppressing acne. At the first sign of a complexion problem, a visit to a licensed dermatologist is a must.
Your grandmother has the correct answer, as grandmothers usually do. Still,
since you are not eating French fries and ice cream, keep it that way, or at least limit the amounts. They may not cause acne, but they're hardly healthy. You're much better off not eating them because of their high fat content.
Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from readers. Although he is unable to reply to all of them individually, he will answer as many as possible in this column. E-mail him at [email protected]. To find out more about Dr. Robert Wallace and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.
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