Dear Inferno,

I also struggled (and sometimes still get flareups - I'm now 25) with acne from a very young age. I tried everything as you have. I was so frustrated with derms. You are right, the idea that food doesn't affect acne is complete balogna. Here is something I learned recently about my own acne.

First of all, I think it's important to realize, as you seem to already have, that acne is a symptom of an internal problem, so treating it topically doesn't get to the root cause although it may work temporarily as a kind of superficial fix (such as the young man who was successful with goldenseal, although of course, I don't know anything else about his story). I was told by my naturopath that my acne was the result of having a sensitivity to 'stimulants,' which consist of spices (really anything you find in the spice section such as cinnamon, cloves, black pepper, cumin, oregano, turmeric etc..), onions and garlic, caffeine (including chocolate!), and alcohol. It made sense to me as my acne was at it's worst after I had spent 6 months studying abroad in India eating lots of these things every day, every meal. He explained to me that the liver and gallbladder are responsible for processing these things, and if they get overloaded, they will release excess toxins into the skin resulting in acne. I actually just asked a question about this in the "organs" section of the forum, as I was wondering if someone could explain the science for me, or if anyone else had experienced this.

I don't know if this is what is causing your acne, but perhaps you'll find it worth a try to cut these hard to cut things, out of your diet for awhile. My doctor also gave me some liver detoxing herbal supplements that include gentian root.

About candida, you need to cut the simple carbs out, or you'll never be successful. But that doesn't necessarily mean sacrificing your energy. Look to moderate amounts of complex carb cereal grains like amaranth or quinoa. BUT, a life saver for me, was COCONUT OIL. This stuff is AMAZING, and in my opinion, indispensible on a candida diet. As a runner, I felt so much better if I'd had some that morning as opposed to if I hadn't. It is made up of medium chain saturated fats which are readily converted into energy, and not stored as fat. Not to mention, it is packed with caprylic acid which is a candida grim reaper. Start with 1 tbs./day and work up to 3. The reason to start gradually is to buffer the effects of dieoff. Other powerful antifungals are goldenseal and oregano oil, but those are counter to the 'avoid spices' thing.

I know it's hard to avoid sweet cravings on the diet, look to stevia. It's an herbal sweetener that does not spike your blood sugar (or, extremely minimally), and therefore does not feed yeast. You can get it as a liquid extract, or in powder form. It's 30x sweeter than sugar, so you don't need much. Use it on berries (low sugar fruit), or complex cereal grains like amaranth. I like a breakfast of amaranth with coconut oil, ground almonds (another powerful candida fighter), a dash of vanilla extract, and stevia, Yum! Add cinnamon if you don't think you have the same liver/gall sensitivity that I do.

Anyway, hope that helped. Post again, I'd be eager to hear if you have any success.
Cheers and good luck!