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Archive for December, 2009
Drastic changes in temperature leads to drastic changes on our skin.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
posted by Rob 4:00 AM
Drastic changes in the temperature can have drastic changes on our skin, especially our lips and hands, and there are several way you can maintain healthy skin during the winter months. Here in Up-State, NY we have just experienced it being nearly 40 degrees one day, and the very next below zero. Kind of crazy, I know! When the weather changes like this we tend to notice that it is not only us who do not appreciate the freezing cold change, but our skin as well. Washing with handcrafted soaps that still contain all its natural glycerin, exfoliating on a weekly basis, applying body lotions, and using natural lip balms are all important applications for maintaining healthy and vibrant skin during the winter months.
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The skin plays very important roles in keeping our body protected and healthy. It is our body’s first line of defense in protecting it from invading bacteria. This is why it is important know what we put on our skin because of its permeability. This is one major reason why many consumers have been switching over to natural skin care products that are free from harmful chemicals. Just as it is important to put healthy products on your skin, is it just as important, if not more important, to put healthy foods on your plate. There are many foods that are great for the skin that could even prevent skin issues such as acne or even eczema.
Foods that are high in vitamin A, such as low fat dairy products or fruits like mangoes and papayas and vegetable like carrots are all high in vitamin A, which are high anti- oxidants, and help keep your skin looking young and healthy. Another great source of anti-oxidants is from blackberries, blueberries, strawberries and plums. It is important to incorporate Omega 3 into your diet as well, and the best source for this is in fish, Salmon in particular. Omega 3 fights inflammations that age the skin, can reduce acne and dry and flaky skin as well.
One last tip for healthy skin that you will not find in the cosmetic isle is water. Make sure to drink plenty of water, at least 8 glass’s a day. It is important to keep the skin hydrated for it to work properly in eliminating toxins from the body. Live well, shop smart, and be healthy!
I have always been suspicious of the use of microwaves. Like most things in life, if it is too good to be true it most likely is. How can this little box cook my food so fast and it still be healthy. What’s going on in there that accomplishes this amazing task? Sounds like a lot of radio-active stuff going on in there. I do admit I still use my microwave; however I try to limit the use as often as I can. The microwave is great for heating up my microwave heating pad, for when I have aches and pains, but really that is just about the only good thing I can think of. Yes, occasionally I do use it to heat up some leftovers but really want to wean myself off of this convenience.
I took my suspicion a little further and began to read up on the dangers of microwaves and found that they can be very harmful. If using a microwave you should never stand right in front of it, stand minimally 3 feet or leave the room until what it is you are microwaving is finished being “zapped”. Research is showing that microwaves disrupt cellular communication, impair immune functions, increase levels of bad cholesterol by raising levels of free radicals and can destroy human cells. Just because the food you’re cooking in the microwave is healthy does not mean that it is still safe and healthy. Minerals, vitamins and nutrients are reduced when cooked in a microwave, and also what you place your food in can be dangerous as well as plastics in microwaves can release toxic fumes that are also harmful.
Well I know that we live in a world today where time is money. We are all so busy, and have become so dependent on luxuries such as the microwave. I’m just curious to know what most people think about the microwave, if they believe the recent research that reveals these dangers to be true or not, and could they live without the microwave. Well could you?
If you were to tell me two years ago that you could tell the difference between using handmade soaps vs. synthetic soaps, I would not have believed you, nor would I really have even cared; soap is soap, right? No Way! It was not until washing with handmade soaps for a couple of years, that when forced to wash with a commercial soap, could I tell the difference. The commercial soaps leave my skin feeling dry and itchy. It’s as if my skin now knows that it really wants, and needs that natural glycerin and pure essential oils absorbing into the skin leaving it moist, clean and healthy. If you have not had the pleasure of enjoying this experience, do your skin a favor and give it a treat, by washing with a 100% chemical free, all natural hand crafted soap bar. A soap bar that contains no fragrance oils, just pure ingredients, like goat’s milk, pure essential oils and real herbs such as lavender, calendula, and rosemary. Not only will your skin be thanking you but the rest of your body as well. Having healthy skin effects your immune system also, increasing your overall health.
If you knew sun screen could be harmful, would you stop using it?
Thursday, December 24, 2009
posted by Rob 5:00 AM
When we think natural skin care; handmade soaps, shampoo’s, moisturizing creams, lotions, and salves, come to mind, however most of us do not consider what to put on our skin for protecting it from the sun, and just assume that all sun screens are safe. I just recently received a comment on an article I wrote on protecting your skin during the winter months; the comment stated that I forgot to mention, not to leave the house without applying sun block whether its winter, summer, rain or shine. With skin cancer at all time highs, it appears that by applying more and more sun block is the answer, or is it?
We do need Vitamin D, which our best source of this is from the sun, and it is said that Vitamin D actually helps prevent and treat many cancers such as lymphoma, lung, prostate, colon and skin cancer. So it is good to receive the right amount of sunlight each day, however it is important not to overdo it. We should receive about one hour of sun light per day, but it is recommend only going out for about 10-15 minutes early in the season slowly building up a tolerance, avoiding sun burn.
Remember our skin is permeable, what we put on it works its way in. Sun Screens are considered toxic chemicals and are applied all over the body at recommendations of every two hours or so. That is a lot of synthetic chemicals being absorbed into your body that could be affecting your system, increasing the risk of disease. Sun screens also blocks your skins ability to produce Vitamin D by over 95%, which is the very thing we need from the sun. Sun screens will not stop cancer and potentially could be increasing the chance, but changes in our diet could actually have more of an effect in causing skin cancer than the sun. In the past century our diets have changed considerably. A hundred years ago we consumed very little processed vegetable oil and today we consume over 70 pounds per year from the fats of corn oil, sunflower sesame that are 100% omega 6 fats. Research is showing that this increase in omega 6 fats does have an effect in skin cancer and we should reduce or avoid these oils and be sure to get plenty of omega 3 fats.
There are natural sun resistant ingredients such as Shea butter that can be found in products such as a natural lip balm, but the very best sun protection would be to wear a wide brim hat, long sleeve shirt and paints when forced to be in the sun for long periods of time, and to take breaks from the sun finding a shady spot if possible. It is important and healthy to enjoy the sun in moderation’s, and to avoid overuse if not no use at all of sun screens.
It is no mystery that the cosmetic and skin care industry is a multi-billion dollar industry. What is the very first thing you see when you walk into any department store? Right smack in the middle of the front entrance is typically where you will find every skin care brand imaginable, all promising to make you look young and feel great, at very costly prices. The funny thing to me is that one of the very best all-purposed skin care ingredients can be grown right in your own back yard, at a very low cost.
Calendula officinalis has been named by herbalist as the “mother of the skin.” This plant is from the marigold family and can be easily grown throughout North America and Europe. Calendula has a track record for over 1,000 year as having many medicinal properties. When shopping for natural skin care, make sure to look for calendula creams or soaps and salves that have this wonderful herb as an ingredient. Not only does Calendula offer medicinal and culinary properties, but is most recognized for its effectiveness in treating skin problems, such as wounds, burns, insect bites, eczema, shingles and skin ulcers to name a few. This wonderful herb can be taken both internally and externally. Calendula is used in salads, and to spice up meats and salads and can be made in to a tea, and externally Calendula is used in lotions, creams, handmade soaps, and refined oils.
Are anti-bacterial products that contain Triclosan in them Safe?
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
posted by Rob 5:00 AM
I had just recently read an interesting article from the folks at beyond pesticides as I was researching the chemical Triclosan which is commonly found in over 700 household products containing antibacterial properties. Triclosan is also known as Irgasan and Microban. The article mentions of an independent study a group of girl scouts conducted in St. Paul Minnesota for a science project fair. The girls grew their own bacteria and tried to kill it with Triclosan, and found that the bacteria actually started to grow. This two year study has led the girls to believe that because it did not actually kill the bacteria, that anti-bacterial products with Triclosan in them could actually create Super Germs. The girls also met with local law makers who submitted a bill in effort to ban the use of Triclosan.
The girls also found that though anti-bacterial soap can kill 99.6 % of germs, regular soap can kill 99.4% of germs. Other studies have been conducted as well of hundreds of households who do use anti-bacterial soaps and those who do not, and there was no decrease in colds, or any sickness.
Triclosan has been classified by the (EPA) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) as a health and environmental danger. Studies that have been finding Triclosan in 3 out of 5 human breast milk samples shows that this chemical does work its way in to our bodies. Triclosan has been linked to dioxins which are carcinogenic chemical that cause cancer as well as many other health problems such as birth defects, decreased fertility, and a weakened immune system. Also Triclosan has been reported to react with chlorine molecules in tap water, forming chlorinated dioxins which are harmful as well.
I know this is crazy, and you may be asking yourself; what do I do? Well according to the girls study and many others, regular soap kills nearly the same amount of germs as does the anti-bacterial ones do. Also there are some essential oils that are commonly found in handmade soaps such as Tee Tree oil, and grapefruit seed extract that have antimicrobial properties in them. Most importantly we should wash our hands often, lathering the soap for a good 10-15 seconds and rinsing in warm water drying with a clean dry towel.
A great homemade gift idea for the holiday season.
Monday, December 21, 2009
posted by Barbara 5:00 AM
If you are wanting to save money this Christmas and make your own Christmas gifts, or bless someone with a practical handcrafted gift, the pamper pouches have been a big hit. Most people will have no idea what they are at first, like my son. I had put a pamper pouch that I made, under the tree for him a couple of year ago, and he uses it all the time. I had to explain to him what it was at first, and how to use it. He tells me today that he thinks they are great, and that he uses them all the time, whether it’s a severe headache, back or knee ache. They retain heat for long periods of time due to the high oil content in the flax seed, and unlike ice packs that are frozen into awkward shapes, or bags of ice that leak , the pamper pouch very easily takes shape to the area that your are icing. These pouches can be used for cold and hot therapy and when I gift someone with these pouches I will give them two; one to keep stored in the freezer and one to have available to throw in the microwave.
The absolute best natural soap bar combo I think would have to be the natural sea sponge soap bar. I had first seen this when I was fishing in Florida just outside of Tampa, near Tarpon Springs, which is where a very large amount of the worlds natural sea sponges come from. Just so that you know sponge’s divers are not at all destroying the coral reef but actually improving it. Sponges are harvested by incorporating crop rotations, and where divers have cut back the sponges within a couple of year’s time have grown back even thicker and healthier than before. Nature also contributes to the regeneration of sponges by naturally removing and replacing sponges from underwater currents and tides.
These sponges are such a wonderful gift, they have no harmful chemicals in them, they are safe and gentle to use on the skin, they last a lot longer then commercial sponges, having natural enzymes in them that help prohibit the growth of mold, bacteria, and mildew. When you take a natural sponge as soft and silky as the sea wool sponge, and combine it with a natural goat milk soap bar, you have just created the ultimate bathing device for not just your children but for you as well. I think everyone would enjoy bathing with one of these soap bars. The soap is mild and full of glycerin, which is moisturizing your skin and the sponge is very soft and gently exfoliates the skin as well.
There are many natural skin care products on the market today, but one thing that is just as important as to finding natural products that work for you is water. Yes, water plays a very important role in the overall health of your skin and your body. The skin eliminates toxins from the body, but cannot do this properly when the skin is not hydrated, and the pores are not free from being blocked by dead skin cells, dirt and oil. Also when the body is dehydrated other skin and health issue can occur like severe acne, constant fatigue, muscle soreness, and could even be as severe as to affecting your kidneys.
How does one know if they are dehydrated? Well one way to tell is by the color of your urine. If it is a pale yellow or a clear color you are not dehydrated, but if it is a yellow or gold color and has an unpleasant smell you are most likely dehydrated. Keep in mind that some vitamins like B- complex can make your urine a gold color as well, which is not a sign of dehydration; however we should all drink between 8-10 glasses of water per day. By just breathing our lungs will expel 3-4 cups of water a day. It is good to keep in mind those 8-10 glasses of water are needed, but if you are very active, whether it be exercise, sports, or work; to drink even more than the 8 to 10 glasses. The more the body sweats the more we need to replenish. Are you drinking enough water?