Saturday, April 26, 2008

De-Toxifying Your Experience

http://www.naturalnews.com/019434.html

Good Day Everyone,

Today I'm going to talk to you about detoxifying your life. As I've discussed in past blogs, the cumulative effect of toxins in our lives has made us sick to the breaking point. The most important way this is experienced is in the increased dis-eases in our immune systems. More and more folks are coming up with autoimmune diseases such as MS, fibromyalgia, etc. I am including a link to the book, The Hundred Year Lie, by Randall Fitzgerald, his site as well as a site from an interview with Mr. Fitzgerald in Natural News. Read them both, get the information and take action.

The first place you might notice a weakened immune systems is that you are getting colds and flu easily and they are lasting a longer time. A good cold now and again gives your immune system a good work out. Gets the gang going and pumps up their strengths. But when it takes too long to recover and you find a viral infection going into a bacterial infection and you need antibiotics, your immune system is compromised.

The immune system is the body's natural way of fighting dis-ease. It - the body - knows how to be well. But in these times, after a life time of Western culture and industry and medicine, we are experiencing something that no other culture has before: the build up and cumulative effect of toxins in the body which are weakening our immune systems.

These toxins are everywhere, of course. Toxins are in the water, in the soaps, in the foods, in the cosmetics, in the personal care products, in the upholstery, in the air.

So to begin to give your body and your immune system a break takes some deliberate thought and conscious attention. Take notes and then get busy cleaning up and limiting your exposure.
Toxins are synthetic chemicals that are used in just about everything from your food to your tires to "make life better." We'll skip that part, as it is a useless debate. We're getting sick and having a poorer quality of life as a result of the pervasiveness of these chemicals. Period.

So. First thing you need to do is go through the inventory of the foods you eat and as best you can switch over to organic and certified organic foods. And perhaps the other "first" thing you need to do is stop purchasing and consuming all prepared foods, packaged foods, processed foods as these almost assuredly have chemical preservatives. You want to go to whole, fresh and organic foods as much as possible and where ever possible.

Secondly, you must take an inventory of the personal care products you are using. I can tell you that unless you are using certified organic personal care products you ARE consuming more toxins. The worst of these are the preservatives and enhancers that are formulated into the products. The preservatives, of course, are placed there to give them a longer shelf life and to prevent the growth of mold and bacteria. The enhancers are really dangerous, as they open up the skin pores so that the chemicals can penetrate more deeply, and thus the absorption of the chemicals is more efficient into the body. This makes the product more 'effective'. Say no more.

Thirdly, you must look at the items around you in your environment: fabrics, cleaning products, laundry soap and dryer sheets, carpeting and floor coverings, paint and laminates. Anything NOT 100% natural is comprised of chemical alterations that impart to you and yours - the baby crawling on the floor. A side note here is that using all these anti-bacterial cleaning agents actually diminishes your immune system's ability to fight these bugs. Anti-bacterial soaps and cleaning products like too much antibiotics in the body debilitate your own body's ability to produce the required antibodies to naturally fight off sickness and remain well. Once you enter that abyss of antibiotics to get well, it's a hard road back to relying on your own body to do its job. This is where you will need to consume probiotics.

Fourth, you need to realize that it is the "synergy" of the chemicals that cause the havoc. All these free and loose chemicals coming in from such diverse directions into the body is akin to a chemical lab where there are uncontrolled reactions happening. Chemicals that shouldn't mix are being joined together in your body. For example: drinking a cola and eating Frito's creates benzenes in your body - carcinogens. So it's not just the single chemical from this and that, but the combinations and their reactions with resulting new chemicals within the body, as well.

Fifth, start using your good Common Sense. If it's not natural, it's probably not good for you.
But simply do the very best you can and STOP worrying about it. Just the chemical load that you consciously remove from your experience, your body will reward you with a giant sigh of relief and thanks for lightening the burden. Trust your body, because its natural state is well and balanced. It is always striving to regain that healthful balance. Always.

Sixth, and perhaps most importantly, is to rid your mind of toxic thoughts. Focus yourself on creative and life-giving images, ideas and activities. Cut loose toxic, negative people, news casts, thought forms and experiences. You don't have to consume those things into your mind, either.

Seventh, find trusted suppliers for all your consumptions: food, cosmetics, personal care products, water, clothes, carpet and ideas - including television shows, radio shows and newscasts, love and friendship. If it doesn't FEEL good, it's toxic.

Thanks for reading!


Kath

Friday, April 18, 2008

What's Lurking in Your Sunscreen?

Hello Everyone,

Just off the presses at Naturalnews.com are the latest findings regarding the threat to your health from your sunscreen.

Just today I was out in the garden planting a few veggies for later on this summer and found myself working up a sweat. Almost instantly I thought, perhaps I should get my hat on. The sun is hot even though it's only 72 degrees.

What the Center for Disease Control has related is that 97% of Americans are contaminated with
oxybenzone, a widely used chemical found in sunscreens. Oxybenzone is a penetration enhancer which is present to help other chemicals penetrate the skin. Thus far oxybenzone has been linked with allergies, hormone imbalances, low birth weight in babies whose mother's have used it. When exposed to sunlight, oxybenzone forms free radicals which cause aging and cancer. So the topical sunscreen you're using is actually promoting your skin's aging. How's that for irony.

Thanks once again to the Food and Drug Administration for being so watchful for us, once again.

Folks, you cannot count on "them" any longer, but you must begin trusting your own good sense and knowing.

Some brands that are known to contain oxybenzone are: Banana Boat, Hawaiian Tropic and Coppertone as well as many, many facial moisturizers.

Read those labels! And make sure you're using something that is absolutely pure, safe and beneficial from the get go. Cast your votes with your dollars.

Thanks for Reading!

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Healthy Skin Begins with Healthy Mind

http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/features/mind-skin-health-connection

Good Day All!

Here she goes again. I can just hear all the groaning going on out there. Well, just don't shoot the messenger. I am here to tell you that your internal state has a direct bearing on the health of your skin. In Psychology Today, Elaine Zablocki talks about the Mind-Skin-Health Connection. I've provided the link here so you can go and read for yourself the veracity of this phenomenon. http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/features/mind-skin-health-connection

This shouldn't be startling news to you. It's more like something you say to yourself, "easier said that done." True. But, none the less true. And today is a good day to change this, right now.

Where do you think all those wrinkles come from? Stress. I used to watch my Mom screw up her face in concentration. Always the same face, deepening those same lines. And my Dad would get the same lines when he got angry - deepening those lines over and over again.
I used to get hives, always when I was nervous or upset. The emotional condition inside has a direct bearing on the skin. Sometimes it's immediate; sometimes with practiced responses, over time the results are evident. Want more first hand evidence? I have had a set of twins in my life since the 4th grade. One twin is happy go lucky and handles things in an even way. The other twin is negative and greedy and mean. After I hadn't seen them for about 4 years, I chanced on them and was shocked. The first twin looked as lovely and twinkly as ever. The second twin looked like the witch in the Wizard of Oz - you know, the one the house fell on! Identical twins and their internal states of being were etched on their faces. One beautifully, the other hideously.
Both were choices. I might add here that the second twin has spent quite a fortune in plastic surgery in order to erase the damages of her "negative internal state."

It is imperative that one gets a handle on their emotional state. Perhaps your motivation is you want to look younger, get rid of that eczema, or you want to be beautiful at any age. I'm rooting for the last one; beauty at every age. But no matter what your motivation is, you will always be led back to your responsibility for managing your internal self.

In stress the human mind is believing something that it thinks is real. So we have a response in fear or anxiety or rage or whatever. This internal response to the external situation produces a chain of chemical reactions in the body. Repeatedly over a lifetime, this takes it toll. Since in this blog we're focused on skin care, we'll stick to that. So wrinkles, excessive flight or fight responses diminish the quality of the skin - elastic and suppleness. We tend to hold our breath, and deprive the skin of oxygen and nutrition. The skin begins to look sallow or dry. These are all responses to internal stress. And, overtime, they take their toll. Left unaddressed, the habituated pattern leaves its marks.

So, what to do? Well, make a decision to begin handling these mental ideas that cause you to respond with a stressful response (fear, shallow breathing, anger, etc.) to begin handling them, even seeing them with a different view. Instead of being afraid, I'll take a deep breath and remind myself that it's never over til it's over...and there's always more. I'll change my response to laughing. I'll be mindful when I'm in anxiety and take a giant break from what I'm pushing at.
I'll take my yoga practice into work or home or the board room.

Getting a handle on stress means you've decided to take a giant step towards being the deliberate designer of your own life and skin. Say yes to all the laugh lines. Bring on all the joy creases! Celebrate all the facial tracks of ecstasy. Point your intention towards giving up stress and embracing the adventures of life. You'll be gorgeous.

Thanks for reading!

Kath

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Whole Grains and Great Skin

http://thestar.com.my/health/story.asp?file=/2008/3/18/health/20404047&sec=health
http://www.clevelandclinic.org/health/health-info/docs/3300/3350.asp?index=11373

Hello Everyone,

Well, seems I can't escape this concept that beautiful, healthy skin is directly related to the food you eat. So we're going to continue to talk about healthy food today, specifically whole grains.

If you'll recall, I've stated in past blogs that the more processed your food is, the less nutrients are left in it for your body. Not only that, there are "fillers" added to processed foods that now makes it a "food product" rather than food. These fillers can be preservatives which are almost always toxic, not to mention just not good for you. I just don't understand how a commercial bread can contain over 30 ingredients. Back in the day, and even now, when I go to make a loaf of bread it has flour, eggs, milk, yeast, and maybe some oil or butter. Expanding on that I might add another flour, some seeds, but how to get it up to 30 ingredients is beyond me.

The whole idea of "no carbs" is probably one of the sickest ideas that has come down from the
eating disorders of America. Carbs provide some of the most vital nutrients for good skin, a good digestive tract and sustained energy. I'll say it again and will continue to do so over and over again, it is the processing that has caused us all the trouble - ill health and extra weight. Of course this means we ought to be leading a balanced life. Daily walks, take the stairs, park far away in the parking lot, don't move your car once you've parked it - walk to your other errands.
Go outside and play catch with your kid or your dog. Haul wood. Just move around in balance with the time you spend sitting.

While I'm on the soapbox, turn off the computer and the TV. Take an evening stroll. Enjoy the night sky. Think a quiet thought.

I've included two links at the top of this blog. Both will give you new evidence that whole grains are vital to healthy skin, strong elastin and general good health. One source is the Cleveland Clinic and the other a study that showed by eating whole grains, people not only lost weight, but they lost it around the middle and they experienced significant reduction in the inflammation in the arteries and capillaries - reducing risk of stroke and high blood pressure and heart disease.

My personal take on this: inflammation is resistance; resistance is your reaction to stress; when you eat something that tastes delicious and is full of LIFE and nutrients, you're reconnecting yourself back to God, Life, Source. And that folks, is home and where we all ought to be living each day, in intimate connection with Life.

So stop feeling guilty. Just insist on whole foods, whole grain (rice, barley, couscous, whole wheat, etc) and enjoy partaking in Life while watching your skin get healthier. It's all around a much happier way to , well, live.

Thanks for reading!

Kath