The Problem with Parabens

As part of my all over detox I have been actively avoiding damaging products in skincare for a while now.  The most pervasive are definitely parabens. Nearly all mainstream skincare today uses parabens as preservatives. They are inexpensive and effective antibacterial preservatives but they are really bad for your health!

The United States has recognized the risk to humans from parabens so they have regulated the concentration allowed in each product - however the damage comes from continued use and the amount of products we use with parabens in them... even toothpaste and perfume often have parabens!

Luckily parabens are eliminated quickly from the body and become harmful only through daily exposure. Because they don’t stay in the body for long, avoiding them can lead to quick health benefits and limit any damage already done.  They have been linked to breast, skin and prostate cancer. Health risks include rashes, headaches, liver damage, kidney damage, and increased UVB-mediated DNA damage.  Parabens have a similar molecular structure to estrogen and easily penetrate the skin. The European Commission on Endocrine Disruption lists parabens as a category 1 substance, shown to be an endocrine disruptor.

One of the biggest concerns about parabens is the fact that they are found concentrated amounts in breast cancer tissue. Some breast cancer are estrogen sensitive, and with parabens upsetting the bodies delicate estrogen balance parabens are implicated in the development and growth of tumors.  During treatment, doctors usually attempt to decrease estrogen levels in the body, so the tumor does not get extra encouragement in its growth. More breast cancers are also being found in the upper, outer quadrant of the breast, near where deodorant and anti-perspirants are applied, most of which contain parabens.

Happily there are a lot of alternatives out there, and apart from on fragrances (with their trade secret ingredient lists), parabens have to be labeled clearly, so it is fairly easy to avoid them.  I have already reviewed a few skincare products I use and like.  I'm always looking for more!

Low Histamine Sweet Potato Soup

We did the best we could during a week without power here in New Jersey to hew to our low histamine diet but it's been tough...  Luckily we had a generator so our fridge was on intermittently but any warm food had to be barbecued and we ate a lot of easy, snacky food.  Hopefully the coming Nor'easter spares us but in the meantime I'm excited to get back to cooking nutritious low histamine foods!

A wonderful site called Heal With Food, has a recipe for a delicious and easy Sweet Potato Thyme soup that I have modified a bit to my own tastes (low-sodium broth isn't my favorite but feel free to substitute if needed). As always with a low histamine diet be aware that as food decomposes, histamine levels rise, so always try to use the freshest food possible.

Sweet potatoes are low in histamine and great for most people with allergies, onions contain the flavonoid quercetin that may be effective in reducing histamine and inflammation. Red onions have a higher amount so I chose to use them for this recipe rather than the yellow in the original.

This recipe makes about 6 servings.

Ingredients

1 Tbsp olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
3 large sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
1/2 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
6 cups vegetable or chicken broth (read the ingredients carefully on this one or better yet make your own!)
Salt and pepper, to taste
Parsley or thyme

Directions

• Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. 
• Add onions and sauté until golden. 
• Pour in the broth and bring to boil over medium-high heat. 
• Add sweet potatoes and ginger, and reduce heat to medium-low. 
• Simmer until sweet potatoes are easily pierced with a fork (about 20 to 25 minutes).
• Working in batches, purée soup in a blender or use an immersible hand blender to blend soup until smooth. 
• Season with salt and pepper to taste. 
• Top with parsley or thyme. Serve hot!

Green Magma

So as we hunker down and wait for Hurricane Sandy I thought I'd post about the one product I've been using for almost 20 years now, Green Magma. Not as well known as it's cousin wheatgrass, it has some remarkable health properties and imho is a lot easier to drink!

Originally I started using it after having suffered through multiple bladder infections as a teenager and then finally being diagnosed with interstitial cystitis and told it was incurable.  I went to my university library and plowed through all the information I could find (this was before the internet folks!).  One article I found talked about the use of barley grass extract injected directly into the bladder that cured a man with such severe radiation damage that his bladder walls were no longer able to stretch or contract.  Sounded good to me!

Along with some big dietary changes I started taking Green Magma religiously every morning.  I have to say it was miraculous.  The pain with urination started to fade and within a few months I felt completely better.  I've never taken my health for granted since that point and I continue to drink green magma several times a week.  I drink Green Foods Green Magma perhaps because that's what I got used to.  I've tried many others but just can't seem to get used to the taste - and hey, it works so may as well stick with it.  My kids drink it too as I got them used to it very young.

So what exactly is it and why does it work?


Green Magma was developed by the scientist Dr Hagiwara in Japan in 1969 as an extract of young barley grass.  He found that young barley grass has a lot of phytonutrients that protect the body from free radicals and used it to correct his own health issues.

Dermatologist Nicholas Perricone MD is a big proponent of Green Magma because of its inflammation fighting properties and recommends it now in his books.  It is a source of chlorophyll, beta carotene, B vitamins, minerals, protein, fiber and enzymes and also contains antioxidants, such as superoxide dismutase and carotenoids. Green Magma also helps to alkalinize the body and protect against cancer which prefers an acidic environment.

One thing I love about the product is that all these health benefits are so simple to obtain. I love to juice and am a big fan of all the great things it does for your general health. However when I just don't have time to juice (or more honestly don't want to deal with the clean up) I can easily whip up a green drink as Green Magma comes freeze dried (and also in tablets) and you just need to add water to enjoy it.

Low histamine adventure continued

Well we're just over a week into our low histamine diet and finding out more and more about the ins and outs of the diet.  The good news is that Jack and I have been hive free for a week now.

The problem I have been running into is that every resource on a low histamine diet has a different list of foods to avoid.  There is agreement about fermented foods, spinach, tomatoes and chocolate but google bananas and eggs and you'll get 5 different answers.  So for myself I put together the main lists from some great sites and then worked on eliminating the most obvious foods.

Here's Livestrong's take: ...foods naturally high in histamine include spinach, eggplant, fish, processed meats, eggs, chocolate, tomatoes, pumpkin, citrus fruits, berries, raisins, dates, apricots, cherries, peaches and prunes.

Stay away from foods and beverages with artificial colorings, flavorings or preservatives; they contain chemicals that can trigger histamine production. Examples of preservatives include benzoates, sulfites, BHA and BHT.

Avoid the spices cinnamon, chili powder, cloves, anise, nutmeg, curry powder and paprika. Do not drink soda or tea.

 

Other sites disagree about eggs. The International Chronic Urticaria Society says cooked eggs are fine, it's raw eggs white that can be a problem. They have a pretty comprehensive list of foods plus a handy 4 week elimination diet to follow.

 

My favorite site so far in terms of simplicity and a common sense approach is the Histamine Intolerance Awareness site:

• Avoid or reduce eating canned foods and ready meals
• Avoid or reduce eating ripened and fermented foods (older cheeses, alcoholic drinks, products containing yeast, stale fish)
• Histamine levels in foods vary, depending on how ripe, matured or hygienic the foods are
• As much as it is possible, only buy and eat fresh products
• Don’t allow foods to linger outside the refrigerator – especially meat products
• Ensure that your food preparation area (kitchen) is always kept clean – but don’t be manic!
• Everyone has their own threshold; you will need to find yours.

They say a food diary is necessary and I wholeheartedly agree.  It's amazing how obvious certain food - reaction links can be if you just write down everything you eat. We caught a grape reaction for my son this way when I had actually forgotten we had eaten any!

One more site that I check regularly to keep up with the latest in the low histamine world (yes there is such a place!) is The Low Histamine Chef. She is my go to when my head starts spinning with all the varying opinions because she's been there done that!

Histamine Intolerance

I have a wonderful 4 year old son who just started preschool and is a fantastic bundle of energy.  He does however have a history of moderate speech delay (his was initially diagnosed as apraxia), chronic constipation and hives (or in his case urticaria pigmentosa, which is when you not only get hives but you also get "nests" of mast cells that look like freckles on the skin).

Just before he turned 3 I had been doing my research and decided to try him on an "apraxia diet."  This is basically exactly the same as the autism diet - no gluten, no casein, add in fish oils.  It worked wonders! The constipation was gone and within about 2 weeks he started talking more than he ever had before... at 3 years old we were still only at 2 word sentences and he refused to say a lot of words despite a year of speech therapy. It seemed almost too good to be true but he has been progressing steadily ever since and a few months ago reached age level for his speech. He also had almost 8 months without hives. Unfortunately I never could figure out how to stop them recurring for good...

Recently I decided to do a complete allergy work up on him and that's when he was diagnosed with urticaria pigmentosa (that is such a mouthful).  Here's a link to a more in depth description at PubMed. We were basically given the option of daily medication or a food diary to figure out the triggers.  I opted for the second - of course.  The problem with hives is that they are an auto-immune issue causing chronic inflammation, and while medication may cover this up, it's always better to find out the source of the problem to avoid long term issues.

This leads us to histamine intolerance which is the usual cause of hives.  Do you know anyone who drinks red wine and gets migraines?  Can't eat chocolate without getting itchy?This is the most obvious form of histamine intolerance.  Others, like my son, react to nearly everything with histamine, or that causes histamine to be released.  So we are going to follow a histamine restricted diet for him and then slowly reintroduce all the good foods that contain histamine (like spinach).  We will also be introducing supplements that help the body break down histamine naturally  - Quercetin, Nettle extract, Vitamin C and B6 - which increase the level of the enzyme diamine oxidase. I'll keep updating, and outline the details of the diet, as we get further into this.  Already he's had less hives and I've had less headaches - and our diet (while good, we did a lot of fermented foods and eggs) should improve too!

Walking: the many benefits

We all went for a walk around the neighborhood this evening.  It was a great night to be out and the kids loved it.  When we got home my tween daughter even agreed to play card games with us!  I thought about all the benefits an evening stroll can bring and after doing some I research it turns out just a 30 minute walk a day can do wonders for both your body and mind.

Walking helps:

• Lower LDL cholesterol (the "bad" cholesterol)
• Raise HDL cholesterol (the "good" cholesterol)
• Lower blood pressure
• Reduce the risk of or manage type 2 diabetes
• Manage weight
• Improve your mood

All you need to do is have a routine of walking each day and walking briskly.  You don't even have to worry that because it's not hurting it's not helping... apparently regular, brisk walking can reduce the risk of heart attack by the same amount as more vigorous exercise, such as jogging. Yippee! (I'm really not the jogging type!)

My daughter and I made a pact to get out every day - it's fun - and so far we've been keeping it!

Epsom Salts for lovely skin and good health!

Epsom salt is a fabulous, cheap skin saver for the cold winter months that are coming faster than I like to admit! Epsom salt is actually magnesium sulfate, a mineral that helps skin retain moisture, eliminate toxins and helps relieve stress. Most people are slightly deficient in magnesium and soaking in epsom salt is a great way to elevate body levels as magnesium is absorbed easily though the skin.

One of the simplest ways to use epsom salts is simply to add them to a warm bath, then hop in and enjoy!  It can also be used to increase circulation if used as a body scrub, or as a mask. Epsom salt is one of my favorite beauty tricks because it's so inexpensive - I buy the big cartons from the local drugstore for just a few dollars and then never feel guilty adding them to every bath I have with different essential oils depending on my mood!

Sheknows.com posted a make-at-home "shower smoothie" from celebrity skin care guru Ole Henriksen. Henriksen says exfoliation leaves the skin luminous, smooth and soft in texture, and it also helps removes any excess dead skin, allowing for better absorption and easier application of skin care products.

You need: 1/2 cup of Epsom salt, 1/2 cup coffee grounds, 1 teaspoon eucalyptus oil and enough sesame oil to form a smooth paste.

1. Mix the Epsom salt and coffee grounds in a medium bowl, then add the oils and stir until you have a smooth paste.
2. In the shower, get wet and turn off the water. Use the entire palm of each hand to vigorously scrub your body for several minutes, from your neck to your feet.
3. Afterwards, just rinse. Your skin will feel smooth, and you'll notice a lifting and tightening of the skin. 

"Epsom salt has amazing detoxifying properties and melts into the skin when activated by ingredients in my recipes," Henriksen says. "The texture of Epsom salt is firm, yet very smooth to the touch. This makes the exfoliation process comfortable for all skin types."

Honeybee Gardens

Nail polish is tricky if you're trying to be all natural. There are a few brands out there that are formaldehyde and toluene free but still smell toxic.  Honeybee Gardens is one of the only brands I've found whose ingredients don't scare me! These all natural nail polishes come in lovely, subtle colors and I don't have to worry about letting my kids use them. You do need to give your nails a long time to dry because they are water based, but it's worth it to avoid chipping. I really like how well they cover and the choice of colors. They barely smell and if the color does chip its so easy to touch up. Each polish sells for just under $10 which won't break the bank too badly...

Honeybee Gardens also have a line of all natural makeup (yay! - I'm fighting my addiction to Bobbi Brown - looking for a natural replacement).  I'll let you know how they work when I've used them a bit longer.

Modern Wheat: A Chronic Poison

I just found this fascinating article on CBS.  I've personally avoided wheat for a long time and am working hard to cut out ALL grains (hello Paleo!), here's another reason to stay wheat (and grain) free for good.

September 3, 2012 9:28 AM

Modern wheat a "perfect, chronic poison," doctor says.

(CBS News) Modern wheat is a "perfect, chronic poison," according to Dr. William Davis, a cardiologist who has published a book all about the world's most popular grain.
Davis said that the wheat we eat these days isn't the wheat your grandma had: "It's an 18-inch tall plant created by genetic research in the '60s and '70s," he said on "CBS This Morning." "This thing has many new features nobody told you about, such as there's a new protein in this thing called gliadin. It's not gluten. I'm not addressing people with gluten sensitivities and celiac disease. I'm talking about everybody else because everybody else is susceptible to the gliadin protein that is an opiate. This thing binds into the opiate receptors in your brain and in most people stimulates appetite, such that we consume 440 more calories per day, 365 days per year."

Asked if the farming industry could change back to the grain it formerly produced, Davis said it could, but it would not be economically feasible because it yields less per acre. However, Davis said a movement has begun with people turning away from wheat - and dropping substantial weight.
"If three people lost eight pounds, big deal," he said. "But we're seeing hundreds of thousands of people losing 30, 80, 150 pounds. Diabetics become no longer diabetic; people with arthritis having dramatic relief. People losing leg swelling, acid reflux, irritable bowel syndrome, depression, and on and on every day."
To avoid these wheat-oriented products, Davis suggests eating "real food," such as avocados, olives, olive oil, meats, and vegetables. "(It's) the stuff that is least likely to have been changed by agribusiness," he said. "Certainly not grains. When I say grains, of course, over 90 percent of all grains we eat will be wheat, it's not barley... or flax. It's going to be wheat.
"It's really a wheat issue."

Some health resources, such as the Mayo Clinic, advocate a more balanced diet that does include wheat. But Davis said on "CTM" they're just offering a poor alternative.
"All that literature says is to replace something bad, white enriched products with something less bad, whole grains, and there's an apparent health benefit - 'Let's eat a whole bunch of less bad things.' So I take...unfiltered cigarettes and replace with Salem filtered cigarettes, you should smoke the Salems. That's the logic of nutrition, it's a deeply flawed logic. What if I take it to the next level, and we say, 'Let's eliminate all grains,' what happens then?
"That's when you see, not improvements in health, that's when you see transformations in health."

© 2012 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Pacifica Perfumes

I've been using Pacifica perfumes for a few years now, and have introduced them to the rest of my family and friends.  I have a HUGE problem with mainstream perfumes... it takes about 3 seconds for me to be felled by a migraine if I get in an elevator with a woman who over-spritzed herself!  Luckily Pacifica makes a great line of perfumes, balms and roll-ons that I can wear with no reaction.  I have about five but they're always adding and changing their scents so it's always time for a new one;).

I carry California Star Jasmine solid perfume in my purse - it's really tiny and very handy. Other favories are Indian Coconut Nectar and Hawaiian Ruby Guava.  Apart from these florals they also have fruity, herbal and woody blends.

SanRe Organics

So I'm really focusing on skincare to start with because of all the amazing samples I just got.  I've been trying SanRe Organics foundation and moisturizer for the past few days and have received a lot of compliments on my skin tone which is always nice.

I did have to mix the foundation (Radiant Glow light tint), with the moisturizer (Supple Sunshine) as it's a little too dense for me but I tend to do this anyway.  There are numerous moisturizers to try based on skin type, and there is an option for sunscreen also.  They are very thick, you're definitely moisturized and a little goes a long way!

Expo East

This last weekend I ventured down to Baltimore, MD for the Natural Products Expo East 2012!  My Mum and I had a blast searching out products for our new store, Sasha's Naturals.  I can't wait to start selling some of the great products we found.

My all around fave for product, packaging and just general fabulousness has to be love & toast. They have wonderful smelling face and body care, with all natural ingredients (of course!) What I really love is the packaging is fun and sophisticated and appealing enough even for my very fashion-conscious 11-year old.

Another cool line for young girls is called Sparklehearts. Again they're all natural but have really had some fun with their packaging and scents.  I'm dying to try their deodorant (which they also make for adults) and their body lotions smell great (and they make you sparkle too!). They also have some consciousness-raising sets such as PeTA Dirt Free Hurt Free Gift Set. I'm so happy to see some skin-care aimed at the tween/teen set!

Dolphin Organics

Another product line I got to try at the expo was Dolphin Organics.  These products are aimed at Moms with new babies, and now also for older girls (there seems to be a theme with this!)  I tried their sunscreen as I'm having a hard time finding a sunscreen I feel comfortable using.

There are too many natural products out there that look like I've rubbed diaper cream all over myself - not cool. The alternative with nano-particles is actually being shown to CAUSE skin cancer (doubly not cool).

This sunscreen however was great!  It did cover slightly but it looked more like a glow than a paste.  I was pleasantly surprised.  It smells good too! Definitely going in my bag of necessities.