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."