How and Why Should We Use Natural Skin Care Products

July 27, 2010 by cesar  
Filed under vitamins

How and Why Should We Use Natural Skin Care Products

Introduction

The human skin is the largest organ of the human body. It not only has quite a complex structure, but also performs several life sustaining functions.

We can live without a Spleen, Gall Bladder, or an Appendix, and we can survive with only one Kidney or one Lung, but we cannot survive without our skin. As a result it is of the utmost importance that we take care of our skin.

Using natural skin care products is a good first step in providing the skin with the right nutrients and building materials to retain its health and functionality.

What Does Our Skin Actually Do for Us?

Our skin has many functions, most of which we are unaware of until something goes wrong. They include:

Regulation of body temperature;

Protection against the elements;

Sensation;

Excretion;

Immunity;

Blood storage and

Synthesis of Vitamin D.

 

If you want to read about these functions in more detail you can have a look at this article: “Anatomy & Physiology of the Skin”.

In summary, these functions provide us with awareness of our surrounding climatic environment, protect us against some of the bacteria and other potentially harmful bugs in our surroundings, allow us to experience touch and feel, eliminate toxins from our body, store blood, and provide the means for our body to obtain vitamin D while protecting our body from the sun’s UV-rays.

Considering these vital functions our skin has to perform, it is no surprise that we need to look after our skin and make sure it is given every opportunity to function properly and remain healthy.

Why You Should Choose Natural Skin Care Products?

With all the media and news reports warning consumers of the potentially toxic ingredients in many of the commercially available skin care products sold in supermarkets and department stores, this is an easy question to answer.

Firstly, many of the commonly used skin care products contain artificial and/or synthetic ingredients that the body has difficulties in eliminating, and as a result it tends to store these chemicals in its tissues. Research has shown that the accumulation of many of these substances can have serious health effects.

If you are interested in learning more about some of the toxic chemicals used in skin care products, please read the article “Potentially Toxic Ingredients In Skin Care Products”. It will provide you with much information and research references for you to be able to identify what is in your skin care products and what should not be there.

Holistically natural skin care products do not contain artificial or synthetic ingredients. They should also not contain isolated, concentrated, natural substances, such as parabens (pseudo-natural preservative) and the like, that have been shown to be potentially hazardous.

How To Choose Natural Skin Care Products That are Safe and Effective?

This is where it starts to get really difficult. You see, many so called natural or organic skin care products are in reality nothing of the kind. Adding a miniscule amount of aloe vera to water does not constitute a holistically natural skin care product. It may be ‘natural’ or even ‘organic’, but it will not be effective and therefore is a waste of your money.

To have an effective aloe vera product for example, it requires at least 10% of the overall content to be aloe vera. Or, the aloe vera needs to be combined with several other active, natural ingredients that are combined to achieve a specific result.

The term ‘Organic’ is another area where consumers are being misled. Adding a single ‘organic’ ingredient and then calling the products ‘organic’, is quite simply wrong. You see the commercials on television and magazines every day… “xyz product contains organic this and organic that”… but no mention is made of the other ingredients that are contained in these products, many of which have been shown to be hazardous to our health.

There is yet another problem with natural skin care products, that is an area of confusion and potentially misleading. Just ask yourself what exactly is “natural”? What is actually meant by the term “natural”?

The word ‘natural’ congers up images of nature – pristine environments that make us feel good. A safe, natural environment that is conducive to health and a sense of wellbeing. Spring water, waterfalls, pristine lakes, a healthy salads, Rainforests, etc., are all images that we perceive as ‘natural’, or in other words ‘good for us’.

The cosmetic industry has ceased on this and is using the word natural to instil in their advertisements a sense of wellbeing and the idea that this product is good for us. Unfortunately, one or two natural ingredients does not a natural skin care product make… Far from it, natural skin care products should not contain any ingredients that are not naturally sourced. This brings us to another problem with natural skin care products.

A naturally sourced ingredient, such as the various forms of paraben, may still be potentially hazardous. Just think about it – would you put arsenic or lead on your skin? No of course you wouldn’t. But, they are natural, so what’s the problem? Natural substances too can also be deadly poisons.

Applying this to skin care products, you might be looking for a product that is natural and contains AHAs (alpha hydroxy acids), which we know help to remove dead skin cell layers which in turn helps to remove fine lines and wrinkles, revealing new vibrant skin.

Now, you could buy a product that lists as one of its ingredients AHAs, it might even contain AHA in its name, or you could buy a product that contains a concentrate called papain, which is a natural substance from the Papaya fruit. So, yes papain is natural and yes this product could, depending on other ingredients, be called a natural skin care product. However, papain is a concentrate and as such many people have experienced side effects because the papain is present in too high a concentration for some people.

A truly, holistically natural skin care product would not contain papain as an extract. Rather it would contain Papaya fruit itself. You see, the whole fruit still contains papain, however, it also contains other ingredients in the papaya that modify the excessively strong effect of the papain. Choosing such a product will, at least to a large extent, reduce any potential side effects from the papain, because the product is naturally balanced and contains naturally balanced ingredients that will benefit your skin rather than burn it.

The results of removing fine lines and wrinkles may take a little longer, but are overall better and you reduce the chance of ‘burning’ your skin with a concentrated AHA. Remember AHA stands for alpha hydroxy acid and we all know acids burn our skin.

How To Use Natural Skin Care Products?

Following directions

This is actually a lot more important than most people think. Directions for use are a communication by the manufacturer of a product to their consumers about how to use and get the best results from a particular product.

It has been our experience, that most people who purchase our natural skin care products do not read the directions and use our products the same way that they have been using their previous brand. This however, may or may not be the correct way to use our products.

Properly formulated products contain ingredients in sufficiently high quantities to achieve a desired effect if used in accordance with the product’s directions. Using more does not mean better or quicker results, rather using too much can have adverse effects or no more effect than the lesser quantity.

Conversely, if for example, the product’s directions suggest that it be used 2 or 3 times a day using it merely once is not likely to produce the desired effect in most cases.

This is obvious when we think about taking medicine. We read the directions and take the drugs, herbs, or what ever, as prescribed and hopefully we get the desired result.

So why is it that we do this when it comes to taking medicine, but ignore it (for the most part) when it comes to using skin care products or other personal care products?

Reading the instructions carefully and following them ensures that a) you are not wasting your money, and b) you should get the desired results.

 

Good and Bad Reactions from Using Skin or Personal Care Products

There are several possible reactions you may experience. There are good reactions and negative reactions.

Let’s look at good reactions to begin with.

Good Skin Reactions to New Products

Herbs, essential oils and most of the other ingredients that you’ll find in our range of products have a medicinal actions and are included for a specific purpose, that is, the formulations that make up our various products were originally designed to treat particular skin health issues. This intent, though we do not actively promote this, continues to this day.

As you probably know, there are three basic skin types; Normal, Oily and Dry. In addition, your skin may also be sensitive, prone to allergic reactions or under the influence of hormonal changes that are taking place in your body. The herbs and essential oils in our products are specifically chosen to normalise the skin given one of the skin types. The herbs and essential oils will have a therapeutic effect on the skin’s structure and function in order to provide an environment under which your skin will start to function normally again.

Similarly this is relevant for sensitive skin that tends to react inappropriately to different stimuli. It is possible, for example, that an individual with sensitive skin who is using our products for the first time, will experience a reaction which they may see as being a negative reaction.

This however, may well be totally the opposite to what is actually taking place. You see, in order for your skin’s health to improve, it has to change. This change may appear at first as a worsening of a particular skin issue and this will understandably be interpreted as a negative.

Under normal circumstances however, this type of reaction, if the products are continued with, will only last for a few days and following this time the skin will improve and end up much healthier. This process is sometimes referred to as ‘A healing crisis’, and is actually a good thing to happen.

It signifies that the ingredients are doing what they are supposed to, that is they are repairing and normalising the skin’s functions.

This is a normal and in fact good reaction.

Bad Skin Reactions to New Products

Obviousely there are times when a new product may actually cause a bad skin reaction. Unfortunately a bad reaction often appears very similarly to a good reaction. So how can you tell the difference and what should you do?

The first thing to do when ever you purchase a new skin or personal care product is to test it to see if you have any adverse reactions to this product. Below is a detailed outline and links that will provide you with all the information you need to test a new product in order to determine whether or not your skin is going to react adversely to it or not.

Test the Products to Avoid Allergic Reactions

Another important aspect to using any skin care, personal care or cosmetic products, whether they are natural or otherwise, is to test the products first in order to see if you are allergic to any of the ingredients.

To do this, follow the steps described in our article “The Skin Patch Test”, which will provide you with a simple, yet effective step-by-step test that you can easily do at home over a 24 hour period, to reasonably ensure that you will not experience major adverse reactions to the ingredients in products you want to use on your face, or anywhere else on your body. This test is simple and very effective.

Finally, before you purchase a product, look at the ingredients list and see if the ingredients are easily recognisable. As a rule of Thumb, if the ingredients are easily recognisable it is more likely that the ingredients are of a natural source and have not been excessively modified. If on the other hand you need a chemistry degree to understand what the ingredient is, it is likely not to be a holistically-natural ingredient. It may still be a natural ingredient, but it is likely that it has been isolated and is used in a concentrated, possibly even synthetic form.

For the most part, most ‘natural skin care products’ widely available in the market place are far from natural or that matter organic. Most have minimal quantities of some natural ingredient in an otherwise non-natural product and are referring to the one natural ingredient in the product, rather than the nature of the product itself.

Hopefully this article will clarify some of the confusion that exists about what is a natural skin care product and what is not, help you to choose natural skin care products that will actually live up to your expectations, and clarify why using natural skin care products is a healthier choice.

Danny Siegenthaler is a doctor of traditional Chinese medicine and together with his wife Susan, a medical herbalist and Aromatherapist, they have created Natural Skin Care Products by Wildcrafted Herbal Products to share their 40 years of combined expertise with you.

Read more articles on natural and organic skin care products in our Article Library.

They practice Herbal and Chinese medicine at their Wildcrafted Cottage Clinic

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An Overview of the B5 Vitamin

July 25, 2010 by cesar  
Filed under vitamins

An Overview of the B5 Vitamin

The B5 vitamin is also known as Pantothenic Acid. The B5 vitamin is the most prolific of all the vitamins and is found in every type of food. In fact, it is impossible for a person to consume less B5 vitamin than they need. That means that there is no little possibility that a person can have a B5 vitamin deficiency. For this reason, there is actually no recommended daily amount that health professionals can state as everyone obtains more than enough from their normal food consumption. However, even though there is no need to calculate a recommended daily allowance it does not mean that the B5 vitamin is not vital for a healthy body and mind. In fact, the B5 vitamin is essential for turning food into energy amongst other functions. The B5 vitamin is responsible for taking the fats and carbohydrates into energy.

Some B5 vitamin can be found in almost every food whether it is animal or vegetable. Obviously there are some sources of the B5 vitamin that are better than others but a balanced diet will provide more than enough. The foods with the highest B5 vitamin content are organ meats, salmon, eggs, beans, milk, and whole grains. It is worth noting that the B5 vitamin is lost when grains are milled into flour and tends not to beaded back in. Therefore, processed grain foods such as bread, pasta, rice, breakfast cereal, and baked goods are not good sources of the B5 vitamin.

The B5 vitamin is the most effective when it is combined with other B vitamins especially thiamin or B1, riboflavin or B2, niacin or B3, pyridoxine or B6, and biotin. Along with these other B vitamins, the B5 vitamin is an integral part in a number of processes. The most important of these is the production of energy from food that is consumed and this is known as the Kreb’s cycle. The B5 vitamin is also required for releasing energy from fats.

Interestingly, the B5 vitamin is also considered to be helpful in reducing stress. This is chiefly due to the fact that during periods of stress, the body produces more of certain hormones such as adrenalin and these require the B5 vitamin. There are many theories as to the benefits of the B5 vitamin but there is no need for the majority of people to actively seek out foods that are high in B5 as they are likely to be consuming far more than is needed already. There are no adverse effects to consuming too much B5 vitamin.

Get more information on Vitamin B5 here.

Olivia Harding for http://www.vitaminsdiary.com Descriptions and information on various vitamins, amino acids, minerals, herbs and nutritional supplements and their possible uses.

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Fat Loss 4 Idiots Torrent

July 25, 2010 by cesar  
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Fat Loss 4 Idiots Torrent

Can you believe someone who is neither a trainer nor a nutrition expert can come up with a fat loss program what has achived great success? To your wildest imagination, the very truth about Rob Poulos, who has fought against his overweight since his childhood. Now he has succeeded in it and so did his wife. His new program is called Fat Buring Furnace, which is one of the most popular fat losing programs at present, and his book is a bestseller and has many good reviews.

Free Trial click here

Fat Burning Furnace is totally different from any other ones for it is based on raising your RMR(Resting Metabolic Rate), which is a total new concept for most of us. The program aims at finding a way of increasing the number of calories that your body is breaking down without any outside interference or action. Namely, when you are at rest, your fat is burning off effortlessly. The program also involves some exercise—but not as much as you may expect. 20 minutes workout eachday and 2-3 days a week sounds simply too easy for us, but it does work.Nutrition is also a key ingredient of this program. When you are on a diet, you may find it difficult to lose a few pounds of weight without balanced diet. Because if you do not take in enough nutients, you will eat more junk food and gain more weight. Therefore, meals with adequate nutrients are indespensible for any weight-fighters.

Now, you don’t have to take pills nor go to the gym. Now you can simply eat your most delicious foods and workout regularly and your fat is buring away. Follow And you will see dramatic results ranging for a few pounds off to a healty and harmonious life. And you will prove that it’s not a scam at all. Free Trial Click here

Fat Burning Furnace Review

Take Vitamins to Have a Better Life

July 24, 2010 by cesar  
Filed under vitamins

Take Vitamins to Have a Better Life

Most people do not like to take any kind of medicines on a daily basis. They do not care that the medications will help them or not. They just do not like to take even an aspirin for a headache. So why would these people want to take vitamins. Well taking vitamins well help you in the long run. You get some of the vitamins you need in the foods you eat yet some people need more then others. That is why you can buy one vitamin and it covers all the vitamins you need in one pill. Therefore, you do not have to take a hand full of pills.

How will vitamins help me? Taking vitamins will help you with many things like your vision, blood pressure, your moods swings, if you have diabetes vitamins can help, your nervous system, etc. If you think you might feel better is it not worth taking a vitamin. Vitamins will also help to strengthen your heart, immune system and boost your metabolism. The metabolite vitamins are available if you feel energy-less.

How do I know if I need a vitamin? Your body gives you clear indications when something is wrong. If your body is telling you that something is wrong, you should visit your doctor. In fact, before you take a vitamin you should talk to your doctor first. Your doctor will know what nutrients you are missing. Our body has a natural mechanism that alerts us when something is wrong. Learn to pay attention to your body and mind. Unfortunately, this world desensitizes us to the point we fail to listen to our body.

About Vitamins: Vitamin B1 is a water-soluble vitamin. The vitamin works to control sweat, urine, and solid waste. The vitamin affects the nervous system as well as your mental attitude. It can keep your heart work properly and helps with your nervous system. If you feel fatigue, experience muscle tenderness, or have difficulty sleeping, B1 is for you. You can get this vitamin from foods also, such as oatmeal, corn breads, beans, pork chops, etc.

Vitamins will help boost your energy also. If you lack sufficient vitamins, you will start to have problems. The problems may include dry skin. Your skin may feel rough, or you may see thick corneal about the eyes. You may experience joint pain also. Vitamin deficiency can cause many complications.

Vitamins are a great source of nutrients and energy, yet you want the FDA approved supplements. You can also choose foods, such as crab meats, watermelon, fish oils, and so forth to get the vitamins you need. Veggies and fruits provide us a great source of natural vitamins. If you have skin and scalp problems, you may want to consider Biotin. Biotin is great for restoring hair, treating scalp conditions, or enhancing skin. The vitamin is said to slow balding or thinning of hair.

Why do I need to see a doctor before taking a vitamin? Before you, start taking any kind of a daily vitamin you should talk to your doctor first. Some of the things that you are seeing you may think that they are from not having the right vitamin in your diet but it could also mean something else are wrong with you. Your condition may need attention from a doctor.

So just to make sure it is ok, you should take a trip to your family doctor and have a talk with him or her. You can buy your vitamins at the local stores in your town once your doctor gives you approval.

Find tips about vitamin c foods and vitamin b foods at the Vitamin Information website.

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Unique PLR Article Packages

July 18, 2010 by cesar  
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Kombucha Research Reports

July 17, 2010 by cesar  
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Signs You Could Have a Vitamin Deficiency

July 13, 2010 by cesar  
Filed under vitamins

Signs You Could Have a Vitamin Deficiency

The majority of Americans suffer from at least one vitamin deficiency, but don’t even know it. It’s easy to pass off that fatigue as not getting enough sleep, or attribute the brittle hair to stress. It’s a growing problem, however, and it helps to know what you’re looking for so you can live a fuller life.

What Causes Vitamin Deficiency

The SAD (Standard American Diet) is one of the more varied diets on the planet. We have access to so many different foods that it should be easy to get all or most of the vitamins we need. Unfortunately, so many foods are processed that they’ve lost the majority of their nutrients. Some of the most important vitamins are replaced, which is why you’ll find cereals and milk that are fortified with things like iron, Vitamin A and Vitamin D. What many don’t realize is that there are far more vitamins and minerals that are required in order for our bodies to function properly.

Even if you eat well, plenty of fresh fruit and veggies, it can be difficult to cover all the bases and it’s not uncommon even for those who pay careful attention to their diet to be lacking in one or more vitamins.

Correcting a Vitamin Deficiency

While the ideal solution would be to eat the perfect combination of foods to get the right amount of vitamins, it isn’t very practical in today’s hectic world. Most people simply don’t have the time to meticulously plan and source their meals for maximum vitamin absorption. Eating right is definitely a step in the right direction, but you will probably need to use supplements, as well.

Vitamin supplements can be purchased individually or in multi-vitamins. If you just want to be sure that you’re getting a good mix of vitamins, then the multi is a good choice. However, for those who are receiving what they need in their diet and are only deficient in one or two things, then the individual supplements can be the way to go. This allows you to tailor the mix to fit your individual needs.

Signs of Vitamin Deficiency

While each vitamin has its own problems brought on by its lack, there are some general indications that you need to look into a multi-vitamin. When your body doesn’t receive the nutrition it needs, you’ll find that you are worn out, even after sleeping a full night. Fatigue is a very common symptom of a deficiency. Excessive hair loss, skin rashes and anemia are also signs that you are lacking something.

When the body is low on one or more vitamins, the immune system is often compromised, as well. This means that diseases like a simple cold or the flu will tend to last longer than normal and you may find that you are more prone to infections than usual. If you pay attention to your body, you will notice if something is wrong.

Vitamin A: When you are low in this vitamin, eye problems result. First, night blindness and dry eyes, then more severe issues indicate problems. In countries where Vitamin A is not available readily, people can even go blind from lack of it. In children, a deficiency could be apparent with a failure to grow properly.

Vitamin B: There are several vitamins included in this group. B1 causes beriberi in its absence, a disease that results in muscle weakness and brain damage. Lack of B2 can cause hair loss, ulcers in the mouth and on the skin, rashes and itchiness, among other symptoms.

If you don’t have enough B3, you could develop pellagra, which usually presents itself in the form of stomach problems and diarrhea, as well as rashes caused by the sun. Too little B5 and you’ll suffer from fatigue, nausea, headaches and tingling in the hands and feet. B6 deficiency usually results in anemia, feelings of dizziness and loss of hair.

Vitamin B9, also known as folic acid, is particularly important for women of child-bearing age. A lack of it during pregnancy could cause spina bifida in the unborn child or spontaneous abortion. B12 is another important vitamin, without which you suffer from the same symptoms as B5 deficiency.

Vitamin C: It’s fairly rare to find a deficiency in Vitamin C, since so many processed foods are already fortified, but taking extra means your immune system will be stronger. Signs that you are lacking in this important vitamin include fatigue, bleeding gums and slow healing of wounds.

Vitamin D: The lack of this vitamin has been named as a cause of certain kinds of cancer, such as breast and colon cancer. Less severe symptoms of deficiency include twitching muscles, sleep issues (particularly in small children), pain in the joints and osteoporosis.

Vitamin E: Not enough Vitamin E usually results in eye problems, especially a limit to how far you can move your eyes upwards. Severe deficiency could result in blindness. Lack of this vitamin can also cause fertility issues, miscarriages, as well as problems with the liver, brain and bone marrow.

Vitamin K: Anyone low on this vitamin will find that they bruise easily and tend to bleed more than normal with small cuts and scratches. Frequent nosebleeds could be a sign that you are low on Vitamin K.

Even if you feel that you get enough of each vitamin, that might not be true. Some foods, such as carbonated beverages, act as barriers, preventing the absorption of certain vitamins, so while you may be ingesting enough, your body might not be actually absorbing everything. This is one area that multi-vitamins treat well, since they have the optimum mix of vitamins to enhance the actual absorption.

To stay strong and healthy, it’s important to let your body have what it needs. Vitamin deficiencies are often mild in Western countries, but they do affect the quality of life and when it’s something so easy to treat, why not fix the problem?

Remember, this article is not intended to diagnose or treat any disease. If you suspect there is something wrong, be sure to see your doctor.

This article was written for Jay Gaulard on behalf of MyHealthMarket, a popular online health supplies website.

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July 13, 2010 by cesar  
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