Category Archives: Skin

Separating Fat from Fiction: 10 Fat Facts You Need to Know

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“Everyone seems to be talking about fat these days. That fat somehow is good now and can help with weight loss and disease prevention.  How can that be true when for decades we all were told that fat was the bad guy?” asks this week’s house call. “What are its benefits? Are there any downsides to eating more fat?”

This question comes at the perfect time.  I have just finished writing my new book Eat Fat, Get Thin, hitting the bookstores on February 23, 2016. I wrote this book because almost everyone I know – doctors and patients and eaters alike are all confused about fat and still hold on to myths and misinformation that prevents them from taking advantage of the latest science to lose weight and get healthy. 

You’re likely familiar with many of them: Fat makes us fat, contributes to heart disease, leads to diabesity; saturated fat is bad; vegetable oils are good…I could go on, but I think you know what I’m talking about.

None of these beliefs about fat are true.  In my latest book, I combined the latest research with my several decades of empirical evidence working with patients to prove what I’ve long discovered: The right fats can help you become lean, healthy, and vibrant.

Fat is one of the body’s most basic building blocks. The average person is made up of between 15 and 30 percent fat! Yet for decades, we’ve unfairly demonized dietary fat, diligently followed a low-fat diet that almost always equates into a high-sugar and high-refined carb diet that contributes to insulin resistance, obesity, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and numerous other problems.

Simply put: Sugar, not fat, is the real villain that steals our health and sabotages our waistlines.

With Eat Fat, Get Thin, I’m determined to separate fat from fiction by giving you the skinny on fats – what to eat and how to use dietary fats to regain your health and ideal body weight. Eating lots of the right fat will make you thin. The right fats increase metabolism, stimulate fat burning, cut hunger, optimize your cholesterol profile, and can reverse type 2 diabetes and reduce your risk for heart disease.

For now, let’s look at 10 take-home fat facts.

  1. Sugar, not fat, makes you fat.  More sugar means your cells become numb to insulin’s “call.” Your body pumps out more and more insulin to pull your blood sugar levels back down. You can’t burn all the sugar you eat. Inevitably, your body stores it as fat, creating insulin resistance and overall metabolic havoc.
  2. Dietary fat is more complex than sugar. There are some 257 names for sugar, but despite very minor variations, they all create the same damage. In other words, sugar is sugar is sugar; it all wreaks havoc on your health. Fat is more complex. We have saturated, monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, and even trans fats, not to mention subcategories within each group. Some fats are good; others neutral; and yes, a few are bad.
  3. Low-fat diets tend to be heart-unhealthy, high-sugar diets. When people eat less fat, they tend to eat more starch or sugar instead, and this actually increases their levels of the small, dense cholesterol that causes heart attacks. In fact, studies show 75 percent of people who end up in the emergency room with a heart attack have normal overall cholesterol levels. But what they do have is pre-diabetes or type 2 diabetes.
  4. Saturated fat is not your enemy. A review of all the research on saturated fat published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found no correlation between saturated fat and heart disease. As with all fats, quality becomes key here. The fats in a fast-food bacon feedlot cheeseburger will have an entirely different effect than saturated fat in coconut oil. Let’s stop classifying it all as the same.
  5. Some fats are unhealthy. They include trans fat and inflammatory vegetable oils. Unfortunately, these fats have increased in our diet as they make us fatter and contribute to inflammation, which plays a role in nearly every chronic disease on the planet.
  6. Everyone benefits from more omega 3s. About 99 percent of people are deficient in these critical fats. Ideal ways to get them include eating wild or sustainably raised cold-water fish (at least two servings weekly), buying omega-3 rich eggs, and taking an omega-3 supplement twice a day with breakfast and dinner that contains 500 – 1,000 milligrams of omega-3 fats (a ratio of roughly 300 EPA to 200 DHA is ideal).
  7. Eating fat can make you lean. Healthy cell walls made from high-quality fats are better able to metabolize insulin, which keeps blood sugar better regulated. Without proper blood sugar control, the body socks away fat for a rainy day. The right fats also increase fat burning, cut your hunger, and reduce fat storage.  Eating the right fats makes you lose weight, while eating excess sugar and the WRONG types of fat make you fat.
  8. Good fats can heal. I have many diabetic patients whose health improves when I get them on diet that’s higher in fat. I had one patient with high cholesterol who could not lose weight, so I bumped up her healthy fat content to 70 percent. (I don’t recommend this for most patients; hers was an extreme case.) Her cholesterol plummeting from 300 to 190, her triglycerides dropped 200 points, and she lost 20 stubborn pounds that she couldn’t ever lose before!
  9. Your brain is about 60 percent fat. Of that percentage, the biggest portion comes from the omega-3 fat called docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Your brain needs DHA to spark communication between cells. Easy access to high-quality fat boosts cognition, happiness, learning, and memory. In contrast, studies link a deficiency of omega-3 fatty acids to depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia.
  10. Your body gives you signs whether or not you are getting enough quality fat. The higher-quality the fat, the better your body will function. That’s because the body uses the fat you eat to build cell walls. You have more than 10 trillion cells in your body, and every single one of them needs high-quality fat. How do you know if your cells are getting the fats they need? Your body sends signals when it’s not getting enough good fats. Warning signs include:
  • Dry, itchy, scaling, or flaking skin
  • Soft, cracked, or brittle nails
  • Hard earwax
  • Tiny bumps on the backs of your arms or torso
  • Achy, stiff joints

I eat fat with every meal, and I’ve never felt better. The right fats can improve your mood, skin, hair, and nails, while protecting you against Type 2 diabetes, dementia, cancer, and much more.

Among my favorite sources of fat include:

  • Avocados
  • Nuts—walnuts, almonds, pecans, macadamia nuts, but not peanuts (one study showed a handful of nuts a day reduced death from all causes by 20 percent)
  • Seeds—pumpkin, sesame, chia, hemp
  • Fatty fish, including sardines, mackerel, herring, and wild salmon that are rich in omega-3 fats
  • Extra virgin olive oil (a large study showed that those who consumed 1 liter a week reduced heart attacks by 30 percent)
  • Grass-fed or sustainably raised animal products.
  • Extra virgin coconut butter, which is a great plant-based source of saturated fat that has many benefits.  It fuels your mitochondria, is anti-inflammatory, and  doesn’t cause problems with your cholesterol.  In fact, it may help resolve them.  

Be Informed, Be Healthy.

4 Reasons You Should Be Drinking Bone Broth Every Day

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Dr. Kellyann Petrucci
bone-broth

Bone broth reportedly helps with weight loss, reducing wrinkles, and digestive function.
If you’re battling weight creep, fatigue, wrinkles, and other signs of aging, I know it’s tempting to reach for an artificial “fix”—a diet pill, an energy drink, or a shot of Botox. But I have a better prescription for you. It’s one of the world’s most powerful healing and anti-aging foods: bone broth.

Bone broth is trendy right now, with everyone from NBA stars to celebrities like Shailene Woodley and Gwyneth Paltrow raving about it. But that’s not why I tell my patients to drink this slow-simmered broth made from the bones of meat, chicken, turkey, or fish.

In fact, I was a fan of bone broth years before it became the “in thing.” More than a decade ago, I discovered the healing and fat-melting properties of this liquid gold and made it the core of my anti-aging and weight loss transformations. In addition, I drink it myself every day. Here’s why.

Bone broth heals your gut

Bone broth is packed with collagen, which turns into gelatin when you cook it — gelatin is one of the most potent gut healers on the planet. Gelatin is loaded with glycine, a powerful anti-inflammatory amino acid, and it’s rich in other healing nutrients including magnesium, proline, and arginine.

Gelatin’s gut-healing properties are important because in order to stay slim and healthy, you need to have a rock-solid gut. In fact, as a clinician who specializes in transforming sick and overweight patients into healthy, slender people, I can tell you that nothing is more important to your health than a strong gut. Here’s the story.

Your gut is home to the trillions of microbes that scientists call your microbiome. Think of this microbiome as an ecosystem — one that’s either in balance or out of balance. If it’s in balance, you have a wide diversity of good microbes and very few bad ones. If it’s out of balance, two very dangerous things can happen:

The bad microbes can multiply rapidly, churning out toxic chemicals.

Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) can occur. In SIBO, microbes overpopulate your gut, overwhelming it.

There are many reasons why your gut can get out of balance. Here are some of the primary ones:

Antibiotic use, which kills trillions of good microbes.

A diet of the wrong foods, which starves them.

Stress, which poisons their environment.

Antacids, NSAIDS, and other gut-altering medications, which change the “chemistry” of their ecosystem in harmful ways.

When bad microbes gain too much control in your gut, or when good microbes multiply too rapidly, they produce chemicals that cause inflammation. This inflammation damages the wall of your intestine, causing intestinal permeability, or a “leaky gut.” This allows bacteria, toxins, and waste to escape into your bloodstream where your immune system identifies them as alien to your body, triggering a flood of inflammatory chemicals.

When your immune system keeps encountering these escaped gut toxins day after day, it eventually gets stuck in the “on” position. Your warrior cells keep releasing toxic chemicals, even though there’s no war to fight. This causes chronic inflammation — and we now know that this chronic inflammation underlies every disease of aging, from obesity and diabetes to heart disease and cancer.

Gelatin helps transform a leaky gut into a strong barrier, healing chronic inflammation and making your entire body healthier. As a result, you’ll lose extra pounds more easily, feel more energetic, and even discover that skin problems like eczema start to clear up.

Bone broth erases your wrinkles

High-end wrinkle creams are packed with collagen, which firms and strengthens the cells in your skin. However, it’s far more effective to build collagen from the inside . When you drink bone broth, it’s like mainlining the components of collagen to your skin.

Bone broth also contains hyaluronic acid, which hydrates your skin, erasing fine wrinkles. (Babies’ skin is loaded with hyaluronic acid, which is why it’s so soft.) Again, you can pay big money for skin creams containing this wrinkle blaster — or you can feed it straight to your cells, the natural way.

Bone broth helps you lose weight fast

Unlike the watery broth you get in a can, bone broth is rich, hearty, and satisfying. When you drink a cup, you’ll feel like you’ve eaten a full meal, even though you’re only taking in around 50 to 60 calories. As a result, you won’t experience cravings, even if you cut down drastically on your food intake.

When my patients need to lose weight rapidly, I tell them to do two semi-fasts a week, eating nothing but bone broth on those days. Many of them initially aren’t sure they can do it. However, they quickly discover that the weight melts right off them, and they’re amazed at how effectively bone broth stops their cravings for sugar and junk food.

Bone broth protects your joints

Your joints contain cartilage, a slippery Teflon-like coating that allows the joints to slide over each other without grinding. Similarly, animal bones contain cartilage. In addition to being rich in collagen, cartilage is packed with glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate — the same nutrients many doctors prescribe as supplements to keep joints young and healthy.

A randomized, double-blind clinical trial in 2015 found that oral chondroitin and glucosamine were as effective as the arthritis drug Celebrex in reducing pain, swelling, and functional limitations caused by knee osteoarthritis. And because they’re natural nutrients, glucosamine and chondroitin have a perfect safety profile — unlike Celebrex, which is a potentially dangerous drug.

You can make bone broth in your own kitchen

Here’s one of the best things about bone broth: You don’t need a prescription for it! All you need is a big pot or a slow cooker, several pounds of bones, some spices and vegetables, and a few hours to let your broth simmer.

Think about it: What other medicine can help you lose weight, make you look younger, give you more energy, heal your joints, and erase your wrinkles without a prescription, a trip to the drug store, or any side effects other than a warm, happy, satisfied feeling? That’s why bone broth is the core of my weight-loss and anti-aging transformations… and why it should be the core of your own health regimen as well.

It’s always simple to Stay Healthy.

Proven Benefits of Quercetin

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Quercetin - Dr. Ax

Have you ever wondered what makes a “superfood” super? Or what key superfoods like red wine, green tea, kale and blueberries all have in common? The answer is quercetin, a natural compound tied to what all of us seek: better longevity, heart health, endurance, immune system and more.

Research even shows that quercetin displays anticancer properties. In fact, there isn’t much this powerful antioxidant compound can’t do, especially when combined with the health benefits of bromelain, an anti-inflammatory enzyme.

All this explains why I strongly recommend consuming food sources that contain quercetin regularly. But what are those foods? And how much should you consume? Let’s explore.

Considered one of the most abundant antioxidants in the human diet, quercetin plays an important part in fighting free radical damage, the effects of aging and inflammation.  While you can get plenty of quercetin from eating a healthy diet, some people also take quercetin supplements for their strong anti-inflammatory effects.

 

Quercetin benefits - Dr. Axe

Benefits of Quercetin

1. Lowers Inflammation

At this time, practitioners and patients report using quercetin to effectively fight conditions related to inflammation, including (6):

  • “hardening of the arteries” (atherosclerosis)
  • high cholesterol
  • heart disease and circulation problems
  • insulin resistance and diabetes
  • eye-related disorders, including cataracts
  • allergies, asthma and hay fever
  • stomach ulcers
  • cognitive impairment
  • gout
  • viral infections
  • inflammation of the prostate, bladder and ovaries
  • chronic fatigue syndrome
  • cancer
  • chronic infections of the prostate
  • skin disorders, including dermatitis and hives

2. Fights Allergies

Quercetin is a natural antihistamine and an anti-inflammatory, making it effective for naturally lowering the effects of season and food allergies, plus asthma and skin reactions.

Quercetin can help stabilize the release of histamines from certain immune cells, which results in decreased symptoms like coughs, watery eyes, runny noses, hives, swollen lips or tongue, and indigestion. In fact, it’s so effective that quercetin is used in ancient Chinese herbal formulas created to block allergies to certain foods (such as peanuts), known as food allergy herbal formulas. Studies show that quercetin, a natural medicine and phytochemical, is equivalent at fighting allergies as some prescription medications, all with little to no side effects.

3. Supports Heart Health

Because of its ability to lower inflammation and oxidative stress, quercetin seems to be beneficial for people with heart and blood vessel-related disorders.  For example, eating lots of deeply colored fruits and veggies that contain flavonoids is linked to a lower risk of cardiovascular diease, and even death, in older adults.

Studies done in animal and some human populations show that various types of flavonoids (quercetin, resveratrol and catechins, for example) can help reduce the risk of atherosclerosis, which is a dangerous condition caused by plaque building up within the arteries. Cut-off blood flow in the arteries is one of the primary risk factors for experiencing a heart attack or stroke, which is why cardiac arrest is less likely among people who eat a nutrient-packed diet.

Antioxidants also seem to protect the body from experiencing increases in LDL “bad” cholesterol and can help regulate blood pressure levels. Certain studies show that quercetin prevents damage to LDL cholesterol particles, and it seems that people who eat the most flavonoid-rich foods typically have healthier and lower cholesterol levels, plus less incidence of hypertension. In fact, if you’ve ever heard that red wine is good for your heart, that’s because it’s a natural source of quercetin. It’s one of the main active ingredients in red wine extract, which is associated with healthier heart function.

4. Helps Fight Pain

Taking quercetin supplements can help lower pain associated with autoimmune conditions, such as arthritis, as well as infections, including those of the prostate and respiratory tract. That’s because quercetin reduces inflammatory pain. There’s some evidence from several small studies that people experiencing bladder pains from infections (causing an urgent need to urinate, swelling and burning) have fewer symptoms when taking quercetin supplements.

Flavonoids are also linked to reduced symptoms of prostatitis (inflammation of the prostate) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). There’s evidence that when patients with RA switch from eating a “typical Western diet” to one higher in antioxidant-rich foods (like uncooked berries, fruits, vegetables, nuts, roots, seeds and sprouts), they experience less pain and reoccurring symptoms, making quercetin a natural arthritis treatment.

5. Might Help Improve Endurance

Quercetin is added to some athletic supplements because it’s believed to help increase athletic performance and endurance, likely because of its positive effects on blood flow. Antioxidants like quercetin could boost physical performance since they help increase the health of blood vessels, which carry oxygen and nutrients to muscle and joint tissue.

Other studies also show that quercetin helps increase immune function and prevents susceptibility to illnesses that can occur when someone trains intensely and experiences exhaustion. One study found evidence that taking 500 milligrams of quercetin twice daily helped protect cyclers from developing exercise-induced respiratory infections following periods of heavy exercise.

6. Might Help Fight Cancer

A Boston University School of Medicine study published in the Journal of Biological Regulators and Homeostatic Agents shows a link between a nutrient-dense diet rich in quercetin plus other antioxidants and a lowered risk of cancer.  Quercetin seems to have potential chemo-preventive activity and might have a unique antiproliferative effect on cancerous cells, making it an effective addition to any natural cancer treatment approach.

Flavonoids can help stop the processes involved in cell mutation, the growth of tumors and symptoms related to typical cancer treatments, such as radiation or chemotherapy.

Quercetin is considered a safe treatment approach for stopping cancer, and in the future, we might see it used as a natural therapy instead of, or in conjunction with, conventional methods.

7. Helps Protect Skin Health

Capable of blocking “mast cells,” which are immune cells critical in triggering allergic reactions, inflammatory disease and autoimmune disease, quercetin helps protect skin from the effects of disorders like dermatitis and photosensitivity.

Top Natural Sources of Quercetin

All types of tasty red, green and purple-pigmented plants come packed with quercetin — for example, red wine, blueberries, apples, red onion and even green tea are some of the best sources of quercetin. The amount of quercetin found in plant foods can vary a lot depending on where they’re grown, how fresh they are, how they’re prepared and so on.

Some of the top sources of quercetin to add to your diet include:

Quercetin foods - Dr. Axe

Are There Any Side Effects of Quercetin Supplements?

Because it’s derived naturally from foods, quercetin seems to be safe for almost everyone and poses little risks. Most studies have found little to no side effects in people eating nutrient-dense diets high in quercetin or taking supplements by mouth short term. Amounts up to 500 milligrams taken twice daily for 12 weeks appear to be very safe.

For women who are pregnant or breast-feeding, quercetin doesn’t seem to have any negative effects, although there hasn’t been much research done in this population so it’s always a good idea to talk it over with your doctor first.

It’s always simple to Stay Healthy!

Top 10 Toxic Skin Care Ingredients (Avoid Putting on Your Skin at All Costs)

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Annmarie Gianni

You’ve probably heard about all the hidden chemicals and health risks surrounding so many of the beauty and skin care products on the market, but what exactly are they and will you ever be able to put on your lotion or eye cream again in peace — without wondering if you’re poisoning your body?

The answer is yes!

The key to healthy beauty care is to understand what’s really underneath the lid. While that may seem like a lot of work, you just have to know what to keep your eyes open for. And once you know what to look for, you can add yourself among the rapidly growing group of empowered consumers who are asking questions and being justifiably snobby about their product choices.

To help you in this mission to makeover your personal stock of cosmetics, we’ve put together a list of 10 ingredients you should avoid in anything you buy. By steering clear of these nasties, you can rest assured that whatever you’re putting on your skin isn’t harming it.

1. Parabens

Parabens are unquestionably the most commonly used preservatives in the cosmetics industry. They’re in just about any cream you might use, as they prevent mold, fungus and parasites from sprouting and growing in your products. The problem is that they can be absorbed through the skin, and have often been found in breast cancer tumors! All signs point to skin care products being the cause.

Because of this, there is a growing concern that excessive use of parabens may give rise to breast cancer in women and testicular cancer in men. Although there haven’t been any conclusive studies proving this, it should be enough to make you concerned. In fact, it’s why there are so many “paraben-free” items popping up in the supermarket and pharmacies around the country.

Parabens can appear in different forms, so here’s what you want to look out for:

  • benzylparaben
  • butyiparaben
  • propylparaben
  • methylparaben
  • ethylparaben
  • isobutylparaben

2. Phthalates

This hard to pronounce class of substances is found in just about everything, even you. A study done by the US Centers for Disease Control found a trace of it in every single person they analyzed. This is problematic because phthalates – which are used in cosmetics and also in many plastic objects – have been found to act as a hormone disruptor linked to reproductive defects, insulin resistance and developmental problems in children.

Here’s the tricky part: phthalates usually aren’t listed on the label of your favored products, so you have to do a bit of sleuthing to determine their presence. Want a hint? They’re often found in anything that misleadingly lists “fragrance” as an ingredient. Stick to products that are scented with essential oils instead.

3. Benzoyl Peroxide

Over the last decade, the popularity of pimple-zapping products has skyrocketed. Benzoyl peroxide is responsible for this, but you should be wary about using it. That’s because it’s been linked with the promotion of tumor growth. Horrifying, don’t you think?

Beyond that, it produces toxic effects in the body simply through inhalation, and is a known skin, eye and respiratory irritant. As if that isn’t bad enough, it’s extremely toxic if you swallow it. Awful!

4. Triclosan

Technically a pesticide – at least according to the Environmental Protection Agency – triclosan is a popular ingredient in just about any product claiming antibacterial properties. It works very well at killing bacteria, and that’s actually the problem: not all bacteria are bad for you, and furthermore, some experts speculate widespread of this chemical could give rise to “superbugs” – harmful bacteria resistant to antibiotics.

That’s not all; triclosan has been shown to work as both a hormone and thyroid disruptor. On top of that, it’s terrible for the environment. So put your inner germaphobe at ease and know that water and natural hand soap will more than handle your daily hand-washing needs.

5. Resorcinol

Why is it that resorcinol – a popular ingredient in bleaches – is restricted in federal government buildings, but is used freely in so many hair color products? That probably doesn’t sound right to you, and that’s because it isn’t. Not at all!

Resorcinol is a known skin irritant that has been shown in studies to disrupt healthy thyroid function in animals. It’s also a common cause of dye allergy that so many women find themselves bothered by. You don’t want this in your hair, or anywhere for that matter!

6. Hydroquinone

As a skin lightener that reduces dark blemishes caused by everything from medical reactions to bruising, hydroquinone sounds too good to be true. You guessed it… that’s because it is.

Hydroquinone reduces the melanin in your skin to get rid of those unsightly marks, but in doing so, it hurts your skin in many ways. First of all, it’s permanently altering your pigment while also weakening the elastin and collagen in your problem area – the very things that are key to keeping your skin firm and youthful! Some people get unsightly blotches after using hydroquinone, and far more get contact dermatitis or have allergic reactions after regular use. Considering how easily it irritates your skin, it’s a wonder that it’s used at all. Finally, like so many ingredients on this list, there is some suspicion that it’s a carcinogen. The results aren’t worth the harm it causes.

7. Petroleum

Here’s a sneaky one. Petroleum pops up in so many cosmetics products, it’s ridiculous. And in case you’re wondering, yes, it’s the very same substance from which your motor oil is made.

It hides behind many names that you should familiarize yourself with. They are:

  • Petrolatum
  • Xylene
  • Toluene
  • Mineral oil
  • Liquid paraffin

As an industry standard, there’s a lot of information out there touting the safety of petroleum by-products, so you might be wondering why you should avoid it. It’s because it contains 1,4-Dioxane, which has been listed by the World Health Organization and the Environmental Protection Agency as a probable carcinogen. Cancer from your moisturizer? No thank you.

8. Methylisothiazolinone

Just the name alone is intimidating. Thankfully known as MIT for short, methylisothiazolinone is an increasingly common antibacterial preservative in everything from baby shampoo to moisturizer. Unfortunately, studies have shown that it contains neurotoxic properties that should be of great concern to all consumers.

In studies with rats, a mere 10 minutes of exposure to MIT was enough to cause brain cell damage. Further studies concluded that low concentrations of MIT during neural development increased the risk of seizures and visual abnormalities. Furthermore, the Environmental Working Group has classified it as a skin sensitizer and irritant.

The argument often made by skin care companies is that MIT is used in very small concentrations, usually in products that are meant to be rinsed off, thus reducing your exposure to the chemical. Considering the seriousness of its side effects, it’s probably best that you limit your exposure to it completely, wouldn’t you agree?

9. Oxybenzone

Oxybenzone is an active ingredient in quite a few of the sunscreen products on the shelves of your favorite store. Unfortunately, this chemical has been linked to skin irritation and allergies, hormone disruption and low birth weights in baby girls.

What’s scary is that a study conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control found that oxybenzone is present in the urine of 97% of Americans. How much of it have we been exposed to, and how is it affecting us in ways that we don’t quite understand yet? With figures like these, chances are it’s already in your system, so you want to limit your future exposure to it as much as possible.

10. Artificial Dyes and Synthetic Colors

Whether you’re donning a shocking hot pink lipstick, a classic rouge to make those cheekbones pop, or rebellious black nail polish, if your favorite cosmetics are conventional, chances are they are just as dangerous as they are fabulous.

Many of the products you have are likely made with synthetic colors that are made from coal tar. Though pretty, these harsh artificial colors have been shown in studies to be carcinogenic and are likely to cause skin sensitivity and irritation due to the heavy metals they deposit on your skin when you use them. You don’t want that, so if you have any products that were made with synthetic colors, toss them in the bin don’t buy anymore! Thankfully, it’s pretty simple to determine if that color in your favorite lipstick is real or not: just check the ingredients, and if you see anything listed beginning with FD&C or D&C, you know it isn’t what you really want.

So the next time one of those perfumed lab-coats at the mall pulls you aside to offer you a sample of Company X’s new Luxuriously Lovely Lip Enhancer, tell her thanks but no thanks, and proceed either online or to your nearest organic grocery for superior alternatives. You’ll be amazed at how much is out there!

Be Healthy!

Are you covering your face with toxins?

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 DR. TREVOR CATES

face-toxins-1014x487

5 ingredients in skincare products to avoid at all costs

Would you slather gasoline or diesel on your face? How about liquid plastic, formaldehyde, or lead? Of course not!

So, I encourage you to take a closer look at what you’re putting on your skin. Many skincare products contain petroleum by-products, phthalates (a plasticizing agent), formaldehyde releasing chemicals and other toxins.

You won’t see these ingredients listed in your skincare products because they’re hidden. So, today I’m sharing what to look for, so you can stay away from some of the most toxic ingredients.

What you put on your skin penetrates your skin and ends up in your blood stream. They don’t just sit on the surface but are seeping through or going into the air around which you breathe.

Keep this in mind: The FDA has banned 11 ingredients while the EU has banned over 1000. The FDA says safety for personal care products is the responsibility of the manufacturer. That’s not reassuring… So, it’s really up to you, the consumer, to be proactive.

Here are 5 ingredients to look for in your skincare products:

#1 Ingredient to avoid: FRAGRANCE

This is a big one because we like to smell good and manufacturers know that. The problem is that most skincare products contain synthetic fragrance, which is where many harmful ingredients are hidden. Fragrance contains a number of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs). EDCs are a class of chemicals that, in studies, are associated conditions such as as thyroid problems, infertility, early menopause, early puberty, obesity, diabetes, and certain types of cancer (such as prostate, testicular and breast cancer). One of the chemicals of particular concern is diethyl phthalate (DEP). It is used to make smells last longer, but they’re known EDCs. And, they’re in most of us…

#2 Ingredient to avoid: Formaldehyde Releasers.

Look on the label for: quaternium-15, diazolidinyl urea, DMDM hydantoin, Bronopol, or imidazolidinyl urea. When you rub skincare products containing these chemicals onto your skin they can go into the air around which you breathe or perhaps through your skin. Formaldehyde is known to cause DNA damage and cancer. It is most dangerous when inhaled, and in liquid form can be absorbed through the skin. In addition to being carcinogenic, formaldehyde and its releasers can cause “allergic” reactions including skin irritations and asthma.

We’re exposed to formaldehyde through pressed-wood furniture (most furniture in people’s homes), building materials, permanent-press fabrics, paper product coatings, glues and adhesives, cigarette smoke, and vehicle exhaust. We are already surrounded, and we know they’re carcinogenic, so why add more when we don’t have to?  In skincare products, formaldehyde releasers are used as preservatives, but the good news is there are natural alternatives!

#3 Ingredient: Mineral oil (untreated and mildly treated)

Mineral oil is derived from crude oil and is in a variety of skincare and cosmetics. In addition to being a non-renewable source and not environmentally friendly, there are concerns about its safety. Untreated and mildly treated mineral oils have been classified as a known human carcinogen.  They accumulate in our bodies in our fat, lymph nodes, liver, spleen, and lungs. And, that accumulation appears to be from skincare products.

So, until we’re 100% sure the mineral oil we’re using is 100% pure, I would steer clear. There are much healthier, eco-friendly and effective alternatives derived from nature!

#4 Ingredient: Parabens

Parabens are known xenoestrogens, which means they have estrogenic activity in the body. Parabens have been found in breast tumors, yet many skincare companies deny this means anything for your health.

Here is what you’ll find on labels: propylparaben, benzylparaben, methylparaben, or butylparaben.

#5 Ingredient: DEA (diethanolamine), MEA (monoethanolamide) and TEA (triethanolamine)

Studies have shown a link between exposure to high doses of these chemicals and liver cancers and precancerous changes in skin and thyroid. Canada and the European Union classify DEA as harmful and toxic.

These ingredients can also react with other chemicals in cosmetics to form carcinogenic nitrosamines.

DEA, MEA and TEA are used to make skincare products creamy (such as moisturizers and sunscreens) and foamy (cleansers and soaps) and help increase the pH of the formula. But, these are unnecessary because there are safe natural alternatives!

 

Unfortunately, this is just a start! There are many more ingredients in skincare products that are toxic and harmful to your health. Some research has revealed the toxicity of certain skincare ingredients, but more needs to be done.

I’m fed up with harmful skincare products because I’ve researched skincare ingredients and know that we do not need these toxic chemicals! There are natural preservatives, thickeners and fragrances that are safe and effective.