Cold Weather Skin Saver

What with worrying about my roof – no it hasn’t been fixed yet – and the biting cold winds the skin on my face has taken on the texture of sandpaper – albeit the fine kind. Normal moisturisers are just not enough for this kind of skin irritation and so I turn to my favourite natural remedies which in this case is Kiwiherb Organic Calendula Ointment.

I always have organic Calendula in my natural first aid box as it helps heal cuts and sores, chapped lips, rough cracked hands or chilblains, and conditions such as eczema or dermatitis. Calendula flowers are naturally high in carotenoids, which means they are naturally anti-inflammatory and antiseptic so they effectively support your body’s ability to repair damaged skin by improving blood flow to the affected area, helping small blood vessels to seal, stem bleeding, and prevent bruising. What I like is that it calms the redness and irritation of the skin while it heals so that the skin looks much more moisturised and normal in appearance.

Calendula is safe enough to use on children and babies for conditions such as eczema, cradle cap, and nappy rash, which may flare-up over the winter months. If you have any trouble finding it locally, then call Kiwiherb’s UK distributor, Lifeplan Products Ltd, on 01455 556281, or visit their company website www.lifeplan.co.uk

Natural Help For Dandruff

Dandruff has had a bad reputation as people have mistakenly linked it to poor or inadequate hair washing, which is far from the case. It is caused by eczema or seborrhea, and also affected by climate and genetic factors.

Many dandruff shampoos are a cocktail of chemicals, so for a more natural approach: you could try using a shampoo that is gentle and preferably organic with ingredients like Rosemary and Tea Tree oil. Just Google Natural Dandruff Shampoo and you will get plenty of ideas.  Wash daily, or every other day until the dandruff is gone and then wash only about twice a week.

Your scalp needs moisture, so add some GLA (gamma-linolenic acid) to your diet in the form of Evening Primrose Oil and omega-3 fatty acids from ground flaxseed or fish oils to prevent flaking.

Why Hand Sanitizers Are Not Always A Good Idea

Hand sanitizers are now big business; compounded by the panic over Swine Flu, we are now carrying them on our person and having one in practically every room in the house.

Now, I am not against them per se, but they are a second line of defence after hand washing, not instead of, as they are increasingly being used. Also, the most common alcohol-based hand sanitizers have some unhealthy ingredients with some unpleasant associations like these listed from the most commonly included items:

Ethyl alcohol is a common ingredients and it is what kills the germs.
Anything mixed with it will move through the skin and into the bloodstream as the alcohol improves penetration of other chemicals through the skin and this disrupts the oils in the skin so it dries out. . This is also the quality that makes alcohol dry out the skin.

Did you know that there have been reports of prison inmates getting drunk on hand sanitizers and of children licking hand sanitizers off their hands and getting inebriated? While most of the alcohol in hand sanitizers evaporates within seconds of being rubbed on the hands, some is absorbed through the skin and into the bloodstream and that is cause for concern if you use them frequently.

Isopropyl alcohol is another common ingredient and that is a petrochemical that can be absorbed through the skin and through inhalation of vapours. It is toxic to the nervous system and dries the skin out.

Fragrances can contain just about anything and are made from dozens of chemicals, many of them highly toxic. They are of course only present in tiny amounts but the cumulative effect, along with the other ingredient can cause a reaction in anyone with chemical sensitivity. .  Chemical, or fake fragrances have been linked by some to the rise in the cases of asthma in children as they tend to be irritating to the lungs.

In the US, the Government’s Environmental Working Group gives fragrance a toxicity rating of 8, one of the highest available.

Propylene glycol is a petroleum or plant-based chemical that is widely used in everything from antifreeze and processed foods to cosmetics and medicines. Although it is classified by various government regulatory agents as being non-toxic, for some people it can be extremely irritating to the skin, eyes and lungs.   The EWG gives it a rating of 4 to 7.

Should you go alcohol-free?
You would think this was a safer option, given the above, but unfortunately they all seem to contain benzalkonium chloride, which numerous studies have implicated exposure to it as the leading cause of occupational asthma and chronic dermatitis in healthcare workers and cleaners .

The other common alcohol-free hand sanitizer ingredient is triclosan, a petrochemical antibacterial closely related to dioxins, which accumulates in the body and has a long list of serious safety concerns.

What to do?
I don’t want to scare you, using hand sanitizers occasionally will not cause a major problem but they are not a substitute for hand washing.  Keep them for use outside the home and when travelling and you should not have any ill effects if used sensibly, it’s the over use that is the problem and the most common symptom you are likely to notice is irritation of the skin.

Personally, I prefer to use a natural product such as Green People’s Foaming Hand Sanitizer.  It is an organic antibacterial product that contains Manuka, Tea Tree and Larch and is a UK product that I can recommend, I have even used it to clean a graze when I scraped my knee climbing a stile!  If you want more information on it, visit their website at www.greenpeople.co.uk

Roses all the way

Once the weather starts to cool we notice a difference in our skin as it starts to lose some of its natural oils. If you want to avoid that, and enjoy the lovely summer scent of roses, then you might want to try a natural body cream which combines extract of rose oil with hydrating sweet almond, and apricot kernel oils, and natural botanical blackberry. This not only nourishes but also has special antibacterial and antiseptic properties, all of which help protect and promote healthy skin acne and scar tissue. Winter is the time when skin conditions such as dermatitis, eczema and psoriasis get more aggravated and Grandma’s Vine Heavenly Feast Body Cream will help bolster moisture levels to restore, revitalise, and rejuvenate dry, taut, sore, and itchy skin.

You will find it in health shops, or from the website at www.lifeplan.co.uk.

Action on Eczema

Well in case you missed it, September held  National Eczema Week and I have a number of suggestions for anyone suffering from this distressing condition.

First you are definitely not alone as currently one in five children and one in twelve adults in the UK are affected. The National Eczema Society is offering a free booklet to help patients and carers cope with one of the most distressing symptoms of eczema – the itch. Normally there is a charge for this, unless you are a member, but until 31 October you can get your free copy by emailing helpline@eczema.org or call the very useful National Eczema Society helpline on 0800 089 1122.

Why me?

Bottom line is that skin affected by eczema releases chemicals which stimulate the nerves and the nerves pass the itch sensation to the brain, and so you scratch and make everything worse. But the itching drives you so mad you are prepared to put up with it for the temporary relief.

Much eczema is stress and environment related and for children in particular, tiredness can make it worse. Soaps and detergents, fragrances, temperature changes, sweating, some clothing , such as wool, and irritant substances such as paint and dyes can all add to the mix so finding out what triggers your eczema would be the first step.

Keeping the skin well moisturised is the next step and your doctor may prescribe a steroid cream as these are anti-inflammatory and work well in the short term for some people. However, nothing works for everyone, and steroids do have unpleasant side effects associated with them, particularly with long term use.

Whether your eczema is persistent, or intermittent, you might want to try one of these natural remedies that have proven to be effective.

Natural help

There are several ways you can help yourself with an outbreak of eczema. Essential oils have shown they have the potential to be very effective at clearing up or relieving the symptoms of eczema.

Peppermint is especially effective at relieving the itching that accompanies this skin disorder. To get the most relief simply rub a drop of diluted peppermint oil over the affected area.

Tea Tree Oil is very popular due to its ability to clear up eczema patches, relieve the accompanying itch, and reduce the redness and swelling that results from an outbreak. This oil can be applied topically to the skin, or it can be used as a cleanser, lotion, or cream when purchased as the active ingredient in these items.

Oatmeal can help relieve the constant itching, reduce some of the redness, and help soften the dry skin of eczema. Using it in a bath is quite effective; just tie a handful of natural oatmeal into a piece of cheesecloth and let it circulate in the warm bath water. Soak awhile and DO NOT add anything else, no soap or bath oils.

Aloe vera was used on the skin of burn victims at Hiroshima and has a great reputation as a healing balm for damaged skin. You can either break off a leaf from the plant and squeeze out the gel to put on your skin, and it is a good to use on the affected areas directly after an oatmeal bath.

Ayudara Natural Skin Balm is a new product that I have been trying out on a patch of eczema that has been quite persistent on the side of my nose. It is a non-steroid all natural treatment for dry skin and contains a combination of Chlorophyll-C and marine extract of golden sea cucumber These actively helps the skin’s cell rejuvenation process and can be an effective treatment for ailments like eczema, dermatitis or dry skin.

In Malaysia people have used golden sea cucumber in natural skin remedies for centuries and it certainly cleared up my small patch of irritated skin very fast.

For specialized information on eczema, do have a look at this website at www.eczema.org for helpful advice and the newest research.

Spotless at last

Elaine Mummery has become an acne specialist through her own suffering which began at the age of 13 and she has explored every available avenue to getting a clear and healthy complexion. Spots don’t just happen to teenagers, they can also be a problem throughout life, particularly for women during menopause. Her excellent, clear, book offers real practical solutions and is sourced from doctors all around the world. She is adamant that you don’t need to invest in expensive creams and lotions to cure your skin, but you do need information to start tackling acne and spots, whether it’s a lifelong problem or an occasional flare up. An ideal present for anyone who wants to see visibly clearer skin within seven days, so head to your bookstore – real or virtual – and buy a copy of Spotless for just £10.

Or visit Amazon – Click on the book cover here:

Yawning isnt always about feeling sleepy

It’s your body’s way of keeping you cool. Andrew Gallup, a researcher in the Department of Biology at Binghamton University led a study which has shown that if your head is overheated, there’s a good chance you’ll yawn soon, because the primary purpose of yawning is to control brain temperature.

Your brain operates best when cool and we have cleverly adapted our bodies to ensure we make sure it has the right temperature. If you find yourself yawning over a book or a piece of work, we naturally tend to go for fresh air, it’s not just the extra oxygen we need, but the drop in temperature that usually accompanies it. Bertie Wooster, the PG Wodehouse character who certainly had trouble thinking, would call on the faithful Jeeves for a wet flannel to soothe his overheated brain and indeed it’s a good remedy along with taking deep breaths in through the nose and making sure a room is properly ventilated and not stuffy.

Yawning can also be an early warning signal, because if done excessively it precedes the onset of seizures in epileptic patients, and predict the onset of headaches in people who suffer from migraines.

Acupuncture with no needles

I am a great fan of acupuncture for pain relief and boosting the immune system, but I appreciate there are people who don’t like needles. Well, good news for you because scientists at Linkoping University in Sweden have shown that it works just as well without using needles.

They were studying 200 cancer patients and using acupuncture to help relieve nausea during radiotherapy, Half received standard acupuncture and half were given pressure on the same acupuncture points with a blunt placebo needle that just touched the skin, but didn’t go in.

An impressive 95 percent of the patients in both groups felt that the treatment had helped relieve their nausea, and 67 percent had experienced other positive effects such as improved sleep, brighter mood, and less pain.

Oregano for pain cramps and fever

Oregano may not be your first thought for treating any of these conditions, but this traditional Mediterranean herb that you probably add to your pasta sauces has a long been used to treat colds, fevers, sore throats, and coughs as well as menstrual pain. Medical studies have shown it has anti-microbial properties which helps it fight bugs such as MRSA and it helps digestion and soothes your stomach.

If you don’t fancy using the herb neat, which isn’t all that pleasant, then tea experts Whittards have put it into a herbal tea blend, along with apple pieces, rosehips and lemongrass which give a pleasant, rich flavour. Plus you get the added health benefits of added vitamin C from the other ingredients. Buy it for £3.90 for 125g from their shops or via their website at www.whittard.co.uk

What’s In Your Lip Balm?

Now the winter winds are biting, and you are probably licking your lips more than usual to keep them moist, many people use a lipbalm. There are literally hundreds on the market, but some of them contain an ingredient which can actually make your dry lips worse. Why? Because then you have to keep using the lip balm to keep your lips moisturized. Clever, huh?

So what’s the mystery ingredient? It’s phenol and as it is an antibacterial agent you might think that was a good thing, but unfortunately it can also destroy the top layer of skin on your lips and you will be trapped into keeping using it so keep your lips moist and supple.

Healthier alternatives abound, so look for non-phenol balms with ingredients like coconut oil, honey, jojoba oil, and shea butter. A great site for organic lip balms, and I couldn’t resist because they are called Naturally Barmy, will give you plenty of lip -smacking ideas and they even have a kit for making your own. Get cracking now and you can have 10 complete balms in gift tins as stocking fillers.

Visit their website at www.naturallybalmy.co.uk

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