Beautiful, Healthy Hair – How to Choose Safe Shampoo Ingredients

We’ve all gazed in admiration at the gorgeous girl in the shampoo commercial who tosses her long, lustrous, shiny hair.  However, in our quest for beautiful hair, we may be unknowingly using products that contain harmful synthetic chemicals — some of which can damage our skin, scalp, and eyes.  Here is some info on a few of the most widely used chemicals and their effects, and also some news on the healthiest, most beautifying natural alternatives.

The Food & Drug Administration’s Consumer Magazine recently wrote that shampoos, rinses and conditioners can cause eye problems that range from irritation, all the way to permanent eye damage.  One common irritant in shampoos is sodium lauryl sulfate or SLS.  The FDA requires companies to list their ingredients in hair care products in descending order, with the most abundant ingredient first.

SLS is usually one of the first listed ingredients in hair care products.  It is a strong detergent which is also used in dish soap.  According to the Journal of Investigative Dermatology, SLS produces skin and hair damage, including cracking and severe inflammation of tissue.  Skin layers can separate and inflame due to its protein-damaging properties.

Another frequent chemical used in shampoos is methyl paraben.  It is a synthetic preservative derived from a petroleum or gasoline base.  Parabens are known to be weakly estrogenic.  They can be absorbed through the skin, where they may then act as an alien female hormone.

The DEA, MEA and TEA-related ingredients are another group of toxic chemicals. Some of these include Cocamide DEA, Stearamide MEA, and TEA-Lauryl Sulfate.  The National Toxicology Program completed a study that found a relationship between the topical skin application of these ingredients and the development of liver and kidney cancer in laboratory animals.  These are almost always contained in products that foam and lather up, such as shampoos, bubble bath, body wash, liquid soap and facial cleansers.

While wholly natural hair care products cannot usually be found on the shelves of grocery stores and drug stores, they are readily available at health food stores and at health-minded product manufacturer’s web sites.  Natural product alternatives may not overflow with the lather or suds produced from artificial chemicals, but they do provide an effective cleansing and conditioning of the hair and scalp and without health risks to the skin, eyes, or hormones.

Coconut Oil, Corn Oil and Olive Oil-based soaps are good replacements for the harsher detergents such as sodium lauryl sulfate and cocamide DEA.  Natural oils from herbs and plants, like almond oil, primrose oil and sunflower oil, are excellent additions to shampoos and conditioners as they are softening and soothing to the skin.  These are easily dissolved in the oils of the skin and absorbed. Good substitutes for synthetic paraben preservatives are Vitamins A, C and E, as well as citrus seed extract and tea tree oil.

The aloe vera plant is widely used in natural products.  It resembles a cactus and contains a clear gel inside its leaves.  As opposed to the synthetics that cause dry, cracked and inflamed skin, aloe is a moisturizing healer that has been proven to cure psoriasis.  Psoriasis is a chronic skin disease that consists of dry red patches and scales that frequently occur on the scalp and behind the ears.  In one study, researchers showed that aloe cream applied to the skin, successfully treated psoriasis with no toxic effects. In this study, aloe cured 25 of 30 subjects, compared to the placebo cure rate of 2 out of 30 people (From “Tropical Medicine and International Health”, 1996, vol. 1).

Treat yourself well.  Look for and use these safer ingredients in hair care products.

This news is brought to you by Nutrition Breakthroughs.  Since 2001 Nutrition Breakthroughs has been providing natural health articles and effective natural remedies.  Their mission is to provide nutritional supplements that actually work and get results, and therefore help people to avoid drugs and their side effects.

Since 2009, their natural sleep remedy Sleep Minerals II has been keeping that promise — by soothing even the worst insomnia and helping everyone from teenagers to seniors to get a good night’s sleep. For more information, visit http://www.NutritionBreakthroughs.com.

Effective Natural Remedies for Sinuses, Colds and Flus

Greetings to you,

It’s Jobee Knight from Nutrition Breakthroughs.  Here are some simple, proven natural remedies for sinus infections and colds, many of which are backed-up by research studies.  For example, garlic is a commonly used cold medicine.  It’s widely used in Russia and is known there as “Russian Penicillin”.  Garlic supports immune function and it can kill bacteria, parasites, fungus and the flu virus.   One study from the journal Planta Medica showed that fresh garlic kills several kinds of viruses.

Horserdish is another plant that can ease throat and upper respiratory infections.  It has good antibiotic properties and a study in “Virologie” found that horseradish can destroy the flu virus and reduce the severity of flu infections.  While eating horseradish can make the eyes water and nose run, it can also create a similar release of watery fluids inside the bronchial passages of the lungs.  This helps to flush them out and wash away congestion.  For this reason, hot foods and spices in general are also very good for colds and flus.

This news is provided to you by Nutrition Breakthroughs, maker of the effective natural insomnia remedy Sleep Minerals II.  For more information on Sleep Minerals II, click here: http://www.nutritionbreakthroughs.com/html/sleep_remedy_for_insomnia_help.html

Here’s to your good health,

Jobee Knight
President
Nutrition Breakthroughs

New Studies Show Fish Oil Helps the Heart, Stomach and Immune System

There is an ongoing battle between the healthy and unhealthy fats in our diets. We can take steps toward winning the war by eating higher quality fats and the victories will include less joint pain, stronger eyes, fewer heart problems, lower blood pressure, and less cases of asthma and migraines. The healthiest fats include fish and fish oil (salmon, sardines, trout), flax oil, walnuts, almonds, avocados, olive oil, and rice bran oil.

The unhealthy fats, and the ones that can contribute to conditions like heart disease, high blood pressure, inflammation and stomach troubles, are fried food, fast food, processed foods like chips, crackers and cookies, baked foods with hydrogenated oil, and eating a lot of full-fat meat and dairy.

Fish oil is widely known for its benefits to heart health and inflammation, but until now, scientists were not entirely sure about its immunity enhancing effects. A new report appearing in an issue of a biology journal has shown that fish oil enhances the activity of a certain kind of blood cell responsible for immunity in the body.  Fish oil may actually aid immune responses that help clear out various diseases.

Another study was recently done at the Columbia University Medical Center in New York regarding the use of fish oil for the health of the heart and arteries.  Researchers there found that a diet rich in fish oils can prevent the accumulation of fat in the aorta, the main artery leaving the heart. The beneficial actions of fish oil that block cholesterol buildup in the arteries were found even at very high fat intakes.

Scientists at the University of California in Los Angeles compared fish oil with soybean oil for the fat component that was used in feeding tubes for children with stomach failure.  The study was titled “Six months of fish oil reverses liver disease in children with intestinal failure.”  With the fish oil, nearly 80 percent of the patients experienced a reversal of their liver disease, while only 5 percent of the soybean oil patients saw a reversal.  This is a strong statement on the benefits of fish oil for stomach and liver health.

This health news is provided by Nutrition Breakthroughs, maker of the effective natural insomnia remedy Sleep Minerals II.

Studies Show Enzymes are Key to Greater Energy, Less Inflammation, Faster Healing

Eat salads for enzymes

What can enzymes do for health, energy, and long life?  What effect does an enzyme deficiency have on the body?  The magic of enzymes is that they are a delicate lifelike substance found in all living animal and plant cells.  They are energized protein molecules that are essential for digesting food, repairing tissue, and creating virtually all of the chemical reactions in the body. A recent study from the Medical College of Belgaum India discovered that protein-digesting enzymes were more effective than aspirin in reducing swelling and inflammation.

According to the book “Enzymes: The Foundation of Life,” life cannot be sustained without enzymes, and because one’s body produces only so many enzymes during one’s life, there are less and less of them available with age. This may lead to poor digestion and blocked absorption of the vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients needed for good health.

Digestive enzymes are made in the pancreas and released into the intestine to break down food and turn it into energy.  Enzyme supplements are widely known to be beneficial for indigestion.  Also a helpful remedy for osteoarthritis, the Journal of Clinical Rheumatology found supplemental enzymes to be beneficial for joint health.  Raw food enzymes are obtained from eating raw foods such as fruits and vegetables. Foods high in natural enzymes are avocados, bananas, mangos and sprouts.  Cooked and processed foods are depleted of all of their enzymes.

Another type of enzyme is a metabolic or systemic enzyme. These are also made by the pancreas and other glands, but they travel directly through the bloodstream and initiate chemical reactions inside the cells that orchestrate life’s processes in every organ, gland, tissue and cell.

It is a key part of nutrition to eat raw foods and to take enzyme supplements when eating cooked or processed foods, in order to not rob the body of the metabolic enzymes it must have to keep the body running. When there aren’t enough digestive enzymes, the body forces its metabolic enzymes into use to digest food. This takes them away from their vital duties of repair, maintenance and infection fighting, all of which need constant attention.

Enzymes can either be taken with food or on an empty stomach.  When enzyme supplements are taken on an empty stomach, 45 minutes to one hour before meals, they stimulate the immune system to engulf and remove waste material such as bacteria, cysts, and tumors (per the article “Oral Enzymes – New Approach to Cancer Treatment.” Munich, Germany: Forum-Medicine, 1996).

Studies have confirmed the successful use of proteolytic (protein digesting) systemic enzymes for treating a wide variety of conditions.  They have helped healing and eased the pain of sports injuries, they are used to control inflammation and swelling, to bring about faster recovery after surgery, and to maintain good heart health by breaking down fats and cholesterol (The Lancet Journal – “Effects of enzymes in stable coronary artery disease”). Proteolytic systemic enzymes include bromelain, papain and pancreatin.  Taken between meals, they can fortify the blood and be stored for later use when needed.

Without enough enzymes, the digestive tract deposits a large quantity of toxic material from undigested food into the blood, which is carried throughout the body.  It accumulates over time and contributes to many chronic health problems and conditions. The body has to use a great deal of its energy to digest enzyme deficient foods.  By eating more uncooked and raw foods and using supplemental enzymes, energy can be diverted right back to the body and to yourself,

This health news is provided by Nutrition Breakthroughs.  Since 2001, http://www.NutritionBreakthroughs.com has been providing natural health articles and effective natural remedies.  Their mission is to provide nutritional supplements that actually work and get results, and therefore help people to avoid drugs and their side effects.  Since 2009, their natural sleep remedy Sleep Minerals II has been keeping that promise — by soothing even the worst insomnia and helping everyone from teenagers to seniors to get a good night’s sleep.  For more information on Sleep Minerals II, click here http://www.nutritionbreakthroughs.com/html/sleep_remedy_for_insomnia_help.html