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Detox suggestions, news and tips on how to remove harmful toxins from your daily life and from your body. Putting good things in is only half the equation to great health.

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Latest Activity: Feb 12

Would You Eat Your Make-up?

There is a new David and Goliath war about to begin in the United States. On one side, looms the $50 billion a year cosmetics industry, and on the other side the tiny non-profit consumer protection group The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics. The issue is the federal regulation of the cosmetics industry.

Currently, the cosmetics industry operates under self-regulation and personal care products like shampoo, conditioner, aftershave, lotion and makeup are not regulated by the FDA or any other government agency. It is perfectly legal and very common for companies to use ingredients that are known carcinogens, mutagens or reproductive toxins.

While the cosmetics industry argues that the health risks from the chemicals is small, the fact is that we are bombarded with hundreds of these chemicals every day and the slow and silent accumulation has been shown to lead to disease.

• Each day, the average adult uses nine personal care products that contain 126 different chemical ingredients
• The average person absorbs 5 lbs. of make-up chemicals per year
• Over a quarter of a million women and one out of every 100 men use on the average of 15 products a day
• Only 28 of the 7,500 products in the study were completely tested by the industry's self-regulating panel
• An astounding one-third of all the products assessed contained at least one ingredient that fell under the classification of human carcinogen
• 71 percent of the hair dye products evaluated had carcinogenic coal tar as part of their ingredients
• Almost 70 percent of the products reviewed were found to have ingredients that could be tainted with impurities related to cancer and other health complications
• 54 percent of the products violated the safety recommendations proposed by the self-regulating Cosmetic Ingredient Review Board. Some examples of the unsafe ingredients in these products were discovered in diaper cream, products on the market for damaged skin such as chapped skin and other ingredients found in spray products
• Over the course of keeping watch over the cosmetic industry, the FDA has banned a mere nine personal care products

Based on these findings, researchers agreed that the lack of monitoring by the FDA has led to a huge leniency toward the testing of cosmetic ingredients and has resulted in a large portion of products available on the market that pose health risks to the consumers.

Recommendations to Cosmetic Manufacturers by the Environmental Working Group
• Take out all possible cancer carcinogens and other developmental toxins from products
• Ensure that ingredients are certified and free of impurities with known possible human carcinogens or developmental toxins
• Eliminate any ingredients that qualify as harmful or unsafe

You wouldn’t knowingly rub a bunch of chemicals on your skin, would you? Well, that’s often what happens every day when people slather on lotion, apply makeup or wash their hair. Is using a typical body lotion for a day going to kill you? Well, of course not.

But every product that you put on your body gets absorbed directly into your bloodstream. And over time these chemicals add a significant burden to your body, and that burden can manifest into disease.

So when choosing your personal care products, keep in mind that the ingredients should be safe enough to eat, since that is essentially what you are doing when you apply something onto your skin.

The only way to be sure of what’s in your personal care products is to become familiar with which ingredients to avoid, and then check the labels of every product before you buy it. Here are some of the major ones that you will definitely want to avoid:

• Paraben, a chemical found in underarm deodorants and other cosmetics that has been shown to mimic the action of the female hormone estrogen, which can drive the growth of human breast tumors.
• Phthalates, plasticizing ingredients (present in nearly three-quarters of 72 products tested by the Environmental Working Group), which have been linked to birth defects in the reproductive system of boys and lower sperm-motility in adult men, among other problems.
• Musks, used as fragrances, can accumulate in your body, and have been linked to skin irritation, hormone disruption, and cancer in laboratory studies.
• Artificial fragrances, which are among the top five known allergens, and can cause asthma and trigger asthma attacks.
• Methylisothiazolinone (MIT), a chemical used in shampoo to prevent bacteria from developing, which may have detrimental effects on your nervous system.
• Toluene, made from petroleum or coal tar, and found in most synthetic fragrances. Chronic exposure linked to anemia, lowered blood cell count, liver or kidney damage, and may affect a developing fetus.
• Mineral Oil, Paraffin, and Petrolatum, these products coat your skin like plastic, clogging pores and creating a build-up of toxins. They also slow cellular development, which can cause you to show earlier signs of aging, and are a suspected cause of cancer and disruption to hormonal activity.

To find out how your cosmetics rate, go to:
www.cosmeticsdatabase.com

Discussion Forum

The Town Of Allopath

Has anyone ever seen this video? I think it's quite clever and illustrates very beautifully how root cause and prevention are a better solution for our health.…Continue

Started by Kim Foreman Nov 24, 2010.

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Comment Wall

Comment by Kim Foreman on November 18, 2010 at 10:33am: Hi Erin. Find a far-infrared sauna that's offering a discount on monthly sauna sessions and get in there as often as possible. My son had terrible acne and it got him cleared up within about 3 weeks using the sauna every 2-3 days.

Comment by Kim Foreman on November 18, 2010 at 11:23am: Hi Erin. There are lots of them in Calgary - very popular in spas, gyms and tanning salons. I don't know what type of infrared they use (Solocarbon works best) but here's one I found looking online:

Elements of Wellness

Located near McKnight Blvd & Barlow Trail, this spa caters to a clientele who are proactive about health & educated on the benefits of good nutrition, exercise and stress management. Elements of Wellness offers a broad range of modalities by qualified practitioners including Massage Therapy, Acupuncture, Nutrition, Biofeedback-EPFX/SCIO, Yoga, FAR Infrared Sauna Therapy, Ionic Detox Foot Baths, Whole Body Vibration,and more.
Tel 1 403 237-5774
Address: 3926 29 Street NE | Calgary, AB | T1Y 6B6

Comment by Kim Foreman on November 24, 2010 at 2:51pm: Welcome Alana. do you have any detox tips?

Comment by Kim Foreman on November 24, 2010 at 3:27pm: Whole Body Detoxification

On Christmas day, 2003 the headline went out across the news service, “Scientists Begin Measuring Pollution in Humans” and the results were disturbing: flame retardants, heavy metals, styrene… a veritable witch’s brew of chemicals were found in every one of the people tested. Many chemicals found were known carcinogens, others were hormone disruptors and the most unsettling fact is that these toxins are accumulating in microscopic amounts in all of our bodies irregardless of lifestyle. Day after day, year after year our bodies are storing these hidden chemicals – until the toxic load reaches a critical point where disease begins.

Because fat is generally inert, it is here that the bulk of your toxins are warehoused. Your body is a brilliantly designed machine and any toxin that cannot be processed out through normal elimination is stored in the safest place possible and where it has the best chance of being expelled - your subcutaneous fat cells. The importance of internal cleansing has been common knowledge among health-conscious people for years but internal cleanses do not remove the accumulation of toxins from your fat tissue. Now, the technology exists to safely and permanently remove these harmful toxins – the far-infrared sauna.

Hippocrates, the founder of modern medicine said “Give me a fever and I will cure any disease”. While the Finns are credited with inventing the Sauna as we know it (pronounced “sow-nah” as in ‘now’), other cultures have used the sweat lodge for centuries. Outdoor buildings were constructed and the heat – often in excess of 200°F was generated by open fires, later wood-fire stoves were used and in recent years, electric heaters. The extreme high heat meant that not everyone could use the sauna: the elderly, infirmed or weak could not tolerate the stress that the heat placed on their bodies so they could not reap the many health benefits regular sweating provides.

Far-infrared is an invisible part of the light spectrum that heats objects directly without heating the air between. It is far-infrared that is responsible for the heat we feel from the sun and is completely separate from the harmful UV rays that are also a component of sun light. It is essential to our health and is part of our daily lives as every living organism emits and receives far-infrared energy.

To determine the difference in detoxification is between conventional and far-infrared, Seattle-based neurologist, Dr. Dietrich Klinghardt, conducted a study. Lab results showed that the sweat of people using a conventional sauna was 95-97 percent water while the sweat of those using a far-infrared sauna was 80-85 percent water with the non-water portion consisting of cholesterol, fat-soluble toxins, heavy metals, sulfuric acid, ammonia and uric acid.

Toxic load is a major health threat for people of all ages and sweating in a far-infrared sauna is an effective low risk method for removing toxins from the body. Far-infrared sauna treatments allow toxins to leave the body directly through the skin, avoiding complications from a congested lymphatic system, an already stressed liver, and the commonly irritated digestive elimination system. Patients who use sauna treatments report a wide range of health benefits, including clearer thinking, fewer coughs and colds, more restful sleep, less skin irritations, and resolution of nerve pain in their hands and feet.

Currently, there are more than 70,000 chemicals in use world-wide and they are reaching everyone regardless of race, class or geography. According to a study released in January 2007, four top Canadian politicians allowed their blood to be tested. Of 103 pollutants ranging from flame retardants to arsenic and Teflon, a total of 61 were found. Combined, their blood contained a frightening chemical soup, which included 54 carcinogens, 37 hormone disruptors, 16 respiratory toxins, 54 reproductive or developmental toxins and 33 neurotoxins. Fortunately, nature has provided us with a simple solution to our body pollution – sweat.

It is estimated that it takes 90-100 hours of sweating in a far-infrared sauna to unload your lifetime accumulation of toxins. Once or twice a week after that will continually remove new toxins and keep your body systems operating at peak performance.

Good health is a choice – one that you can make. If you are seeking alternative therapies for existing conditions or preventive solutions to maintain your active lifestyle, consider regular far-infrared sauna use as a critical component in achieving optimal health and wellness. An ounce of sweat is truly worth a pound of cure!

Comment by Kristin forgy on January 11, 2011 at 12:13am: I am a huge fan of natural beauty products ! I work for lush ! A vegan veggie Skincare,haircare,bath product store .they are international and amazing !!if you haven't heard or tried it I suggest it .

Comment by Kim Foreman on January 11, 2011 at 1:20pm: Hi Kristin. My daughter is 13 and has been a huge fan for ages. We are particularly fond of the bath bombs... a lovely luxury from time to time :) So nice to hear everything they make is non toxic. It's so important to monitor the products you put ON your body, not just the ones you put IN your body. A lot of people don't realize that the skin absorbs toxins even more so than if you ate them as there are no digestive enzymes to help break anything down or eliminate them.

Ideally, the rule of thumb should be: if you wouldn't eat it, you shouldn't put it on your skin! Well THAT takes almost every product off of the shelves of the grocery, drug and big box stores - hard to do but definitely food for thought.

Comment by Kim Foreman on January 11, 2011 at 1:24pm

Aspartame's To Blame

It’s in everything today – from diet sodas to chewing gum to sugar-free baked goods. Aspartame seemed like a Godsend when it came out on the market in 1981; a sweet taste without all the pesky calories of sugar! Before long, countless products were flooding the market promising weight loss, prevented tooth decay and well… better living. The dark side being that Aspartame was NOT a naturally occurring substance so our body’s do not know now to process it and the long-term side effects are frightening.

According to a new review by scientists from the University of Pretoria and the University of Limpopo, April, 2008, consuming a lot of aspartame may inhibit the ability of enzymes in your brain to function normally and cause long term brain malfunction and even behavioural problems and depression.

Despite these growing concerns, neither the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) or the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have changed their guidelines regarding the safety of the ingredient or intake advice.

To understand why Aspartame is so destructive, it is important to understand the three components that make up Aspartame: aspartic acid (40%), phenylalanine (50%) and methanol (10%). When aspartic acid is consumed, it significantly raises your blood level of aspartate, which leads to a high level of those neurotransmitters in certain areas of your brain, where they slowly begin to destroy neurons.

Your brain cells could be dying right now, but you likely would not notice the symptoms until 75% or more are gone. Then, chronic illnesses such as the following may occur:

Multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease
Memory and hearing loss
Hormonal problems
Epilepsy
Brain lesions
Neuroendocrine disorders

Excessive levels of phenylalanine in your brain can cause the levels of serotonin in your brain to decrease, leading to emotional disorders such as depression. It can also cause schizophrenia or make you more susceptible to seizures.

They recommend a limit of consumption of 7.8 mg/day, but a one-liter aspartame-sweetened beverage contains about 56 mg of methanol. Heavy users of aspartame-containing products consume as much as 250 mg of methanol daily — or 32 times the EPA limit!

The symptoms of methanol poisoning are numerous and varied. They include:

Vision problems
Headaches, ear buzzing, dizziness
Nausea and gastrointestinal disturbances
Weakness, numbness and shooting pains in your extremities
Behavioral disturbances
Memory lapses

Still think Aspartame is a safe choice? Be a smart consumer and read your labels. Give up chewing gum and diet sodas. If you must have something sweet, turn to natural sweeteners or even just good old sugar. Your body knows what to do with it and your brain will thank you!

Comment by Sarah on March 24, 2011 at 9:22pm: Hi Kim. Thanks for making this group. I'm new to the vega community. After a particularly hard and stressful winter, I'm looking to detox to help me get over a recent coffee and chocolate addiction and get back on a healthy track. My only problem is that my jobs keep me very active (I work on a ski resort in the winter and as a landscaper in the summer).

Any advice on how to keep my energy levels up while going through a detox session?

Comment by Katelynn on February 6, 2012 at 3:34pm: Hi Kim, this seems like a great group! I have been vegan for almost a year now and for the most part my diet consists of natural ingredients, but I was wondering if you could suggest any foods or what have you that is great for cleansing toxins out of your system?

Comment by Stephanie J Schlosser on November 29, 2012 at 8:58am: There's a fabulous skin care line that's completely pure: http://www.annmariegianni.com/

They were raw vegan for years, when she got pregnant she branched out in food, which I totally understand, they're the best I've ever tried. ( I don't work for them and I'm not an affiliate of anyone, its just good)

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