The Power of pH
January 7, 2017
Dedication Pays Off
January 7, 2017
What we expose our bodies to and how we feed our skin can make a huge difference in our health, energy and even performance. Think of your body as a bathtub. If you continue to fill the your tub with more chemicals and toxins, over time your bathtub begins to fill up, and eventually spills over. From the air you breath, your environment, what you put on your skin, household cleaning supplies—everything that comes in contact with the human body, can either improve your health or can cause your body to become extremely toxic and breakdown.
What To Feed Your Skin?
Toxins in Body Care Products
How many body care products do you use each day? 5? 10? 15? For most people it is between 10-15 products every day!
- Soap
- Shampoo & conditioner
- Toothpaste
- Deodorant
- Skin moisturizers
- Cosmetics
- Shaving cream
- Sunscreen
- Mouthwash
- Household cleaning supplies
Have you ever thought about what goes into these products—the ingredients? What if you knew that many of your daily body care products were known carcinogens and were compromising your health? Have you ever looked on the back of your toothpaste and checked out the ingredient list or warning label? Something that you put in your mouth multiple times per day—what if the label said—“may be harmful or fatal if swallowed?” How do you not absorb or swallow a little bit of your toothpaste?
Are Your Products Causing Hormonal Imbalances?
Here is a little background on our endocrine system. The endocrine system includes the thyroid, pituitary, adrenal, pancreas, thymus, ovaries and testes. The Endocrine System releases carefully measured hormones into your bloodstream and hormones are the chemical messengers that travel throughout the entire body, controlling and adjusting almost every body function. Think of your hormonal system as an orchestra. Each and every instrument has a specific job to do—and staying in balance is critical to making beautiful music. The endocrine system is very sophisticated and is the communication network for the body—each talking back and forth sending messages at warp speed. The endocrine system helps regulate vital functions such as:
- Growth & Repair
- Stress Response
- Intelligence
- Metabolism
- Behavior
- Sexual development & reproduction
- Immune system
- Insulin production and utilization
- How we age!
- Hformones play an extremely important role in the health and performance of the human body
Estrogen Disruptors
Some ingredients in products may cause estrogen dominance in the body. They do this by mimicking your natural hormones—known as endocrine disruption. Endocrine disruptors cause hormonal imbalances, which may lead to over abundance of estrogen in the body. This is linked to early onset of puberty and menstruation in young girls, uterine fibroids, ovarian cysts and breast cancer. For men it can be hormonal imbalances with testosterone, low sperm count and poor sperm health. Not only can these estrogen disruptors mimic our natural hormones but they can also block other hormones from binding to receptor sites. Here are a few body care products to avoid:
- Parabens—commonly found in soap, shampoo, deodorant, toothpaste
- Phthalates—used in many plastics, liquid soaps, fragrance, perfume and hair care products
- Formaldehyde—nail products, hair dyes, some shampoos
- BPA—avoid plastics marked with PC (polycarbonate)
- Dioxin—foods such as milk, eggs, meat, fish & butter
- Lead—eye liner, lipsticks, cosmetics
- Mercury—eye drops, skin creams, seafood (wild Salmon, Tongal Tuna, highly tested cod liver oil)
- Pesticides—on our food
- Glycol ethers—paints, cleaning supplies
- Arsenic—use a water filtration system
Awareness is your first step in avoiding many of these Estrogen disruptors. Your second step is learning how to slowly upgrade your body care products, the food you eat, the beverages you drink, along with your environment, and the people around you.
Yes, upgrade the people around you and surround yourself with people who bring out your best and healthy self!
Lymphatic System
A healthy lymphatic system is key to your health and is especially important for the health of your eyes and skin. The lymphatic system is your body’s built-in sanitation system—the plumbing that carries away and filters out carcinogens and toxins from every cell, tissue and organ in the human body. The lymphatic system also plays an extremely important role in having a strong immune system. Think of your lymphatic system as the street cleaner and garbage collector for the human body. Unlike the heart which pumps our blood, the Lymphatic System has no pump so it needs help in moving fluid throughout the body. The lymphatic system is made up of:
- Lymphatic Vessels—carries waste through sweet, urine and bowels
- Lymphocytes—these are the primary cells of the lymphatic system—there are two classes of lymphocytes—T Cells (kill invaders) and B Cells (protect the body from foreign cells)
- Lymph Nodes—Filtering stations (armpit, pubic areas–never block the lymph nodes with deodorants/blocking agents like aluminum chlorohydrate. No aluminum chlorohydrate under the arms—ever!
- Tonsils, Adenoids, Appendix
- Thymus—gland under the breastbone that helps produce white blood cells
- Spleen—connected to lymph system that produces lymphocytes
- Bone Marrow—where lymphocytes are born (type of white blood cells)
A congested Lymphatic system is a major contributor to inflammation and disease.
What Causes the Lymphatic System to Be Sluggish?
- Lack of Movement—move multiple times per day—breath deeply—use your diaphragm
- Dehydration—stay hydrated—water is essential to help detox the body
- Stress—real and perceived stress
- Constipation or diarrhea—damaged villi
- Processed foods
- Unhealthy skincare products
- Exposure to toxins and carcinogens
How To Improve Your Lymphatic System
- Breath—deep breathing with the diaphragm (belly)
- Water—staying hydrated—10 ounces first thing in the morning (add a lemon or lime)
- Daily Movement—walk–stretch
- Gently dry brush your skin
- Mini-trampoline
- Massage
- Sauna
- Wear loose fitting breathable clothes
- Healthy skin care products
- Eat whole foods—especially fruits and vegetables
- Foods high in Chlorophyll—Wheatgrass and Spirulina/Chlorella—Natures natural cleansers
- Herbal teas (Turmeric, ginger, etc)
Your goal is to keep your lymphatic system running smoothly so it can help build a strong immune system for you
How To Have Healthy Glowing Skin
Did you know that your skin is an organ? In fact, your skin is the largest organ in the human body. Your skin is a living organism and has many jobs in keeping the human body healthy. One important role of the skin is for elimination. The skin helps the body eliminate toxins. We are all striving for that healthy glowing skin. If you do not have this healthy glow of the skin–your skin may be overloaded with toxin since your skin heals from the inside out.
How To Treat Your Skin
For years we have been sold a very misguided version of healthy skin maintenance such as powerful soaps that can peel off any grease or can provide the scent of a springtime rain. Shaving creams that foam, deodorants that that will stop BO in its tracks or anti-perspirants that will block any sign of moisture, sun block, shampoos, cosmetics, the list goes on. What can we do to improve the health of our skin—and the health of the human body as a whole?
Begin by slowly upgrading your daily skincare products just like you upgrade the food you eat, the car you buy, or the clothes you wear. Here are a few areas to begin upgrading:
- Toothpaste
- Deodorant—no more blocking agents—no more anti-perspirants
- Soap—bath and laundry soap
- Shampoo and Conditioner
- Skin Moisturizers—almond Oil, macadamia oil, coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil
- Sunscreen
- Household cleaning supplies
If you can safely eat your skin care products—that is a good sign!
Summary
To learn more, check out our skincare, essential oils and aromatherapy products on our website. We choose only the highest quality ingredients that we can find to make this lifestyle easy, fun, and delicious in every way!
