Cinco Vidas

We’ve been talking about various ingredients in your everyday personal-care products that can be harmful. We’ve mentioned phthalates, parabens, formaldehyde, talc, 1,4 dioxane, and more. But when it comes to your health, it’s not about any one particular ingredient.

You’ve probably heard about radiation exposure—radiation that you may encounter through x-rays, or even as a part of your occupation. It’s not about radiation, necessarily, but about how much radiation your body is exposed to over your lifetime. (more…)

Your doctor has told you to “eat a balanced diet,” but when you’re going through cancer treatments, sometimes food just doesn’t taste right. You can lose your appetite, easily get sick to your stomach, or find that eating most foods is similar to chewing cardboard. Maybe you’ve seen a nutritionist, and you’ve got a list of vitamins and minerals running around in your head, but no idea how to start turning that information into something you’d actually like to eat.

Enter Rebecca Katz, your personal culinary translator. Consultant, teacher, speaker, author, and first and foremost—cook—Rebecca has created (with co-author Mat Edelson) a book just for cancer patients and their caregivers. It’s called Cancer-Fighting Kitchen, and inside, she shares delicious recipes sure to get you eating again, as well as tips on what foods battle various side effects.
(more…)

In a previous post, we talked about the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics study that revealed 1,4-dioxane in nearly two-thirds of children’s bath products tested. 1,4-dioxane—typically produced as a byproduct during manufacturing—has been linked to skin allergies and is considered by the Environmental Protection Agency as a probable carcinogen.

The danger is still out there, but we’re happy to report that a few people are doing something about it. In 2008, the Organic Consumers Association (OCA) conducted their own study and found 1,4-dioxane in leading organic personal-care products. In June of 2008, in part because of the OCA’s findings and in part because of their own studies, the state of California filed a major lawsuit against body care household-cleaning product companies whose products tested highest for 1,4-dioxane. California’s Attorney General alleged the companies should have put warning labels on their products telling consumers of the 1,4-dioxane content, since they knew it was present.
(more…)

We’ve all seen the term “ph-balanced” on skin-care products. Most of us know it has something to do with the natural acid in the skin, and that if the product is pH-balanced, it won’t dry out the skin.

But pH goes a lot further than that. In fact, the entire body is affected by pH, and a body out of balance is more likely to be at risk for disease—including infections, bone and joint deterioration, digestive disturbances, and cancer.
(more…)

It’s hard to imagine that our own thoughts or emotions could have any real affect on creating disease, but that’s just what author and teacher Louise Hay—and many others—believe.

Ms. Hay asserts that disease is caused by mental thought patterns—particularly patterns of criticism, anger, resentment, and guilt. In her book, Heal Your Body, she talks about different diseases and the mental patterns associated with them. When she was diagnosed with cervical cancer, she put her money where her mouth was, and embarked on a regiment of therapy, (as well as nutrition and reflexology), working through her own resentments over being raped when she was 5 years old. She says she rid herself of the cancer. (more…)

Many of us deal with daily or weekly frustrations with our skin, including acne and dull texture that robs us of our youthful glow. However, sometimes the answer isn’t more creams but a gentle, natural way of exfoliating.

The skin, like many of our body organs, regularly breathes through the pores. Products, perspiration and dead cells can clog those pores, reducing skin’s ability to eliminate toxins and renew itself. For optimal health, we need to regularly excrete as many toxins as possible, so in addition to drinking water and consuming enough fiber to help our system get rid of waste, we need to keep the skin healthy so it, too, can do its part in cleansing our bodies.

Have you heard of dry skin brushing? Used for centuries by many cultures, it’s another approach to exfoliating dead-skin cells to speed up cell turnover and open up the pathways of toxin release. According to Bella Online, Turkish bath rituals used a rough cloth mitt, and in ancient Greece and Rome a “strigiles,” which was shaped like a curved spoon, was used to scrape the skin prior to bathing. (more…)

Five-time cancer survivor and author Donald Wilhelm is the first to admit that finding “happiness” while battling cancer is a bit difficult. However, he definitely advocates positive thinking.

“You have a choice,” he says. “You can be negative, or you can be positive, make some changes, and make the most of it. My question to people is, why would you choose negativity?”

Diagnosed in 2000 with Hodgkins 4A, Donald has gone through a long journey of cancer treatments. Total up the chemo he’s had and you’re talking over 24 month’s worth. His journey has been a series of remissions followed by recurrences, more chemo, remission, recurrence, chemo, rinse, and repeat. To say the least, it’s been grueling. (more…)

We talked in a former post about the dangers of BPA—a chemical used to make plastics. Recently, it’s been linked to breast cancer (because of its ability to mimic female hormones) and to prostate cancer. Then the National Institutes of Health found something even more alarming—that BPA could have adverse affects on childhood development.

“…there is some concern for neural and behavioral effects in fetuses, infants, and children at current human exposures,” they said. (more…)

I'm so grateful for my husband!

Watching the “Hope for Haiti” broadcast Friday, January 22nd, I couldn’t help but realize how very blessed I am—how blessed we all are to have food, clean water, shelter, and our loved ones around us. Sometimes it takes tragedies like these for us to realize that all the little things we worry about, complain about, and stress about aren’t really that important. We have what we need. And so much more.

Did you know that after September 11, 2001, researchers noted a surge in feelings of gratitude? Such feelings help us better manage the negative effects of stress. In fact, gratefulness can do a lot for our health. Robert Emmons, author of Thanks!: How the New Science of Gratitude Can Make You Happier, reports in his book on several studies that he and his colleagues have conducted at the University of California at Davis. (more…)

You’ve probably heard about some of the dangerous chemicals that may be lurking in your shampoos, body washes, and skin moisturizers. Still, all the information flying around out there can get confusing, so we’ve narrowed it down to 7—seven ingredients that have been linked to cancer. Look for these on your label ingredient decks, and if the product has it, don’t buy it!

Phthalates: Chemicals produced from oil to make plastic, phthalates are also used as solvents in cosmetic products like nail polishes, perfumes, and hair sprays. They’ve been found in animal tests to damage the liver, kidneys, lungs, and reproductive system. The Environmental Protection Agency has labeled phthalates as probable human carcinogens. Human studies have found developmental abnormalities in male infants correlating with high phthalate levels in their mother’s bodies. Look for abbreviations like “DBP,” “DEP,” “DEHP,” “BzBP,” and “DMP.” (more…)