March 13, 2014

Toxins in all our skin and hair products! I'm livid!




I attend a lot of free seminars that my Humana insurance offers and this one was most interesting to me and should be to everyone.  It was about skin and skin cancer caused by beauty products that are loaded with toxins.

I knew toxins were in hair color and even in Johnson & Johnson baby shampoo, as I saw that on the News. Names that we have trusted for years.  I know that most reputable companies have removed the harsh chemicals from their products but not all did.

These chemicals cause a wide range of adverse health conditions from skin irritations to cancer.  Unfortunately, skincare giants do not want you to know about them, as there is too much money at stake in the anti-aging market.

I was shocked when I got home after the seminar with my notes in hand to check the ingredients in my facial cleaners, moisturizers, sunscreen creams and they all had chemicals in them from the list I learned about.

Parabens:  Widely used as a preservative to extend the shelf life of moisturizers and anti-aging products may actually cause premature aging and sagging skin.  Studies suggest parabens can cause cancer, allergic reactions and skin rashes even breast tumors!  Oh my.

Sodium Laureth Sulfate:  This is a foaming agent used in facial cleaners; chemical sulfates can be contaminated with measurable amounts of the cancer-causing agent ethylene oxide, which can harm the nervous system.  My very well-known brand name facial cleaner listed this in the list of ingredients.  I was livid.  I’ve been using this product for over 40 years.

Padimate O:  this ingredient is usually found in sun-screens and it may increase the risk of skin cancer.  I found this in the recent sunscreen I recently purchased and after one day, I had white spots all over my arms, legs and chest where I applied the product.  I live in Florida so sunscreen is a must here and no matter where you live actually.

I do water aerobics in the pool for exercise because my arthritis is so bad that I can no longer go to the gym for my regular classes.  The chlorine in the pool water is not good for my skin either and I have discussed this matter with the Condo Commandos to change the pool to Salt Water instead.  The cost is not that bad to reverse it but they are thick headed and snowbirds so they don’t care.

I can’t believe the government allows these products to contain such serious harmful stuff.  I’m livid.

US researchers have reported that one in eight ingredients used in personal care products are actually industrial chemicals such as pesticides, plasticizers, degreasers, reproductive toxins, hormone disruptors and carcinogens and they even use the same ingredients that are in weed killers.  Nasty stuff.  How do they sleep nights knowing what they are doing to our own people?

There has to be a way to scream out to stop all this.

It takes forever to shop and read ingredients on the food we eat, the shampoo and soap we buy……………We never had to do this when I was a child growing up.  We didn’t have all these chemicals in our products.

Companies are getting greedy and they don’t care about our health and people are just not informed about this serious matter.

It may cost more to shop at WholeFoods but at least you will know your purchases will be pesticide free.  I bought my bottle of shampoo there just recently.

One good thing…………..Dewars Scotch containes NO CARCINOGENS!  Other brand names do.

I’m doing research on red wines now.



March 7, 2014

Enjoy Life's Little Pleasures!



Every day is a blessing, whether it seems like it at the time or not.  I think all of us never show enough gratitude.  Gratitude is not merely the result of having good and valuable experiences in your life. Being grateful is an essential part of causing life’s goodness to come your way.

Gratitude is an emotion expressing appreciation for what a person has and I'm not referring to material things; what I mean is taking the time to appreciate the beautiful things in life. 

I remember my first trip to Key West, FL for a weekend was a Mother's Day present from my son many years ago.  I remember it was the most spectacular sunset on the planet!  And, it was a ritual every evening at sunset that a crowd would be outside with a drink in hand and applaud the amazing sunset of bright orange that looked like it was sinking right into the ocean.  

Believe it or not, I've never been to Disney in spite of the fact that I have been living in Florida for nearly 25 years now.  I had the opportunity to go many times with friends but the thought of listening to people dragging whining kids around the park themes did not appeal to me.  Walking around in the heat and humidity in Florida is not pleasant for me either.

 


Another wonderful Mother's Day present was from my daughter not that long ago..................taking me to the Red Sox game!  What a thrill.  Oh, "Sweet Caroline" "So good, So good, So good"!  It was exciting to be in my home town for a visit with my family and seeing my favorite baseball team.  The fans at the game are so exhilarating and it makes the experience all that more wonderful!  Love being a part of "the wave".

I'm grateful for my beautiful children.
Life is good!