SLS & Personal Care Products

Some recent research from Bath University brings into question the use of products containing sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS). This detergent is used in a range of personal care products (face creams, toothpaste, bodywash, hair conditioner, shampoos, shaving cream, etc.) and also medicinal cream such as Aqueous Cream BP (commonly used to treat eczema). The research using aqueous cream BP showed that the thickness of healthy skin is reduced within 4 weeks.

Richard Guy, Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences, says: “Our study has found that rubbing aqueous cream containing SLS into the skin thins [the] protective barrier, making the skin more susceptible to irritation by chemicals.

Check the ingredients list of all your personal care products and any medicinal creams - you're looking for sodium lauryl sulphate/sulfate - why thin your skin when there are good products that don't contain this harsh detergent?

If you're buying Christmas presents for other people, do them a favour ad check out what you plan to buy before you buy it.

Read more about this research>>

Vegetarian Thanksgiving Recipes

Vegetarians like to celebrate as much as anyone else. Here's a veggie menu from the Cancer Project.
here's some other ideas too for a cruelty-free thanksgiving.

Thinking ahead to Christmas, these menus would work for then too.

Improve Your Memory

Gary Small, a psychiatrist at the University of California, Los Angeles, says that stress hormones have been shown to reduce short-term memory.

If you find you are forgetting things more than you want to, consider whether it could be down to too much stress in your life and ask yourself what you can do about it.

Read our article on how to improve your memory with tricks and tips and supplements.

Arthritis & Rheumatism

Many people's arthritis or rheumatism gets worse at the change of season, so I thought it's time to highlight products and advice on our web site:

Long gone are the days when health care providers told people with arthritis to “rest their joints.” In fact, physical activity can reduce pain and improve function, mobility, mood, and quality of life for most adults with many types of arthritis including osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, and lupus. (US Government Centers For Disease Control & Prevention)

So what sort of exercise should you do and for how long? What if it hurts? Read our detailed article on arthritis and exercise.

We also offer natural arthritis supplements for the pain and discomfort of arthritis.,

Runo: A mixture of herbs specifically chosen for their anti-rheumatism properties, includng poke root, sarsparilla and prickly ash.

Devils' Claw: A traditional herbl remedy for arthritis, rheumatism, gout, lumbago, fibrositis and myalgia. It also works as an appetite stimulant and has a positive effect on digestion. Many older people find this herbal supplement particularly beneficial.

Glucosamine: Plays an essential role in the repair of cartilage in the joints, but there are no major food sources of glucosamine. This becomes a problem if the body does not produce enough itself. Glucosamine is not a pain killer; it works to repair the joints in a natural way.

Turmeric Tablets: It has been shown to be particularly useful if you suffer from shoulder, knee and elbow pain and stiffness. Irritable bowel syndrome and some digestive problems respond well to these turmeric tablets too.

MSM Joint Pain Cream: A soothing cream to apply to skin around the joints. Contains essential oil of limes, sulphur rich methyl sulfonyl methane (MSM), wheat germ oil, organic coconut oil and gently fermented soya protein.

Check out these and more in our online healthy living shop>>

Special Offer On Multivitamins & Minerals for Women

we are currently offering 15% off RRP on our Women’s Multivit – this promotion ends on September 30th - buy now and save money on a supplement specifically designed for menstruating women.)

Not Losing Weight

Nothing is more frustrating to a dieter than not losing weight when you expect to. Just when you’ve started to get the hang of a new lifestyle your body stops responding to the hard work that you are doing. This is generally referred to as a weight loss plateau.

What’s most frustrating about these signs is the fact that it might seem like you’re doing everything right. You’re eating what you’re supposed to be eating, working out when you plan to, and even cutting back further than you have to on your chosen diet plan.

Lynn VanDyke suggest 4 things to do if this happens to you:
• Increase your calorie intake slightly
• Increase the intensity of your exercise plan
• Try adding more protein to your diet
• Drink more water

Read more of her advice in her Weight Loss Plateau article.

Botulinum Injections For Smooth Skin

Botulimum injections are popular but there are big costs to animals. The substance used is a toxin produced by a bacterium called Clostridium botulinum. The toxin is one of the most powerful poisons known, but, because it has a natural source, it is impossible to know how strong it is without tests. Batches are tested by injecting them into mice until the animals are paralysed, and most of them die of suffocation. Every batch of the poison used for these treatments has to be tested on animals to establish its strength. Each year, thousands of mice die a slow and painful death, just so that humans can have smooth faces.

Is Smoking An Addiction?

A study published in the Journal of Abnormal Psychology in 2010 suggest that people who smoke do so for short-term benefits like oral gratification, sensory pleasure and social camaraderie. Once the habit is established, people continue to smoke in response to cues and in situations that become associated with smoking. The researcher Dr Dar of Tel Aviv University believes that the belief that nicotine is physiologically addictive is over-rated and that it has much more to do with habit than addiction. Read more of this research.


If you want to give up smoking, think about the triggers and habits that keep you smoking. Hypnotherapy has a good track record in helping people stop smoking. This research suggests why that is the case.

Don't smoke, but know someone who does and wants to give up? Please take a moment and forward this email to them.

The best natural acne remedies I know

Acne is a common skin and can lead to a huge loss of confidence for the sufferer.

Here are some natural acne remedies:

* Blue Flag Compound - A traditional herbal remedy for acne, containing 4 herbs known for centuries as being effective in skin problems.
* Tea Tree Cream - deservedly becoming more and more popular as an anti-bacterial and anti-fungal cream. Apply to spots and stop inflammation and infection spreading.
* Zinc is vitally important for the skin and is particularly beneficial for teenage boys. If you are not sure if you're short of zinc, take the home zinc test and find out.
* If your spots are worse around your periods, agnus castus may be helpful.
* Flower remedies can help you maintain your self esteem and self-confidence while you sort out your spotty skin.
* Vitamin E taken internally may help reduce scarring.

There's more detailed information about these great acne products here.

Happiness From Money?

Money doesn’t buy you happiness, at least not once you’ve met your basic needs and have a bit more for emergencies, fun, personal development and maybe to support your children or give to your favourite charity. But though most people know that money doesn’t buy happiness, most of us act as though it does.

There’s always the thought that if we had a little bit more (we’re not being greedy) we’d be OK. It’s a seductive idea but it keeps you enthralled and never quite satisfied with what you already have.

I know people who have a lot more money than me, but are they happy? Do they moan and complain less? I don’t think so. But, of course, if we had more money, we wouldn’t be like this, would we? We’d be grateful and happy … but would we?

Read more about my thoughts on happiness and money.

School Anxiety - Help From Homeopathy

Many children get anxious starting a new term but he,lp is at hand. Genie Rowson has written an excellent article on using homeopathy to counter school anxiety.

Another possibility is to use Indigo remedies - these remedies are specifically designed for children and are safe and effective - there are several that might apply for the school jitters - Confidence, Happy, No Fear - read more about the Indigo essences and make your choice.

Ovarian Cancer Survival

Ovarian cancer has a relatively low survival rate, but research (March 2010 Journal of the American Dietetic Association) suggests women with this problem can increase their chances of surviving by adopting a more healthy diet:

*** High in fruit and vegetables
*** Low in meat
*** Healthy whole grains rather than white bread etc.

This is the diet we should all be following anyway. If you're not, focus on one of these three and make some healthy changes.

Check out our healthy vegetarian recipes here.

Natural Sun Cream Products

With so many of us preparing for holidays we thought it important for you to know why a natural sunscreen is best for you and your family.
Conventional sun protection products use artificial sun filters and oil derived from petrochemicals, as well as parabens, synthetic fragrance, and other additives.

Many of these ingredients have been shown to have negative implications for health and a lot of people with sensitive skin find that sunscreen is one of the major culprits likely to cause a reaction.

So Organic offer a range of natural sun protection products using pure minerals such as zinc oxide and titanium dioxide to protect skin from the sun and never using paraben preservatives or synthetic fragrance, preferring instead to rely upon the natural properties of plant extracts and pure essential oils.

Cataract Prevention

Women who eat foods rich in a variety of vitamins and minerals may have a lower risk of developing the most common type of cataract that occurs in the United States, according to a report in the June 2010 issue of Archives of Ophthalmology.

Cataracts, which increase in prevalence with age, are the most important cause of blindness in the world; in the United States, cataract is the most prevalent cause of visual impairment due to eye disease according to background in the article. "There are limited studies published to date in which nutritional risk factors are evaluated concurrently with a comprehensive set of other lifestyle, ocular health and physical risk factors."

Julie A. Mares, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin, Madison, and colleagues studied 1,808 women who participated in the Carotenoids in Age-Related Eye Disease study, residing in Iowa, Wisconsin and Oregon. The estimates of daily food and nutrition intake were made from previous responses to a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire used at the time as part of the Women's Health Initiative study. Additionally, "adherence to the 1990 dietary guidelines for Americans and the 1992 food guide pyramid, reflecting dietary recommendations at the time women entered the Women's Health Initiative, was estimated by the 1995 Healthy Eating Index scores adapted to this questionnaire."

According to the study, nuclear cataract was common in the sample with 29 percent (454 women) reporting the eye disease with a lens in at least one eye. Additionally, 282 women (16 percent) had reported cataract extractions in either eye. Overall, 736 women (41 percent) had either nuclear cataracts evident from lens photographs or reported having a cataract extracted. "Results from this study indicate that healthy diets, which reflect adherence to the U.S. dietary guidelines at the time of entry in the Women's Health Initiative study, are more strongly related to the lower occurrence of nuclear cataracts than any other modifiable risk factor or protective factor studied in this sample of women," the study states.

"In conclusion, this study adds to the body of literature suggesting that healthy diets are associated with lower risk for cataract," the authors write. "Lifestyle improvements that include healthy diets, smoking cessation, and avoiding obesity may substantively lower the need for and economic burden of cataract surgery in aging American women."

Choose Blue And Red For Better Sun protection

Economy-minded consumers who want protection from the sun's harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays — but rather not pay premium prices for sun-protective clothing — should think blue and red, rather than yellow. Scientists in Spain have reported that the same cotton fabric dyed deep blue or red provide greater UV protection than shades of yellow. Their study could lead to fabrics with better sun protection.

Continue reading about this research >>

Child Soldiers

Today is International Day of the African Child - a day to commemorate the lives of the young boys and girls who were shot down whilst marching for their rights in Soweto in 1976, and a day to draw attention to the lives of African children today. Over the coming weeks local peacebuilder Henri Ladyi will launch a campaign on the rights of children - including the right to be children, not soldiers - in villages across eastern Congo. Just last month Henri negotiated the release of 30 child soldiers. 12-year-old Benjamin was one of them - he was nine when he first joined the militia.

Read Benjamin's story>>

Legionnaire's Disease

A study published in the European Journal of Epidemiology (June 2010) suggests that using water for your windscreen wipers may not be a good idea, as it may encourage the bacteria responsible for Legionnaire's disease.

"Not adding screenwash to windscreen wiper fluid is a previously unidentified risk factor and appears to be strongly associated with community acquired sporadic cases of Legionnaires’ disease. We estimated that around 20% of community acquired sporadic cases could be attributed to this exposure. A simple recommendation to use screenwash may mitigate transmission of Legionella bacteria to drivers and passengers. "

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The Dangers Of A Sun Tan

There has been a lot of publicity about the danger of getting too much sun, but many people are hazy about what they need to do. Find out what the research is saying about the dangers of sun tanning and tanning beds.

Antacids And Bone Fractures

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warns that there is a possible increased risk of fractures of the hip, wrist, and spine if you take certain drugs for heartburn, acid reflux, or ulcers.

Read more about their advice here.

If you know someone who is taking antacids regularly, please pass this information on to them. Thanks.


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Older Vegetarians

Many people think the typical vegetarian is a teenager or someone in their twenties, but the charity Vegetarian for Life has found that 22% of care homes in the UK have one or more vegetarian residents. they have lots of support and suggestions for catering for older vegetarians on their web site.

There are also tips on getting older positively, applicable whether or not you're vegetarian.

But do remember there are lots of health benefits in being vegetarian, and many of these become more and more evident as people age.