Tips For Summer Skin

Summer Skin

 

Haven’t we been having beautiful sunny weather? Coming out of Winter, our skin can sometimes look like it needs a bit of TLC. Here are a few top tips to get it into condition quickly. Protect it from sunburn using Green People’s F22 sun screen (£15.99) or keep a small tube of Weleda’s Factor 20 (£6.25) in your handbag for your face. Use the AMB Sun Lip Balm – yes, now back in stock – hoorah! Slather your skin in AMB heavenly rich and gorgeous-smelling Body Balm (£15.70) or Weleda’s essential fatty acid rich Sea Buckthorn body lotion (£5.95).

 

For soft feet, use the refreshing pepperminty Weleda Foot Balm (£5.95). To keep your cool, choose either AMB Sportiv or Body Lind Body Spray (£11.80) which acts like a deodorant and a perfumed body spray, or Green People Aloe Roll-on (£6.49) or Toms of Maine if you prefer a stick deodorant (£3.80).

 

To look after your face, my best lighter but anti-ageing moisturising advice is to swop to AMB Natursome Fluid Moisturiser (£34.45). It is simply fantastic. For a cheaper but good alternative, use the NHR Moisturising Creams in Rose, Teatree or Lavender (£9.65). One pump is enough to do your face and neck easily. For a booster treat, don’t forget the AMB Orange Blossom Energiser as a night oil once or twice a week (£15.70) and the AMB Eye Wrinkle Cream (£14.00). All available for mail order by calling or on the website www.purehealthclinic.co.uk. Enjoy!

Well I Never… Did You Know?

Avocados are native to Central and South America, the word avocado derives from the Nahuatal (native Mexican) word “ahuacatl”, meaning testicle, and they were believed by the Aztec culture to have aphrodisiac qualities!

New PCOS Book Now Available!!!

Micki’s PCOS Book Now Available

I have now published the Help I’ve Got…PCOS book on the e-shop as an e book. For those of you with PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome), it will give you a full naturopathic programme to follow. Have a look at it in Books & Publications at www.purehealthclinic.co.uk. Once ordered, it will be emailed to you and all you need will be on the e-shop. Any feedback very welcome.

New Blog site

New Searchable Blog Site for Micki – www.mickirose.wordpress.com

I now have over 600 people on the distribution list for the e-news (thank you!) It occurred to me that sometimes it would be useful to be able to search through all the stuff I’ve written on specific subjects, health conditions or recipes, for example. I can’t seem to get this on the website yet, so instead I have set up a new blog site which is fully searchable. You can get to this from the website or simply log in to the address above.

If you visit this now, click on the link to subscribe on the right hand side and it will automatically let you know when I have posted something new. Basically, I will write the e-news as before and send it out to you direct like this, but there will be additional bits and bobs on the blog site as and when something interests/excites/annoys me!

Also, it will allow you to leave your own comments for me and others to read if you want to, or contact me direct by email as usual. Be polite or the system will bar your message, and gentle with me, of course! I hope you like the new system and I look forward to any feedback you have.

Thank you also for bearing with us while we moved premises. Hopefully, everything is all sorted now and you didn’t notice too much going wrong! We’re back from having a sunny rest now (and boy, we needed it!) and are raring to go again. Appointments in Mossley are going really well and the e-shop and mail order systems are working as they should. The only thing you will notice from now on will be that you will no longer be able to collect any products at your appointments in Mossley. I have had to remove all products from there as some of the NAET allergy patients were reacting to them. So, instead, I will simply take down what you need and send it mail order for £1 for you straight to your door. Saves you carrying it! If there is something you know you’re going to need desperately, you can always call me and ask me to bring some with me especially for you, but please only do this if it really is urgent. Thanks.

Soya & Linseed Mixed Spice Breakfast Pancakes

How about these for a new way of upping your omega 3 and phyto-oestrogen levels? Most women especially over 40 would benefit from more of these two foods, so have a go at these. They make a sort of batter that you then quickly fry or griddle to make American-style pancakes. Don’t worry if your first batch isn’t perfect, the joy is to keep trying them until you get it just to suit your taste.

To make a small amount just for you, first mix 2 large eggs and about 50ml soya milk. Then add a tablespoon of ground flaxseeds (use this as soon as it is ground otherwise it’ll oxidise and lose it’s goodness – try to get it as fine as possible), 2 tablespoons of ground almonds, a teaspoon of mixed spice, a pinch of salt and either 2 tablespoons of Zylosweet (Xylitol) or a splash of agave syrup to sweeten. Mix together and then mix well with the egg/soya mix. Put covered in the fridge for a couple of hours or overnight.

When ready to cook them, add another 50ml soya milk (or more if it needs it) and half a teaspoon of baking powder. Then drop blobs of the mix onto a hot, oiled pan or griddle and flip over to brown both sides. Enjoy with a little drizzle of agave syrup, some Pure spread or a little St Dalfour or Bonne Maman jam. Yum. Now, that’s worth waking up for – and very good for you too.

Say No To Flouride in Water

 The current Health Secretary, Alan Johnson, has announced plans to add fluoride to the UK Water Supply in a bid to improve dental health in the UK.  My personal feeling is definitely against as I feel it’s like mass medication, and yet another chemical our bodies have to deal with. If you want to use it, that’s a personal choice – I don’t and I don’t want to be forced to. I already have a reverse osmosis water filtration system to filter my water and flouride is just one more chemical to be got rid of. But I don’t suppose the govt or water industry will recompense me for the cost of having to filter it out…I won’t hold my breath! In the meantime, here is what the Green party had to say about it:

Stuart Jeffery, health spokesperson for The Green Party pointed out that “Besides the reality of negative health effects, this is an issue of medical ethics. Fluoridating water is essentially medicating people without their permission, and the European Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine distinctly states that individuals have the right not to be medicated without their consent.”

In regards to the cause of poor dental health he said, “Poor dental health is a complex public health issue. The root causes are poor diet and inadequate dental hygiene. Typically, the government seems more concerned with dangerous knee-jerk action and to be seen  ‘doing something’, rather than confronting the real causes of the problem,” adding that “While we continue to feed refined sugar to our children in schools, efforts to reduce tooth decay will be in vain.”

“Fluoride is a known poison if ingested over a long period of time, even in small daily doses.  Its consumption has been linked to a range of medical afflictions including severe skeletal problems, fluorosis (discoloration of the teeth), osteosarcoma (a rare form of bone cancer) in boys, and problems affecting the central nervous system,” said Stuart Jeffery.

The Green Party concluded,   “We want to see a programme of education for children and adults regarding proper dental hygiene and a healthy diet, a health warning on all sources of fluoride intended for human consumption, and a ban on the fluoridation of drinking water.”

Ikea and B&Q Come Up Trumps

Sheherazade Goldsmith who writes in the Green Scene part of the Mail’s YOU magazine recently discussed the problem of outgassing chemicals from the ubiquitous MDF. She explains that plywood & laminate boards use large amounts of chemical glues to produce, but the worst culprit is medium density fibreboard (MDF.)   

 

The waste wood & shavings are glued together using formaldehyde resins, which can continue to release low levels of chemicals for up to 3 years & are a ‘Category 3′ carcinogen (ie. linked to cancer).   She says ‘the govt. don’t seem to be doing much’  but some retailers such as B&Q & Ikea, inspired  by our European neighbours, now offer low-level (known as E1) & zero formaldehyde MDF. Excellent news. Well done them.  

Give Zinc to Elderly To Avoid Pneumonia

Low serum zinc levels associated with increased incidence of pneumonia in elderly.

In a study of nursing home residents, patients with normal serum levels of zinc exhibited decreased incidence, severity and duration of pneumonia symptoms. Residents with low serum zinc levels (less than 70 mcg per decilitre) experienced increased incidence, longer duration of episodes, and required 50% more antibiotic prescriptions.

Simin N Meydani, Junaidah B Barnett, Gerard E Dallal, Basil C Fine, Paul F Jacques, Lynette S Leka, and Davidson H Hamer. Serum zinc and pneumonia in nursing home elderly. Am J Clin Nutr 2007 86: 1167-1173.

I would add a couple of things here. If you know an elderly person either in a home or going to hospital, build them up before they go – and then maintain their supplements as their diet is likley to be poor. My advice would be perhaps an easy to take nutritious powder or a Multivitamin and Mineral, plus a probiotic  and Garlic or Olive Leaf for circulation and to kill off any bugs that may be prevalent in the environment. None of these should affect any other meds they are on, but always make sure you tell the GP/staff what else they are taking. We don’t look after our older people enough – it’s time to start!

Fitness Myths

I was browsing the ineedfitness website the other day (a good resource by the way so pay it a visit if you’re trying to get fit) and I came across this excellent article. I hope they don’t mind, but I repeat part of it here for you. For more, find the name on the website and have a good read.

THE 5 DEADLY LIES

1. The healthiest method to gauge your progress is weighing yourself: MYTH

You think I’m about to say that the answer is to get frequent body fat tests, don’t you? Nope! The healthiest way to gauge your progress is to make sure your strength levels increase when performing resistance exercise, make sure your endurance improves through cardiovascular exercise and make sure that your clothes fit exactly the way you want them to.
When did we stop trusting ourselves to the extent that everything has to be successful by a measurement? Don’t we have enough pressure in our lives? (Too true – Ed)

2. It’s important to work out for two to three hours a day for great results: MYTH

It’s amazing how many people ask me how long my workout sessions are. The question should be, “How short are your workout sessions?” Long workouts are counterproductive. Numerous studies prove that more than one hour of an intense workout increases cortisol levels. Cortisol is a catabolic hormone that, among other things, will assist in destroying muscle. The body appears to be designed for quick, intense workouts. There is no need for more than 40 to 45 minutes of weight training and 35 to 40 minutes of cardiovascular exercise. I’m not suggesting that you’ll lose all your muscle or go to an early grave if you exceed these recommendations. I’m simply stating that best results are achieved with intensity, not necessarily long duration.

3. Women will get BIG if they weight train: MYTH

A woman has one-third the testosterone of a man, so putting on a ton of muscle is not going to happen. The women you see in the magazines that look BIG and manly are on steroids, growth hormones, etc. You’ll look bulky if you’re carrying excessive body fat and building muscle. However, if you’re reducing body fat, you’ll eventually be able to see those lean, defined muscles.

4. You must work out five to six days per week to make progress: MYTH

The number of days that you work out does not constitute level of fitness. I see a lot of people in the gym five to six days a week and they’d be better off playing ping pong. Consistency and level of effort is the key. I’d rather see someone work out three days per week with enthusiasm and intensity, than five inconsistent days of lackadaisical effort. In fact, for anyone who has trouble with motivation, I recommend only two days of workouts per week, but you must do it every week.

5. To get a flat midsection, perform a lot of abdominal exercises often and with intensity: MYTH

This is my all-time favourite. In order to get a six-pack (physiologically it’s actually an eight-pack), or simply a flat stomach, body fat levels must be reduced significantly. This is achieved through a calorie deficit combined with exercise. In fact, unless you’re competing in an event or genetically predisposed, maintaining visible abdominals is a most difficult endeavour. A few extra pounds and they disappear. Hold onto a little excess water and they vanish. The bottom line is, abdominal exercises don’t give you a flat stomach. Abdominal exercises build the muscles, while reduced body fat through nutrition, weight training and cardiovascular exercise help to reduce overall body fat which leads to a flat mid-section. (I would say a mix of the exercises and controlling fat around the mid-section is the best way – Use the Lose your Belly supplements from the site, plus the Belly fat E-Book and do plenty of cardio and abdominal exercises. Works for me when I want to get into a particular outfit! – Ed)

Source: Raphael Calzadilla |I need fitness.co.uk

 

 

 

Chocolate – good or bad treat?

Did you know that chocolate has a higher level of antioxidants (measured by the ORAC score) than green tea or blue berries? Cocoa beans are rich in flavinoids, especially catechins, a type of antioxidant. But before you reach for that bar of Cadburys or Mars, think again. Milk chocolate doesn’t cut it; it has to be at least 50% cocoa content to count. And experts believe that milk somehow binds to the flavinoids making them unavailable for us to use.  Dark chocolate also has a good amount of magnesium, iron, potassium and chromium.

But chocolate is also usually loaded with sugar and added fat, so you need to be careful what you buy, and don’t go mad with it. Make sure it is good quality and the fat is stearic acid which, although it is a saturated fat, doesn’t have any effect on cholesterol levels.  

It does have a small amount of caffeine too – approximately 20mg in a 30g bar – which is probably partly why it picks us up well, but it’s much lower than the average cup of coffee, and especially of the coffee house varieties which are often horrendously high in caffeine – and sugar.

So how much is good? It is said that up to 4 squares of chocolate can improve mind action and strengthen immune responses, but more can reverse the process so we’re not talking a lot here. Combine a bit of chocolate with a palmful of almonds or pumpkin seeds or some fruit to make a good snack.

Why do we go for chocolate so much? It’s simply one of the best feel-good foods around. It is known to boost endorphins in the same way as exercise does (and exercise is a lot less fattening!) and people often go for it in the afternoon or evening when their serotonin levels are low. Serotonin is one of our feel-good brain chemicals and too little can cause us to feel anxious, low and crave something to pick it up – in comes chocolate!

Chocolate also contains some other pretty powerful chemicals. theobromine, salsolinol, PEA and amandamine (a marijuana-like chemical). All of these are stimulating or affect our mental state and mood in some way – no wonder it’s so addictive. There is a lot of research coming out at the moment about how good chocolate is for you. I suspect chocolate manufacturers are pretty happy about it anyway, but remember – 4 chunks combined with protein is good, any more is not so keep it limited and go for the best you can afford. Yum..