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Summertime brings sunshine and heat, but also risky exposures that could harm your health.

7/3/2013

1965 - A day at the beach.

Enjoy the holiday weekend. Remember to protect your skin. Here are some tips from Dr. Doni Wilson http://www.doctordoni.com/meet-dr-wilson.html (a wonderful naturopath I've gone to):

What to avoid in sunscreens:

Spray on and powdered sunscreen - pose inhalation risks.
SPF above 50 - doesn't protect you from UVA rays that suppress the immune system and may cause cancer.
Oxybenzone - absorbs through the skin and acts as an estrogen in the body, potentially contributing to health issues.
Retinyl palmitate - may speed development of skin cancer in sun-exposed skin.
Tanning oil - increases risk of developing skin cancer.
Sunscreen and bug repellent combination products - results in increased absorption of toxins in the repellent.

It is possible to be protected from the suns rays without being exposed to toxins in sunscreens.

A good example: True Natural Sunscreen, 100% mineral-based (zinc oxide), with vegan and water resistance options, gluten-free, nanoparticle-free, GMO-free, alcohol-free, and fast absorbing (non-greasy).
Find more options in the Environmental Working Group Online Sunscreen Guide.

Refreshing Beverages

What to avoid:

Sugar (cane sugar, sucrose, dextrose, fructose) and/or high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) - sugar challenges insulin function and can quickly lead to weight gain; corn syrup is concentrated fructose which also easily translates to weight gain, especially around your waist. The beverages we think of most often as containing sugar and/or HFCS are soda and flavored coffee drinks, but Gatorade, Vitamin Water, bottled teas, and coconut water (especially flavored versions) also contain high amounts of sugar.
Energy drinks - while many of the ingredients are fine, including vitamins and herbs, just be careful to avoid energy drinks containing extra sugar, high fructose corn syrup, sucralose (Splenda), and caffeine.
Zero calorie - usually means that it contains artificial sweeteners, like Splenda, instead of sugar.
Artificial flavors - not typically harmful, but can come along with artificial sweeteners and colors.
Yellow 5, Yellow 6, and Red 40 - associated with risk of cancer, allergies, and attention issues.

Ways to refresh, without consuming sugar and gaining weight:

Water (hot or cold), filtered - add a splash of lemon juice or try Hint Water for water with a fruity taste, but without sugar.
Tea (hot or cold) with ginger, lemon and/or stevia.
100% raw coconut water does not contain sweeteners or additives, and is not from concentrate.
Kombucha - fermented tea, such as GT's is raw, organic and contains probiotics, with minimal sugar. Be careful if fermented foods aggravate your digestion (they do mine). (Note from Kathy: I make my own. If you want to know how, email me and I'll tell you)

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Eczema and your very being

2/20/2013

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Conservatory Gardens, Central Park NYC An EXTREMELY cold day and the beautiful shining skin of a statue. ©Photo by Kathy Szabo

"What spirit is so empty and blind, that it cannot recognize the fact that the foot is more noble than the shoe, and skin more beautiful than the garment with which it is clothed?"
~Michelangelo

I recently had someone ask me about eczema and how to best deal with it through diet. What we put into our mouths is very important but it got me thinking about how it is affected by our mood, feelings, our very nature of being.

Every illness, chronic condition or health condition is rooted in the body-mind. It is shaped (unconsciously) by our personality and influenced by the way we feel things.

One thing about skin is that it is extremely sensitive - both to the outside world and to our own changes in feeling and mood. Your skin is a boundary (literally a boundary) between yourself and others. But, on the other hand, your skin isy our body's internal nervous system turned outward. Did you know that in the womb, your nervous system and skin both develop out of the same surface which covers the embryo? So, the experience of being touched plays a critical role in immune system development in early life.

So, it's not surprising that nearly half of all skin disorders may actually reflect a psychosomatic disturbance according to Paul Martin in "The Healing Mind." Anyone with emotional conflict "under the skin" can become affected by eczema and, at the same time, anyone can learn to untangle the conflict and help heal it.

According to Skye Herbals, "eczema is a distress signal from the body, mind or emotions to you. It is asking that something be changed. Maybe it is manifesting as a visible illness because that’s what you need in order to acknowledge it. Eczema is an uncomfortable, even debilitating, condition that asks a lot of us through the healing process. It usually requires many things: a change of diet, a change of heart, learning to love terrible tasting herbs, surrendering to the process of boiling the terrible tasting herbs, cleansing the body, cleansing the mind. It requires investigation and observation. It requires some level of discipline. It requires that we learn to love ourselves through the healing process.

Milk thistle, which cleanses and detoxifies the liver and blood (if liver energy is stagnant, it can't cleanse the blood and this can lead to skin disorders like eczema and psoriasis) is one way of healing eczema but it needs to be taken in conjunction with stress reducing, soul connecting, quiet time; a change of diet or shift in lifestyle; a new job that resonates with your soul (or changing the way you think of the job you are unhappy in and making the very best of it); some proper vitamins and minerals that your body can actually absorb and healthy, organic foods. It's probably best to go to a qualified herbalist to seek help with the herbs but you'll still need to work on the other issues yourself. If you are overwhelmed and need some ideas to give you a nudge in the right direction, here are a few treatments I've read which may help: hypnosis, acupressure (look up points B23 and B27 on the lower back to help move stagnant chi) acupuncture, and Chinese herbal medicine, naturopathic medicine, homeopathy, Ayurveda, qi gong, tai chi, yoga, martial arts, meditation, therapy (art, music, movement, psychological, nutritional), journaling, energy work.

These are all great modalities able to help many ailments but, remember, working on your inner self is just as important!

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The wonderful cucumber!

8/12/2012

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Photo from humblecrumble.com

Growing up, one of my favorite salads (in my Hungarian household) was cucumber salad. My mom would make it with and without sour cream. My favorite was with sour cream, which is a Hungarian staple, but nowadays I make it without since I try to limit my dairy but it's so tasty!

Besides being a great side to go with many of the heavy Hungarian meals, cucumbers have many health benefits. They are often referred to as a superfood. They are the fourth most cultivated vegetable in the world and one of the best foods for your body's overall health. The warning is that they are often sprayed with pesticides so it is important to buy them organic or even better, grow them yourself!

Here are some benefits of cucumbers:

Quick pick me-up - Forget the soda and coffee, eat some cucumber slices or do what I do, just peel one and eat it like you would a carrot. They are a great source of B vitamins.
Rehydrate your body and replenish daily vitamins - with such a high amount of wate and vitamins, they are bound help quench your thirst as well as supply you with be vitamins and electrolytes.

Skin care - Place a slice over puffy eyes and its anti-inflammatory properties help reduce puffiness.
Home care - Eliminates a foggy mirror. Before taking a shower, rub a cucumber slice along a mirror and it will eliminate the mirror fogging up. Instead of WD40, take a cucumber slice and rub it along a squeaky hinge and your door will stop squeaking.
Relieve bad breath - Take a slice of cucumber and press it to the roof of your mouth with your tongue for 30 seconds, the phytochemcials will kill the bacteria in your mouth responsible for causing bad breath.
Hangover cure - To avoid a morning hangover or headache; eat a few cucumber slices before going to bed. With the sugar, B vitamins and electrolytes they help replenish many essential nutrients, reducing the intensity of both hangover and headache.
Aid in weight loss and digestion - Due to its low calorie and high water content, cucumber is an ideal diet for people who are looking for weight loss. The water content and fiber in cucumbers help to effectively rid the body of toxins aiding digestion. They are also good for chronic constipation.
Great for the joints, gout, arthritis - Cucumbers are rich in vitamins A, B1, B6, C & D, Folate, Calcium, Magnesium, and Potassium. When mixed with carrot juice, they can relieve gout and arthritis pain by lowering the uric acid levels

From naturalnews.com

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Summertime brings sunshine and heat, but also risky exposures that could harm your health.

Eczema and your very being

The wonderful cucumber!

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