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Mid-life crisis or not?

January 29, 2010 in Health | No comments

When people approach the age of 40 they excuse themselves on a mid-life crises venture, feeling the need to blame the desire for change on the number of years they have been alive. But why does this mentality persist when people live to be 90 or 100 (provided they lead a healthy lifestyle)? Modern medicine, safer public practices and a better understanding of what constitutes a healthy lifestyle have helped humans lead longer, healthier lives. Is a mid-life crisis warranted?

Decades ago when people were expected to live maybe to 60, 70 if lucky, buying a sports car or changing directions was seen as a last ditch effort to enjoy life before kicking the bucket. Today however, the 30s, 40s and 50s are the prime of life. Why are they the prime of life? Professor Strenger explains:

Most people make many of their most important life decisions before they really know who they are… By age 30, most Americans have already married, decided where to live, bought their first home, and chosen their career. “But at 30, people still have the better part of their adult years ahead of them,” Prof. Strenger says. - Science Daily

If our major life course is decided when we have not formed our mature selves, it is no wonder that many people feel they need a major life overhaul in their 30s and 40s. Each person’s experiences, accumulation of knowledge, and social encounters shapes our personality and opens us up to ideas and paths that we may not have encountered before. When you were 18 or 19 you may have been pressured into deciding a career path for the rest of your life. Perhaps when you graduated college, you married your high school sweetheart or college partner without dating much to get an idea of what you really needed in a partner. These early decisions when we barely know ourselves can backfire on us later in life, causing us to be miserable and regretful.

We should all take the chance to reinvent ourselves, especially at age 30. Perspectively, life has just begun and the real YOU has just recently taken shape. Change careers, go back to college, move far away, get in the best shape of your life, pick up a sport you’ve always wanted to try, whatever it takes to make you happy. Why? Because this day will never come again and if you lead a healthy life, you may be living whatever path you set for yourself for another 70 years. Continue to reinvent, change and challenge yourself.

Yum, chemical soup in your dental products

January 4, 2010 in Health | No comments

So why should we care about 8-hydroxyquinoline sulfate ? For starters it is found in some hair products and denture/dental products.

It is in so many products despite it’s ability to cause cancer in lab rats and toxicity of the human digestive, respiratory and circulatory systems.

8-Hydroxyquinoline sulfate is a metal chelating agent extracted from coal tar. It has been used in a wide variety of products, from “bag balm” for cows to cosmetics and drugs, for its ability to inhibit the growth of imidazolidinylurea microbes. 1

8-Hydroxyquinoline sulfate

The compound was previously used a preservative in cheese until it was deemed “harmful if swallowed” by the FDA, which has since banned it from all foods. 2 At some point in it’s history it was used as a pesticide, but is not considered obsolete. 3

A 2001 document on the effects of 8-hydroxyquinoline sulfate on livestock prepared for the USDA by the Organic Materials Review Institute states that “Although it is not generally reported as a carcinogen or teratogen, a test of the food additive formerly used as cheese preservative (8-hydroxyquinoline sulfate) found tumors in the bladder, brain, and uteri of rats and mice when administered intervaginally.” 4

According to the EWG, 8-hydroxyquinoline sulfate is considered a moderate health hazard with the ability to cause cancer, toxicity of the stomach, digestive tract, respiratory tract and cardiovascular system even in low exposure. It’s use in cosmetic products is either prohibited or strictly limited in most major countries. Finally, there have been no studies on the long term effects when left on the skin and absolutely no studies done on how much is absorbed into the bloodstream 5

Sources:

1. ACS Chemistry

2. FDA

3. http://www.pesticideinfo.org/Docs/ref_regulatoryINT.html#WHOObsolete

4. SkinDeep and OMRI NOSB Tap Materials Database

5. EWG

A New Years Resolution to Healthy Armpits

January 2, 2010 in Health, Product Reviews, Sustainable Living | 1 comment

This December I read an article on Treehugger.com addressing healthy armpits. Armpits are a common conundrum among health nuts like myself who have decided not to use deodorizers with chemicals and metals in them. So many armpit products today advertise as an “antiperspirant”. But do you really know why they work or how?

Metals that exist in most antiperspirants like Aluminum Zirconium Tetrachlorohydrex GLY actually react with your skin to close the sweat pores so that you are unable to sweat from your armpits. Aluminum Zirconium is a metal that is a human nervous system toxicant. This metal is the most common ingredient in antiperspirants like Axe, Dove, Secret, etc. These products often also contain fillers like PROPYLENE GLYCOL, BHT, CYCLOPENTASILOXANE , and PPG-14 BUTYL ETHER. The EWG states that these ingredients are known to cause “neurotoxicity, endocrine disruption, persistence and bioaccumulation, organ system toxicity (non-reproductive), irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs), enhanced skin absorption, contamination concerns, occupational hazards, biochemical or cellular level changes.”

Do you know what you are smearing under your arms each morning? Check your label and consider an alternative.

The only product out there that does not contain harmful substances and actually works is called Crystal. Instead of forcing sweat glands shut with a toxic metal powder, Crystal uses natural salts to kill the bacteria that eat your sweat and exude that awful stink you are trying to get rid of in the first place. Get rid of the bacteria producing the smell, don’t force your skin to swell shut preventing natural sweat.

My favorite Crystal product is the “original” stick. It is actually a rounded piece of salts rock that you apply right after showering when you arm pits are still damp from the shower. I have been using it for a month now after previously having settled for another all natural stick that just masked oders. There is no smell! Even after a hard workout at the gym, I smell good. Amazing!

A Brief History of Christmastime

December 21, 2009 in Atheism And Religion | 1 comment

The history of the celebration of Christmas is not surprisingly devoid of anything Christian.

The Winter Solstice is the real ‘reason for the season’, and it belongs to everyone. When man first looked up into the sky and began to take note of the patterns of the celestial holiday bodies, Winter Solstice has stood as a turning point in the seasons.

Many of the Christmas traditions that American Christians celebrate harken back to distinct pagan origins. The tradition of bringing a tree in the home and decorating it was practiced by pagans in northern European countries who celebrated the Winter Solstice or “Yuletide”. The evergreen, holly and ivy were some of the few greenery that could be found in the cold winter. They were used as part of the winter solstice celebrations. The Yule Log gets its name from the Norse god, Jul. In recognition of the return of the sun, fathers and sons would bring home large logs, which they would set on fire. Also around the time of the winter solstice, Romans observed Juvenalia, a feast honoring the children of Rome.

Winter Solstice was a month long celebration in the month of December that celebrated the turning of days from getting shorter to getting longer because of the earth’s rotation on its axis around the sun. In other words, the reason for the season is the axial tilt of the earth, to put it bluntly.

On December 25th the Romans celebrated the birthday of Mithra, the god of the unconquerable sun. Mithra, was an infant god said to have been born of a rock. However, when Christianity began to spread, the Christians simply adopted the pagan holidays and laid a Christian “reason” for the celebration over the existing celebration because they could not stop the festivities. The actual date of Jesus’ birth is never mentioned biblically and in the time when Jesus was born birthdays where not celebrated.

So athiest, humanist and non-theist, feel free to celebrate on December 25th.
Do it in thanks to the mythical gods and fairy tales if you wish: Santa and Jesus and Mithra alike, but say “Happy Solstice!” with a drink in your hand, for that is the way it all began.

Parabens in Pap Smears May Cause Cell Mutation and Irritation

December 11, 2009 in Health, Product Reviews | No comments

Having just visited the gynecologist for a yearly examination, I noticed an overwhelming ill feeling a few hours after leaving the doctor’s office. For the rest of the day I had a mix of a headache, abdominal cramps, nausea, fatigue, and an upset stomach. The symptoms would come and go without pattern. I generally just fell unwell. I have had this feeling after every doctor visit where lube is used vaginally to insert some instrument (or someone’s hand). They squirt out that nasty lube and smear it all over their hand or tool before sliding it in. I had to know what was in that stuff.

Methylparaben

The only active ingredient listed in the most common lube used in paps, Femglide, was Methylparaben. After switching cosmetics, cleaning supplies, soaps, etc to non toxic, all natural products, the last thing I wanted was a paraben being generously applied to my vagina where it is quick to be absorbed into my bloodstream. A little research lead me a long way:

Methylparaben, designated as food additive E218 in Europe, is a preservative that inhibits the growth of bacteria and fungi in many products, but it is frequently used in cosmetics. 1

Femglide andSlipperyStuff is touted as “sperm friendly” and one of the least harmful personal lubricant available. Methlyparaben in Femglide is a know mutagen, causing cells it contacts to mutate. Why that is considered “sperm friendly” evades me. Methylparaben, which is currently banned in the EU is also a skin irritant and is known to cause allergic reaction in humans. That would explain why I felt like crap after the doctor used a half cup on her hand.

The EWG states that “one or more animal studies show brain and nervous system effects at moderate doses.” Methylparaben is also known to cause cancer, endocrine disruption, and interference with gene expression. (I think the sperm are doomed at this point). It is is considered by the EWG a high health hazard with the ability to cause cancer, toxicity of the stomach, digestive tract, respiratory tract and cardiovascular system.

Armed with this information, it would be safe to caution against using personal lubrication when trying to conceive if you want live, healthy sperm. Also, if you have issues with yeast infections, using a personal lubrication with Methylparaben in it is not advisable because it may kill the healthy bacteria in the vagina.

Femglide and personal lubes are not the only products in the US containing the chemical Methylparaben. Sun screens, lotions, conditioners, hemorrhoid creams and get this: spermicides are just a few product types that may include Methlyparabens. See an entire list here.

Did I mention that Methlyparaben is not the only nasty ingredient in Femglide? Yes, there is PEG-4. I’ll let Treehugger.com explain why this chemical is so toxic:

“Polyethylene glycol, better known by its acronym, PEG, isn’t a single ingredient but a class of ethylene glycol polymers that moisturize, keep products stable, and enhance the penetration of other ingredients, both good and bad. PEGs are typically followed by a number correlating to how many units of ethylene glycol they comprise, in the form of say PEG-4 or PEG-100; the lower the number, the more easily the compound is absorbed into the skin.

While PEGs can be mild irritants, they’re less than desirable primarily because they help traffic funky chemicals across your epidermis, including a slug of impurities they’re often contaminated with. According to a report in the International Journal of Toxicology by the Cosmetic Ingredient Review, pollutants found in various PEG compounds include ethylene oxide (used to manufacture mustard gas), 1,4-dioxane, polycyclic aromatic compounds, and heavy metals (lead, iron, cobalt, nickel, cadmium, arsenic).” 3

The EWG says that PEG-4 is restricted in cosmetic use and is not safe for application on damaged or broken skin. Have a slight tear downstairs during your papsmear ladies? Well, why not smear PEG-4 all over it? PEG-4 is a human carcinogen and has been banned in Canada, yet the FDA allows it’s use in food products. You won’t see it listed as PEG-4 in your food, rather it is called POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL when placed on a food lable. 4

So for my next papsmear, I am officially allergic to Methylparaben. “No thanks doc, I’ll pass on the paraben-chemical goop, but thanks for asking.”

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Sources:

1. ACS Chemistry

2. EWG

3. Treehugger.com

4. EWG on PEG-4

Spray on Tanning and Spray-on Suncreen may cause cancer

November 20, 2009 in Health | 4 comments

Every time I go to a new gym, I become familiar with the resident “orangies” who are perpetually tan, most of them bordering on the orange spectrum. For weight trainers like myself there is something to be said for being buff AND tan. Spray on tans are by far the most common alternative to frying your skin in the cancer coffin on a regular basis. I’ve tried the spray tan booth a few times myself and was hard pressed to avoid breathing in the spray. Holding your breath for 15 seconds while being doused with dye. I inevitably inhaled the stuff.

Researchers at UCLA’s Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center have conducted studies on nano particles found in paint, vitamins, tanning sprays, spray-on suncreens, cosmetics, toothpastes, etc. Their focus especially was on titanium dioxide nanoparticles. Results suggested that continual exposure whereby the nanoparticles were allowed to enter the body (through digestion or inhalation) caused cancer in mice. They also suggested that the nanoparticles are not able to penetrate the skin, but upon entering the body, they are able to move around freely causing oxidative stress and cell death.

“It could be that a certain portion of spontaneous cancers are due to this exposure,” Schiestl said. “And some people could be more sensitive to nanoparticles exposure than others. “I believe the toxicity of these nanoparticles has not been studied enough.”

The studies warrant further research on the effects of nanoparticles on the body. Until then, think twice when stepping into that tanning booth, spraying on the sunscreen or powdering your face. You may be flirting with lung cancer.

Find out more at Science Daily.

Folic Acid Overdose May “Feed” Cancer

November 19, 2009 in Health | No comments

Recent studies have suggested that not enough folate in the diet may lead to carcinogenesis (process whereby normal cells are turned into cancerous cells) and too much folic acid may increase the growth of already present cancerous cells. These findings augment the all to familiar adage: “Too much of a good thing is a bad thing”. It should come as no surprise that a healthy balance of anything, including folic acid is the best way to enhance the body’s functions. An apple a day may keep the doctor away, but 100 apples will certainly make you sick.

“Experimental evidence suggests that folate deficiency may promote initial stages of carcinogenesis, whereas high doses of folic acid may enhance growth of cancer cells. Since 1998, many countries, including the United States, have implemented mandatory folic acid fortification of flour and grain products to reduce the risk of neural-tube birth defects,” the authors write. “Recently, concerns have emerged about the safety of folic acid, in particular with respect to cancer risk.” From Science Daily

Taking this further, it should be noted that the best way to ingest folic acid is not through supplements or “enriched” cereals. Folic acid is best taken in it’s natural form through foods that contain it naturally such as asparagus, okra, oranges, spinach, grapefruit, and nuts.