| Today's "baby boomer" generation wants to look | | | | ozone in urban environments significantly reduces |
| good and age gracefully, without suffering from | | | | the amount of antioxidant vitamins in the |
| the same debilitating and chronic conditions as | | | | epidermis, leading to measurable free radical skin |
| their parents. Yes, you can age with vitality! We all | | | | damage. A study at the Anderson Cancer Center |
| age over time, but the rate at which we age is a | | | | of the University of Texas found a 70% drop in |
| choice. Good health slows the aging process, | | | | skin cancer risk simply by taking a daily vitamin E |
| causing one to feel and look younger. Poor diets, | | | | dose of more than 100 I.U., and a 90% drop in |
| toxic exposures, stress, and lack of exercise all | | | | skin cancer risk by taking 5000 I.U. of |
| conspire to "age" a human body beyond its years. | | | | beta-carotene. Skin damage is prevalent in cities |
| That's why aging, as most of us experience it, | | | | where we have constant exposure to toxins such |
| relates more to disease than chronology. Very | | | | air and water pollutants. Because these toxins are |
| simply, a healthy body will maintain healthy, | | | | nearly unavoidable, it is important to get adequate |
| youthful skin. | | | | amounts of antioxidants such as vitamins A, C, |
| The Skin as a Barometer | | | | & E, as well as carotene and selenium. To do |
| The skin acts like a barometer for the body, | | | | this, eat a diet rich in fresh fruits and vegetables, |
| revealing much about overall health. You may not | | | | accompanied by high quality supplements such as |
| think of your skin as an organ, but in fact it is the | | | | the Beyond Health vitamin brand. |
| largest organ you have. It is also one of the most | | | | Exercise |
| essential. When intact, skin provides a nearly germ | | | | Exercise is another way to affect your health |
| proof barrier to protect us against | | | | equation. Genetically speaking, our bodies were |
| microorganisms and it also prevents moisture loss. | | | | designed when humans were physically active, so |
| Body temperature is regulated by blood flow | | | | it follows that our physiology is dependent on |
| through the skin - vessels dilating and constricting | | | | such activity for proper function. Physical activity |
| with changing external conditions. Skin has sensory | | | | is an essential element to youth and vitality. |
| preceptors that give us information about our | | | | Regular exercise can actually prevent and reverse |
| environment. Skin also contains millions of sweat | | | | many of the effects of aging. Consider that |
| and oil glands, which eliminate toxins while helping | | | | elderly people who exercise improve their life |
| to keep the body cool and the skin moist. | | | | expectancy by an average of ten years. One |
| Healthy skin reflects a properly functioning organ. | | | | study found that people who walked for 30 |
| The skin of an unhealthy person often portrays | | | | minutes a day, six times a week achieved almost |
| the effects of poor diet, toxic exposures, stress, | | | | the same health benefits as people who ran 30 to |
| or lack of exercise. Skin cells are replaced | | | | 40 miles a week. Exercise promotes healing, |
| monthly. If each skin cell is replaced with a healthy | | | | waste elimination, and new skin growth. Physical |
| cell, the skin will always look and be healthy. When | | | | activity increases the production of collagen in the |
| the body is deficient in the raw materials required | | | | skin, thereby improving its elasticity...keeping it |
| for new cell construction, or poisoned by toxic | | | | "young." The body must be given the proper |
| exposure, it undergoes more cell damage than it | | | | nutrients, as well as proper activity to function at |
| can repair. When this happens, the outward | | | | an optimum level. |
| appearance is that of "aging." | | | | Toxins |
| External creams and treatments are useful and | | | | Cells need an adequate supply of nutrients on a |
| have their place, but true beauty comes from the | | | | daily basis, to comply with the first part of the |
| inside out. (Regardless of what kind of "beauty" | | | | health equation. The body must also be protected |
| we're talking about!) If the body is working | | | | from toxins, as they too can interfere with |
| properly, every organ, including the skin, will also | | | | proper cellular function. Americans fail to protect |
| work properly. Wrinkles, blemishes, premature | | | | themselves from the toxic exposure that their |
| aging, and skin cancer are all symptoms of | | | | lifestyle generates. While many toxins are |
| underlying metabolic mal-function that is affecting | | | | unavoidable, such as in the air we breathe, it is |
| the entire body, not just the skin! | | | | surprising how many toxins people voluntarily, if |
| Unhealthy Americans | | | | unknowingly, administer to themselves. For |
| To be healthy, the human body needs a precise | | | | instance, processed foods contain dozens of |
| mixture of all 59 known essential nutrients plus a | | | | toxins including artificial colors, flavors, and |
| bunch of others we don't even know about yet. | | | | preservatives. Many FDA approved products; |
| Modern, processed-food diets are so nutritionally | | | | such as soaps, shampoos, skin creams, and |
| deficient, that almost no one is getting all the | | | | toothpastes, contain known toxins. Often these |
| essential nutrients on a consistent basis. Numerous | | | | products are loaded with chemicals that penetrate |
| studies show that Americans are chronically | | | | through skin and mucus membranes, accumulate |
| deficient in multiple nutrients. Some examples: | | | | in our tissues, and cause cellular malfunction. Some |
| * The U. S. Department of Agriculture sponsored | | | | examples: |
| a study of 10 common vitamins and minerals, | | | | * Most toothpaste and many personal care |
| utilizing 21,500 people. The study concluded that | | | | products contain sodium lauryl sulfate, which |
| not a single person was getting the RDA for all 10 | | | | bioaccumulates in eye, heart, and liver tissue, and |
| on a daily basis. | | | | is known to cause gum disease. |
| * The Journal of the American Dietetic | | | | * A recent study found that 13% of the |
| Association found that 75% of Americans fail to | | | | preservative butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) |
| get the recommended daily allowance for copper. | | | | found in cosmetics goes right through the skin |
| * The RDA for vitamin E is 30 IU. The average | | | | and is absorbed into body tissues. |
| American gets only 9 IU. | | | | * Other common toxins include various parabens, |
| * Dr. Denham Harman of the University of | | | | such as methyl paraben, as well as a multitude of |
| Nebraska Medical School says, "Some 90% of the | | | | synthetic colors and fragrances. |
| population consumes diets deficient in zinc." | | | | * Some of these chemicals react with other |
| * A study in the Journal of the American College | | | | ingredients in a product to form carcinogenic |
| of Nutrition found that a typical American diet | | | | nitrosamines. |
| provides less than two thirds the RDA for | | | | Environmental toxins can have a huge effect on |
| magnesium. | | | | your health equation. Use only those products that |
| * To make matters worse, the RDA provides | | | | are completely natural. Avoid products containing |
| requirements for mere survival. Optimal health | | | | synthetic chemicals, and generally decrease your |
| requires at least several times the RDA! | | | | amount of toxic exposure. |
| Choosing Health - The Health Equation | | | | Stress |
| Consider health as an equation: Level of Health = | | | | Living in a modern urban environment is like living |
| Nutrition + Exercise - Toxins - Stress. You can | | | | in a big stress machine. When the body is |
| change your level of health and the appearance of | | | | stressed, the adrenal glands release hormones |
| your skin by improving the variables in this | | | | (stress chemicals) called glucocorticoids. While |
| equation. Let's look at each of them: | | | | these hormones are designed to help us through |
| Nutrition | | | | a specific stresstoreul event, chronic stress can |
| The hunter-gatherers, our biological ancestors, did | | | | precipitate a host of destructive processes. These |
| not eat spaghetti, nor did they microwave frozen | | | | include immune suppression, hypertension, muscle |
| vegetables. In our industrialized society, with its | | | | wasting, fatigue, impaired mental function, fluid |
| highly processed foods, it becomes very difficult | | | | retention, and thinning of the skin. Equally |
| to get all the essential nutrients we need for good | | | | important to avoiding external toxins, we must |
| health. Here are the nutritional fundamentals | | | | avoid stress-chemical toxins which will damage |
| needed for good health: | | | | your health and cause you to age faster. |
| Avoid processed food - Processing can include | | | | Stress chemicals reduce blood supply to the skin |
| heating, freezing, refining and grinding foods. | | | | and also slow down the body's normal repair |
| Essential nutrients required for cell construction | | | | processes. This deprives the skin of needed |
| and repair are lost during processing. This means | | | | nutrients and causes cells in the basal layer of the |
| avoiding packaged foods as well as products | | | | epidermis to divide more slowly. The skin doesn't |
| containing sugar, white flour, hydrogenated and | | | | renew itself as quickly, wounds don't heal as |
| processed oils, milk, and dairy products. These are | | | | quickly - essentially the skin is "older." Stress also |
| low quality foods prevalent throughout American | | | | inhibits the immune function of the skin thus |
| diets today. Low quality foods fill our bellies with | | | | increasing the opportunity for infection. |
| empty calories while providing a multitude of toxic | | | | Modern life is full of unavoidable external |
| side effects. Don't eat them. | | | | stressors, and the way we respond to these |
| Eat fresh! - Fresh foods, in the form that nature | | | | events is what matters. In fact, how you choose |
| provides them to us, are absolutely essential. | | | | to respond to a stresstoreul event makes all the |
| Harvesting ripe food and eating it shortly | | | | difference, and new ways of responding can be |
| thereafter is ideal. Each step away from this | | | | learned. Many people find techniques such as |
| natural hunter/gatherer process decreases | | | | breath control, meditation, and yoga helpful in |
| nutritional value. Foods picked green and then | | | | keeping stress levels down on a daily basis. The |
| ripened, or processed and stored are | | | | bottom line is that stress creates toxins, which |
| misconceived as healthy foods. | | | | must be avoided for health reasons. |
| Drink your water - Fluid deficiencies cause upsets | | | | Conclusion |
| in electrolyte balance, and can send body | | | | Skin shows our level of health, affecting how we |
| chemistry into chaos. Water aids in blood | | | | appear to others. Choices we make, regarding our |
| circulation and toxic elimination, directly affecting | | | | health equation, directly affect how we look - |
| skin complexion and appearance. Water is an | | | | healthy or otherwise. To be healthy, we must |
| essential nutrient. Try to drink 8-8oz glasses per | | | | give the body what it needs, and protect it from |
| day. | | | | toxins. Provided that these simple requirements |
| Essential Fatty Acids (EFA's) are a must - Without | | | | are met, a body will deliver a life filled with youth |
| a very specialized diet, obtaining adequate EFA's is | | | | and vitality. If not, it will fail catastrophically - aging |
| impossible. As a result, up to 90% of the | | | | and debilitating along the way. It is clear that diet, |
| American population may be deficient in essential | | | | exercise, toxins and stress all have profound |
| fatty acids. Fats are essential to cell structure, but | | | | effects on our health. That's why we all need to |
| they must be the right kinds of fats. * | | | | educate ourselves on how to choose health. How |
| *Barleans Flaxseed Oil, Udo's Choice, and USANA | | | | we manage our health equation can keep us sick |
| OptiOmega Oil make excellent daily supplements. | | | | and aging, or healthy and beautiful. The choice is |
| Antioxidant chemicals are essential - A recent | | | | yours. |
| study in Free Radical Biological Medicine found that | | | | |