Paraben update: New research on beauty’s most problematic preservatives

By Well+Good NYC

“Parabens,” the term for a group of preservatives used in mainstream beauty products, wasn’t always a dirty word.

In 2004, Dr. Philippa Darbre, a research scientist at the University of Reading in the UK, published a small but pioneering study that showed high concentrations of parabens in human breast tumors.

Women everywhere flipped over their moisturizers to read the list of ingredients.

“That first paper shocked people because it was the first time intact parabens had ever been measured in the human body,” says Dr. Darbre. And while the study did not show that the chemicals cause cancer, it sounded a serious alarm.

Why? Parabens, which prevent bacteria from growing in beauty and personal-care products, are able to mimic or interfere with estrogen in the body, and exposure to estrogen is one of the primary influences on the development of breast cancer.

Since then, several studies have detected and reported parabens in human urine and tissue. In response, many beauty companies have eliminated them from ingredient lists, though they’re still used in many mainstream products.

Now, Dr. Darbre has published two new studies that shed even more light on the ways parabens enter our bodies and how they affect our health.

Here’s what you need to know about the latest research (and before refilling your beauty bag):

1. Parabens are getting into your body. In March, Dr. Darbre and her team published the results of a study that replicated the original study done in 2004, with a much larger sample size. They looked at the concentration of five parabens in breast tumor tissue. One or more types were found in 99 percent of the tissue samples, and all five were measurable in 60 percent of the samples. “The take-home message was that we validated the earlier study with a much more substantial study. Parabens are getting into the breast, and they’re getting in in significant amounts,” she explains.

2. Yup, your skin is letting them in. The parabens identified in the study were primarily intact, meaning they’ve bypassed the liver. What does this mean? You’re not getting them from your food, they’re being absorbed through your skin.

Keep reading for more here…

Can a mattress do more than deliver a good night’s sleep?

By Well+Good NYC

We spend about a third of our life in bed—most of it sleeping, or tossing and turning, as the case may be. So it’s hardly surprising that furniture-makers keep trying to improve the experience with new materials meant to get us better shut-eye. One way to build a better bed is to make it healthier. “Mattresses are no longer just about comfort, they are about choosing materials that are good for both the environment and your body,” says Andrea Mugnai, the GM at Magniflex’s new Manhattan showroom located in the Casa Poggesi shop in Soho. He’s referring mostly to the flame-retardant chemicals here, which holistic manufacturers tend to swap for incorporating non-flammable wool into the mattress design. (Mattresses must be fire-resistant by law.)

With Americans willing to do just about anything for a good night’s sleep, lavender-infused mattress covers and organic lambswool stuffing are a fast-growing market. Often the health claims of these mattresses sound as ridiculous as the price tags, which can run as high as $10,000, and often more, if you go the Hasten’s route. So Well+Good went shopping for the most intriguing new holistic mattresses to see what a good night’s sleep is worth. Here’s what we found:

•    Magniflex’s mattresses use a memory foam core sans toxic chemical flame-retardants. They’re covered with renewable fiber fabrics, like soy, corn, and bamboo. The newest Lavender Comfort mattress ($2,299 for a Queen ) comes with aromatherapy built right in. “The concentrated lavender oil in the cover activates the relaxation response, helping you to achieve a deeper, more well-rested nights sleep,” explains Mugnai. We buy that. Though a vial of Essence of Vali Sleep remedy would also do the trick.

Keep reading for more here…

9 examples of how negative thinking can be positive

By Debbie Mandel for IntentBlog.com

Reciting affirmations, listening to motivational coaches—who needs the stress of trying to be happy all the time, or overly optimistic in precarious situations? Apparently, many people in attendance at Tony Robbins’ Unleash the Power Within event believed so much in the power of their thinking that they ended up severely burned after attempting to walk on hot coals.

If you found and brought home an injured snake, nursed and fed it and then one day the snake bit you, would you feel betrayed? Or should you have realized that the snake was just being a snake and taken precautions?

Pessimists and skeptics have proven to be powerful driving forces for the betterment of humanity. Negative thinking has led to survival in the real world, helping us avoid danger, fight for independence, and constantly improve upon inventions. A critical eye can uncover flaws which need to be remedied. Righteous indignation has led to social reform and more humane policies.

If you repress your bad thoughts to be more upbeat, you might become anxious. According to the American Medical Association, self-suppression in a relationship/friendship can lead to cardiovascular disease and inflammation.

Recent studies also show that it is better for couples to argue than to pretend everything is just fine and show compassion. Florida State University researcher James McNulty explains that arguments, while they may cause short-term discomfort, keep a marriage on track. They are better than kind words and positive thinking because communicating what’s wrong to a spouse leads to change; otherwise it might seem like excessive spending, having an affair, or not helping around the house is acceptable behavior because the injured party doesn’t complain.

So here are 9 examples of how “negative thinking” could turn out to be positive…

5 ways to feng shui your life

By Mandy Oaklander for Prevention.com

If you’re an office minimalist—sporting the standard-issue desk, computer, and chair—your 9-5 home can look pretty depressing.

Mine certainly did. That’s why I asked feng shui consultant Ann Bingley Gallops, the founder of Open Spaces Feng Shui in Brooklyn, for help.

Feng shui is more than the world’s most mispronounced tradition. (For the record, it’s “fung shway,” which means wind and water: Two energies you need for life and good health, Gallops explains.) The practice originated with Chinese farmers, who used it to find the most prosperous place to put their crops. At its most basic, feng shui consists of arranging objects and furniture in such a way that makes energy flow with you and generates positive chi, or life force.

Gallops turned to feng shui after a divorce and her career as a marketing executive left her feeling dissatisfied. She says it’s no coincidence that once she began practicing, she found a great new apartment with a garden, new opportunities in work, and the man of her dreams.

Who wouldn’t want some of that? (I definitely did—check out the feng shui magic she worked on my office!) Here, Gallops shares her four best feng shui basics for your home or office:

1. No, really. Clear your clutter. You didn’t think you could feng shui without throwing things away, did you? “There’s no hiding from feng shui eyes,” Gallops says. Clearing clutter is the first step to creating better energy. “You get such a sense of freedom, and you create space so that new opportunities can come into your life,” she says.

Keep reading…

8 ways to have your best day ever

By Sheryl Kraft for Prevention.com

In a perfect world, every day would be sunny, we’d never gain weight and our checkbooks would always balance. But instead, stuff happens—and things don’t always go according to plan.

Does that doom you to a day of misery? It doesn’t have to, says Jeffrey Rossman, Ph.D., director of Life Management at Canyon Ranch in Lenox, Mass., and author of The Mind-Body Mood Solution (Rodale, 2010).

While we might not be able to change the situation, what we can do is change the way we react to it, he says. And that’s good, because a bad mood not only makes you feel tired and drained; it’s bad for your health and could even affect how long you live.

We’ll show you how to turn everyday gripes and annoyances into positives so you can maintain your sunny outlook all day long.

1. Gripe: You hit your alarm’s snooze button and overslept.

What to do right now: Don’t rush around at warp speed. Take your time, especially when you’re in a hurry, says Gretchen Rubin, author of the New York Times bestselling book The Happiness Project (Harper Collins, 2009). This may sound counterintuitive, but it works: “When you’re frantic, that’s the time you’ll forget your wallet, or get into a fight,” Rubin says. Instead, try to behave the way you wish you felt—calm, collected, and in control. Focusing on those feelings will soon make them a reality.

Keep reading for 7 more healthy tips…

Models with a mission

By Well+GoodNYC

Models may have a reputation for being self-involved and shallow, but these five beauties smash that stereotype to bits.

They don’t just go to charity dinners; they’ve created organizations and advocacy campaigns to make the world a more beautiful place.

Instead of runway shows, they plant trees in South Africa. Instead of photo shoots, they work to formulate cleaner, chemical-free skin-care products.

Here are our picks for the top five models with a mission.

 

Turlington Burns, one of the world’s most famous supermodels, has long been an advocate for public health, throwing her support behind anti-smoking campaigns and efforts to bring yoga to the masses.

But she found her real cause in maternal health. She directed and debuted her own documentary on maternal mortality rates around the world, No Woman, No Cry, in 2010, and then founded the organization Every Mother Counts to call more attention to the issue.

Once she finishes her Master’s in Public Health at Columbia University, she’ll be an unstoppable force for change.

 

Cameron Alborzian, who now goes by “Yogi Cameron,” has modeled for Versace and Guess—and he starred in Madonna’s “Express Yourself” music video.

These days, his pursuits are more holistic. Cameron is now a yoga instructor and an Ayurvedic healer who travels the world helping people lead healthier lives—he even brought yoga to soldiers in Afghanistan.

His first book on self-healing, The Guru in You, was published in 2011 and he’s currently filming a TV series for Veria Living where he’ll help everyday people solve health issues on-screen.

Keep reading for 3 more here…

Are There Endocrine Disruptors in Your Sofa?

By Alexandra Spunt for No More Dirty Looks

I spend a lot of time on my couch. I’m not above a 5-hour television marathon, or sitting on it all Sunday as I poke around on my computer and my husband watches golf. I’m on it right now.

The couch in question is from Ikea, it traveled from my husband’s previous apartment, and it’s made of plastic—well, faux leather. The model has since been cancelled because people’s couches, ours included, starting looking like they were melting in spots, which is some kind of defect of this mysterious material.

It’s a surprisingly attractive looking couch, not one that makes you think “wow, those people have a plastic couch.” But I think about that often enough, and it bugs be not because I care that it’s cheap (or cheap-looking) but that I suspect the thing carries with it more chemicals than I can count, and probably more than one endocrine disruptor (and bendy plastics tend to).

But apparently everyone’s couch is filled with potentially harmful chemicals, not just my plastic beauty. In a recent New York Times article Nick Kristof (a bigger hero to us by the day) he talks about the flame retardents in sofas, and a new investigative series called “Playing With Fire” in the Chicago Tribune.

The Tribune series is exhaustive, and maybe on Sunday I’ll plop onto my couch and read it through. In the meantime, Kristof highlights some of the infuriating facts about how flame retardants got into our sofas. Instead of paraphrasing, I’ve exerted sections of his article below.

Chances are that if you’re sitting on a couch right now, it contains flame retardants. This will probably do no good if your house catches fire — although it may release toxic smoke.

There is growing concern that the chemicals are hazardous, with evidence mounting of links to cancer, fetal impairment and reproductive problems.

It turns out that our furniture first became full of flame retardants because of the tobacco industry… tobacco companies mounted a surreptitious campaign for flame retardant furniture, rather than safe cigarettes, as the best way to reduce house fires.

Keep reading…

3 things Trudie Styler wants you to know about your health and the environment

Dr. Frank Lipman and Trudie Styler at ABC Carpet & Home (Photo Credit: Lisa Elaine Held)

By Well+GoodNYC

Being “Sting’s wife” sounds like a job in itself. But Trudie Styler, who’s played that role for almost two decades, manages to juggle many causes with equal passion—actress and producer, yoga DVD star, natural foods entrepreneur, environmental activist, and organic farmer, to name a few.

On Tuesday night, she sat down with Dr. Frank Lipman, who introduced her as “a force of nature,” at ABC Carpet & Home, to talk about advocating for the health of the planet and the billions of people who inhabit it.

The discussion was the first in a series of conversations Dr. Lipman will be hosting at the store with “people that inspire me and should inspire all of us,” he said.

Here are three things Styler spoke passionately about:

1. Gluten is the devil. Dr. Lipman is famous for his staunch opposition to gluten as part of a healthy diet, because, he says, modern gluten has been altered in a way that makes difficult for our bodies to process. Styler agreed, telling the story of how after years of bloating and constipation and feeling “awful, tired, and depressed, ” she cut it out of her diet and immediately began feeling better.

Keep reading the rest here…

9 Reasons Why You Should Avoid Eating Genetically Modified Foods

Different types of genetically modified foods are easily amiable in the market. Many people are under the opinion that consuming genetically modified foods is unsafe for humans and can cause a lot of hazards to the environment. Though a lot of studies have been carried out in this aspect, no conclusions have been reached about it. So there are no proper guidelines for selling such kinds of foods in the market. Genetically altered foods are those which are altered at the DNA level. They are modified using certain precise technology developed by the scientists. The modifications are usually done to make the foods easier to produce and market. Most of the common types of foods that are genetically modified are tomatoes, corn and soybeans to name a few. Such crops are also produced to make them pest resistant and yield more. However, there are many potential disadvantages related to the genetically modified foods. Read on to find out why avoid eating genetically modified foods.

1. Many criticisms have been leveled at the genetically modified foods. As consumers we must be aware of the possible side effects associated with them.

2. Changing the plants genetically may have some lasting effects on the ecosystem as a whole. The change done to a particular plant may cause it to be toxic for other organisms that depend on the plant.

3. The use of the insect resistant crops, the insects can become resistant to the modifications done to the crops. This results in the loss of plants and crops with natural immunity leading to biodiversity loss.

4. Cross pollination and breeding across various specious can also result in a wide range of insect resistant weeds.

5. When such modified crops are produced there may be many lawsuits on who owns the crops and the seeds. It would become very difficult to maintain the organic status of the crops and plants.

6. The biggest concern is that the genetically modified foods can induce allergies in humans. They may become allergic to a wide range of such foods that contain a gene from the allergy causing item. Example, Brazilian nut gene used in corn.

7. According to some studies, ingesting the genetically modified foods can have some effect on the digestive system too. It can also lead to food poisoning in certain cases and various other problems.

8. Another concern is that the control of such foods may be done by a few large companies since they own the genetically modified seeds. It depends on these companies how they will be using the modified seeds and crops.

9. You will actually not know what you are eating while consuming the genetically modified foods. The plants may contain animal products due to the genetic engineering. This can be a great problem to those who have religious commitments and dietary restrictions.

In a nutshell, people will not know what they are eating unless they are aware of the genetic modifications done to a particular plant or crop. Without much scientific evidence it not safe to consume such foods because there is not proper guidance or records as to what these foods are capable of doing to the body in the long run.