Articles
Health Recipes
For Circulatory System and Heart
Green Drink
Liquefy a small handful of parsley and alfalfa sprouts in a cup of unsweetened pineapple juice.
Sip slowly. Excellent for the heart and circulatory system.
For the heart
Potassium Cocktail
Mix 1/4 cup celery juice; 1/2 cup carrot juice; and 1/4 cup of the following: combined in equal parts – spinach juice, beet top juice, and parsley juice.
Reference
From Nature Has A Remedy (Jensen)
“Treating the skin, while understanding its relationship to the body as a whole, is vital to a healthy life.”
The skin is the body’s largest organ.
It consists of three main or primary layers—the epidermis (outer layer), the dermis (middle layer), and the subcutaneous (inner layer).
Epidermis—The outer layer of your skin is your body’s primary defense against the environment. It continually sloughs off allowing new skin to take its place.
Dermis—The middle layer consists of connective tissue (primarily collagen fibers) which gives skin its strength and elasticity.
This layer contains the skin’s cleansing and lubricating system in the form of sweat glands and sebaceous glands (sebum).
Subcutaneous Layer—Although not technically part of the skin, the subcutaneous layer (or hypodermis) lies directly below the dermis. Made of connective and fatty tissues, this layer helps regulate body temperature and cushions against injury.
Creating the skin you want
Most of us do not have flawless skin. Like everything else about our bodies and our lives, we are co-creators and have control over many things, our skin being one of them. Phrases such as too pale, too oily, too sensitive, too flaky, too dry, etc. simply mean we have the power to react to, act on, and work with the skin we have to create the skin we want.
Your skin is the first line of defense against harsh environments both natural (ultraviolet radiation from the sun) and manmade (pollution and stress). It shields your internal organs from the external world. And you are your skin’s protector! In times past, skin care was thought to be a luxury, but now it is understood to be a necessity. Just as problems with the heart, lungs, liver, intestines, or kidneys can affect the entire body, so too, can skin related disorders affect your total well-being.
Your skin deserves protection and nourishment, which is why many natural products have been created. You must nourish the body from the inside out by implementing herbs, vitamins, supplements, and homeopathic remedies into your diet. Once accomplished, your next step is to nourish the body from the outside in with gentle, non-irritating skin care formulas designed to improved your skin’s overall health and enhance its radiance, clarity, suppleness, and tone. It will make you look and feel your best.
Ascertain the skin care products you use are organic and naturally sourced ingredients containing beneficial phytonutrients, antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and humectants products that are non-comedogenic, completely free of artificial fragrances and colours, and not tested on animals.
Your Skin Care Program
Everyone’s skin has the potential to reach and maintain a fresh look, radiant clarity, and have a firm, yet supple tone. In addition to plenty of rest, proper diet, and exercise, a simple 3-step program of cleansing, toning, and moisturizing will enhance, nourish, and protect your skin.
Your Skin Type
Before beginning, you must understand your skin type. If your skin has a shiny look, use combination/oily formulas. If your skin is dry or flaky, use normal-to-dry formulas. Your skin may be dry in one area, and oily in another. This is particularly true of the face. Different seasons, changing environments (if you travel, for example), and age will all affect your skin type creating occasions when you may need body formula types.
Step One – Cleansing
Cleanse and prepare the skin, do not strip it. Many oils are necessary for healthy skin and harsh soaps can strip them away. Because the skin continually renews itself by shedding the epidermis or outer layer of skin cells, cleansing removes those dead skin cells as well as dirt and other impurities, all of which can clog pores, slowing the renewal process. Your skin cleanser should feel smooth, silky, and gentle to the skin, and should lightly lather as you cleanse. Use water to completely wash away the cleanser (water is essential to healthy skin). Do not use tissue to remove a cleanser; it will tug at the skin and leave a residue. Your skin should feel clean, soft, and smooth after rinsing.
Step Two – Toning
While cooling and restoring the skin to its normal pH balance as well as refining pores and reducing the appearance of fine lines, proper toning refreshes and nourishes the skin, preparing it for the protection needed against a harsh environment. Your toner should be alcohol free and leave your skin feeling refreshed and ready for treatment moisturizing.
Step Three – Moisturizing
Like any other part of your body, the skin needs water and a good moisturizer helps fulfill that need by locking in moisture. The moisturizer should feel rich and glide on, absorbed by the skin without any excess residue. Afterwards, your skin should not feel greasy, dry, or taut. Moisturizing also protects the skin against the damaging effects of the sun. An SPF (sun protective factor) of 15 moisturizer for both UVA and UVB rays* and restorative properties of hyssop and sweet violet extract, both of which promote healthy skin while imparting a light, subtle scent can be used.
*UVA and UVB are two types of ultraviolet radiation from the sun. UVB rays are stronger than UVA rays and are more prone to cause skin damage on the cellular level. However, more UVA rays actually reach the earth, so overexposure to both is dangerous. Ultraviolet radiation is the principal cause of most skin cancers and premature aging of the skin. The SPF number indicates how long you can stay in the sun before burning. (SPF 15 means you can stay in the sun 15 times longer with protection than without).
“Your face suffers extreme exposure to sunlight, dryness, and pollution. One of your skin’s most delicate areas is below your eyes. It needs particular care as there are no oil glands to moisturize this area.”
The skin under your eyes contains no moisture-secreting glands. For this reason, eye-firming crèmes should be used in concert with your skin care program to direct moisture and nutrients to this area of your skin.
Exfoliating
As the epidermis continually sheds itself, exfoliation clears the accumulation of dead skin cells and prepares the way for the new skin underneath to surface promoting a more youthful glowing complexion. Our body naturally shed over 50 million dead skin cells each day. The life cycle of our skin cells-the continuous shedding and renewal process-generally ranges from 20 to 30 days. The shorter the cycle, the more radiant and healthy the skin will appear. The shedding and renewal process slows down with aging and the color, tone, and beauty of our skin is lost. As we age our skin wrinkles, becomes lax and loses turgor. The vascularity of the dermis decreases. Comodones (blackheads) often appear on the cheeks or around the eyes. Where skin has been exposed to the sun, it looks weather-beaten: thickened, yellowed, and deeply furrowed. Skin on the back of the hands and forearms appears thin, fragile, loose, and transparent, and may show whitish, depigmented patches known as pseudo scars. Well demarcated, vividly purple macules or patches may also appear in the same areas fading after several weeks. These purpuric spots come from blood that has leaked through poorly supported capillaries and has spread within the dermis. Dry skin—a common problem—is flaky, rough, and often itchy. It is frequently shiny, especially on the legs, where a network of shallow fissures often creates a mosaic of small polygons.
Brown macules known as liver spots, or senile lentigines, frequently appear on the back of the hands and forearms or, less commonly, on the face. Unlike the familiar freckles, they do not fade spontaneously when protected from the sun. Also common are seborrheic keratoses—pigmented, raised, warty, and often slightly greasy lesions that develop most often on the trunk, but also occur on the face and hands.
From middle life on, sebaceous hyperplasia may become evident on the face, especially on the forehead and nose. They are yellowish, flattened papules with central depressions. They often look like diminutive doughnuts and range in size from 1 mm to 3 mm or more in diameter. 1
Exfoliation, may help lift off the top layer of dead skin cells, uric acid, dirt and sebum (oil) which clog the pores, revealing a new, fresh layer of skin cells underneath. This accelerates the skin’s natural renewal process making exfoliation of the skin one of our best defense against the aging process. Exfoliation smoothes and beautify the surface layer, stimulates blood circulation in the dermis which provides nutrition to the epidermis and nurtures new skin cells. It eliminates waste products from the skin, and thickens the epidermal layer.
The exfoliating treatment should contain “naturally occurring alpha and beta hydroxyl acids including kiwi fruit and meadowsweet, which can improve the skin’s clarity, texture, and suppleness. Hydroxy acids can also visibly reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, increase collagen production, and exfoliate without tearing the skin, as do granular exfoliators” (Botanical Benefits by Nature’s Sunshine Products).
A Strand Of Hair Is Stronger Than An Equally Thick Strand Of Nylon Or Copper.
Hair is a filament characteristically growing from the epidermis of your skin. It is composed of keratinized threads of cells. Because hair arises from the skin, it is considered an appendage of the skin. It covers the entire body except for the palms, soles, lips, tip of the penis, inner lips of the vulva, and nipples. Human hair serves some protective functions. Scalp hair provides some insulation against cold air and the heat of the sun and also protects us from bumps. Eyebrows act as cushions in protecting the eyes and also help reduce glare and prevent sweat from running into the eyes. Eyelashes act as screens against foreign particles. Tiny hairs in the nostrils trap dust particles in inhaled air. Other openings in the body, such as the ears, anus, and vagina, are also protected by hair.
Encourage healthy, shiny, manageable hair by using nutrient rich soap formulas and shampoos that can gently cleanse the hair and scalp without stripping or drying and by using conditioners that can help restore and revitalize without heavy buildup or residue.
With Rest, relaxation, exercise, proper diet and plenty of water your skin will reflect a life of good health and solid preparation for what lies in the years ahead.