My husband recently had a malignant rodent ulcer removed from his back and I had a breast cancer scare. We are both fine but it was an awful experience waiting for the results of the biopsy.

In the last few years I have lost several friends and family members to Cancer. I know of many others who are battling it and are currently in remission.

The people I knew died of leukaemia, breast, ovarian, stomach, and prostate cancer but I was really surprised to learn that there are 200 different types and the statistics are frightening.

In 1901 the rate was 1:8000. Now in 2006 it's 1:3 for women and 1:2 for men. Breast cancer affects 1 in nine women.

Why?

Some people say it's because of better diagnosis and the fact we live longer but with more and more younger casualties that can't be the full story.

Most scientists agree that 80% of cancers are caused by toxic synthetic chemicals. These are the generally untested, manmade concoctions, which both aid and destroy our lives

Of course they are not all bad and without some of them we would not enjoy the comfortable life style to which we have become accustomed, but toxic chemicals should remain outside the body. Somehow they manage to seep in.

Prior to 1940 there were very few chemicals but by 1980, eighty-five thousand had been approved by the Environment Protection Agency. These had never been tested for long term health effects either individually or in combination.

We find them everywhere and our world has become a toxic soup. Apparently each of us will be exposed to fifty thousand chemical agents in our lifetime and you will accumulate at least 500 toxic compounds in your body. What do you think about that?

Most of these will come from the food we eat. Many are in the soil and we are still being exposed to chemicals banned decades ago i.e. DDT because they have seeped into the soil and our water supplies.

Pesticides are sprayed on our crops, and chemicals are used in the processing, packaging and preservation of our food. Gone are the days of seasonal and location variations. Today you can get anything, any time, anywhere.

The independent Environment Working Group has compiled a list of the most contaminated fruit and vegetables. It suggests by avoiding the following top twelve you could reduce your pesticide exposure by 90%.

* Peaches
* Apples
* Nectarines
* Strawberries
* Cherries
* Pears
* Imported grapes
* Sweet ball peppers
* Celery
* Spinach
* Lettuce
* Potatoes

Apparently the average apple has 110 chemicals on it by the time you eat it and even after washing you'll still be left with between 20 and 30 artificial poisons on the skin so maybe the old saying "An apple a day keeps the doctor away" is no longer as meaningful as it may once have been.

Unfortunately if you do fall ill your doctor will have no magic pill or potion but the medication offered will contain even more synthetic chemicals. It may treat the symptoms but not the cause and may even cause more problems.

Health and beauty don't go together either.

The cosmetic and personal care industry use 10,500 mostly unregulated synthetic chemicals to make their products look, feel and smell great, but the industry's own regulatory body admit to only having assessed about 11% of them.

That means there's an awful lot of unregulated synthetic chemicals sitting around in your bathroom.

Did you know that cosmetics and their ingredient are not required to undergo approval before they are sold? Manufacturers can use any ingredient except for ten prohibited substances without government review.

This means that once they have hit the market place you become the guinea pig or lab rat . How do you like that idea?

Many of the substances used are known to cause skin and eye irritation, respiratory problems, birth defects, fertility problems and tumours in the real lab rats.

Your skin is considered to be your third kidney. It is a two way membrane. Toxins are eliminated via perspiration and go in through your hair follicles and sebaceous glands.

Your skin will absorb 60% of what you put on it and as you have 65 hair follicles and 100 sebaceous glands in one square inch you need to be careful what you use.

The chemicals are used as emollients, humectants, emulsifiers and surfactants.

Emollients prevent dryness and protect the skin, Humectants attract moisture,
Emulsifiers hold the ingredients together that don't normally mix and Surfactants dissolve oils and dirt in suspension so it can be rinsed away in water.

These are all necessary processes but the synthetic chemicals used cause allergic reactions and dermatitis. Many are occlusive which means they don't allow the skin to breathe. Others are derived from petrochemicals and are potential carcinogens.

The industry claim the chemicals are safe because they are used in such small amounts but it is the build up over time of these unregulated toxic chemicals that creates the problem. The more products you use the greater your health risk.

If you want to take positive action to reduce the risk you need to seek products displaying Certified Organic logos. Fortunately they are available and it is the only way to ensure that you are not putting any toxic synthetic chemicals on your skin or in your body.

Jean Shaw
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/are-unregulated-synthetic-chemicals-making-you-ill-90395.html

Healthy hair means strong and shining hair on your head. Only healthy hair provides you the luxury to comb them in attractive hair styles. Men or Women, healthy hair is equally important for everyone. Alas! Hair loss diseases do not permit everyone to enjoy the luxury of attractive hair style. Gradual hair loss finally leads to baldness. Baldness in men is more prevalent than baldness in women. Pollution, reaction of soaps & shampoos, rough combing, reaction of medications or hormonal disorder; the factors behind baldness are numerous.

Hormonal disorder causes baldness more than nothing else. Unwanted effect of puberty hormone 'testosterone' is the prime cause of baldness in men. Testosterone in its latter phase converts into DHT, this final product of testosterone clogs hair follicles and leads to fall of hair. Baldness of this sort is known as male pattern baldness or androgenic alopecia. Procerin and Provillus are two herbal medications, which can cure this sort of baldness. These medications are made up of all natural ingredients. Saw Palmetto and Gotu Kola are the two prime ingredients of herbal hair loss cure Procerin and Provillus. Procerin especially has DHT blocker Nesstles, which by blocking the conversion of testosterone into DHT stops further hair loss. While it's other ingredients open up DHT affected hair follicles. Hair growth takes place in these newly opened hair follicles because herbal hair care product Procerin is rich in vitamins and minerals.

The effect of Procerin is oriented only on male pattern baldness. Provillus is different from Procerin in this regard as it is a common solution for hair loss diseases in men and women. All most all ingredients of Procerin are found in Provillus herbal hair care medication too. Other than identical ingredient Provillus has vitamin B6, Biotin, Magnesium, Nettle root, Curcubita Maxima, Eleuthero, Uva-Ursi, Muria Puama. All these ingredients make Provillus effective in almost all type of baldness.

Herbal medications are generally free of any side effect. This applies to herbal hair care Procerin and Provillus too. There should be no worry about any side effect while using Provillus and Procerin herbal cure for hair loss diseases. The efficacy of these medications is proven by the fact that as being herbal the ingredients of these medications are in use for centuries.

Dosages of Procerin and Provillus are easy to take. Procerin or Provillus whichever medication you are taking; the general pattern of dosage is a tablet each time twice a day. Maintain a gap of 10 hours between two consecutive dosages. Since hair growth is a slow process, therefore to see any significant result Procerin or Provillus should be used at least for three months. The complete course of medication can be 1 year long. The treatment done by Provillus and Procerin is permanent. Generally hair loss diseases, treated with herbal hair cure Procerin and Provillus, do not come back.

Your local pharmacist cannot have stock of every medication. May be Procerin and Provillus are out of his stock. Then, the search for these medications can be very hassling. Buy Provillus and Procerin herbal hair cure through an online order and turn your dream of healthy hair into a reality. Online pharmacies can deliver Provillus and Procerin at your doorstep and make your drug purchase cheap.

Alan Anderson
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/healthy-hair-reality-with-herbal-hair-care-procerin-provillus-74388.html

These days, thanks to all the hair removal techniques available, unwanted facial hair should not be a problem for women. If you want a permanent solution and are prepared to pay more money up front, there's a choice of electrolysis or laser hair removal. Alternatively, there are several non-permanent methods such as waxing, sugaring, tweezing or the use of depilatories. These treatments can be received in a beauty salon or performed in the comfort of your own home.

So here's a quick guide to the most popular methods of facial hair removal. The first two options are permanent treatments while the other techniques must be repeated on a regular basis to achieve lasting results.

Permanent Treatments

1) Electrolysis

Each hair follicle is treated in turn, using a tiny needle that reaches the hair root and applies a low electric current. This destroys the hair's ability to continue growing.

Although this treatment can take a long time (some people require several hours of treatment while other people may need regular treatment for several months) it is permanent and is the most reliable long term hair removal option.

On the negative side, the treatment creates mild discomfort and can cost a substantial amount. For example an upper lip may take up to 10 hours, while the chin area can take up to 15 hours. And these figures can be increased substantially for people who have strong hair growth and high hormone levels. So when you consider that a qualified practitioner may charge anything from $25 to $100 an hour, it's easy to see how the costs can mount up, especially if you have more facial hair to treat.

2) Laser Hair Removal

This is one of the quickest and most reliable ways to remove hair from your face permanently. Short bursts of intense laser light are used to heat the hair follicles causing them to stop producing hair.

As one session can cover thousands of hairs and only three to six sessions are usually needed to achieve permanent results, this treatment option is much quicker and more convenient than electrolysis. For example, your upper lip might only take one minute to treat and your chin area could be covered in less than five minutes. It also avoids the need to keep using techniques such as waxing or sugaring on a regular basis.

However, laser hair removal is initially much more expensive than any of the other treatments covered here. For example, a one hour session could cost $500 and you may need 3 to 6 sessions to achieve permanent results. However, you have to balance that against the ongoing cost in terms of the time and effort required by the other treatments.

However, this treatment will not work on certain people (the hair must be darker than the surrounding skin) and regrowth of hair can occur in other cases.

Regular Treatments

3) Waxing/Sugaring

The popularity of this facial hair removal technique is down to the fact that it doesn't cost much and can be done in the comfort of your own home. There are hundreds of waxing and sugaring kits available for home use and with a little practice it's possible to achieve fairly professional results for a fraction of the salon cost.

The basic idea is simple. Waxing involves applying the wax preparation to the intended area. The wax adheres to the hair and skin. It's then covered with a thin strip of material and removed at high speed to remove all the hairs from the skin.

Sugaring is similar, although the sugar paste only adheres to the hair and not the skin, which can cause less pain when the strip is pulled off. Sugaring pastes also tend to be more natural which can be kinder to the skin than many of the chemical which are used in various wax preparations.

Once an area has been treated, it should remain free of hair for three to six weeks depending upon the rate and strength of hair growth in the area.

4) Tweezing

If you have a small number of facial hairs that you want to remove, tweezing may be the quickest and most convenient option. All you need is a good pair of tweezers, a magnifying mirror and plenty of light (daylight is best). Pull the skin taut and use the tweezers to pull the hair in the direction of growth.

One of the best times to remove hair with tweezers is after a bath or a shower, as the skin pores will have opened up, making it easier for the hairs to slip out. There are also many products available that will help to soothe and reduce any redness or irritation caused by the process.

As with waxing or sugaring, the results should last three to six weeks before the hair starts to appear above the surface of the skin.

5) Depilatories

This method of facial hair removal is also popular due to the low cost and ease of use. However, due to the strong chemicals which are used to dissolve the hair, great care should be taken when using these products. Follow the application instructions carefully and before you begin, do a small test for adverse skin reactions on a part of your body that's less visible than your face. These treatments should provide you with hair free skin for up to two weeks.

6) Hair Inhibitors

These products do not remove hair. Instead they act upon the hair follicles to slow down or inhibit the rate of hair growth. Hair in the treated area will be thinner and take longer to grow. Use of hair growth inhibitors will also make sugaring, waxing and tweezing much easier and the results will last for longer.

These products often take the form of prescription creams which must be massaged into the skin twice a day. After one or two months of use, you should start to see noticeable results in the speed and thickness of hair growth. However, these hair inhibitor products are not foolproof and won't work for everyone. So it's just a case of experimenting until you find the product that works best with your skin.

And finally, shaving should be avoided at all costs as it blunts the end of the hairs causing them to appear thicker, making them more noticeable.

Hannah Garcia
http://www.articlesbase.com/women's-issues-articles/facial-hair-removal-for-women-what-are-your-options-137072.html

When was the last time you tried to buy a plain old deodorant? I'm only asking because I can't find one anywhere, or rather I couldn't.

Instead, everywhere sold anti-perspirant deodorants and I just wanted the deodorant without the anti perspirant bit.

Why?

Well, in the last two years I have lost three friends to breast cancer and have had my own personal mammogram scare. Fortunately the biopsy was benign but even so it was a pretty traumatic experience and I began to wonder what on earth is going on.

I read in the paper last week that the rate for Breast Cancer is currently 1:9 and that all women aged between 50 and 69 should receive a free breast examination every two years. Unfortunately those ladies most at risk like my mother who is over 70 years of age don't qualify.

Another thing I discovered is that in a recent study carried out by Reading University in UK on breast cancer patients, every single tumour contained parabens.

Now parabens are common preservatives in several personal care products. They are derived from petrochemicals and personal and skin care manufacturers have a tendancy to call them 'organic preservatives' which gives the impression they are safe.

The reason they are able to do this is because the chemical term for 'organic' means anything that contains a carbon atom. Since crude oil comes from decaying leaves and living matter which existed thousands of years ago, its DNA contains carbon. Sneaky, eh?

The problem with parabens is that they mimic estrogen, apart from also causing allergic skin reactions and being eye, skin and respiratory tract irritants.

Found in body creams, lotions, body washes, anti perspirants and deodorants, parabens are used in more personal care products than any other synthetic ingredient.

Now deodorants reduce, cover up or eliminate the odours most of us would prefer to remain hidden and anti perspirants slow down the action of the sweat glands. They do this by obstructing the amount of perspiration that can be excreted.

That's the problem and why I was looking for a deodorant.

You see the sweat retarding agents are based on aluminium complexes and I know from bitter experience that aluminium is a neuro toxin. That means it attacks the neurons in the brain. It doesn't have to kill them, just disrupt them in some way and you get mental problems.

My son is autistic and you can read all about my run in with heavy metals including aluminium in my book Autism, Amalgam and Me, Jodi's Journey Continues. Aluminium has also been linked to Alzheimer's disease which has been predicted to triple by the year 2050. It's a horrible long destructive illness which tears families apart.

But back to the anti perspirant deodorants.

I don't know if you are aware of it but your skin is often referred to as your third kidney. It is the biggest eliminatory organ in your body and is a two way membrane. It will absorb 60% of whatever you put on it.

Toxins get in through hair follicles and sebaceous glands and are eliminated through perspiration. Now picture the scenario for most women.

We like to keep our underarms devoid of excess bodily hair so we shave. We also like to smell fresh, so we smooth on deodorants or anti perspirants to the area from which we've just removed this hair. As toxins enter the body via hair follicles and sebaceous glands they inevitably get inside our bodies but if we then block up our under arm sweat glands by using anti perspirant deodorants, how do they get out?

Seemingly, they don't and I wonder if that's why my three friends died of breast cancer and all those women had parabens in their tumours. What do you think?

Apparently a study of 400 American women found that those who shaved three times a week and applied deodorant at least twice a week were almost 15 years younger when diagnosed with cancer than women who did neither.

The answer, therefore, could be to stop shaving and let your natural body odours loose, or find a safer alternative. Thankfully I've managed to find just that in a 100% toxic synthetic chemical free deodorant which comes in three different aromas.

It's organic in the true sense of the word which means it uses only natural substances and methods. I can read and pronounce every single ingredient and as it is Certified Organic to food standards I could theoretically eat it and suffer no ill effects. I don't intend to try it though. Just putting it under my arm pits, feeling safe and secure in the knowledge I'm not being poisoned is enough.

No more toxic anti perspirant deodorants for me. How about you?

Jean Shaw
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/breast-cancer-did-toxic-anti-perspirant-deodorants-kill-my-friends-69853.html

Beneficial effects of magnets have been observed on the skin and hair. Similar to their effects on various glands, the magnets exercise a corrective effect on the function of the skin and hair. The skin normally secretes adequate quantities of skin pigment which imparts the natural color to it. However, due to the mal-function of the pigment-secreting layer of the skin, ugly white patches of leucoderma appear on different parts of the body. Similarly, the central layer of the skin – the dermis - secretes sweat and skin oil and keeps the skin soft and oily. Any-malfunction of this layer of the skin leads to many skin disorders and conditions such as an excessively dry or oily skin. The magnet has shown beneficial effects on the skin and promptly corrected the mal-functions, restoring the normal tone and color of the skin.

A similar effect has been observed on the restoration of the dark pigmentation of hair. A number of reports are pouring in on the magnificent effects of magnets. Dr Maclean of New York observed long ago an interesting side-effect of working with magnets - restoration of pigmentation of natural color from silvery white.

The many Magnetic therapist has the distinction of successfully treating numerous cases of leucoderma in young girls through application of magnets and intake of magnetized water who have ever expressed their grateful thanks for treating them through such a simple device.

Krishan Bakhru
http://www.articlesbase.com/alternative-medicine-articles/magnetic-therapy-for-skin-and-hair-care-90028.html

The Sedu Ceramic Hair Straightener Leads The Straightening Revolution

Inevitably, it never fails; those that have straight hair want curly hair and people that have curly or unruly hair desire straight hair. Hair straightening has been fairly prevalent throughout the years, becoming increasingly popular with every new straightening product on the market.

To get relief from the hair-damaging chemicals and processes that are associated with experimental hair straightening methods, hair straighteners were created. These important hairstyling assistants were crafted from metal that was heated with the hope to break down the hydrogen bonds that make hair retain its natural shape. Before hair straighteners like the Sedu ceramic hair straightener were produced, the hot comb was the main method for hair straightening. Hot combs were typically placed on a hot stove prior to using on the hair and had a tendency to burn the face and the scalp.

Initial products for hair straightening were quite different from the revolutionary Sedu straightener largely because though they were easily moved through hair, leaving a lot less damage to the scalp than previously used chemicals, they were still very heavy. Original straighteners did not allow freedoms that can come with the flexible choices in current hair styles.When the Sedu Ceramic straighteners initially hit the scene, a wave of new hair styles swiftly became well-liked among the public, particularly with celebrities. Fashionable Sedu celebrity hair styles showcased by stars such as Jennifer Aniston and Halle Berry are made possible through cutting edge product design and technology. People could circumvent possible damage caused by continual use of a flat iron. Split ends and thinning hair are known to happen through excessive hair straightening, but with the revolutionary and cutting edge technology of the Sedu, these issues and problems are just about nonexistent due to the heating features of ceramic. Though other alternatives say that they offer ceramic capabilities, some simply make their hair straighteners using a paint on coating that creates less effective results.

What is this cutting edge technology?

Tourmaline (a semi-precious stone) is ground into the flat iron. This makes negative ions, which positively affects hair, which allows for rapid drying and heat damage protection. Not only that, the ceramic base makes using it easy without having to sacrifice quality.

An expertly created hair straightener, such as the Sedu, is like having professional salon hair care in the comfort of your own home. Additionally with a lightweight body, adjustable settings, and a fast heat-up time, and one or two invaluable Sedu hairstyling tips, hair styling potential is unlimited.

So whether or not you make a decision to buy a Sedu ceramic hair straightener (although if you do, check out Sedu discount coupons) or a different high quality straightener, make sure that you take the time to research and study the features, construction and advantages in light of the fact that it'll make all the difference, and your hair is worth it.

Author's Bio:

K. Scott is a beauty specialist and the owner of http://www.curlytostraight.com.

Brian Harbinson
http://www.articlesbase.com/women's-issues-articles/the-sedu-ceramic-hair-straightener-leads-the-straightening-revolution-130378.html