Your mother’s wrinkles may not be the best predictor of how you’ll age. A study involving identical twins suggests that despite genetic make-up, certain environmental factors can add years to a person’s perceived age. Factors such as divorce or the use of antidepressants are the real culprits that cause facial aging.

Researchers obtained comprehensive questionnaires and digital images from nearly 200 pairs of identical twins. The images were reviewed by an independent panel, which recorded the perceived age difference between the siblings.

Study subjects who had been divorced appeared nearly two years older than their siblings who were married, single or even widowed. Antidepressant use was associated with a significantly older appearance, and researchers also found that major weight gain or loss played a major factor, too.

In sets of twins who were less than 40 years old, the heavier twin was perceived as being older, while in those groups over 40 years old, the heavier twin appeared younger.

The presence of stress could be one of the common denominators that caused facial aging. The researchers also suspected that continued relaxation of the facial muscles due to antidepressant use could account for sagging.

Sources:

Eurekalert February 3, 2009

Plastic and Reconstructive SurgeryJournal

Interestingly, this article is published in the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), and the study’s author, Bahaman Guyuron, MD, is also one of their member surgeons, so the study may have some ulterior motives.

As Dr. Guyuron said, “Our findings put science behind the idea that volume replacement rejuvenates the face.”

In other words, plastic surgeons can use the finding that fuller faces appeared younger after age 40 as “proof” that injectable filler plastic surgery procedures can make you look younger. Already, more than 1.5 million such procedures were performed in 2007, according to ASPS statistics.

But to me, the REALLY interesting part of this study has nothing to do with going out and having your face injected with fat in an attempt to look a few years younger. Instead, what struck me was the finding that your life experiences shape the look of your face as you age, far more  than your genes do.

People who had been through the stress of a divorce looked nearly two years older than their married, single or even widowed twin. Those who used antidepressants also appeared significantly older. The researchers attributed this to the drugs causing continued relaxation of the facial muscles, which led to sagging, but it could also be that those taking antidepressants were under some type of psychological stress.

For those of you who are regular readers, you’ll know that this lends further credence to the emerging and incredibly interesting field of epigenetics, which centers around the notion that environmental factors such as stress and your diet influence the expression of your genes.

And it is the expression of your genes — NOT the genes themselves — that dictates whether you develop certain diseases or age prematurely.

How Stress Shapes Your Genes

Parents often joke about how their grey hairs all magically appeared after their kids were born. Likewise, if you’ve ever watched someone go through a divorce or other emotionally trying time, they can seem to age 10 years in a matter of months.

Even if you’ve faced just a few stressful days in a row, you’ll often be able to see it written all over your face.

These are prime examples of the toll stress can take on you physically.

As proven through the massive genetic study, the Genome Project, each one of your genes can create up to 30,000 proteins, any and all of which can create a different outcome. So the fact that you may have a genetic “predisposition” for facial wrinkles, for example, does not mean that you are doomed to develop a face full of wrinkles during middle-age.

There is something that either activates or suppresses your genes, and research by Bruce Lipton, PhD., a forerunner in the field of epigenetics and The New Biology, has shown it is often related to your mind.

In other words, whether you are mentally stressed or able to maintain a more positive outlook can influence the expression of your genes, and thus directly impact how you age.

Consider a study done back in 2001, which assessed how quickly the skin of medical students could recover from having a piece of sticky tape applied to it. What they found was skin recovery seemed to be directly linked to stress levels — with high stress during exams associated with a decreased ability of the aggravated skin to return to normal function.

They concluded that stress lessens your skin’s ability to function properly, heal wounds and fight disease, and could put you at an increased risk of skin diseases like psoriasis or dermatitis.

Meanwhile, scientific data has revealed that extended exposure to psychological stress could speed up the aging process of your cells and cause them to die at a faster rate than normal.

Taken as a whole, what this means is your body’s ability to resist and adapt appropriately to both internal and external stresses is essential for good health, and the hallmark of aging is your body’s inability to withstand stress, which then starts to degrade it.

The solution, therefore, to preventing premature aging and having a youthful appearance on the outside is to effectively deal with your stress, and teach your body how to best tolerate it. This is great news, as it means that you have the ability to directly influence the way you age, simply based on your mental outlook.

Top Tips for Effectively Dealing With Stress

The key is not getting rid of stress completely, as we all face stressful situations from time to time (even exercise is a form of stress), but rather adjusting your body’s ability to tolerate the stress. Here are my top tips for doing so:

What Else Can You do to Look Younger?

Focusing on the bright side of life is only one key way to keep a fresh, youthful appearance.

One of the most important strategies you can possibly do is to optimize your vitamin D levels by appropriate sun or safe tanning bed exposure. If this is not an option then taking an oral vitamin D supplement is the next best option. But if you take this route you must be sure and have your blood levels tested as there are simply too many factors to predict what the correct dose is unless you measure it.

Vitamin D controls about 2,000-3,000 of your genes and can radically improve every system in your body — including your appearance. If you use the preferred UVB exposure to optimize your vitamin D levels you need to know that it is important not to overdo it. You only need enough exposure to turn your skin the slightest pink.

Additional exposure will not increase your vitamin D level but it will increase premature aging of your skin. So be careful and prudent out there.

As I said earlier, it is also helpful to pay attention to what you’re eating, and this one is so important it bears repeating. By consuming large amounts of whole, unprocessed, healthy raw foods that are loaded with antioxidants, you can help to slow down the speed at which signs of your real age show up.

In fact, one of the reasons I started vegetable juicing is that I would see 75-year-old women in my practice who looked like they were 40 years old with virtually no facial wrinkles. Most of them were doing large amounts of juicing and led healthy lifestyles.

Juicing is actually a great way to get more raw veggies into your diet, as long as you fine-tune your vegetable selections based on your nutritional type, and if at all possible, aim to buy organic, locally-grown vegetables that are in season.

It’s also important to cut back on sugar. Diets high in sugar increase free radicals and oxidative stress, and leads to signs of premature aging.

And the sooner you start to make these positive changes — to your stress levels, mental outlook and your diet — the better. Whether you’re young or old, this healthy lifestyle will help keep the signs of aging away, or at least slow them down considerably.

The study is the first to examine the anatomy of multiple subjects to determine what happens to the lower eyelid with age. It is also the first face-aging study that uses high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

The study looked at MRIs of 40 subjects (17 males and 23 females) between the ages of 12 and 80. The findings showed that the lower eyelid tissue increased with age, and that the largest contributor to this size increase was fat increase.
Sources:

Eurekalert August 26, 2008

A new study about a different kind of audio approach during sleep gives insight into how the sleeping brain works, and may eventually come in handy to people studying a language, cramming for a test or memorizing lines in a play.

Scientists at Northwestern University reported that playing specific sounds while people slept helped them remember more of what they had learned before they fell sleep, to the point where memories of individual facts were enhanced.

Researchers taught people to move 50 pictures to their correct locations on a computer screen. Each picture was accompanied by a related sound, like a meow for a cat and whirring for a helicopter.

Then, 12 subjects took a nap, during which 25 of the sounds were played along with white noise. When they awoke, none realized that the sounds had been played or could guess which ones had been used. Yet almost all remembered more precisely the computer locations of the pictures associated with the 25 sounds that had been played while they slept, doing less well placing the other 25 pictures.

The study adds a dimension to a theory that sleep allows the brain to process and consolidate memories.
Sources:

NYTimes.com November 20, 2009

Science November 20, 2009

Winter and dry skin may seem inseparable…

Air humidity is down, you’re living in artificial indoor heat, and the harsh outdoor elements ravage your skin so it shows early signs of aging – even if you’re hardly ever outdoors.

Are those moisturizers safe for your skin, or are they hiding bizarre ingredients – toxins ready to sabotage your health… and your beauty?

Five Tips to Make You Quit Singing the “Winter Dry-Skin Blues”

1. Hydrate your entire system with lots of water and high anti-oxidant green tea. During winter there’s a tendency not to drink as much due to cool temperatures. You may want to bring your water to room temperature to encourage drinking more. Or enjoy more warm green tea, like the Royal Matcha Green Tea sold elsewhere on this website.
2. Eat a healthy diet of mostly raw foods, and foods high in omega-3 fatty acids which produce a hydrating effect from the inside out. Winter might be a good time to increase your intake of Krill oil also, for its omega-3s.
3. Take a revitalizing bath – in warm water, not hot! Himalayan salt baths are rejuvenating, and help dry skin to slough off. Hot water is damaging to your skin, so stick with warm water.
4. Wear gloves when you go outside. Sure, you’re ‘just’ running from your car to your office, but gloves will help protect your hands from winter’s ravages.
5. Moisturize daily with non-clogging organic moisturizers such as coconut oil or body butter. These nourish your skin instead of clogging it, as many toxin-impaired moisturizers do.

Why do I stress organic so much?

Because what you don’t know – or even what’s intentionally hidden from you – really can hurt you.

Continue reading to discover just how dangerous many moisturizer ingredients can be – even some very high-end (expensive) ‘spa’ products.

Be sure to check your products against the list of dangerous ingredients that follows.

Who’s Watching Out for You?

When it comes to the beauty industry, anything goes…

And money reigns supreme. Which means that it’s caveat emptor – “buyer beware”. You need to be the captain of your own ship and know what’s in the products you use.

If you thought the FDA was watching out for you…

Well, let’s just let that idea blow off right now. They let the cosmetic industry, including skin care products, police itself (your tax dollars notwithstanding). The list of people trying to help you out is surprisingly small — almost non-existent.

Currently, there are estimated to be more than 10,500 cosmetic and personal care products on the North American market. Of those products, the Environmental Working Group estimates that 99% of the products contain one or more ingredients that have never been evaluated for safety.

Who’s responsible for this Mess?

The cosmetic industry and their love of loopholes. Some of the biggies are:

• “For Professional Use Only” – This phrase allows cosmetic companies to remove harmful chemicals from their labels.
• “Hypoallergenic” – No actual testing is necessary to claim that a product is “hypoallergenic”, “allergy-free” or “safe for sensitive skin”. Neither the FDA nor any other regulating body even requires the companies to prove these claims.
• Harmful Chemicals – Unless they are intentionally placed in the product, harmful chemicals are not required to be listed. It’s no shocker that you never see these.

What Can You Do?

The cosmetics industry is a $50 billion a year business (in the US alone). They spend a remarkable $2 billion a year on advertising.

Even more appalling than that is the amount of chemicals you place on your skin every year. Women who use makeup daily absorb, on average, 5 pounds each year.

As with the Vioxx debacle, the FDA cannot actively act on a product until after it has already severely injured or killed many people. And because the cosmetic companies are motivated by their profits, they won’t be pointing out the dangers of their products to you any time soon. Your only solution is to rely on your own skills of investigation.

Always Avoid Applying Potential Toxins To Your Skin…

Many people – even those who carefully select organic or gourmet foods to eat choose skin care products that can do serious damage to their skin.

Now, realize that I’m not suggesting you’d intentionally apply toxins to your skin. You simply may not realize the extent to which many common skin care products contain suspect ingredients with unrecognizable or unpronounceable names.

Do you ever put things onto your skin that you wouldn’t think of eating? I hope not…

You see, I believe that what you put on your skin is absorbed into your bloodstream and integrated into your body’s tissues. A number of these potential toxins have estrogen-mimicking effects that can wreak havoc on all your good health intentions.

And there are other potential problems too…

Why Do So Many Skin Care Products Use These Potentially Hazardous Ingredients?

Simple answer: because they’re cheap, readily available, and easy to dilute.

Are they in the products you currently use? It’s time to check. Go grab your containers of skin care products and check them against the following …

So, having read the above, do you really think it’s OK to put these things on your skin?

No?

I don’t think so either.

Besides avoiding these hazards, there are some other steps you can take to create that young-looking skin you really want…

What Can You Do to Keep Your Skin Looking Healthy?

First of all, if you’re doing many of the things I talk about elsewhere on this website, you may have already noticed a major difference in the way your skin looks — as well as other aspects of your health.

Eating according to your nutritional type with plenty of fresh raw organic foods in your diet, and getting enough omega-3 fats are ways to improve your health on many fronts…

And need I mention exercise? Through exercise, your skin detoxifies impurities from your system – what you know as perspiration.

But beyond that, here’s a critically important issue you need to be aware of…

Just 5 Minutes Per Day Gets You on the Road to a More Youthful-Looking, Vibrant Face

Every day of your life, pollution, grime, and dust attach themselves to the surface of your skin.

If you don’t take a couple minutes daily to cleanse your face and unclog your pores, your skin may look sluggish — instead of at its bright and shining best.

Cleaning your skin is important, just like keeping your internal organs clean and healthy is.

But here’s a caveat…

Take Your Own Hippocratic Oath for Skin Care (“First, Do No Harm”)

It may seem like a cliché, but there are things you can do to prevent damaging your skin. Many of the visible signs of aging are caused by external factors that you can at least partially control.

These actions may be the easiest and least expensive things you can do to prevent damage to your skin, gain a more youthful appearance, and build a strong foundation for your pro-active natural skin care. Not to mention, creating a buzz about your new looks.

Please be aware that skin damage doesn’t always involve pain or immediate visible change, and can often go unnoticed for some time. But the cumulative actions you begin taking today can also improve your skin slowly over time. So get started today doing these simple things:

• Avoid or minimize damage from hot water and chlorine. Although taking baths and showers may seem like it’s health-promoting and relaxing, your skin may disagree – especially if you have chlorinated water, which is almost certainly the case (unless your water comes from a well).Chlorine causes oxidative damage. The hotter the water, the more potential for damage – because the rate of chemical reactions increases with temperature. Hot water may cause your skin to age faster.So what can you do? Adjust your water temperature to be a bit cooler, limit your showers to one per day, and decrease your soak time in the bath.
• Use gentle and safe skin care products – organic whenever possible. Your skin absorbs it all. Don’t compromise your health and the health of your skin by using potential poisons.
• Be very sure to remove your makeup each evening. It’s a really bad idea to flop into bed, leaving makeup – not to mention environmental grime – on your face while you sleep. Take a couple minutes to remove it, and you’ll find your face looking and feeling younger.
• Sleep on your back.Gravity creates a downward drag on your skin all day. Give your skin a break at night. By sleeping on your back, you reduce gravitational pull on your face. If you press your face to your pillow, you will likely experience increased puffiness in the morning.
  (Sleeping on your back reduces gravitational pull on your face. Be sure you remove your make-up before sleeping. Leaving it on during sleep creates extra stress on your skin. Use botanicals from nature for a nutritional approach to your beauty.)
• Don’t smoke… for your general health’s sake, and for younger looking skin. Smoking causes free radical production, which is one cause of the signs of aging.
• If you will be in the sun for extended periods of time, use sunscreen with safe and effective ingredients, such as Mercola Natural Sunscreen.
• Limit exfoliation to twice per week and use a gentle exfoliator. Exfoliation refreshes your skin’s surfaces and brightens your appearance as it removes dead cells from the surface of your skin. But if you exfoliate too often or too aggressively, you risk damaging living cells.
• Apply your skin care products to warm skin in order to help your skin appear healthier. This maximizes absorption. If your skin is cold, use a warm towel to warm your skin.
• Never pull or rub your skin. Apply your skin care products gently, and lightly tap for a few moments to help your skin absorb them. Rubbing stretches your skin and can promote sagging and wrinkles. (Note: This principle includes leaning your face on your hand while sitting at a desk, which also stretches your skin.)
• Don’t expect overnight changes. Even if you start doing everything right today, don’t be discouraged with seeming lack of progress tomorrow.It may take a month or even two to three months to notice changes. Plus, it’s quite possible that others will notice your increasingly youthful-looking face before you do.Remember: it took years to get where you are today, so show patience when expecting changes and improvements.

Now that you’re taking these practical steps as well as choosing not to use dangerous and damaging products on your skin, let’s explore your skin care alternatives – organic food products from nature’s storehouse.

Nourishing Botanicals for Your Skin’s Healthy Appearance

Whenever you apply skin care products, it is ideal to use products from nature that nourish your skin the same way you nourish your body. Look for products that encourage rejuvenation and work synergistically with your own skin to support its efforts toward a healthy appearance.

The potentially dangerous ingredients listed above concerns me greatly. And you know me to be passionate about changing the existing health paradigm. So it should be no surprise that I considered it imperative to locate a wholesome source of skin care products for you.

Last year we introduced USDA Certified Organic Body Butter, which has been enormously popular.

But Body Butter was hardly a complete skin care line. So we’ve been working diligently to find additional skin care products to promote your skin’s healthy appearance …

Nature’s Skin Care – For Outer Beauty that Looks and Feels Healthy

It’s hardly a secret that plant foods nourish your body. For years, I’ve heartily encouraged you to eat plenty of raw, uncooked foods directly from nature for your best health and wellbeing.

Applying skin care products that are derived from these foods is a smart and natural way to make your skin appear both healthy and beautiful … to make your face feel and look as vibrant, radiant and flawless as your healthy body does.

My new USDA Certified Organic Skin Care line uses organic ingredients straight from nature’s storehouse to promote both your natural beauty and a healthy appearance. After all, why strive to make large health improvements in your life, only to compromise them when you cleanse and moisturize your skin?

Now you have a smart alternative available that does everything you want it to … promote young- and healthy-looking skin with vital phytonutrients and antioxidants.

Top quality ingredients from around the world — like acai juice, green tea, sea buckthorn oil, cupuacu butter, and more…

First, let me introduce my brand-new USDA Certified Organic Skin Care line-up – just four quick daily steps for your more youthful appearance and healthy living…

• Daily Step 1. USDA Certified Organic Citrus Cleanser – Revitalizing – twice daily.
• Daily Step 2. USDA Certified Organic Chamomile Toner– Purifying – twice daily
• Daily Step 3. USDA Certified Organic Sea Buckthorn Anti-Aging Serum – twice daily
• Daily Step 4 – Morning. USDA Certified Organic Cupuacu Day Moisturizer – Antioxidant – mornings
• Daily Step 4 – Evening. USDA Certified Organic Acai Night Moisturizer – Rejuvenating – evenings
• Twice weekly after cleansing. USDA Certified Organic Sugar Exfoliator – Refining Face Scrub – twice weekly

As you might imagine, there are a large number of ingredients in these six different products.

However, it is important to understand that, they’re all natural or organic, so they skip the additional (petroleum-based, suspect) chemicals that are in the vast majority of skin care products.

Multiply Your Skin Care Benefits

My USDA Certified Skin Care line will provide you with incredibly comprehensive benefits when you apply it as a total package to supply the wide spectrum of nutrients to your skin. Each product complements the rest to maximize your skin’s healthy and youthful appearance.

As mentioned above, you’ll want to demonstrate a degree of patience just as you would when improving your diet. Consider this your skin’s diet for nutrition.

But over the next couple of months you may be surprised by what others are saying about your amazing good looks. Some who notice might not mention anything, but they will likely think about it.

And now you can be prepared with your new more beautiful face for all your upcoming holiday parties and family get-togethers.

Why ‘Organic’ Ingredients?

It’s important to use only ingredients that promote your healthy appearance without doing any potential harm whenever possible.

You eat organic foods to avoid many of the chemicals in commercial foods. Now you can do the same for your skin. This is important because what you apply to your skin invariably winds up in your blood.

“Certified organic” means agricultural products are grown and processed per the USDA’s national organic standards … then certified by USDA-accredited state and private certification organizations.

There is a specific process – and a price tag – to becoming certified.

Set standards must be met and extensive paperwork filed to verify that those standards are met. Certifying agents then review applications for certification eligibility.

Qualified inspectors conduct annual onsite inspections of organic operations, observing their production and processing practices to see if they’re in compliance with organic standards…

But in general, your product ingredients are the pre-eminent issue. Do they qualify as food? Are they organic, and free of potentially harmful pesticides?

We use ingredients that the USDA permits in its certified organic food – using the same standards for these items as for those items that are intended specifically for human consumption. And we proudly list every ingredient in our products – hiding nothing – so you can examine them for yourself.

All to give you another option to stay healthy.

So now, just check out this sampling of food ingredients from the new Mercola USDA Certified Organic Skin Care line that enhance both your healthy appearance and your beauty…

Astounding Natural Beauty – Compliments of Nature

You’ll probably recognize a number of the ingredients in this skin care line … things like apple juice, apple cider vinegar, green tea, aloe vera, coconut oil, sunflower oil, sesame oil, and vitamin E.

But we didn’t stop there…

Aromatherapy is the art and science of using volatile plant oils to promote relaxation and wellbeing. There is much ongoing research into the interrelationships between psychology and fragrances.

Mercola Organic Skin Care products utilize aromatherapy ingredients to contribute to your peaceful relaxation, energize you, and much more.

Take a look at some of these key organic aromatherapy ingredients in the Mercola Organic Skin Care line, and the astonishing ways they promote your skin’s healthy appearance and your overall wellbeing:

• Sweet Orange OilA valuable herb that originated in India.This essential oil is refreshing, fruity, tangy – as if you’ve just peeled a fresh juicy orange. It lifts your spirits at the same time it calms you. Its light and airy aroma is cheering, refreshing and uplifting, at the same time contributing to your tranquility.I’m sure you know oranges are rich in vitamin C. They also contain bioflavonoids like hesperidin that continue the work of vitamin C. In other words, the hesperidin complements the antioxidant effects of vitamin C.But the oils found in the orange peel also contain a phytonutrient called limonene which does some remarkable things for you, like providing antioxidants.The oil of the sweet orange is rich in nutrients that promote skin rejuvenation … plus its refreshing, fruity scent is uplifting and cheery — at the same time as it leads to tranquility.

  Sweet orange oil is considered an excellent skin tonic and supports rejuvenation, so it has an important role to play in Mercola Skin Care.

  You’ll find sweet orange oil in Mercola Skin Care Organic Citrus Cleanser, Organic Sea Buckthorn Anti-Aging Serum, Organic Cupuacu Day Moisturizer, and Organic Sugar Exfoliator.

• CalendulaCalendula is a versatile herb with fiery red and yellow petals, similar to a marigold, although a different variety from the marigolds you commonly see in gardens.Calendula dates back to the days of the ancient Egyptians. Yet even today it remains one of the most popular herbs for supporting healthy-looking skin. When mixed with other oils such as olive oil, calendula becomes even more nourishing.It’s widely used to moisturize and soften all skin types, rejuvenate your skin and reduce the appearance of the natural signs of aging.Relaxation is an additional benefit of calendula.

  You can enjoy the spicy-sweet bitter-warm aroma of organic calendula in Mercola Organic Skin Care toner, anti-aging serum, and night moisturizer.

• LavenderLavender is the most popular and widely-used essential oil, enjoyed by both aromatherapists and individuals. It’s very versatile, with many different uses.Lavender’s smooth and sometimes sweet floral aroma has a definitive calming effect, helping you forget about everyday stresses in your life.Try it in Chamomile Toner and Organic Acai Night Moisturizer.Lavender is widely used and widely treasured for its skincare benefits and calming influence. Check it out in the Mercola Organic Skin Care toner and night moisturizer.
• ChamomileChamomile is considered by many to be the world’s most soothing herb. Its sweet, herbal and fruity scent promotes relaxation.Not only that …it also soothes your skin. And it’s generally regarded as safe — with few or no known side effects.Constituents include the bioflavonoids apigenin, luteolin, and quercetin.Chamomile is included in the Mercola Organic Skin Care cleanser, toner, and anti-aging serum.

But these aren’t all the special ingredients in Mercola Organic Skin Care products. In fact, this is just a fraction of the story…

In My Opinion, Plant Oils are Far Superior to Petroleum Oil

Not only do you receive benefits from aromatherapy – you also obtain natural and refreshing plant oils and butters that your skin will delight in.

No petroleum products allowed … because I want you to look and feel at your greatest each and every day of your life, to fulfill your purpose and to enjoy all the people and events of your life. And you can do that by using true nutrients that help keep your skin looking its best.

Let’s look at a couple of these special, exotic oils here – more details will follow on each individual product page.

Discover Today How the Many Marvelous Qualities of Sea Buckthorn Oil Promote Your Youthful-Looking Skin

Legend has it that before the 12th century, certain Greek warriors released some weak horses to die, but they came back looking better than ever.

The turn-around was traced to the whole berries of a scrubby shrub called Hippophae rhamnoides, which means “tree that makes the horse shine”.

Native to Russia, northern China and northern Mongolia, sea buckthorn’s seeds produce thick reddish-orange oil with the viscosity of syrup.

Since its discovery, it’s been revered for its nourishing and rejuvenating properties. And no wonder …

Sea buckthorn seed oil is an absolute powerhouse of nutrition. It provides protein, plus over 100 nutrients, such as linolenic acid, vitamins E and A, carotene, polyphenols, flavonoids, and trace elements including iron, copper, manganese, and selenium.

Moreover, scientists are always on the hunt for antioxidants. They found a real gem in sea buckthorn oil.

Sea buckthorn – nicknamed “tree that makes the horse shine” because weak horses sent out returned quite revived after eating their berries – offers you a powerhouse of nutrition for skin rejuvenation. Sea buckthorn is found in Organic Sea Buckthorn Anti-Aging Serum and Organic Acai Night Moisturizer.

Its rich content of flavonoids, glucosides, phenols, terpenes, vitamins E, A, and C, beta-carotene, and trace elements (iron, zinc, selenium, manganese) are all antioxidants with very low molecular weight that neutralize free radicals. Collectively, they are even far more beneficial than alone.

Comparing Sea Buckthorn to Other Skin Creams

Experts compared sea buckthorn oil with five frequently used skin creams. They found that the free fatty acids, carbohydrates, phytosterols, phosphatidyl, vitamins E and A, and carotenoids were many times more beneficial in the sea buckthorn seed oil than the other products.

These components are not acting individually, but are well coordinated, supplementing and reinforcing each other to promote your best-looking skin. Therefore, the antioxidant property of sea buckthorn seed oil is not simply the sum total of its individual elements, but the synergistic effect of all of them working together.

Free fatty acids are easily absorbed by the skin. Linoleic acid promotes tissue rejuvenation. Hydrocarbon preserves your skin’s moisture, softens and lubricates your skin, keeping it smooth and fair.

Sea buckthorn oil is also an antioxidant.

It is reported to be a very effective anti-aging agent, helping to reduce the appearance of wrinkles and reduce dryness, and generally decreasing the appearance of the signs of aging,

Sea buckthorn’s record for rejuvenation makes it a welcome ingredient for natural and organic anti-aging and skin care products. And that makes it perfect for the Mercola Organic Skin Care products Organic Sea Buckthorn Anti-Aging Serum and Organic Acai Night Moisturizer.

Cupuacu Butter – The ‘New Kid on the Block’ in Skin Care

Cupuacu butter is rapidly gaining attention as an exceptional moisturizer, with remarkable water absorption, rich content of sterols, and overall nutritive benefits.

Cupuacu is a small tree from the chocolate family that’s native to the northern Amazon in South America. The fruit is about the size of a cantaloupe, and is prized for its creamy, exotic-tasting pulp.

The fruit, which ripens in the rainy months of January through April, is used to make jam, fresh juice, ice cream, and tarts. It is by far the most popular fruit in the Amazon.

Like chocolate, the fruit has a large center seed pod, loaded with “beans”. Unlike cocoa, however, cupuacu does not contain caffeine.

Cupuacu’s seed pod looks like chocolate, but without the caffeine. Many consider it to be an effective anti-aging ingredient. Check it out in Organic Cupuacu Day Moisturizer and Organic Acai Night Moisturizer.

Cupuacu butter is softer and creamier than cocoa butter and has a mild aroma. It absorbs water more effectively than lanolin (used in many skin care products).

I believe it provides protective benefits against UV-A and UV-B over-exposure. It also offers high levels of essential fatty acids. These fatty acids, plus its rich phytosterols, give it the ability to promote skin elasticity and improve skin moisture.

Its incredible creaminess promotes a special softness and smoothness to your skin, and boosts its natural moisture and elasticity.

Cupuacu is believed by many people to be stellar for its help in reducing the appearance of the signs of agingu … making it a perfect fit for the Mercola Skin Care line products of Cupuacu Day Moisturizer and Organic Acai Night Moisturizer.

More Breakthrough Secrets from the Amazon Rain Forest

Another exotic rain forest berry, the acai (pronounced ah-sigh-ee) berry, was recently proclaimed the “World’s #1 Super Food” on the Oprah Winfrey Show.

The Yanomami Indians harvested and revered the acai for centuries as a food that “holds unique power” (as reported by NBC Today on 5/13/2003). By that, they referred to the energizing properties of both its fruit and oil.

Acai berries were announced as the “World’s #1 Super Food”. Shouldn’t it be part of your skin’s care?

During the past three to five years, the acai was discovered by the Brazilian elite and then North Americans, who ate the fruit as a frozen slush.

These small purple berries – each with one large seed – dangle in clusters from the 25 foot high acai palm tree in its native Brazil, and other parts of Central and South America.

Acai oil is cold-pressed from the seeds of the acai berry, and is deep golden to light brown with a mild yet pleasant fruity aroma. When the berries are picked, they’re processed under cold and air-free conditions to yield the freshest, purest oil possible.

Acai possesses an amazing nutrient profile … an impressive combination of omega-3, omega-6 and omega 9 essential fatty acids, phytosterols, vitamins such as B1, B2, B3, E, and C, minerals such as phosphorus, calcium, and potassium, and essential amino acids.

Vitamin C is famous for its immune support properties, but did you know it can help rejuvenate and revitalize your skin?

What’s more, acai oil is rich in anthocyanins, phytosterols and phenols, which are also antioxidants.

In fact, its content of anthocyanins is reported to be an astounding 10-30 times higher than the anthocyanin content of red wine grapes.

But these facts alone aren’t what made acai the “World’s #1 Super Food”. It’s the ORAC value of the acai – its antioxidant value. acai is a more potent antioxidant than mangosteen, prunes, pomegranates, cranberries … nothing even comes close. The acai berry boasts the highest per unit value of antioxidant power (ORAC) of any edible fruit in the world.

Acai oil’s rich array of nutrients, anti-oxidants and other benefits make it a remarkable ingredient for use in anti-aging personal care products. Studies indicate that the phenols in acai oil act as antioxidants.

Acai is an excellent emollient and an effective moisturizer to treat dry skin and help reduce the appearance of the signs of aging. It also absorbs into your skin quickly.

You can enjoy the superior nutritional benefits of acai oil in Mercola Skin Care Organic Cupuacu Day Moisturizer and Organic Acai Night Moisturizer. Use them both for a your personal beautification benefit.

But there’s so much more to discover in this nutrient-filled skin care line…

Complete Anti-Aging Package

Your Complete Anti-Aging Package includes six products in our USDA Certified Organic Skin Care Line designed to give your skin an astounding overall anti-aging boost.

This package includes your daily cleanser, twice-weekly exfoliator, daily toner, anti-aging serum and two daily moisturizers – intended to help you turn back the clock on the appearance of premature signs of aging, like dry skin.

These products utilize organic botanicals from around the world to provide support for your skin’s most youthful appearance.

What’s more…

They do all that without any potentially damaging petrochemicals and estrogen-mimicking ingredients.

Just check out these six fine products and what they can do for you…

Organic Citrus Cleanser is a pure and mild rejuvenating cleanser that protects and nourishes your skin… just as a new parent protects and nourishes a newborn baby. And gently too, so your skin keeps a youthful appearance that defies its years.

Organic Sugar Exfoliator softly removes the outer layer of dry or flaking skin, leaving your face smooth and radiant – and using all organic and natural ingredients that you already know and trust. Ingredients include raw cane sugar, olive oil, shea butter, jojoba oil, cucumber extract, and the pleasant invigorating scent of sweet orange oil.

Organic Chamomile Toner gently removes extra “stuff” from your skin with the help of subtle aromatherapy oils — to leave your face feeling slightly tingly and totally refreshed. Toning is essential for removing dirt, make-up, and oil that your cleanser might miss. It’s a critical step in caring for your skin.

Organic Cupuacu Day Moisturizer provides you with nature’s best botanicals from around the world, ready to help you wake up, get you energized, and promote a grand start to your new day. This anti-aging and deep moisturizing day cream uses true food-based ingredients for your skin – plant foods used effectively for centuries.

Organic Acai Night Moisturizer rejuvenates your face and skin while your body is experiencing deep sleep and rebuilding for another day. Promoting skin rejuvenation while you sleep is a smart part of your overall anti-aging skin care strategy. Food ingredients from the world over combine to bring you a deeply satisfying moisturizer with profound benefits for your skin.

Organic Sea Buckthorn Anti-Aging Serum offers a critical application of deeply nourishing botanicals for your most youthful appearance. It’s brimming with antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and much more… to help your skin appear stronger and provide it with the tools it needs to reduce the appearance of the natural signs of aging. Regular use will help improve your skin’s texture as it nourishes your cells. Eight extraordinary ingredients contribute to its powerful anti-aging effect.

Find more   9 Things in Your Home That May Be Killing You 13 Easy Ways to Save 200 Calories a Day 10 Things He’s Thinking When You’re Naked 11 Things Guys Don’t Understand About Women

I give health advice to everyone: patients, friends and, of course, my 23-year-old daughter. But it doesn’t really stick unless they know the why. I’ve found that if you understand how your body works—say, the effect that getting four hours of sleep instead of eight has on your brain—you’re more apt to make a healthier choice. So I’m going to share some of the info that doctors usually don’t have time to get into: Use it to help yourself feel, look and live better.

What Happens When…You Try a Fad Diet

The Master Cleanse and other restrictive weight-loss plans seem to have become more popular than ever. But let me fill you in on something: After a few days of massively scaling back food intake, your metabolism starts to plummet. That’s because your brain senses that there isn’t enough food coming in. It tells your body to cling desperately to the fat stores it already has, and starts burning lean muscle tissue for fuel—two things that ultimately increase your percentage of body fat. After several days on a very low-calorie diet, levels of omega-3 fats in your brain can fall as well. Around 30 percent of the brain is made up of these fats, and without enough of them, you may be more prone to depression.

How to help your body: The healthiest, most effective way to lose weight is to eat small, balanced meals and snacks every few hours so your brain never goes into that starvation panic mode, and to never, ever drop below 1,200 calories a day.

What Happens When…You Skimp on Sleep

After even one night of four hours’ sleep instead of eight, you’ll feel crankier and generally “down.” You’ll have more difficulty processing complex information, and you’ll want to eat more—specifically simple carbs like sweets. Why? Your body wants a quick energy fix any way it can get it. When you don’t get enough rest, your body also produces less growth hormone, a substance that helps tissues regenerate and repair themselves, keeping you younger longer.

How to help your body: The exact amount of rest your body needs is very personal, but, on average, I recommend women get no fewer than seven hours. Men are a bit needier (as you probably already knew). They have to get closer to eight.

What Happens When…You Eat a Fatty Meal

Once a bacon cheeseburger gets into your system, the saturated and trans fats cause blood vessels to constrict. They stay that way for about four hours—boosting blood pressure and reducing blood flow and oxygen supply. And here’s the kicker: As soon as those tough four hours are up, it’s time for your next meal; choose another fatty one, and the cycle happens again. Someone who eats this way most days is almost always walking around with tightened arteries—a prescription for heart disease.

How to help your body: To feel your best and live longer, make high-fat splurges like this the exception, not the rule.

What Happens When…You Have a Glass of Wine

Piles of studies have linked light drinking—whether it’s wine, beer or the hard stuff—to a healthier heart. One study illuminated the possible reason: After one drink (4 ounces of wine or 1.5 of liquor, not a glass the size of a soup bowl), your blood vessels relax. That’s a good thing, but having a second drink stresses your circulatory system. And it’s worth noting that men have more of an alcohol-digesting enzyme in their stomach than women do. More of the alcohol you drink gets into your bloodstream than it does for men, making you drunker quicker. Once boozed-up blood hits your brain, your reaction time and your ability to process information slow. And your liver gets pulled away from its work of clearing out toxins to focus on neutralizing the alcohol. Research suggests that alcohol may be two to three times riskier for a woman’s liver than a man’s, even when they drink the same amount.

How to help your body: You’re far better off having a glass of wine a day than having none all week and then seven on Saturday night.

What Happens When…You Kiss Someone

Touching a person you love sets off powerful reactions in the body. One study by Swiss researchers found that young women who got brief shoulder rubs from their partners before a stressful event had lower heart rates and levels of stress hormones than women who didn’t get massages. Touching also triggers the release of oxytocin, a hormone that boosts feelings of closeness and can reduce the perception of pain. All of this happens whether you kiss, cuddle, hold hands or have sex. I say do them all more often. How’s that for a doctor’s order?

What Happens When…You Overdo It on Caffeine

Minutes after you slug back a jumbo java, the caffeine begins to take effect. When you get more than about 250 milligrams (the equivalent of about three 8-ounce cups of coffee) in a couple of hours, your body pumps out stress hormones like epinephrine and cortisol, which increase heart rate, tense muscles and push blood pressure higher. Yes, the surge makes your brain more alert, but if you overdo it, you’re apt to experience a crash later.

How to help your body: To get the most out of your caffeine buzz, have small amounts throughout the day, and keep your total to around 400 milligrams. Just don’t sip it after 3:00 P.M. or it’ll disrupt your sleep.

What Happens When…You Go for a Jog

You may have heard a recent report that exercise does not help you lose weight. It’s a juicy story that makes the rounds every couple of years, but I’m here to tell you: Cardio exercise like jogging, biking, running or fast walking will help you lose weight. I’ve seen it in the research, I’ve seen it in my patients—and I’ve seen it in myself! Aside from all that, it’s good for your entire body and mind. Lace up your sneakers and head out for a jog: Right away, more blood flows to your muscles, and they start working more efficiently. As you continue to work out, you’ll strengthen the muscle fibers in your heart, too. Then the feel-good endorphins you always hear about begin flowing, putting you in a more positive, happy mood. When all this happens regularly, your risk for heart problems and cancer drops. Bonus: Your metabolism will stay high for a few hours after—so you’ll be burning more calories just soaping up in the shower.

How to help your body: Quite simply, exercise is the most powerful drug I’ve ever seen. Get your fix three times a week at least.

What Happens When…You Stub Your Toe

I know—even though it’s just a toe, it kills. Same thing with other minor injuries, like paper cuts. Research suggests you actually have more pain receptors on your skin than a man does, so you literally feel more pain. That said, I find that women have a higher pain tolerance. (Men—especially young men—are wimps! Believe me, they’re the worst group of people to do surgery on.) It’s a coping mechanism that developed largely to help women endure the pain of childbirth (long before the miracle of epidurals, of course).

How to help your body: You’re probably already doing the right thing: Rubbing an owie makes it feel better by stimulating nerves around the injury and sort of distracting your brain. (And go ahead and yowl—a study found cursing may help.

What Happens When…You’re Stressed

Let’s say your boss calls you into her office and says she has bad news. Wham! Your body’s stress response kicks in and the hormones cortisol and epinephrine flow, making your mind hyperalert and speeding up breathing and blood pressure—all to get you ready to either flee the scene or fight whatever danger you’re facing. Once your brain senses that things are OK and you’re not going to be swallowed by a bear—or, in this case, canned—things return to normal. In small doses, this isn’t a terrible thing, but when acute stresses become chronic—say, you’re forced to work late every day for weeks or you’re going through a divorce—cortisol levels get stuck on high, and your body, heart and mind never fully relax. That kind of chronic stress increases your risk of heart disease, depresses your immune system (and mood) and causes headaches, back pain, breakouts, even weight gain. I can look at a woman’s belly and know how hectic her life is—cortisol overload causes your body to lay down fat, particularly around your middle.

How to help your body: Want a double-whammy cure? Exercise. You’ll burn off fat and reduce the stress overload that leads to belly pooch. Even just a 10-minute brisk walk can make a difference.

Mehmet Oz, M.D., is the director of the Heart Institute at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital in New York City. His new, nationally syndicated TV program, The Dr. Oz Show, started airing in September.

Your face works hard. All day long it helps you see, breathe, chew, speak, laugh, cry, kiss, grin, grimace, smile, frown, sneeze and whole lot more. It gets hit by sun, rain, wind, snow, rubs, scratches, scrapes, make-up, grit and grime, as well as smiles, stares, glares and other looks from friends, family and strangers.

There are about 16 muscles, a dozen bones and assorted arteries, veins and blood vessels that help your face do the things it does. Like muscles in other parts of your body, your face muscles absorb and store a lot of stress and tension. Unless you relax those muscles, they get stiff and hard and look strained. Tense muscles also constrict blood vessels, limiting the flow of blood and nutrients to your face. What’s more, the tension in your face muscles can cause headaches and spread down into our neck and shoulders. A few simple exercise can help relieve facial tension and help you look and feel more relaxed.

Your face deserves a break. Below are a few simple face exercise that help relax tense muscles, release stress and improve circulation.

1. Palming. – Find a comfortable seated position, either on floor on a cushion or in a chair. Sit with your back straight. Begin with your eyes closed. Focus on your breath as it moves in and out of your nostrils. Cool air in, warm air out. – Rub your palms together very fast until they feel warm. Then cup them over your closed eyes. – Repeat. Benefits: Soothes the optic nerve, eyes and area around the eyes.

2. The Great Rub – Place the index and middle fingers of both hands in the middle of your forehead. Rub your forehead by making small circles with your fingers. – Move your fingers across your brow and to your temples, pausing there to give them a gentle massage. This is an area where we hold stress and tension that can often lead to headaches. – Then move down from your temples to the hinge of your jaw, pausing to massage your jaw muscles. – From there, move across your cheeks and up along the side of your nose to your forehead. – Repeat. Benefits: Releases stress and tension, particularly in the temples and jaw.

3. Eye socket massage. – Take your index and middle fingers of each hand and place them on either side of your nose just below the bridge. Rub your fingers up to the bridge of your nose and along your eyebrows. – You’ll feel a notch in your eye socket where the bone begins to turn downward. Rub the notch gently for a moment. Then follow the line of the socket rim down beneath the eye and back up along the side of your nose. – Repeat 3-5 times. Benefits: Relaxes the eyes and surrounding areas, and relieves stress and tension.

4. Clenched smile. – Grit your teeth and open your lips as wide as they will go. – Feel your lips, cheeks, chin and neck stretch to their limit. Hold…and release. – Repeat. Benefits: Increases circulation, relaxes faces muscles, relieving stress and tension.

5. Scrunches – Scrunch your face real tight. Purse your lips, draw your cheeks in toward your nose, pull your eye brows down and bring the flesh of your chin up toward your mouth. – Hold…and release. – Repeat. Benefits: Provides a counter stretch to the “Clench” exercise. Increases circulation, relaxes faces muscles, relieving stress and tension.

6. The Lion. – Take a deep breath. – All at once, exhale forcefully, open your mouth wide, stick your tongue out as far as it will go, say “Aghhhhhhh,” and open your eyes wide and look up. – Repeat 3 times. Benefits: Relieves tension in the throat and face, stimulates the eyes and improves circulation.

7. Cheek Pinch. Pinch your cheeks, by grabbing bits of flesh and giving them a squeeze. Benefit: Improves circulation.

Mothers-to-be consider Shielding Lotions for relief from skin disorders during pregnancy
Women can minimize effects of common skin disorders resulting from pregnancy

Expecting a first child is one of the most exciting times in a woman’s life, and taking basic preventative skin care measures, such as the use of shielding lotions, can help minimize or prevent the effects of common skin disorders resulting from pregnancy-induced changes to her body.

According to the March of Dimes, common skin conditions plaguing a woman during her nine months of gestation range from improved or worsened acne; flare-ups in existing eczema and psoriasis; bluish discoloration or blotchy skin in the legs; bhloasma – the “mask of pregnancy” or melasma – “glowing” skin from increased blood flow and skin oils; itchiness and dry skin; stretch marks; dark line on the belly; changes in fingernail or toenail growth and appearance; puffiness; rashes, red or itchy palms from increases in the hormone estrogen; skin tags, spider veins; and darkening skin.

Though most of these conditions will usually disappear after delivery, these tips may help reduce or treat common skin problems that occur during pregnancy and help the mother-to-be feel more comfortable:
•    Skin cleansing. Good skin cleansing is the best way to avoid or treat acne breakouts. Wash your face with a mild cleanser two or three times a day. Don’t wash too often or the skin may become dry, aggravating the problem. A shielding lotion can minimize the loss of moisture and it won’t wash off.
IMPORTANT: Do not take any acne medications or over-the-counter treatments without checking with your health care provider. Some of these are not safe for pregnant women to use.
•    Sun protection. Your skin is more sensitive during pregnancy. Good sun protection is very important at this time. Sunlight can darken pigment changes in your skin and increase your chances of getting “mask of pregnancy.” Use a good sun block, cover up, and wear a hat when outside. Limit the time you spend outdoors between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
•    Make-up. Cover-up and foundation can help hide dark streaks or spots on the skin. Avoid make-ups that contain mercury. Look at the label to see if the make-up contains mercury.
•    Stretch marks. You won’t be able to avoid stretch marks entirely. It will help if you gain only the recommended amount of weight (usually 25 to 35 pounds), and do so slowly. Using a quality shielding lotion may help the skin retain moisture and stay supple, minimizing the effects. Stretch marks usually fade and become less noticeable after delivery.
•    Moisturizers. Moisturize your belly and your breasts to reduce itchiness and dry skin. To avoid skin irritation, use an unscented high-quality shielding lotion that won’t wash off and can protect against environmental irritants, like household cleansers and air pollution. Use mild soap when washing. Avoid hot showers or baths. They can dry out the skin.
•    Excessive heat. Heat can intensify itchiness and rashes. When you go out in warm weather, wear loose-fitting, cotton clothing.
Always talk to your health care provider before using any medicated creams or ointments to treat skin problems, as some may be harmful. Ask your doctor if shielding lotions using high-quality all-natural ingredients are right for you in managing your pregnancy-related skin conditions.

By Dr. Mercola

If you still believe sweeteners like Equal and NutraSweet are safe, you’ll want to pay very close attention to this special report.

You’re probably aware of the dangers of consuming too much sugar and that sugar is not healthy for you. You might have been led to believe that artificial sweeteners like aspartame are safer, and less likely to cause you to gain weight.

Well, neither of those beliefs are true.

Slick marketing of products containing aspartame by giants in the food industry — especially marketing that sends the message it’s healthy to consume these products — might be giving you a false sense of security.

You might even be convinced you’re doing the right thing for your health and the health of your family by using products artificially sweetened with aspartame.

You couldn’t be more mistaken.

It’s not pleasant to learn that corporations, government-sponsored regulatory agencies and politicians are more interested in lining their pockets than protecting your health and the health of your loved ones. But unfortunately, these are serious issues that you must consider for your and your family’s safety.

Manufacturers, marketers and others with financial interests have successfully convinced millions of consumers the chemicals used in artificially sweetened products are safe. Don’t believe them! The arguments used to convince you these ingredients are healthy and “natural” will be addressed later in this report.

For now, just keep in mind that the reason you feel products containing aspartame are safe is a direct result of deliberate deception on the part of big business and government.

Remember:

If you’re consuming a food or beverage created in a lab instead of by nature, you can be assured your body doesn’t recognize it. This opens the door to short-term and long-lasting health problems for you and your family.

If you already avoid aspartame, the information you’re about to read will confirm the wise choice you’ve made, and cement your resolve to stay away from any product that contains this potential toxin.

An Accident Waiting to Happen: The Birth of Aspartame

Like an omen, aspartame was discovered in 1965 entirely by mistake. That’s right … by mistake.

G.D. Searle chemist James M. Schlatter was at work in his laboratory developing a drug to treat peptic ulcer disease. The story goes that Schlatter accidentally spilled one of the chemicals he was using onto his finger. He licked his finger clean, and in doing so discovered the sweet taste of the aspartame he had spilled.[1]

This inauspicious beginning heralded the birth of what has become one of the most potentially dangerous and controversial food additives in human history.

How Aspartame Got to Market in Spite of Itself

As you’re about to learn, the tale of how aspartame got to market is a disturbing one. It reads like a crime mystery, one you would assume is based on the author’s over-active imagination. Except it’s all true.

The approval process for aspartame was said to have been riddled with scandal, bribes and other shady dealings within the pharmaceutical industry, large American corporations, and the FDA.

Initially, the FDA strongly denied the approval of aspartame products. Reasons given were sound and included:

• Flawed data
• Brain tumor findings in animal studies
• Lack of studies on humans to determine longer-term effects

How aspartame got to market despite initial FDA concerns and evidence of its neurotoxicity is a study in good timing, heavy financial investment, and the impact of political clout.

Timing is Everything

Aspartame studies were on the rise just after cyclamate was pulled from the U.S. market and saccharin was under serious scrutiny. The disappearance of cyclamate left a void it appeared saccharin might not be poised to fill.

At the time of the cyclamate ban, the “diet” market was a $1 billion dollar per year business in the U.S.[2] Manufacturers of diet products were in a mad scramble to find a substitute product that would insure they left not a dollar of that billion on the table.

Pouring Good Money Into Bad Studies

G.D. Searle spent tens of millions of dollars to conduct the necessary approval tests on aspartame.

Not surprisingly, studies funded by Searle and other groups with a financial interest in aspartame found no adverse health effects. However, independent studies delivered evidence that aspartame consumption did indeed create health problems in test subjects.

Flexing Political Muscle

In addition to its enormous financial investment in favorable study results, Searle developed what can be fairly described as a diabolical political strategy to insure the FDA would end up with a positive view of aspartame.

Deceptive Safety Studies

G.D. Searle provided the FDA with over 100 aspartame studies in early 1973. Later that same year, the FDA asked for additional studies. Searle complied, and in June 1974, the FDA granted preliminary approval for the restricted use of aspartame.

The study findings submitted by Searle were immediately challenged by Dr. John Olney, a neuroscientist who was instrumental in getting monosodium glutamate removed from baby foods, and Jim Turner, an attorney and consumer advocate.[3]

In August 1974, Olney and Turner filed the first formal objections to the approval of aspartame. Their petition prompted the FDA to initiate investigations into Searle’s lab practices.

The investigations ultimately led to concerns within the FDA about the validity of the studies submitted by Searle. Investigators uncovered substandard testing procedures and manipulated test data. In fact, what investigators found at Searle was an unprecedented incidence of bad testing procedures and inaccurate results. Final approval of aspartame was delayed.

Based on the results of these findings, in January 1977, for the first time in history, the FDA requested a criminal investigation into a food manufacturer for willfully misrepresenting results in their safety tests of a product. The FDA asked the U.S. Attorney’s office to examine Searle’s handling of aspartame testing.[4]

In August 1977, the FDA published a report by Jerome Bressler which pointed to specific issues with Searle’s aspartame safety studies.[5]

The Bressler Report revealed stunning examples of very bad research. A few examples included:

• Deceased lab animals were not immediately autopsied, some not for an entire year after death. Decomposition rendered any data from them inaccurate.
• Tumors found in lab animals were reportedly cut out and thrown away.
• Animals from whom tumors were removed were labeled “normal,” and obvious tumors were deemed to be “normal swelling.”

In 1979, the FDA established a Public Board of Inquiry (PBOI) to rule on safety issues with aspartame, with the result that NutraSweet would not receive final approval pending further investigation into its link to brain tumors in animals.

Political and Regulatory Dirty Tricks

During the 1977 criminal investigation initiated by the FDA, the law firm representing G.D. Searle arranged to hire away the U.S. Attorney leading the investigation. Samuel Skinner went to work for Searle in July.

Skinner’s resignation from the U.S. Attorney’s office stalled the investigation into Searle’s aspartame studies until the statute of limitations expired. The investigation was subsequently abandoned.

In March 1977, Donald Rumsfeld was hired as the CEO of Searle — yes, the same Rumsfeld that was the Secretary of Defense in the Bush administration. He brought with him additional political clout by appointing several of his D.C. associates to top management positions.

In January 1981, Rumsfeld proclaimed he would get aspartame approved within one year.[6] Worthy of note is the fact Rumsfeld was part of newly elected President Ronald Reagan’s transition team — a team which had carefully selected Dr. Arthur Hull Hayes Jr. as the new FDA Commissioner.

Two months later, in March, Dr. Hayes appointed an internal panel to review the 1979 decision by the Public Board of Inquiry that ruled thumbs down on final approval of NutraSweet.

Three of the five members of Dr. Hayes’ panel advised against approval of aspartame, citing on the record that Searle’s safety study tests were flawed. Hayes then appointed a sixth member to the panel who tied the vote three-three. Dr. Hayes then cast the deciding vote in favor of approval.

Hayes, an official with no background on the subject of food additives, claimed aspartame was safe for proposed use, and had undergone more testing and scientific scrutiny than most additives on the market. Shortly after approving this drug he resigned from the FDA panel and was hired by the manufacturer of aspartame for a position in which he was paid several hundred thousand dollars per year.

So, despite all the game playing and countless unresolved safety issues, aspartame was approved for use in soft drinks in the fall of 1983.

Less than a year later, the FDA had recorded 600 consumer complaints of headaches, dizziness and other health-related reactions from aspartame consumption.

The unprecedented number of complaints caused the FDA to call in the CDC (Centers for Disease Control). The CDC concluded adverse reactions to aspartame were occurring in “unusually sensitive” individuals, but there was not enough evidence to prove existence of wide-spread health problems attributable to its consumption.

What is Aspartame, Exactly?

Aspartame goes by the brand names NutraSweet and Equal. It is one of the first generation of artificial sweeteners and is 180 times as sweet as sugar.

At the end of 2008, aspartame was found in over 6,000 products including:

carbonated soft drinks	puddings and fillings
powdered soft drinks	frozen desserts
chewing gum	yogurt
confections	tabletop sweeteners
gelatins	chewable vitamins
dessert mixes	sugar-free cough drops

Products containing aspartame are sold in over 100 countries and are consumed by over 250 million people worldwide.

The scientific name for aspartame is 1-aspartyl 1 phenylalanine methyl ester. It has three components:

1. phenylalanine which makes up 50 percent of the chemical by weight
2. aspartic acid — 40 percent
3. methanol (wood alcohol) — 10 percent

How Aspartame Acts Inside Your Body

The two primary components of aspartame, phenylalanine and aspartic acid, are amino acids that are combined in an ester bond. You normally consume these two amino acids in the foods you eat. These amino acids are harmless when consumed as part of natural unprocessed foods. However when they are chemically manipulated and consumed out of the normal ratios to other amino acids, they can cause problems.

Your body initially breaks down the ester link between the two amino acids to turn them into free amino acids. The neurotoxic effects of these chemicals in their “free form” can result in immediate health consequences such as headaches, mental confusion, dizziness and seizures.

Your body does require small amounts of these amino acids to function properly. However, the high concentration of these chemicals in the form of aspartame floods your central nervous system and can cause excessive firing of brain neurons. Cell death is also possible.

This is a condition called excitotoxicity.

Your body doesn’t recognize phenylalanine and aspartic acid in their free form, but your system will try to manage them through metabolization. Whenever your body tries to process an unrecognizable substance, the stage is set for health problems.

The chemicals in aspartame will be absorbed by your intestinal cells, where they will be broken down into other amino acids and byproducts. A large percentage of the absorbed chemicals will be used immediately in your small intestine.

A Formaldehyde Cocktail

Ultimately, aspartame will be fully absorbed into your body. Ten percent of what is absorbed is the breakdown product methanol (wood alcohol). The EPA defines safe consumption of this toxin as 7.8 milligrams a day, which is the amount found in about half a can of diet soda.

It’s not the amino acids themselves or the methanol that are toxic to your system, it’s the breakdown products they turn into along the way — either during transport, on the store shelf, or during the metabolization process.

Stored at warm temperatures or for a prolonged period of time, phenylalanine turns into diketopiperazine, a known carcinogen.

Methanol can spontaneously break down to formaldehyde, also a toxin, which can accumulate in your cells and result in severe health consequences.

Methanol is found naturally in some of the foods you eat; however, it is never bound to amino acids in nature, as it is as an ingredient in aspartame. In nature, for example, methanol is bound to pectin. Pectin is a fiber which allows the methanol to pass through your body without being metabolized and converted to formaldehyde.[8]

Since methanol in aspartame has no natural binder, nearly all of it turns into formaldehyde in your body. Formaldehyde (which is used in, among other things, paint remover and embalming fluid) is a poison several thousand times more potent than ethyl alcohol.

The EPA has determined formaldehyde causes cancer in humans. Specifically, it is known to increase your risk of breast or prostate cancer.

Incidents of both types of cancer have been on the rise at a pace closely associated with the expanding use of aspartame throughout the world.[9]

The EPA has also concluded there is no known “safe” level of formaldehyde in your body — risk depends on the amount and duration of your exposure.

The end waste product of formaldehyde is formate. An accumulation of formate in your body can cause metabolic acidosis, which is excessive acidity in your blood. Metabolic acidosis can cause methanol poisoning and can result in blindness, fatal kidney damage, multiple organ system failure, and death.[10]

The Major Element of Aspartame — Phenylalanine

Your body converts the amino acid phenylalanine to neurotransmitters that regulate your brain chemistry. These important neurotransmitters are:

• L-dopa
• norepinephrine
• epinephrine

However, if your system is flooded with phenylalanine as a result of an aspartame overdose, the resulting increased levels of neurotransmitters can cause problems in the physiology of your brain — problems which have been linked to a variety of psychiatric disorders. You can also be prone to anxiety attacks, depression, headaches, seizures and tremors.

If you consume too much aspartame in a short period of time, you might also experience immediate reactions including nervousness, sweating, feelings of fear, and heart palpitations.

In pregnancy, the concentrating effects of the placenta can magnify phenylalanine levels in a baby’s blood by as much as four to six-fold, and can reach levels so high that cell death results.[11] It’s not much of a stretch to be concerned consumption of high doses of this chemical during pregnancy could result in birth defects.

The genetic disease Phenylketonuria (PKU) is a condition in which your body is unable to use phenylalanine at all. If a toxic buildup occurs, it can result in mental retardation. People with PKU must avoid all sources of phenylalanine, including aspartame.

Aspartic Acid and Cell Death

The second largest component of aspartame is aspartic acid.

Aspartic acid functions as a major excitatory neurotransmitter in your brain. People who suffer from depression or have brain atrophy have been found to have low levels of aspartic acid in their bodies.

As you might expect, the chemical is found in abnormally high levels in people who suffer from seizures and strokes. In very high doses, aspartic acid can cause brain damage.

The term excitotoxicity was coined by Dr. Russell Blaylock, a neurosurgeon[12]. It describes the ability of certain amino acids like monosodium glutamate (MSG) and aspartic acid to literally excite cells to death.

The scientific community has shown widespread acceptance of Dr. Olney’s concept of excitotoxins and its link to neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.

Unfortunately, the FDA refuses to acknowledge the connection between free form amino acids and excitotoxicity. Consequently, no demands have been made of food manufacturers to eliminate chemicals like MSG and aspartic acid from the food supply.

Excitotoxins can also encourage the production of free radicals. Free radicals can damage tissues and organs throughout your body and may accelerate diseases like arthritis, atherosclerosis, cancer, and coronary artery disease.[13],[14]

Your blood brain barrier (BBB) is a system of capillary structures that prevent toxins from entering your brain.

If you have diabetes, hypertension or are a smoker, your BBB may be compromised and you might experience a heightened reaction to aspartame.

Unborn children and infants up to one year of age have incomplete and not well-insulated BBB’s. Excitotoxins enter their nervous systems easily and quickly.

Babies under a year are four times more sensitive to excitotoxins than adults.

During the first year of life, irreversible brain damage can result from chemicals in breast milk that have crossed the unborn child’s blood brain barrier. And yet — few if any pregnant and breastfeeding women are warned of the dangers of consuming artificial sweeteners.

Are Your Health Problems Related to Aspartame Consumption?

You might not realize you’re having a reaction to aspartame. In fact, most people don’t make the connection, and a tremendous amount of time and money is spent by aspartame “reactors” (people sensitive to the chemical), trying to find out why they are sick.

To determine if you’re a reactor, take the following steps:

1. Eliminate all artificial sweeteners from your diet for one to two weeks.
   (Note: If you typically consume aspartame in caffeinated drinks, you’ll want to gradually reduce your intake in order to avoid caffeine withdrawal symptoms.)
2. After one to two weeks of being artificial sweetener-free, reintroduce aspartame or other artificial sweetener in a significant quantity (at least three servings daily) and avoid other artificial sweeteners during this period.
3. Do this for one to three days and notice how you feel, especially as compared to when you were consuming no artificial sweeteners.
4. If you don’t notice a difference in how you feel after re-introducing aspartame, it’s a safe bet you’re able to tolerate aspartame acutely, meaning your body doesn’t have an immediate, adverse response. However, this doesn’t mean your health won’t be damaged in the long run by this chemical and its breakdown products.

Keep in mind aspartame is completely metabolized by the human body, and its byproducts can create a serious risk to your health. Neurological damage can occur from long-term aspartame use.

Adverse Reactions to Aspartame

There have been more reports to the FDA for aspartame reactions than for all other food additives combined. And, there are over 900 published studies on the health hazards of aspartame. You can find a list in the National Library Medicine Index.

There are also some 10,000 documented reports of adverse reactions to aspartame, including death. Since it is estimated only about one percent of people who experience a reaction report it, it is safe to assume at least a million people have had a reaction to this chemical.

Migraines are by far the most frequently reported reaction. Other commonly reported symptoms of an aspartame reaction include:

headache	change in mood
change in vision	convulsions and seizures
sleep problems/insomnia	change in heart rate
hallucination	abdominal cramps/pain
memory loss	rash
nausea and vomiting	fatigue and weakness
dizziness/poor equilibrium	diarrhea
hives	joint pain

Debilitating, Life-Threatening Conditions Linked to Aspartame

Aspartame has been implicated in a number of diseases, and there is special concern among doctors and scientists regarding the role aspartame plays in migraine headaches, epilepsy and neuropsychiatric disorders.

Aspartame has been identified as a definitive causative factor in the following serious health concerns:

Migraine Headaches

Aspartame has been shown to trigger migraines, and to cause more frequent, severe headaches in regular sufferers. This is especially true with long-term exposure to the chemical.

Seizures

In the mid 1990’s, a hotline was established specifically for pilots to report acute adverse reactions to aspartame. The hotline received several hundred calls from pilots complaining about reactions to the chemical, including many who suffered grand mal seizures while in the cockpit.

In 1992, the United States Air Force issued a warning to pilots to avoid products containing aspartame because it has been linked to seizures and vertigo, dizziness, sudden memory loss and gradual loss of vision.

Seizures are a primary side effect of aspartame consumption. As if that weren’t disturbing enough, they occur in people who’ve never had a seizure before, and disappear just as quickly when aspartame consumption is stopped.

MIT conducted a survey of 80 seizure sufferers. Survey results showed the role aspartame played in those seizures met FDA criteria for an imminent hazard to the public’s health.[15] This measure is what the FDA normally relies upon to pull unsafe products from the market. Products other than aspartame,apparently.

Depression

A study begun at Northeastern Ohio University to determine whether aspartame was linked to depression had to be halted. Can you guess why?

Nearly a third of the test subjects in the depressive group dropped out due to the severity of their reactions to aspartame consumption. Two others left the study due to serious eye problems — one developed a detached retina that ultimately led to blindness, and the other experienced a bleeding conjunctiva of the eye.

Visual Changes

The individual ingredients in aspartame as well as their breakdown products can do serious harm to your retina and optic nerves. Aspartame has been linked to blurred vision, eye pain, visual hallucinations and blindness.

Formaldehyde is known to cause retinal damage, and methanol poisoning can lead to changes in your vision and ultimately, blindness.

According to Dr. H.J. Roberts, an expert on aspartame who has treated hundreds of patients with sensitivity to the chemical, the visual problems seen in frequent aspartame users are identical to those found in people who developed methanol poisoning from wood alcohol during the era of prohibition.

Brain Cancer

The subject of aspartame and cancer continues to be controversial. However, there is sufficient evidence of a link to warn off anyone who is concerned about maintaining good health.

On the heels of its approval for use in diet soda in 1983, over a million pounds of aspartame was consumed. Less than a year later, in January 1984, the incidence of brain cancer took off at a rate far higher than any other type of cancer.[16]

According to the National Cancer Institute, there was a 10 percent increase in malignant brain cancer in 1985 — just two years after aspartame flooded the market in diet beverages.

Young women who drink large quantities of aspartame-laced diet drinks are especially susceptible to developing three specific types of brain cancer:

• alioblastoma
• astrocytoma
• primary lymphoma

Equally alarming is evidence women of childbearing age who consumed aspartame during pregnancy were delivering babies with an increased risk of brain and spinal cord cancer.

Aspartame and Weight Gain

Would it surprise you to learn aspartame may cause you to gain weight? It’s true — products marketed as “reduced calorie,” “sugar-free,” and “diet” can actually sabotage your weight control efforts.[19]

The two main ingredients of aspartame, phenylalanine and aspartic acid, stimulate the release of insulin and leptin — hormones which instruct your body to store fat.

In addition, a large intake of phenylalanine can drive down your serotonin levels. Serotonin is the neurotransmitter that tells you when you’re full. A low level of serotonin can bring on food cravings which can lead to weight gain.[20]

What Will You Do, Now That You Know?

I hope this report has convinced you one of the worst things you can put into your body, or feed to your family, is the artificial sweetener aspartame.

You can read more about aspartame and other artificial sweeteners in my comprehensive book, Sweet Deception, as well as in the outstanding book by H.J. Roberts, Aspartame Disease — An Ignored Epidemic. I also recommend you watch the excellent documentary Sweet Misery.

Neotame: The “New and Improved” Aspartame

You’ll also want to be on the lookout for this modified version of aspartame, as it likely carries similar health risks to the original.

Neotame is chemically related to aspartame, but has greater heat stability and is 72 times sweeter.

Breaking the Cycle

If you consume a lot of “diet” products, you probably have cravings for sweet foods and beverages.

Why?

Because if your body isn’t receiving the fuel it needs in the right combinations, you’ll develop sweet cravings.

To optimize your diet, you’ll want to determine your nutritional type, and begin to eat the kinds of foods your body requires.

When you are eating right for your nutritional type, your sweet cravings will disappear.

There may also be an emotional component to your cravings. If so, you’ll need to address it, as well. I highly recommend the Meridian Tapping Technique, or MTT.

You can find links to information about nutritional typing, MTT, and a wealth of other resources to help you kick your artificial sweetener habit at my website, www.Mercola.com.

I can’t overstate the importance of avoiding aspartame to your short and long-term health, the quality of your life, and the lives of your loved ones. I hope you’ll take this information to heart and eliminate aspartame and other artificial sweeteners from your diet.

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References:

[1] Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, Aspartame, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspartame (Accessed 2/20/09)

[2] Time.com, Cyclamates’ Sour Aftertaste, October 31, 1969, http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,839127,00.html (Accessed 2/20/09)

[3] Rense.com, How Aspartame Became Legal – The Timeline, http://www.rense.com/general33/legal.htm (Accessed 2/21/09)

[4] H.J. Roberts, Aspartame Disease: An Ignored Epidemic, West Palm Beach, Sunshine Sentinel Press, 2001/James Turner, The Aspartame/NutraSweet Fiasco, http://www.stevia.net/aspartame.htm

[5] Bressler, J, et al. FDA Report on Searle, August 4, 1977

[6] Constantine, A, History of Aspartame, 2004, http://www.wnho.net/history_of_aspartame.htm

[7] “Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report,” www.cdc.gov

[8] Bowen, J., Aspartame Toxicity and Methanol, Ethanol, Pectin, Methyl Alcohol, http://www.321recipes.com/aspartame.html

[9] Schwartz, G.R., “Aspartame and Breast and Other Cancers”, West J Med (1999)

[10] Sejersted, O.M., Jacobsen, D., Ovrebo, S., Jansen, H. “Format Concentrations in Plasma from patients Poisoned with Methanol,” Acta Med Scand 213 (1983): 105-110

[11] Kerr, G.R., Waisman, H.A. Transplacental Ratios of Serum-Free Amino Acids During Pregnancy in the Rhesus Monkey; Amino Acid Metabolism and Genetic Variation. New York: McGraw Hill, 1967

[12] Russell Blaylock, MD, Excitotoxins: The Taste That Kills, Health Press (NM), 2006

[13] Fichtlscherer, S., Breuer, S., Schachinger, v., Dimmeler, S., and Zeiher, A.M. “C-Reactive Protein Levels Determine Systemic Nitric Oxide Bioavailability in Patients with Coronary Artery Disease” Eur Heart J. Vol. 25, No. 16 (Aug. 2004): 1412:8

[14] Napoli,C., Sica, v., deNigris, F., Pignalosa, O., Condorelli, M., Ignarro, L.J., Liguori, A. “Sulfyhydryl Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibition Induces Sustained Reduction of Systemic Oxidative Stress and Improves the Nitric Oxide Pathway in Patients with Essential Hypertension” Am Heart J. Vol. 148, No. 1 (July 2004): e5

[15] Wurtman, R.J., Press Conference on Cable News Network (CNN), July 17, 1986

[16] Olney, J.W., Farber, N.B., Spitznagel, E., and Robbins, L.N. “Increasing Brain Tumor Rates: Is There a Link to Aspartame?” J. Neuropathol Exp Neurol 55 (1996): 1115:123

[17] National Cancer Institute SEER Program Data, Jellinger, K.E. et al. “Primary Central Nervous System Lymphomas: An Update” J Nat Cancer Inst 84 (1992): 414-422

[18] Gurney, J.G., Pogoda, J.M., and Holly, E.A. “Aspartame Consumption in Relation to Childhood Brain Tumor Risk: Results from a Case-Control Study” Natl Cancer Inst 89 (1997): 1072-1074

[19] Hall, W.L., Millward, D.J., Rogers, P.J., and Morgan, L.M. “Physiological Mechanisms Mediating Aspartame-Induced Satiety,” Physiol Behav. Vol. 78, Nos. 4-5 (Apr. 2003); 557-62

[20] Chen, L.N., and Parham, E.S. “College Students’ Use of High-Intensity Sweeteners is Not Consistently Associated with Sugar Consumption,” J Am Diet Assoc. 91 (1991): 686-90

Breathing has been long considered essential for maintaining chi, the life-force energy of Eastern cultural traditions. Only more recently, however, have Americans begun to embrace the wisdom of taking a deep breath.

“Breathing incorrectly can produce tension, exhaustion and vocal strain, interfere with athletic activity and encourage aches and illnesses,” says Nancy Zi, a Glendale, Calif.-based breathing expert and author of the book and video set, “The Art of Breathing.” Breathe correctly, however, and you can “melt away tension and stress, improve energy or simply relax and unwind.”

Dennis Lewis, who leads breathing awareness workshops and is the author of “The Tao of Natural Breathing,” observes: “Most of us take our breathing for granted. The great Taoist sage Chuang Tzu says that most of us breathe from our throats, and that real human beings breathe from their heels.”

Here’s what happens: Breathing oxygenates every cell of your body, from your brain to your vital organs. Without sufficient oxygen, your body becomes more susceptible to health problems. For example, in a study published in The Lancet, cardiac patients who took 12 to 14 shallow breaths per minute (six breaths per minute is considered optimal) were more likely to have low levels of blood oxygen, which “may impair skeletal muscle and metabolic function, and lead to muscle atrophy and exercise intolerance.”

In contrast, deep breathing raises levels of blood oxygen, promoting health in many ways — from stimulating the digestive process to improving fitness and mental performance. Even alternative health icon Dr. Andrew Weil says: “If I had to limit my advice on healthier living to just one tip, it would be simply to learn how to breathe correctly.”

Are You a Shallow Breather?
Zi observes that most people are “shallow breathers” — they use only the narrow top portion of the lung surface for oxygen exchange. Our breath literally stops at the diaphragm — a band of tissue that Lewis calls our “spiritual muscle.”

To find out if you’re a shallow breather, try Zi’s simple test: Put your palms against your lower abdomen and blow out all the air. Now, take a big breath. If your abdomen expands when you inhale and air seems to flow in deeply to the pit of your stomach, you’re on the right track.

More typically, though, shallow breathers are likely to take a breath and pull in their stomach, which pushes the diaphragm up so the air has nowhere to go. What happens next is that the shoulders go up to make room. “All this effort for something, which should be a natural gift!” Zi exclaims.
To fill the lungs more deeply, “Lower the diaphragm muscle by expanding the abdomen. When this happens, the lungs elongate and draw in air. You don’t breathe into the abdomen; you allow it to expand comfortably all around its circumference — back, sides and front. Proper core breathing is really the foundation for all things — it’s the foundation of health.”

“Where is the core? It’s below the navel a few inches or so. It isn’t a thing, you can’t see it: it’s a sensation. Zi likes to use the image of a lotus blossom when teaching people how to breathe from their core:

“When you inhale, imagine a blossom opening within your abdomen; when you exhale, the blossom closes. You open from the center of the blossom, the core. What causes the petals to open is the energy from the core; the more you breathe from the core, the more you stimulate and nourish its energy, and you become more in control.”

So Where Does Our Breathing Go Wrong?
Zi attributes shallow breathing to trauma and fashion. “When you are a child, and are sent to bed without dinner, or when you are afraid, you hold the breath. So the child goes to bed angry, sad or tense, and holds the breath. We lose that innate ability of pumping with the stomach. The lungs should just be a container; when we use them as a pump, they become overburdened and the muscles get tight; everything is restricted.” Zi observes that frequently, asthma can develop as a result of such constriction.

Adults also can lose the capacity for deep core breathing from a traumatic emotional experience, or physical pain. “When we are in pain,” Zi explains, “we want as little movement as possible. This again restricts breathing; later, when you are well, your breath may remain shallow.”

In addition, modern fashion teaches us to “suck in our tummies” and have flat abdominal muscles. This type of posture, which Zi calls the “statue,” also contributes to shallow breathing.

“This is such a mistaken attitude,” she says. “The abdominal area contains the most vital organs, and we must let it pulse. When you tense your stomach all the time, like a perfect statue, you create lower back tension, stiffness and pain.”

If posture is when we look like a model statue, texture is when we are flexible, extendible, stretchable, nimble, opening up and closing. “You allow the front of the chest, the back, the sides and the bottom of the torso to freely expand,” Zi explains.

To test your flexibility, stand in the “saddle” position so that you stand with feet apart, and then bend down so your knees spread outward, opening the lower torso. “We need to be more like a pagoda — an anchored pagoda, with a stable bottom, not top-heavy,” says Zi. That way, you can’t be knocked over. “Shallow breathers are top-heavy and are teetering around through life.”

Breathing Posture v. Texture
When you breathe with your abdomen, you create a center; when you have a center, you are more confident and coordinated; when you have confidence, you have much more potential and are not afraid of challenges. In effect, you are bringing back the potential that God gave you. You are not afraid anymore.

And this potential can be put to use in many arenas, from music to ballet, calligraphy to equestrian sports, archery to cycling. “Once you learn it, you can apply it to anything,” says Zi.

Working with the breath for even brief periods each day can bring a new sense of internal balance, says Dennis Lewis.

“You don’t have to work with the breath all the time, day in and day out. He recommends starting out by spending “20 or 30 minutes a day sensing and observing your breath.” His Ten Secrets of Authentic Breathing is worth printing out and keeping handy for quick reference.

In her book and video set, Zi takes the student through 24 exercises comprising six lessons. “Give it 30 days and you’ll have it,” she maintains.

She suggests doing about four exercises per lesson, devoting about 10 minutes to each lesson. Do each exercise three times for three days; then go to Lesson 2 and add the new ones, reviewing previous ones as needed. Even people recovering from surgery or in wheelchairs can adapt these exercises to their needs.

When you can learn to follow the breath to your center, to your core, and open the lotus blossom, “Your thought goes there and you quiet down. Otherwise your mind will be flitting and fluttering. It’s a bringing together of the breath, and then you can bring together your thoughts, and everything becomes not that drastically important.

“Your new car, the new dress are not that important anymore when you look into yourself and follow your mind to the center. It’s really what meditation is about.”

“Many times, however, people try to do it the reverse way: “You try to meditate, and then you breathe better; whereas if you learn to breathe first and then you do everything else, it’s much, much easier.”

Remember, you are breathing right now. Every day, you have 20,000 opportunities to transform how you breathe and enhance your health and well-being.