It's a toxic world-let's educate each other

sorry cp but that is not a realible source of information. The article is full of words such as "possible, and could be" and there is no scientific proof of anything stated. This is just more fear mongering from the propaganda ewg and their sham reporting so as to get more donations for their political pandering.

I am all about safer products. But we need to do some detective work and look for some facts here. This sixwise is all about selling some products, though I could not find info about the products or the ingredients. Buyer beware.

As someone who has tried to keep my exposure to chemicals at a minimun, and will continue to do so, it is not always easy to figure out what is safe and what is not. THere is so much hype at both ends of the spectrum, and it takes a lot of extra effort to look past the headlines about something being dangerous, (often pushed by political orgs like the EWG0, and on the other hand separating all the hype from companies marketing to us. Somedays I feel like we all need to be Ms Marples!

Put succinctly, there is no such thing as all-natural, pure cosmetics. They don't exist and if they did, they would not automatically be good for the skin. Whatever preconceived or advertising-induced fiction that you have heard regarding natural ingredients being better for the skin has no basis in fact or scientific legitimacy. Not only is the definition of "all natural" hazy, but the term isn't even regulated, so each cosmetics company can use it to mean something different. If a company wants to call their products natural, it can, and it doesn't matter what they contain.

So what is all-natural? It can mean anything and nothing. For most cosmetics companies it means including plant extracts in their formulations. The ingredient list may include aqueous extracts with a long list of plant names following. Even if an all-natural product did exist, you wouldn't want to use it on your skin anyway. Think about a bunch of plants, fruits, or vegetables sitting in your bathroom. What would happen in a very brief period of time if they didn't contain preservatives? They would become moldy and disgusting in just a few days. Skin-care products contain very unnatural sounding preservatives, and that's great. According to many cosmetic chemists, a reliable preservative system helps avoid the risk of microbial contamination, which could cause problems for the eyes, lips, and skin. For most people, the possibility of an allergic reaction to a preservative is the lesser of the two evils. So-called all natural ingredients can themselves cause allergies, irritation, and skin sensitivities. Just think of how many people have hay fever, and you will start to realize just how unfriendly certain natural ingredients may sometimes be. The notion that all natural equals good skin care or better makeup will waste your money and probably hurt your skin. I'm not sure if the majority of women who buy cosmetics are ever going to be able to believe this. The pressure to believe the lie about all natural products being better for the skin is hard to resist, and women want to believe it. Cosmetics companies spend lots of money to reinforce their message about the benefit of natural ingredients through their ads, sales force, and brochures. Despite the corroboration from countless physicians, cosmetic chemists, and other scientists in a variety of academic research, it still isn't easy to counter the hype surrounding products claiming to be all-natural or pure. It gets even more confounding as the natural sources become more exotic and eccentric, such as sea plants or foliage from the rain forest or herbs from India

What makes this natural craze so annoying and undesirable is that it perpetuates myths that can hurt a woman's skin. The label might say pure and natural but you could be buying a purely irritating product that might cause an allergic reaction. All natural ingredients is one of the most bogus, misleading components of the cosmetics industry because they focus attention on the wrong information. I'm not saying there aren't some natural-sounding ingredients that are good for the skin, because there are, but the idea that they are still natural once they have been extracted from their source and mixed into a cosmetic is ludicrous. One of the more potent examples of how the natural craze gets in the way of good skin care and good information concerns alpha hydroxy acids. AHAs have gotten a lot of press over the past several years, and many women know that AHAs work as effective exfoliants for sun-damaged skin. Of the several AHAs used in cosmetics, lactic acid and glycolic acid are the most popular and the most researched.

AHAs have been promoted as being natural because lactic acid is derived from milk and
glycolic acid is derived from sugarcane, but derived from doesn't mean the original ingredient has anything to do with the extracted ingredient. Milk and sugarcane are not the same as lactic acid and glycolic acid. Rubbing milk or sugarcane on your face won't have the same effect as applying a product with lactic or glycolic acid, just as rubbing moldy bread on your body isn't the same as taking penicillin, even though penicillin is derived from moldy bread.

Next time you're faced with marketing claims about all natural being better for the skin, remember the following:

1. Food-type ingredients in products increase the need for additional preservatives to decrease mold and bacteria contamination.

2. Food can feed the bacteria present in skin, increasing risk of breakouts.

3. Plant extracts are no longer plants.

4. Yeast or bacteria cultures (from products that do not contain preservatives) in cosmetics can exacerbate rosacea and psoriasis.

Glad you found it helpful patoo. For some reason, when I reformatted it so it would post, the fact that this wonderful explaination was not written by me was omitted. This was a wonderful summary that I got from a fellow Usana associate. It has been so enlightening for me to work with people who have done the research and set my mind at ease about so many things. As I said, it takes a lot of time to do the detective work. There is no denying that cancer is caused by toxicity, both in our internal and external environments. The more we can do to minimize it the better. As this statement says, buying products that are labeled botanical or natural are often easily contaminated so we may end up doing more harm than good.

Education is one of our best weapons against this monster.

 Hello everybody!

Do you use natural/organic hair products?

Have you found at  least one product that works for you?

If you so, please take a moment to complete the survey at the link below:

http://www.surveybuilder.com/s/Iaa4Kp5xgAA

-OR-

Are you currently using (or have used) natural/organic hair products, but are unsatisfied with the products you have found?

Are you searching for natural/organic hair products but don't know where to start?

If either of these questions apply to you, please complete the following survey below:

http://www.surveybuilder.com/s/Jqa4MDBAoAA

Thank you for your feedback, you are greatly appreciated!! We want all different perspectives frin all types of women.

(Feel free to pass along to a friend!)

I think the trick is not to make yourself crazy everytime you read a label.   Make smart steps in the right direction and you should be fine.   It is a spectrum - there are people using "crystals" for underarm deoderant and spraying their skin with flax seed oil for moisturizer and then there are people who could care less about any of it. Me, I'm in the middle.  I found a company I buy most of my stuff from - i've read their labels and I am satisfied.  Now, I don't worry.

Just signed and returned the petition from EWG to eliminate BP's from food packaging.   Then I read that EWG is not the environmental advocate that I thought it was.  Sigh ~  Are the petitions legitimate?  

Joyh-EWG is just a cover for a Soros led political org. Do not send them money. I do not sign any online petitions because I am suspicious of all these groups collecting our signatures and information. They take the money and put it into campaigns for their favorite candidates.

I love this thread!  Thank you Merilee!  I too am trying to only do organic items.  The coconut oil as body lotion is the best!  I have tried other organic lotions and nothing seems to work.  Love the coconut oil...feet look wonderful now!

 A few of you were writing about what not to put in the dishwasher.  I came across this list of items (link below)...it has the wood items...not to put in dishwasher due to it may crack. 

http://www.steadyhealth.com/articles/Eleven_Things_You_Should_Never_Put_In_A_Dishwasher_a2173.html

Thanks again for everyone posting! 

Can anyone tell me about root canals?  I went to dentist last Fall before my unimx in Nov.  I had a few fillings (porcelain) and was told that one of my molars would likely need a root canal and crown.  They were anxious to do it then, but I said I wanted to wait until all my surgeries were complete.    I can def feel a cavity on the molar and I want that fixed, but I'm wary of the root canal.  I've read some things about why they may be detrimental, but I'm not exactly sure what the reason is.  Curious to hear what you guys think.

Thanks DisneEssa - I am 95% leaning toward saying no to the root canal.  More than hald the tooth is already made up of a filling.  I'm thinkink an extraction would be the best treatment.  I'm wondering tough how I handle it cosmetically.  It seems implants can be dangerous too.  A bridge sounds fairly benign and somehwat permanent-ish.  What did you do with your teeth?

Not really related but kinda. I had a hysterectomy 3 weeks ago. Some polyps were beginning to form probably from the tamoxifin. Anyway now I don't have to take tamoxifin on femara.



All this to say my current job as a retail sales manager in an electronics is very male dominated and requires heavy lifting. Plus the mgt there has not been very understanding of my medical issues the last 2 years. I go back to work tomorrow but in a few days I will resign and my new job? I am now going to be a receptionist in a dentist office! I wish I didn't have to go back at all but I think there are some legalities about quitting while on FMLA so I will resign in a couple days. Anyone know about those legalities?

wow sherri those people really took you for granted. I am glad you are moving on. Perhaps a job that is less phyisical will be better. Plus I bet you get great dental benefits! I am off sun, mon and thurs if you want to get together.

I do need a dentist but i am extremely dental phobic.

I will be retiring July 1st! I don't know if I will get disability retirement, but I am committed to retiring. When I went into work Friday, the guy I was relieving told me how the bosses had let all non-essential personnel go home early. My jaw dropped open as I turned to him, and I told him "yet no one thought to call the lady with cancer and tell her she could work from home." He says "maybe Lou would have said something, but he worked from home again today." I was already plenty stressed and I exploded, telling him that I would be retiring. He ignored me, since he has heard this before. However, this time I told him "July 1st I'm outta here. You can go run and tell Lou if you want but I wish you wouldn't. Human resources is taking care of it." He looked up quickly, with big eyes. Later, after he got home, he called me and said "you mentioned you were retiring July 1st? Please please please please please don't retire then. If you do I won't get my vacation." He is scheduled for 2 weeks vacation in July. I did not want to cause him this inconvenience, but if they had been more cooperative with me, it would not have come to this. I have to retire July 1st or else I end up with less benefits. Oopsy!!! I am on vacation this week, and I am dying to know if he said anything to my boss. I cannot imagine that he didn't, but I have not heard anything from Lou -- or anyone else for that matter.

So, I will be taking care of myself. I will take any sick days I need this coming month, and then I'm free to do whatever I need to do to take care of myself -- as long as it doesn't cost too much. LOL

Welcome Nibbana - yes you should not heat things up in plastic - use glass or ceramic.

I officially resigned yesterday (tuesday) my last day is June 11th - yayyy.   Then a few days off and then on to the dental  office job on June 18th.  It's kind of hard to take such a step back but stress is so bad for us especially when it comes to battling cancer!  Sometimes the healthiest things we can do is not food or exercise related but rather lifestyle related - taking a step back - working in a job that is less stressful - maybe doesn't pay as much monetarily but pays in the way we can live and feel about ourselves!