7 Easy Ways To Boost Your Metabolism

Everybody benefits from having a quicker metabolism. Your metabolism is responsible for many of the body's major functions including how many calories you burn at a given time. Therefore, if your metabolism is fast, you will burn a lot of calories all the time...even while you sleep.

Here's 7 easy ways that you can speed up your metabolism:

1. “Move around” more...

This one sounds a little strange I know, but from my years of experience I’ve found that most people tend to not “move around” much throughout the day.

Many people have jobs where they are constantly sitting down all day, and when they are done, go home, sit down some more to watch TV, and then they go to sleep.

Overall, they weren’t very active...

When I say to “move” more, I mean try to be more active whenever you can.

This doesn’t have to be a chore...most people have lots of opportunities throughout the day to be more active. Here’s a few ideas that you can use:

·Take stairs instead of elevators

·When you go somewhere, park farther away so you have to walk a little farther

·Walk your dog

·Go for a bike ride

These are just a few ideas...I’m sure you can come up with a lot more to suit your own lifestyle.

2. Take a Good Multi-Vitamin/Multi Mineral...

Vitamins and minerals help the body perform vital functions.

Most people don’t get all the vitamins and minerals they need from the food they eat.

Most people are deficient in one or more vitamins and/or minerals and they don’t even know it.

Men and women can get specific multivitamins to suit their needs. Men need more of certain kinds of vitamins than women and women often need more of certain kinds of vitamins than men, like iron.

To get specific multivitamin packs specifically for men and women, you can visit your nearest nutrition/health store.

I have found that the vitamin packs made specifically for men and women are the best, and don’t cost an arm and a leg.

3. Don’t Go For Long Periods of Time WITHOUT Eating...

This lack of energy as food will make your body go into “starvation mode” In response to being in “starvation mode”, your body will begin storing fat as a fuel source.

This will lower your metabolism and also increase your body’s capacity to gain weight...

This is the main reason why when you come off of a diet, you gain back the weight you previously lost and many times even gain more weight than you had before you went on the diet...

4. Essential fat?

Yes-even some fat is essential.

There are fats found in nuts and fish oils called Essential Fatty Acids or (EFA’s). These fatty acids are actually essential for good health...

They make your hair stronger and shinier, as well as make our skin smoother.

They also help prevent fat storage throughout your body.

5. Do early aerobics...

If you do any aerobics, try to do them in the morning shortly after you wake up and before you eat...this is when your blood-sugar is at its lowest.

Your body will need energy to power the workout, and since you haven’t eaten yet, it will be forced to use stored fat as a fuel source instead of the sugar in your blood.

6. Water! Water! Water!

I can’t stress this enough...

Water does so many things for your body that it’s hard to know where to start! Try to drink at least 48 ounces a day...that is about 5-6 glasses a day.

Water helps to rid your body of harmful toxins and will also keep you hydrated.

Here are some interesting and informative reasons why water is so important for your health:

· 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated. (This likely applies to half the world population)
· Even MILD dehydration will slow down one’s metabolism by as much as 3%
· Lack of water is the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue.
· Research indicates that 8-10 glasses of water a day could significantly ease back and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers.
· A mere 2% decrease in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on a computer screen or printed page.
· Drinking 5 glasses of water per day can decrease the risk of colon cancer by 45%, breast cancer by 79% and bladder cancer by 50%.

You will be surprised at how much better you will feel by just following this simple step.

7. Eat More Garlic And Oregano...

This seems simple enough right??

By simply eating more garlic and oregano, you are actually cleaning out your intestinal walls. Sounds gross right?

You might be wondering “How can cleaning my intestines help me lose weight?”

The intestinal walls are actually made up of many tiny pores that absorb the nutrients from the food we eat. These tiny pores are very good at absorbing nutrients and keeping out toxins.

When your intestines are “dirty”, these tiny pores actually get a little bigger and along with absorbing nutrients, they also absorb those toxins. Normally, these toxins are too big to pass through the pores.

When this happens you become “toxic” and it is VERY HARD for your body to lose weight and increase your metabolism.

And there you have it! 7 easy ways for absolutely anybody to increase their metabolism and start living a healthier lifestyle.

7 Guaranteed ways to Supercharge your Health

1.Stop Smoking. If you are a smoker, you have heard this enough number of times. Just in the United States alone 400,000 people die from smoking every year. So, people probably don’t hear this enough. There is no other way to say it – smoking is not only bad for your health, it adversely affects everybody around you. Get help – join a support group, use nicotine substitutes, cut back slowly, begin by just taking one step …

2. Drink Green Tea Results of several research studies clearly show that the addition of green tea to your daily diet provides  a variety of health benefits. These range from regulating fat metabolism, reducing blood pressure (3) Fights cancer (4) Reduces blood pressure and many more. This is truly nature’s wonder drug. Give it a try.

3. Workout 180 minutes a week
That’s 30 minutes a day, 6 days a week. Take a walk, go for a run, lift weights or a combination of these. Exercise helps burn fat and builds muscle. Simply walking 30 minutes a day will help burn an extra 175-225 calories! Choose whatever fits your style and schedule. The best time to exercise is in the morning because your body will be burning fat for energy due to the limited availability of carbs in your system. Get up in the morning and get moving …

4. Start Yoga
Yoga has been around in some form or other for thousands of years. This spiritual practice has many benefits and it has quickly become a popular choice to thousands of people strictly for health reasons. Not only does Yoga give your muscles and ligaments a good stretch, it also tones the body, and best of all it helps to relax. You could start by taking yoga classes at a local gym. Once you want to get really serious find a licensed yoga practitioner in your area and enroll in the more advanced classes …

5. Graze don’t binge
Eat smaller meals during the day (4 to 6). This will keep your blood-sugar levels stable throughout the day. Think quality not quantity. Eat more fruits, vegetables, lean meats. Great options include hard-boiled eggs, small broiled/baked chicken breast, and fresh vegetables such as carrots, celery sticks. If you have a craving for something sweet, many delicious options are available such as Yoplait yogurt or Weight Watchers. You don’t have deprive yourself, simply consume these in moderation …

6. Drink 8 glasses of water
It should be no mystery that adequate water consumption is indispensable for good health. Water helps flush out toxins and other wastes in our system. It replenishes keeps you hydrated, reduces hunger, which assists with weight loss, and keeps our skin healthy. Start by drinking 2 glasses of water first thing in the morning. After that, drink a glass at regular intervals including one with each meal. If you are not used to drinking water, it might be a little difficult at first, but very soon, you will get into the habit. Once you get used to general feeling of well-being you will never go back. So, remember – 8 glasses a day every day…

7. Take Supplements
What do we need supplements do? Multiple vitamin-mineral supplements contain a variable number of essential and non-essential nutrients. Their primary purpose is to provide a convenient way to take a variety of supplemental nutrients from a single product. Otherwise, to fulfill our daily requirements for vitamins and minerals we will have to eat massively large quantities of food. Most of these multi-vitamin/multi-mineral supplements contain at least 100% of the U.S. Recommended Dietary Allowance (USRDA) of all vitamins. So, talk to your doctor and figure out what’s the best route for you.

7 Reasons To Start Up With An Exercise Program

Most of us need to follow an exercise program. This is due to the fact that just a minority of Americans exercise in a significant way. Below follows 7 good reasons to start exercising now.

1. Contributes to fat loss.

It is well documented from scientific research all over the world for many years that physical exercise contributes significantly to weight loss. I will not dwell on this issue fore it is so obvious, but just mention the simple fact that weight loss is a function of the net calorie intake.

If you burn more calories than you take in thorough nutrition, you lose weight and vice versa. When you exercise you burn more calories then when you don't. So the bottom line is: All other factors equal, the more you exercise the more weight or fat you'll lose. That's really simple.

2. Preventing Disease

The probability of developing a large number of various diseases has been proven to decrease dramatically thanks to physical exercising. These include;

heart disease
cancer
diabetes
stroke

About 4/5’s of deaths caused by heart disease and cancer, are linked to life-style factors like stress and lack of physicals training. We also know that diabetes increases the risk of heart disease and stroke. This shows that many of the risk factors and diseases caused by inactivity are working together to damage your health. Don't let these ugly forces do that - start exercising today.

3. Healing or improving disease

We also know that many severe and minor diseases can be dramatically improved or even healed by doing regular exercises. These include most of the diseases I mentioned in the last paragraph. Following a workout plan regularly also decreases HDL cholesterol ("bad" cholesterol) levels, decreases triglyceride levels (a fat liquid that increases the risk of diabetes) and decreases blood pressure (a cause of heart attack and stroke).

Regular physical training also reduces the risk of prostate cancers for men, breast and uterine cancers for women, non-insulin dependent diabetes for both genders and much more. All this is scientifically proven. So, why not start your workout today?

4. Enhance your mental health

We know from many scientific study's that regular exercising leads to an increased release of endorphins in the body. These chemicals help combat depression and make us feel happier. The body releases these endorphins after only 12 minutes into the workout.

Another chemical called serotonin is increased during and after a workout session. Increased levels of serotonin in the central nervous system is associated with feelings of well-being and decreased mental depression. It also helps you feel less tired which can increase your mental alertness. It also helps you sleep better.

5. Enhance your feeling of wellness

When you are in a good shape and fit you'll feel more upbeat, and your overall mood is improved. You have experienced that you can stretch your own limits, you know you are capable to do more than before you started to exercise. This gives you a feeling of wellness that's difficult to describe.

Let's do an experiment: Do an hour of workout today; do whatever you want like walking, bicycling, swimming, jogging, running whatever. Adjust the intensity of the training so that you sweat really good. Then take a shower and sit down. Feel yourself. Now you know what I mean.

6. Increase your persistence

Regular exercising gives you more energy, which can make you more productive at home and at work. Exercise can give you new goals and a sense of purpose - you have something positive to focus on and aim for. This will increase your overall persistence and prevent the like hood of getting off track, whatever your goal is.

7. Enhance your social capabilities

Following a workout plan regularly can boost our self-esteem. It will Help you look better and you will be more comfortable with your own company. Exercise helps you to get active and meet new people, which prevents you from feeling isolated and unsupported. It even increases your interest in sex, and can improve your marriage or your partner relationship.

So, after knowing all this - all the positive things exercise and workout can do for you - do you have any reason to remain inactive? Come on, get active today. You deserve it.

9 Medical Lies and Why I Abandoned Medicine

By education and by trade, I was a drug chemist. My passion for science motivated a successful career in drug design and synthesis – in both academia and industry. As a scientist, I witnessed first-hand the priorities of international pharmaceutical companies (Big Pharma), which ranked wealth first and health a distant second.

In the pharmaceutical industry, making money supercedes science. Science no longer prevails in medicine. Instead, modern medicine has been democratized. Drug approval is a simple matter of 51% telling the other 49% that a prescription drug is safe and necessary. The outcome: deadly drugs are approved for use among misinformed medical doctors and patients. Herein lies a story of deceit and a chemist’s abandonment of modern medicine.

My suspicion of modern medicine began while I was employed by Eli Lilly to design a new generation of Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) drugs. Such drugs include tamoxifen and raloxifene. Initially, these drugs were thought to block estrogen receptors (excess estrogen can initiate cancer growth) and thereby halt cancer. As time progressed, though, it was learned that they were also capable of activating estrogen receptors. The end result was a biochemical environment favorable to cancer growth among users.(1)The Journal of the American Medical Association recognized this trend and stated "our data add to the growing body of evidence that recent long-term use of HRT is associated with an increased risk of breast cancer and that such use may be related particularly to lobular tumors."

The risk of cancer associated with HRT drugs was obscured from doctors by drug companies. This can be seen by the fact that tamoxifen is the gold-standard used by medical doctors to fight cancer among their patients, particularly breast cancer. This explains why medical doctors might not notice its ability to cause cancer – the patient already has it.

At any rate, my task was made clear: Design HRT “knock-offs” that are effective without causing cancer.

My attempt to design safer alternatives was unsuccessful. And after one year, the project was ended. However, access to HRT drugs like tamoxifen was not. They remained on the market.

The fuel driving the continued use of HRT drugs was disinformation via Direct-To-Consumer (DTC) advertising. Since 1962, monitoring DTC advertising has been the sole responsibility of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). But in a ghastly conflict of interests, the FDA granted the duty of DTC advertising to the pharmaceutical companies in 1997. Officially, this was done as a means of “promoting health awareness to ensure health and safety.” Unofficially, it was done to sell more drugs. DTC advertising dictated that all women over 50 should use HRT to remain healthy. Women scurried to their doctors to ask if “HRT was right for them.” My suspicion grew into conflict.

The disinformation campaign behind HRT drugs was not an isolated case. I learned that drug advertising and science are frequently in direct opposition to each other. For example:

DTC advertising dictates that lowering cholesterol prevents heart disease. Science proves otherwise.

DTC advertising dictates that an aspirin a day will keep heart attack away. Science proves otherwise.

DTC advertising dictates that depression is a disease that must be treated with prescription drugs. Science proves otherwise.

DTC advertising dictates that ADHD is a disease and that our children must be treated with amphetamines. Science proves otherwise.

DTC advertising dictates that infants must be vaccinated to prevent childhood illness. Science proves otherwise.

DTC advertising dictates that blood pressure must be controlled via a lifetime of servitude to prescription drugs. Science proves otherwise.

DTC advertising dictates that chemotherapy is your first line of defense against deadly cancer. Science proves otherwise.

DTC advertising dictates that Type II diabetes must be treated with daily insulin use. Science proves otherwise.

By spreading the aforementioned health myths, DTC advertising forges a belief among the general public which asserts that drugs – not lifestyle habits and nutrition - confer health and longevity. And although, in reality, medicine is only necessary for sick people in times of emergency, DTC advertising has been wildly successful in convincing people that being healthy requires a lifetime of prescription drug use. While it's true that the advertising usually mentions the potential side effects of drugs, doctors tend to discount them. They simply regurgitate the pharmaceutical-company line that “the benefits of a drug outweigh the risks.” Don’t believe it.

Western Medicine’s plague of deception is deadlier than any virus, illicit drugs, and terrorism combined. Well-documented in scientific journals and reported by media outlets nationwide, FDA approved drugs are killing an estimated 106,000 people every year.(2) That equates to one individual dying every five minutes from “approved” drugs - 300 people dying every day. Which is twice as many deaths in a single year from "approved drugs" as the total number of U.S. deaths from the Vietnam War.(3) This does not count death by hospital medical error, which adds 98,000 deaths to the atrocity.(4) If not killed, an estimated 2 million people are victims of drug-induced illnesses.(5) These may include drug-induced obesity, cancer, kidney disease, autism, depression and heart failure.

Hypnotized by DTC advertising, people are oblivious to the ill effects of prescription drug use. This is evidenced by their willingness to swallow whatever “the doctor ordered.” They drug their children, hop the borders to smuggle inexpensive prescription drugs back into the U.S., beg their congressman for discounts and pay a lifetime of insurance fees in order to snatch up these silent killers. The avalanche of DTC advertising has smothered common sense.

For the general public and medical doctors to fully grasp the effect of Modern Medicine’s Deceit, they have to judge the situation by what a drug is actually accomplishing, rather than what the drug company ads and pharmaceutically-compliant politicians insist. The health benefits of prescription drugs are illusory. Step away from the hypnotic drug ads, close the ghost-written medical journals, discard research studies dominated by statistical contortionists and give yourself a prescription-drug reality check: Very few prescription drugs have any value outside of emergency medicine and those that do can usually be replaced with safer and less expensive natural medicine. This was a troublesome lesson for me, as an aspiring drug chemist, to learn. Unfortunately, it was not the only one.

Humanitarianism among Big Pharma has been abandoned. The technical skills of chemists are not being used for humanitarian purposes. They are being used in a deadly game of profiteering. Those at risk are not the misinformed, high-paid medical doctors but rather their patients. Becoming aware of this ripple effect of DTC advertising led to my abandonment of modern medicine.

I had to face the cold, hard facts: Western Medicine has become a billion dollar empire not out of keen science, but rather deceit. The end result has been one nation under drugs. This subjugation has set a standard of health in America that, by definition, is sick care disguised as health care.

Forward thinking chemists recognize the deadly trend. But few have the luxury of speaking out or resigning. The majority of chemists in the U.S. are foreigners. Their career secures them the right to live and work in the U.S. This demands allegiance to their employer, regardless of the end result of their labors. Admittedly, that this is an intentional act of Big Pharma is speculative.

Individuals outside of the drug industry often question my conflict with Big Pharma. How can a single person denounce a philosophy adhered to by millions of medical doctors? That is simple: I ignore the majority thinking that is steeped in disinformation. I stand firm in science. Truth in science requires only one scientist to verify reproducible results in the face of pharmaceutical tyranny.

Science proves that habits, not drugs, create and eradicate disease. The current devastation of prescription drugs is a warning that healthy lifestyle and nutrition habits must replace blind worship of prescription drugs in the pursuit of life-extension. As people obtain better health intelligence and heed this warning, drug use will recede. A new model of health care based on common sense, not profiteering, will emerge.

References:

1. Sally, A. et al. Estrogen Plus Progestin and the Incidence of Dementia and Mild Cognitive Impairment in Postmenopausal Women. Journal of the American Medical Association. 2003;289:2651-2662.

Chen CL, Weiss NS, Newcomb P, Barlow W, White E. Hormone replacement therapy in relation to breast cancer. Journal of the American Medical Association. 2002 Feb 13;287(6):734-41.

Spurgeon, D. Long Term use of HRT Doubles Cancer Risk. British Medical Journal. 2003 Jul 5;327(7405):9

Yoneva T. Taniguchi K. Tsunenari T. Saito H. Kanbe Y, Morikaw K, Yamada-Okabe H. Identification of a novel, orally bioavailable estrogen receptor down regulator. Anticancer Drugs. 2005 Aug;16(7):751-6.

Labrie, F. et al. EM-652 (SCH 57068), a third generation SERM acting as pure antiestrogen in the mammary gland and endometrium. The Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. 1999 Apr-Jun;69(1-6):51-84.

2. Starfield, Barbara. Is US Health Really the Best in the World? Journal of the American Chemical Society, July 26, 2000-Vol 284, No.4. http://msnbc.msn.com/id/7503122/

3. There were an estimated 58,000 U.S casualties in the Vietnam War

4. Moride Y, Haramburu F, Requejo AA, Begaud B. Under-reporting of adverse drug reactions in general practice. British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 1997 43: 177-181.

5. Tejal K. Gandhi. et al. Adverse Drug Events in Ambulatory Care. The New England Journal of Medicine. Volume 348:1556-1564. April 17, 2003. Number 16.

10 Vital Reasons To Use Real Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Extra virgin olive oil is very special and unique. This is something that people along the Mediterranean, as well as gourmets everywhere, have known for a long time. Thomas Jefferson is even said to have considered the olive tree as ‘surely the richest gift of Heaven’. Well, recent studies show that President Jefferson might just have been right.

Here are 10 reasons why real extra virgin olive oil should be a part of everyone’s diet:

1 – Olive oil protects against heart disease – “Olive oil’s heart effect located”
‘Scientists say they have pinpointed the micronutrients in olive oil that make it a good heart protector.’ ‘Virgin or extra virgin olive oils are best because they have the highest phenol content, the Journal of the American College of Cardiology reports’ – Hospital Universitario Reina Sofia, Cordoba (Spain)

2 – Alzheimer’s – “How you can take brain health to heart”
‘Studies have shown that high intake of saturated fat and cholesterol clogs the arteries and is associated with higher risk for Alzheimer’s disease. Use mono and polyunsaturated fats, such as olive oil. – Alzheimer’s Association

3 – “Olive Oil Could Help Fight Colon Cancer”
‘Researchers at the University of Ulster have found new evidence of the link between virgin olive oil and healthy living.’ ‘The team of researchers ….. concluded that a mixture of compounds, called phenols, extracted from virgin olive oil could safeguard against colon cancer. Colon cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer in the Western world – and the second highest cause of cancer death in the US.’ – University of Ulster

4 – “Virgin olive oil may protect against skin cancer”
‘Scientists now say an application of virgin olive oil after sunbathing may protect against skin cancer.’
- Kobe University School of Medicine

5 – “Olive Oil Seems To Protect Against Bowel Cancer”
‘Olive oil seems to protect against bowel cancer, suggests research involving 28 countries in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.’ – Center for the Advancement of Health

6 – “Northwestern Study Shows Why Olive Oil Protects Against Breast Cancer”
‘Oleic acid, the main monounsaturated fatty acid contained in olive oil, can cripple a cancer gene that is responsible for 25 to 30 percent of all breast cancers, according to an article by Northwestern University researchers published in the Jan. 10 issue of the Annals of Oncology.’ – Northwestern University

7 – “Olive Oil Reduces the Need for Blood Pressure Drugs”
“Olive oil is widely advocated as being good for preventing heart disease, but has not hitherto been associated with blood pressure reduction. An Italian study now suggests that it may lower blood pressure.”

- Cardiovascular Institute at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York

8 – “Olive oil ‘acts like painkiller”

‘Researchers found 50g of extra-virgin olive oil was equivalent to about a tenth of a dose of ibuprofen. … an ingredient in the oil acted as an anti-inflammatory’ – Monell Chemical Senses Centr

9 – Circulation – “Blood vessels appear healthier after people consume olive oil high in phenolic compounds”
“Phenolic compounds in olive oil, which have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-clotting properties, may explain cardiovascular health benefits associated with the so-called Mediterranean Diet” – American College of Cardiology

10 – Skin Health – “Eat your wrinkles away”
“The study authors speculated that certain foods offered skin protection due to their high levels of antioxidants such as vitamins A, C and E. Monounsaturated fats such as olive oil may offer protection through the same mechanism…fatty acids are present in the skin, and monounsaturated fats resist oxidative damage.” – Monash University, Melbourne

However, there is a proviso: Dr. Robert F. Wilson, M.D., of the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis stated the following: ‘not all olive oils have a high phenolic content.’ “So these results might not be true for all olive oil on the shelf at the grocery store”. The reason for this is that many brands labeled as ‘extra virgin olive oil’ are diluted with other oils so the phenolic content is equally diminished.

In view of the foregoing, olive oil consumers should accept no substitutes – Whereas the taste and flavor enhancing properties are more than enough reason to include extra virgin olive oil as part of our daily diet, when the health benefits are factored in – the case for real extra virgin olive oil becomes compelling.

All about smoking and how to quit

Why do we smoke?

 Why do we smoke, when we all know that it is not good for health? There are very many reasons to it but in this article we will ponder over the biggest reason in today’s times and that is to release STRESS. What is stress, can we remove it through smoking, if not then how can we remove it, lets talk a little in the light of these questions.

 What is Stress?

 What is Stress? Stress is the situation when we feel helpless, incapable to perform, not able to meet the deadlines and pressurized. Stress could be due to any reason, be it work pressure, differences at personal front, may be due to financial crisis, or it could be due to anything.

 Can we remove it through smoking?

 Can we remove it through smoking? Can we smoke away our blues in the air and relax? Perhaps the answer is in the negative. If I have to submit a report to my boss in an hour, which I know, is just impossible and I am thus nervous, will smoking a complete cigarette down my lungs make me build a ginnee of that smoke that will do some miracle for me. Perhaps that could have happened, but alas it is not so. Then why am I smoking, if it is doing no good to me?

 Then what to do?

 Then what should I do in a stressful situation? The answer is confront it. Face the problem and find a solution to it. As for in my case above I would have talked to my boss, for some more time to prepare the report or if that could not have been possible to, provide me with some helping hand. Thus in a nutshell it is only positive attitude and logical thinking that helps you come out of a crisis situation. That’s why it is rightly said that it’s your attitude and not your aptitude that decides your altitude.

 Dangers of smoking

 Smoking not only does no good to us but it is bad for us, it thus does double harm to us. Smoking increases the chances of death due to lungs and breast cancer by a number of times. It wrecks the lungs during sports.

 Tobacco the chemical contained in the cigar narrows the blood vessels and strains our heart. The biggest harm of tobacco is that it makes a person addictive to its use. So one should watch out, so as not to become addictive to its use in his plight to get rid of his worries and frustration.

Are Parabens Really Safe

You've probably heard the news stories about parabens and the controversy surrounding their use in personal care products. Here's a brief, but fair, look at this complicated issue:

 No cosmetic can ever be truly "natural"-no matter what the manufacturer claims-but some ingredients are closer than others. Parabens have long been considered an ideal compromise and until quite recently were considered one of the safest preservative methods available. But an article published in the Journal of Applied Toxicology has cast doubt on the safety of parabens and, especially, their potential role in the development of some types breast cancers.

 Scientists have known for some time that parabens can mimic the effect of estrogen when used on lab animals but in early 2004, British researchers from the University of Reading announced that they had found parabens in in the cancerous tumors of human breast cancer patients. Equally concerning is the fact that researchers believe that the form of parabens found in those tumors indicate that the parabens were absorbed topically and not taken orally. But most frightening is the fact that parabens were found in EVERY sample.

 It's important to note that this was a very, very small study--only 20 women--and there's absolutely no way to tell what, if any, skin care products are implicated. Although the lead researcher has cautioned that there's no definitive proof that parabens actually cause breast cancers, he has already called for more study.

 Should YOU Be Concerned? Manufacturers are. Many of the leaders in the natural products industry have already announced plans to discontinue the use of parabens and more are expected to follow suit.

 How do you know if your skin care products contain parabens? Read the labels. All cosmetics are required by law to carry full ingredient lists. If your skin care products don't have ingredients listed, or you can't find the preservative in the list, be suspicious. Be equally suspicious of manufacturers who claim to use only natural essential oils or grapefruit seed extract. In day-to-day usage, they just don't work as promised.

 One of the most exciting new preservatives being used today is Hydroxymethylglycinate, a derivative of the naturally occurring amino acid Glycine. It's considered extremely safe and seems to be less apt to cause allergic reactions than other preservatives.

 As the owner of NaturopathicBath.com, Lisa Barger is one of the few internet-based experts focusing on truly therapeutic personal care products. Her cruelty-free products are made without petroleum, dye, alcohol, or perfumes.