I started taking this supplement about a month ago called Methylsulfonylmethane or short form MSM.  It’s basically an odorless, tasteless form of natural sulfur that is found in low levels in our body as well as in seafood, meat, vegetables, fruits and cow’s milk.  I stubbled upon it accidently after researching vitamins and antioxidants. From the many articles and forums I read through I found many women that had been able to get rid of melasma after several months of use and even though this hasn’t happened for me yet I have, however, experienced it’s other effects which includes a more even complexion, softer skin and not just my face but I noticed a huge difference on the skin of my heels which became alot softer and less dry and cracked. Another noticable effect was some of my old scars had softened up and became less noticeable.  The daily dose I am currently taking is 1000mg 3 times per day of pure MSM.  It is recommended to start on a low dose and work your way up so your body can adjust to it.  Taking MSM with Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) will increase it’s effects since they work synergistically together and Vitamin C is essential for collagen synthesis.

Since MSM is naturally occuring in the body you cannot overdose on it and it is completely safe.  Sulfur can actually help slow down the aging process since it is an essential mineral for the formation of collagen which as we age our body is unable to rebuild damaged collagen so we therefore develop wrinkles.  Our body does not produce enough MSM so taking a supplement keeps a steady amount circulating in our system.  What your body does not absorb will pass through your body naturally. It’s up there with water. MSM is the fourth largest mineral in the body.  It helps the cells to become more permeable and therefore increasing the flow of nutrients to the cells and removing toxins. MSM is called natures “secret beauty mineral” because not only does it make your skin more youthful but it also promotes strong and healthy joints, hair and nails.  I have to say my hair has been growing faster and also looks more glossy since taking this.  MSM aids in detoxing the body and controls acidity in the stomach as well as helps in the production of choline in the liver and has many other benefits I have not mentioned.  Just one more supplement to add to your list of many…

Stay cool and hydrated this summer with the Coola SPF 30 Cucumber face protection. Loaded with vitamins A, C, D and E, antioxidants and organic extracts of cucumber, walnut and orange.  Skin will feel silky smooth while protected from the sun’s harmful rays.

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We all know the importance of consuming enough fish in our diet, especially the fish high in Omega 3 and low in mercury such as wild salmon and tuna and the advantages this will have to our overall health.  The problem is most of us don’t eat our 3-4 servings of fish per week and this can wreak havack on our bodies causing heart disease, diabetes, joint pain, learning disorders and skin problems to name a few.  Omega 3 fatty acids are  important for us since our bodies do not produce this source on it’s own.  By eating enough fish or supplementing with Omega 3 we can avoid alot of unnecessary health problems. 

PharmaOmega makes this easy for us.  They have created different formulations of Omega 3 for specific needs like keeping our heart healthy, fighting inflammation, for pregnancy, children, focus etc.  Omega 3 is great for children of school age who have difficulty with concentration.  It helps to improve their behaviour and attention span. For mom’s it ensures a healthy pregnancy and after. Omega 3 is great for aches and pains and it’s also called “brain food” for a reason, it helps to keep our minds healthy.  Omega 3 has also been known to inhibit cancer and diabetes.  The list goes on… you’ve heard the benefits now make sure you get your daily dose.

So as i mentioned in my last post I was going to expand a little on each of the network antioxidants that were mentioned in the book “The Antioxidant Miracle” by Lester Packer, Ph.D.  Dr. Packer focused many years of his research on the powerful effects of Lipoic Acid as an antioxidant. His findings on lipoic acid have shown incredible protection against aging including stroke, heart disease and cataracts.  The levels of lipoic acid in our bodies decline as we age and therefore cause the aging process to occur but supplementing with lipoic acid the levels of the entire antioxidant network - vitamin C, Vitamin E, CoQ10 and Glutathione were increased. Lipoic acid in fact has been able to turn off the bad genes that can cause premature aging as well as cancer.   Also an interesting fact about lipoic acid – the other network antioxidants are either water soluble or fat soluble.  Lipoic acid is both which means that it is not only able to recycle the other antioxidants that have conquered free radicals but also itself keeping our cells healthy and free from damage.  No wonder it is called the superantioxidant. 

Moving on to CoQ10 — Coenzyme Q10 offers protection against the harmful UVA and UVB rays therefore protecting us from skin cancer and skin damage or premature aging.  COQ10 helps to rejuvenate brain cells, regenerates vitamin E and is used in treating gum disease… so anyone who has bleeding gums you need to take this.  It’s available in toothpaste and mouthwash as well. 

Vitamin C another network antioxidant is water soluble and not produced by the body so you need to either get enough from fruits and vegetables or take a daily supplement.  Vitamin C aides in the production of collagen which helps to keep our skin looking youthful. It is also beneficial in boosting our immune system so colds are kept to a minimum and also works by increasing levels of Vitamin E. 

Taking daily supplements of Vitamin E helps to protect skin from UV radiation and ozone and keep it looking healthy as we age.  Vitamin E is beneficial for arthritis sufferers and for men at risk for prostate cancer and in women it may stop the growth of breast cancer cells. Vitamin E is also good for the heart.

The last network antioxidant is Glutathione.  Produced in the body and is a water soluble antioxidant. It’s important for healthy liver function and a strong immune system.  Instead of supplementing with Glutathione, taking daily doses of lipoic acid will increase your levels of this antioxidant.

It’s really amazing to see how each of these antioxidants can have an effect on the other and i’ve only mentioned the basics.  For more detailed information on the Packer Network Antioxidants pick up a copy of The Antioxidant Miracle. It might do your body good.

I picked up an excellent book a couple of weeks ago at the drugstore that I couldn’t put down called The Antioxidant Miracle by Lester Packer, Ph.d.  Dr. Packer is a scientist who specializes in antioxidants and how they function in our bodies.  He is the director of the Packer Lab at Berkley, California State University, and who for the last few decades has focused on 5 key antioxidants that when combined produced increased effectiveness than when just taken by themselves. The network antioxidants include Lipoic acid, CoQ10, Vitamin C, Vitamin E and Glutathione. 

If you are interested in reversing or preventing the signs of aging, keeping skin supple and wrinkle free, preventing cancer, diabetes, gum disease, increasing your energy, not to mention your sex life! as well as reversing bad genes you need to read this book.  Even though it’s been years since it’s been written the information still holds true and knowledge is power and if taking antioxidants will keep you healthy and strong way into your older years then we all need to know about it.

Lester Packer goes on the explain the benefits of each antioxidant in the antioxidant network.  His main focus was on the effects of lipoic acid and even though I won’t go into too much detail here on each I will touch upon what he mentions… sorry too much information to write in one post.  Firstly, in order to understand antioxidants you need to understand their opposite side “free radicals”.  Free radicals are in all of us and they are necessary - they can be helpful or hurtful.  When free radicals attack we need antioxidants to neutralize their effects.  Antioxidants are basically stopping the free radicals from destroying your healthy cells.  Now since the antioxidant has stopped the free radicals and eaten it up it is able to recycle and regenerate itself with the help of other network antioxidants. I find this completely amazing.  With age our body does not produce enough antioxidants to do this therefore it is necessary to supplement.  Certain antioxidants are not even produced by the body such as Vitamin C so taking a daily dose is recommended especially if you are not getting it from nutritional sources. 

Through Dr. Packer’s work, Lipoic acid was shown as being the most powerful antioxidant in the entire network - it actually helped to increase the levels of effectiveness of Glutathione, Vitamins C and E and CoQ10.  In another post we will go on to discuss each of these antioxidants, their importance and how it affects the other network antioxidants.  But I highly recommend picking up a copy of The Antioxidant Miracle since the information is so vast but easily read and understood.

Kinerase has some really good skin care products that actually do what they say.  Their latest is the Brightening Anti-Aging System which are two separate products that work together. The Brightening Serum formula consists of 7 natural key ingredients that work together to give your skin a brighter more even toned complexion working to reduce the appearance of dark spots and giving an overall more even skin tone.  The spot treatment which is the pen style product has a higher concentration of the brightening ingredients and helps to target specific areas of skin discoloration or dark spots.   I just really wish these 2 were sold separately.  I would really love to try the concentrated spot treatment since i have plenty of brightening products and plus i don’t want to spend $140! I definitely recommend using some type of face brightening serum so if you don’t already have one this may be a good spend for you. 

I am all about fast, immediate results and that includes detoxing my body.  I write about detox products alot… detox foot pads, detox foot bath, detox diet, and only because I use them and am a big believer in different ways to detox your body so it’s in prime optimal condition.  This liquid detox is a new one available from Verseo - the 48 Hour Cleanse.  A purifying and revitalizing formula made with natural antioxidants that offers a fast acting way to cleanse your body of waste and regenerate it with powerful nutrients.  This natural colon cleanse is fortified with fruits and vegetables.  The perfect aid to your new diet or to just detoxify and cleanse your body.  Feel healthy fast. Visit Verseo for more info.

There’s a new skin care line in town or in this case Saks Fifth Ave.  If a little skin pick me up is what you need try out MyBlend, a selection of different skin care creams, cleansers and concentrated pre-measured serums.  MyBlend allows you to mix in different serums into your face cream depending on what mood your skin is in that day. So if you are looking a little dry try some radiant moisture or maybe a little dull, just add some radiant boost to your daily moisturizer. MyBlend allows you to experiment with lots of different skin care products and come up with your own perfect blend.  Sounds like fun to me!

As our skin ages we begin to lose the elasticity that kept our face looking tight and youthful.  Dermalastyl-B is the latest in science skin care that contains Elastatropin, an ingredient that reduces wrinkles we currently have and prevents any new wrinkles from appearing. Elastatropin mimicks the skin’s natural elastin that gives the skin it’s elasticity and goes into the layers of the skin, converts into elastin and becomes one with the skin. With regular application of Dermalastyl you start to notice less wrinkles, smoother wrinkles and a more even skin tone. Other ingredients include: Matrixyl-3000, Argireline, Hyaluronic Acid and ProliSel.

Turning back the age clock might just be easier then we think.  The Super Foods Rx - SFRx™ Complex has been proven to increase collagen production, improve the skin’s firmness and natural moisture balance as well as reduce the appearance of wrinkles. SFRx contains l-ascorbic acid, a pure form of Vitamin C combined with other antioxidants and whole-food based ingredients. Try a free sample.

Using concentrated serums high in potency are an excellent way to give your skin more nutrients and antioxidants at a deeper level.  Organic skin care company Zosia Organics whose products focus on natural ingredients instead of chemicals has developed a way to keep these serums actively working on your skin. 

What makes Zosia’s organics line different is that even though there are 3 skin categories to choose from - oily, acne and dry/mature - for each of these skin types there are 3 serums that you would use for that particular skin condition in rotation every 4 months.  The benefit of delivering these active serums on a cycle gives skin continuous stimulation that delivers fast results.  In each serum there are new ingredients that are introduced with different levels of the primary ingredients - this is just enough to give your skin a boost of healing with every drop.