Sunscreens-What to do?

Since we are moving into summer, many of us are deciding what sunscreens to use, or whether to even use sunscreens at all. Are they safe? Do they play a part in causing cancer? What are we supposed to put on our children? Here is a little information that I have come across that might help to answer those questions.


I have been a sun worshiper my whole life. Of course back when I was growing up sunscreens hadn't been invented. I  never used sunscreens until after my children were born and  all the hype and commercials starting telling the general public that the sun was bad and we must guard ourselves and cover ourselves up so as to not expose our skin to these harmful ultra violent rays. So I started buying sunscreens because I was scared of what could happen if I didn't. But it never crossed my mind at that time that there could be chemicals in the sunscreens that could be hazardous to my health.

I began using sunscreens somewhere between 1980 and 1984, and from that point on I was never in the sun without them. I also became even more concerned about my face, so I bought the sunscreens especially made for your face-never checking out the ingredients.

In 2003, after 20 years of sunscreen use I was diagnosed with basil cell carcinoma on my face, a form of skin cancer. Thank goodness it was found out early and removed immediately. I had quite a chunk cut out of my face under my left eye, but the doctor did an amazing job and was able to go deep enough and scrape out all the cancerous cells. I was monitored for the next year and then was given a clean bill of health.

Do I believe that the sunscreens played a part in the skin cancer? Most definitely I do. After the surgery, I never used a sunscreen again on my face, and I began to do my own research on the effects of sunscreens. Here is some infromation that I have recently found out about the use of sunscreens.

According to the natural news the FDA has refused to publish safety standards for sunscreen products. So  non profit groups are having to get involved to inform the public. One of these groups is the Environmental Working Group that has compiled a list of 700 name brand sunscreens along with the toxic chemicals they contain, They report that many sunscreens contain cancer causing chemicals that get absorbed through the skin. The EWG reports that 84% of sunscreens are harmful to consumers. The link between sunscreens and cancer is due to the fact that sunscreens block UV rays which generate the anti-cancer nutrient vitamin D in human skin. Vitamin D is simply the worlds best anti-cancer medicine, and recent studies have shown that it can prevent nearly four out of five cancers in all women, including breast, cervical, lung, and skin cancer.

The EWG ground-breaking research is based on nearly 400 peer-reviewed studies of the 17 sunscreen chemicals approved for use in the US. Ironically some popular sunscreen chemicals break down when exposed to sunlight and must be formulated with stabilizing chemicals. Others penetrate the skin and present significant health concerns.

So what are we supposed to do?

The EWG has posted a list of sunscreens that they recommend:

Loving Naturals SPF 30+
Heiko Kids SPF 40
Goddess Garden Kids Natural SPF 30+
California Baby Sunblock SPF 30+ Stick No Fragrance (Their other products in this line did not have as good a rating.)

The following came in second to the above:

Badger Sunscreen face stick SPF 30
Soleo Organics All Natural SPF 30
Purple Prairie Botanical Sun SPF 30
UV Natural Baby Sunscreen SPF 30
Suntegrity Skincare All Natural Moisturizing Face Protection SPF30

I'm sure you noticed as I did that the major brands that you see in Target and Walmart are not among the ones that are listed!

The sun is not our enemy, in fact we need a little sun everyday to help our body produce vitamin D. And also the best sunscreen is internal sunscreen built from antioxidants, which include spirulina, chorella, and the superfoods that I have written about. These foods help you to build up a natural internal sunscreen that blocks excessive UV rays naturally.

 I could have given you a lot more facts about the harmful chemicals in sunscreens, but I think you get my point!! Don't just take my word for it, do your own research and come to your own conclusions. Check out http://www.naturalnews.com/  and type in sunscreens and www.ewg.org/sunscreen.

Until next time,

Jan

Passion-Find out Yours through Numerology

My daughter sent this to me this morning (it came to her from Ana Brett and Ravi Singh). I thought that it would be a great follow up to my post on Passion. Take a few minutes and follow the instructions and see what your passion is accourding to numerology. All you need is your birthday. Every person that I have checked out has been right on the money...See what you think!

Your Secret Passion

There exists a secret desire which enlivens us and which we look for people to woo us with. If you're honest, and give this gift to yourself, you'll have passion in your life everyday. Hegel said that, "Nothing great in this world has been accomplished without passion." Martha Graham said, "What makes a dancer great is not their technique but their passion." Your secret passion is what gets you out of bed in the morning.

We're not advocating quitting everything to "follow your bliss." Passion of course should be tempered with sobriety. The union of the two equals Wisdom. Invest what you do with your passion in the context of your life right now.

So, how do you find your passion? Sometimes the right clue can make everything fall into place. Sometimes we desire intensely but we're not sure what exactly we desire!

Your Heart Number

There is a simple calculation in the system called Tantric Numerology (part of the teachings of Kundalini Yoga) which you can use to ascertain your secret passion. It's called the Heart Number.Your Heart Number is calculated using the number (reduced to one digit except for 10 and 11) of the month you were born added to the last two numbers of the year you were born. Confused? Okay, if you were born on June 8th 1987, then you would add 6 (June being the 6th month) + 8 + 7 (the last two numbers of 1987). 6 + 8 + 7 = 21. Then you would add 2 + 1. which makes your Heart Number a 3. If you were born on November 26th, 1992 the you would add 11 + 9 + 2, which equals 22. It just so happens that 22 is considered a Master Number, so in this case the answer would be 4 (2 + 2) and 22 simultaneously.

So, what does each number mean?

1. Heart Number 1: (you would've had to have been born in January of 1900 or 2000). Your secret passion is innovation, non-conformity, and creativity. You're always on the lookout for creative, original, soulful people. What opens your heart is simultaneously honoring tradition and being ahead of your time.

2. Heart Number 2: Your secret passion is partnership, relationship, learning at the feet of a Grand Master, and pure devotion. You're always on the lookout for geniuses, professors, teachers, experts. Therapy for you is connecting with people one on one, learning new things, and being a perfect student. What opens your heart is being validated by an expert in something you aspire to.


3. Heart Number 3: Your secret passion is expression, nurturing, the deep psyche, and giving hope to all. You're always on the lookout for exuberant, giving, positive people, and well as deep thinkers and writers. Therapy for you is raising everyone's morale. Pomp and circumstance doesn't impress you. What opens your heart is getting down in the trenches, as it were, and making a difference.

4. Heart Number 4: Your secret passion is logic, clarity, and "just the facts." You're always on the lookout for down to earth, clear-minded, rational people, and people with big hearts. In spite of yourself, very matter of factly, you live with an open heart in a way that transcends your own logic. Therapy for you is figuring out how things work. In spite of yourself what opens your heart is selfless service.


5. Heart Number 5: your secret passion is athleticism and pushing the envelope." You're always on the lookout for people who take it to the limit. Therapy for you is hiking up a steep mountain. What opens your heart is teaching.

6. Heart Number 6: Your secret passion is focus and speed. You're always on the lookout for fierce self-directed people. Therapy for you is making a list of the the things you want to accomplish and getting it done. What opens your heart are people who, for all intents and purposes, are secretly angels.

7. Heart Number 7: Your secret passion is being the center of attention. You're always on the lookout for fabulous, funny, entertaining people. Therapy for you is being the life of the party. 7's can also be loners, but need to feel they're sought after. What opens your heart are people who shine.

8. Heart Number 8: your secret passion is inspired leadership, the art of the deal, working tirelessly to achieve your goals. You're always on the lookout for powerful, driven, fearless people. Therapy for you is being financially successful.What opens your heart are people who pay you well for your work.

9. Heart Number 9: Your secret passion is art music, and subtle mastery. You're always elegant , refined, genius type people. Therapy for you is giving voice or expression to something inexpressible. What opens your heart is great art and anything sublime.

10. Heart Number 10: your secret passion is discipline and going up against impossible odds. You're always on the lookout for other warriors in whatever guise. Therapy for you is getting your butt kicked in an advanced fitness or martial arts class or organizing your community to stop greedy developers. What opens your heart is a fight worth fighting.

11. Heart Number 11: Your secret passion God. You're always on the lookout for spiritually driven people who can direct you to the path of the Saints. Therapy for you is prayer, meditation, and spiritual inspiration. What opens your heart is the Ultimate Truth.

My passion number was 3, so true!!

Until next time,
Jan

PASSION IS EVERYTHING....

Passion....what does it mean?  No, I'm not talking about your passion for someone...I'm talking about your passion for your life.

If you look up passion in the dictionary it says:
A strong feeling or emotion...
Something that is desired intensely...
An irresistible motive for a belief or action...

We all have a passion for something...but do you live your passion, or just dream about living your passion?

Recently my daughter Amy, (writter for her own blog, http://www.clickclackmom.com/) told me about a book "Crush It".

The book was written to help you recognize your passion, discover how to make it your life's work, and then actually make a living off of it. If your work is your passion, you never feel like you are working...

The author of the book, Gary Vaynerchuck, starts out by saying that there are 3 simple rules that he lives by...
Love your family.
Work super hard.
Live your passion.

Well, I had the first 2 down pat, but I knew that I wasn't quite doing #3...Living my passion.

First of all we have to determine what our passion is...and for myself, I believe my passion in life has grown and changed as I have grown and changed. When I was a stay home mom raising my children, my life passion was to be the best mother that I could be.
Nothing was more important to me than fulfilling my role as a  mother. And if you are a parent, you know that there is no harder job.
But after my children were raised and gone, I had to spend some time with myself and do some soul searching.....But I didn't have to search too long.....
Sure, I've worked different jobs over the years, did they make me happy?..Yes, they made me happy..
Did I enjoy working those jobs?...Yes I did...

But was I just working for the sake of working, or was I living my passion? If I am honest I would have to say that I was working for the sake of working and not living my passion. I quickly found out that if I wasn't living my passion, I was following someone else's dreams.
It wasn't until the last couple of years that I realized that my passion, my love, my irresistible motive for a belief was right in front of my nose..(literally),
My love of raw food and what I call the raw lifestyle.

The reason I know that it is my passion is because I think about it 24/7 in some shape form of fashion...When I wake up in the middle of the night I'm thinking about it. I talk about it constantly. I never stop expanding my knowledge of the subject and I can't wait to share what I have learned with anyone that will listen. Eating raw, and living this raw lifestyle has changed my life more than anything...ever!!!

And now my passion has become my work....I am using my passion to help change lives!! People are seeking me out to learn through a guided program how to improve their lives by changing the way they eat and the way they think. I am seeing them lose weight, find happiness, receive emotional and physical healing and improve the quality of their lives.
This isn't work for me, it is sheer JOY!!!

In June my daughter Hannah, who owns Give Yoga Memphis, in Memphis Tn and I are holding our first of many weekend workshops on Introduction to Raw Food and Kundalini Yoga.

I have also started writing a book about my life, and all the amazing events that have happened to me to bring me to where I am today. My hope for this book is that it will inspire and motivate readers to live their truth, follow their hearts, and live their passion!!


So what is on your mind 24/7? What do you think about, talk about, eat, drink, and breathe? That would be your passion....what are you doing with that passion? Zero in on your passion and make it your life work, instead of working at something you don't love just to make a life....Do your own soul searching and find your passion in life..the world is waiting for you to share....

This post is dedicated to my amazing children, they live their passions everyday and never stop inspiring me....

Topsy Turvy

For those of us that do not have the space for a garden or maybe you just don't own a rototiller, you will be excited to know that you can still grow a few of your own organic vegetables with a device called a Topsy Turvy.  My plan for the post this week was to show you step by step with pictures how I put my tomato and red pepper plants in my Topsy Turvy. But the week got away and no pictures were made and then I ended up going out of town with my husband for 5 days....So this week you just get to hear about it and hopefully next week you can actually see the pictures. But until then, I thought you might enjoy this instructional video from youtube.








I love the Topsy Turvy because it's an easy way to grow tomatoes, along with red and green peppers. I think I use more tomatoes and red peppers than any other vegetables, except maybe zucchini. But zucchini doesn't grow in one of these.

As she said you just buy the Topsy Turvey, (check with Home Depot, or Lowes) place your plant through the bottom hole, roots on the inside. Then fill it up with organic potting soil, and then water. After you get it put together find a place to hang it that has adequate sun and wow, watch it grow!!!

I love eating fresh vegetables that I have grown!!! The taste is so amazing...

So if you want to get your hands dirty with a little do it yourself organic gardening, try out a Topsy Turvy!

Give it a try, and see what you think.....

Until next time,

Jan

Shea Butter

Okay, so 2 weeks ago I ordered a tub of raw organic Shea Butter from Africa.....Wow!!! It has far surpassed what I was expecting.....The butter arrived in a clear plastic tub and looked like some form of puddy or paste with a light yellow color. I couldn't wait to stick my hand down in the tub and scoop up a big glob and slather it all over my skin, and scoop away I did. I absolutely love it!!! I have to ask myself ,"why haven't I been using this product for the last 20 years"??????!! I can't get enough of it...

Shea Butter is extracted from the Shea-Karite tree in Africa, which doesn't even bear fruit till after 15 years, and some trees take up to 30 years to bear a quality crop that has a high quantity of irremovable fatty acids.
The fats are what give the butter it's amazing unique healing properties and makes it superior to coconut butter or other vegtable butters.

Shea Butter nourishes the skin with vitamin A and E and F. These vitamins help with any sun damage and it helps with premature wrinkles and facial lines. Vitamin F acts as a skin rejuvenator and protector. It soothes chapped, dry, rough skin, and adds an incredible softness. This is due to the high content of unsaponifiables (a type of fat).

I normally use olive oil on my skin, but now that I have my hands on this raw organic Shea Butter, my life is going down a new road. Ahhhhhhh.....I am so excited about my new find.

I put the butter on my skin twice a day. You will have to get used to the thickness of the butter, it's really more like a paste than a butter. I put it on at night and my skin is so supple when I get up in the morning.
(I only put it on my face at night, because it is too thick for me for daytime.)


O and I forgot, the 1 lb tub that I ordered only cost me $6.15 plus shipping. Now that's a bargin!!
I ordered it through Amazon from Renee's Online Store. I will have to say that it does take a couple of days to ship after you place your order, but be patient if you order some from this site, you will get your product.

So if you have dry skin, or just need a moisturizer that really moisturizes, try it and see what you think. Now, it does have a distinct scent, but I have gotten used to it.

Don't take my word for it, go ahead and get some, and see for yourself...then let me know.


Until next time,

Jan

Reverse Aging...Is it really possible?

My answer to this question would be YES!!! Based on everything that I have read, and all that Iam personally experiencing!!

First of all, reversing the aging process is possible because the body is designed to heal and repair itself.....along with the aid of proper nutrition.  There are 2 vital materials which are needed , energy and raw material....
These are needed to maintain our cells proper function.
The body is made up of cells, and all cells are living.
All living things need food! What we eat or don't eat  is the biggest contributor to the aging process!
Cells die and replace themselves at various intervals, so to understand anti-aging, you need to know that when a cell replaces itself it has 3 options...........

1) DEGENERATION-When a cell replaces itself with a weaker cell-this will happen if the body doesn't have the right nutritional foods-

2) SAME CELL REPLACEMENT-This happens when a cell replaces itself with the same strenghth cell, but this means that the body doesn't improve-considered to have a chronic condition

3) REGENERATION-When your cells replace themselves with a stronger and better cell. This will happen only if the cell has an abundance of energy and the right raw materials-This is the place where reverse aging takes place...

In order for your cells to regenerate and reverse the aging process, you must eat the food that contributes to regeneration and not to degeneration.

So check out the list of foods that are causing you to age because they weaken and toxify your cells:

SUGAR
HOMOGINZED MILK AND CHEESE
CAFFINE
CIGARETTES
WHITE FLOUR
MICROWAVEABLE FOOD
ARTIFICIAL SWEETNERS

PROCESSED FOOD                                          
ADDITIVES
MEAT
MSG
MARGARINE
CHIPS
FRENCH FRIES
EGGS
GENITCALLY MODIFIED FOOD(ABOUT 50% OF ALL SOY AND CORN)
FOODS WITH LEVELS OF MERCURY-FISH
OILS THAT ARE NOT COLD PRESSED

Okay, don't freak out on me, some of you are probably saying, O man that looks like stuff I eat everyday!!
I definitely could say that of days gone by. Some might be wondering what is left to eat???
Well here is the list of foods that contribute to your optimum health and reverse aging...

FRESH FRIUT
FRESH GREEN VEGTABLES
RAW SEEDS OR NUTS SOAKED AND SPROUTED OR DEHYDRATED
BROWN RICE...SOAKED FOR 22 HRS (BECOMES AN ALKALINE)
GOJI BERRIES
BEE POLLEN
BLUE GREEN ALGAE

SEAWEED                                                               
WHEAT GRASS
ALOE  VERA                                                               
OLIVE OIL
EVENING PRIMROSE                                               
ROYAL JELLY
MACA
RAW CHOCOLATE
COLD PRESSED OILS
HEMP SEEDS
RAW COCONUT OIL
MARINE PHYOPLANKTON


AND  OF COURSE, SOME FORM OF EXERCISE, THAT GOES WITHOUT SAYING!


So in the list of food that contributes to anti- aging there really is a lot of variety-All different types of vegtables and friuts, nuts, etc. There are so many vegan and raw cookbooks out and online, with amazing ideas of how to put together foods that increase the quality of your life and reverse the aging process. They will be a must when you make the choice to begin to eliminate the foods that are contributing to aging, sickness and disease. Also check out my blog rolls, these blogs on raw and vegan lifestyles are very helpful and informative.

These food lists are not just someones idea, they have been researched and scientifically proven.

The truth of matter is, "THE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH" or "THE FOUNTAIN OF AGING" all comes down to you, and what you choose to eat. It's all in the regeneration of your cells!!  For decades we have believed that we can do whatever we want, eat and drink what ever we want, then when we get older we can just take some vitamins and buy some expensive anti-aging, anti-wrinkle creams and abra kadabra, we look like we did in our 20's and 30's.

Just look around and you will know that isn't happening...

What a concept....reversing the signs of aging naturally instead of resorting to a plastic surgeon!!!

I have spent the last year slowly elimating all the foods that contribute to aging and sickness and disease.
It has transformed my life.....Like I continue to say...I have not been sick one day in over a year, not even a runny nose. My skin and hair definitely reflect the change I have made, I am happy, healthy and full of energy!! What more could I ask for????