Is there anybody here who doesn’t enjoy trying out luxurious skincare products? Who doesn’t like being pampered with beauty products which leave your skin looking and feeling smooth, silky and youthful? Sadly, it’s been years since I’ve allowed any sales assistants at beauty counters to apply strange creams and lotions on my skin. I even avoid beauty workshops. Why? Well, have you seen what goes into common skincare products and cosmetics, even the expensive brands?

Propylene glycol, parabens, PEGs, phthalates, sodium lauryl sulphate, alcohol, petrolatum and talc are some widely-used ingredients which are potentially harmful and even carcinogenic. These are just a few of thousands of questionable ingredients which are used in bath products, skincare, make-up and other personal care products. You may not know it, but what you apply daily on your face and body may be making you sick and aging you prematurely.

Before I buy any personal care or beauty products, I read the ingredients on the label thoroughly. Nine out of 10 times, I end up putting the item back on the shelf. Even so-called “natural” or “organic” personal care products often contain questionable ingredients. When your family has a history of cancer as bad as mine does, you learn to get picky about what you expose yourself to, whether in food, the environment or personal care and household products. Any guest who stays in my home for a while will probably leave in better health than if they had stayed at a six-star hotel, because my family is so fussy about the safety and quality of the products we use.

This weekend brought happy news to me and many other safety-conscious consumers. My favorite safety-conscious health and wellness company, Neways International, launched a new skincare and beauty line which is comprehensive and effective while avoiding the use of at least 3,000 questionable ingredients, like toxins, dioxins, irritants, carcinogens, and contaminants. Can you think of any brand which has achieved this? Three cheers for Neways!

Ingredients and technologies used by Neways are typically safer and superior in quality than those typically used by many commercial brands. What’s got me even more excited is that Neways’ new True Touch skincare and cosmetics range uses a dizzying array of newly-discovered or little-known botanical ingredients. I pride myself in being well-informed, but Neways is now using healthy ingredients and technologies which are totally new even to me. Neways is also using more environmentally-friendly ingredients, such as bamboo, an environmentally-sustainable agricultural product (it’s the world’s fastest-growing plant) in the True Touch skin exfoliator called Clarifier.

After one beauty workshop yesterday, where I got to try many of the skincare products from Neways’ new True Touch line, my body was left tingling. Not just because the products had refreshed and invigorated my skin, but because I was excited to get the whole range home for my family to use. The products are so good they’re like vitamins and antioxidants for the skin, almost good enough to eat. No wonder they leave the skin looking and feeling great.

If you know of any other beauty brand which avoids using at least 3,000 questionable ingredients, while providing a range of skincare and make-up products as wide, comprehensive, effective and luxurious as Neways’ True Touch line, please write about it here. The more beauty options we have which are safe and healthy– and, preferably, even nourishing and healing – the better. Why put up with inferior and harmful personal care products anymore? Hallelujah!

Posted: March 9th, 2010 under Beauty Tips, Cancer, Enemies To Health, Health Basics 101, Safe Homes, Toxins & Pollutants.
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Billy, my cat, is sick. He has urinary tract infection so he has been having difficulty peeing. When he tries, blood comes out. There are bloody spots all over the floor. He vomited several times a couple of days ago and he’s too sick to eat or even drink. We have to hand-feed him. For a sick kitty, he puts up quite a fight. Andrew, my husband, has the battle scars to prove it.

It’s all our fault that Billy’s ill. Cats are fussy about cleanliness, and can make themselves ill simply by refusing to use the litter box when it’s not clean enough for them. The cat litter should have been changed on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, but we were so busy with the festivities that we waited longer than we should have to put in fresh litter. We were so caught up that we didn’t even notice that Billy had been having trouble relieving himself.

It breaks our hearts to see Billy so weak, and in pain, now. He’s so weak that he’s been soiling himself, so he’s often wet with urine. Cats hate to be dirty, so this must be so revolting for Billy. Of course, we wipe him clean several times a day. Poor baby.

Every time something like this happens, I am reminded that it could have been prevented. Had I taken more care, had I not been lazy, or procrastinated, had I been more observant, had I not been complacent …. You know how it goes.

Let’s try our best to make 2010 a safe and healthy year for our loved ones and ourselves. Don’t let a slip-up cause you grief. Be blessed!

Posted: December 31st, 2009 under Enemies To Health, Health Basics 101, Safe Homes.
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I don’t believe it. I was looking forward to seeing some old family friends in the next few days at their annual Christmas party. These friends are an extended, loving family and their parties are famous for fabulous food, gorgeous Christmas decorations and interesting guests. Children, dogs and adults alike wander through the sprawling house, filling the place with happy sounds of play and conversation.

This year we expected more of the same except, of course, some heads would be a little grayer and the children would be a little taller. We will gather together again, indeed, this week, but not to celebrate Christmas. We’ll be gathering for the funeral of the family’s only child, a 10-year old boy. Tragically, he died of a heart attack during the weekend, while on a family holiday. He had been an active, boisterous child, with no apparent health problems. Everyone’s still in shock. How could a seemingly healthy child die of cardiac arrest?

A couple of years ago, some relatives also lost their only son. He was 20 years old, physically fit and a competitive sportsman. In fact, he had been competing with his team in a rowing competition overseas when their boat capsized when they had completed the race and were making their way to shore. Four other young men drowned together with him. Had they followed the safety rules which included waiting to be towed back to the banks of the river, rather than attempting to navigate the unfamiliar, raging river themselves, they might still be alive today.

We still don’t know what caused our friends’ 10-year old boy to have a heart attack. Perhaps the strain of mountain-climbing was just too much for his little body to bear. There must have been some warning signs that he was unwell. Perhaps he was pushed to take on more than he could handle. Of course, we’ll never ask our friends’ these questions. They loved their son dearly and they’re already drowning in guilt.

We can do our best to eat healthily and exercise regularly, but all our efforts will come to naught if we’re complacent. Let’s always take precautions wherever we are, especially when engaging in potentially dangerous activity in unfamiliar territory. Let’s not ignore that strange growth on the body. Let’s always heed warning signs, including the still, small voice within us which sometimes causes us to feel uneasy about something we’re about to do. Let’s never fail to ask God for protection for ourselves as well as our loved ones. I bless my husband in the name of Jesus every time he leaves our home, and pray for his wellbeing. Whenever any of my family members travel, I always pray for their protection.

Let’s never make the mistake of taking what we have for granted. Complacency can kill.

Posted: December 21st, 2009 under Enemies To Health, Safe Homes.
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