Skin Care Products and Liver Disease: Read the Label Before You Use

[Guest guest]

Yes, Wholefoods can be expensive, but watch for their sales. I shop a lot at

Wild Oats and they have 25% off sales in the

lotions/shampoos/toothpaste/mouthwash and other incendentials....I just bought

JASON Aloe Vera 84% Shampoo

with NO LAURYL/LAURETH SULFATES for $4.99. I also buy the JASON " Sea Fresh " all

nautral toothpaste, WITHOUT FLORIDE and is pure, natural and organic, plus has

a nice taste....they also have a GREAT mouthwash.

For hand and body lotion I buy the AVALON ORGANICS Lavender enriched with

Beta Glucan at TJ Max for $2.99 a bottle. you will find AVALON ORGANICS in

Wholefoods, WildOats, Trader Joe's and Sprouts for $5.99 to $6.99 a

bottle....I'm

the TJ Max queen....LOL I get more bargins there than in discount stores.

When I switched all my cooking pots and pans to glass and stainless steel, I got

name brand stainless steel $99.00 pans/skillets with lids for $5.99 to

$9.99....I got rid of my Microwave years ago, however, those of you who still

use

your microwave, PLEASE to not warm and/or cook foods in the plastic serving

and/or storage containers, unless of course you want to ingest plastic and many

carcinogenics. Switching to safe things are not as expensive as many might

think.

I live on a fixed income and manage to buy organic and safe products for the

most part.

To make it an easier task, take a 3x5 card and make a list of the NO NO's

until you get them planted in your brain....I still carry a list in my purse

after all these years, but IT IS WORTH IT. LEARN TO READ LABELS....Knowledge is

POWER.......

========================

Skin Care Products and Liver Disease: Read the Label Before You Use

BY ANNETTE WHITE

The best thing that a person with hepatitis can do is to " take a load off the

liver. " Most of us are familiar with some of the ways we can do this, for

example, eat organic foods when possible, open the windows in our homes and

cars,

stop smoking, stop drinking alcohol, detoxify with herbs, and reduce stress.

How many of us consider that nourishing our skin is just as important as

proper nutrition? Do we know what we are putting on our skin? Do we read the

labels on our skin care products? Do we know which ingredients are toxic and

thus

force the liver to work overtime?

Reducing toxins that we apply to our skin can help the liver be less

overloaded. Hepatitis patients especially need to be aware of the potentially

liver-damaging ingredients found in many skin care products.

The skin is the largest organ of the body and functions both to eliminate

from within and keep out the potentially deadly toxins that threaten its defense

barrier. " The skin is very underestimated, because all of it functions in

contribution to our health and well-being, " says Chae, an expert in the

field of skin nutrition.

Therefore, understanding healthy skin means taking into account its role as

the largest toxin elimination organ. " I think it’s been thought of as

something

that is mostly for beauty only, " Chae says, " that it either looks good or it

doesn’t look good and thus that kind of ends its judgment. "

Are we aware that treating our skin with the same chemicals used in

detergents,antifreeze, lead and solvents can wreak havoc on our internal organs?

Yet we

unwittingly apply these chemicals to our scalp, face, arms, and legs whenever

we use shampoo and conditioner, lipstick, sunscreen, insect repellent, body

cream, hand lotion, facial cleanser, shave cream, soap, hair color, and hair

spray.

What is good skin care? The bottom line in good skin care is to be extremely

aware of the ingredients if you have a compromised immune system. Good skin

care mandates that we not put into the body the very waste it works to

eliminate, says Chae. But most of us don’t know whether ingredients in our

skin care

products are good for us or not.

What are the ingredients that we need to be cautious of? She cautions us to

be aware of a family of ingredients that has a high incidence of side effects:

petroleum synthetics [see sidebar]. Chae recommends that anybody with immune

system challenges exercise caution in using skin care products derived from

petroleum as these chemicals can be filtered in the liver.

" Denatured alcohol or an isopropyl alcohol or a propylene glycol can cause

all sorts of liver problems " when absorbed into the body, says Chae. In fact,

propylene glycol is the solvent that is used to kill and remove barnacles off

the bottoms of boats.

Propylene glycol, an ingredient used in many conditioners and shampoos as a

wetting agent and solvent, can be absorbed through the pores in our scalp and

skin, as can Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, an ingredient in almost everything (soap,

toothpaste, detergents, shaving cream, shampoos), which serves double duty as

an engine degreaser.

If you read the ingredients listed on a baby oil container, you will find

that it is composed of 100 percent mineral oil and fragrance. This can close

pores, essentially suffocating the skin, not allowing toxins to be released.

Isopropyl alcohol (SD-40) is made from propylene, a petroleum derivative. It

is a very drying irritating solvent that strips away the skin’s moisture and

natural immune barrier. It may promote brown spots and premature aging of

theskin.

Synthetic colors, such as FD & C Color Pigments are made from coal tar. They

may be carcinogenic. Synthetic colors have no function in skin care products,

except to make them look pretty.

Other ingredients in everyday skin care products may irritate, clog, and

block our skin’s external and internal defenses. Respecting the skin’s

defenses

means not over cleansing or stripping it with detergents, says Chae. Robbing

the skin of its natural oils and moisture by rubbing chemicals on it can be

" likened to a bank withdrawal out of the skin, " she adds. Warning signs the skin

gives include redness, sensitivity, swelling and itching.

" The skin can absorb these bad things, " Chae emphasizes. " It can also absorb

good things. " Chae says skin care should emphasize primarily plant

constituents instead of petroleum-based ingredients taking a lesson from

historical

reliance on salt and mud baths.

Chae has researched ingredients and formulations used in skin care products

for almost 30 years and has been a consultant for major manufacturers,

physicians, and Fortune 500 companies. " Good things " that Chae recommends for

use in

skin care products include willow herb, which is an anti-inflammatory; Japanese

honeysuckle, which has been used in Chinese medicine for 1500 years; Egyptian

hibiscus; black walnut, which the American Indians used as a poultice;

sunflower extract, which helps protect the hair from sun damage; and grapefruit

seed

extract.

When we coat the skin with chemicals, we are sealing it, much like wrapping

it in plastic wrap, Chae says. Shedding toxins out of your body through the

skin is equally as important as keeping toxins from penetrating inside, thus

generating more cleansing work for the liver. The skin’s primary sites of

waste

removal are the scalp and the underarms.

A healthy substitute for petroleum-based ingredients is grapefruit seed

extract, which, Chae says, makes a deposit into our skin instead of depleting

it.

She says grapefruit seeds " are a very high potent antibacterial agent by nature

and, unlike chemical antibiotics and antibacterials [do not] cause the

emergence of superbugs. " Grapefruit seeds help build the immune system when

added to

skin care products. Instead of making a withdrawal, people are making a

deposit.

Many skin care companies say that their products are all natural, but a look

at the labels reveals that even though products like green tea and herbs have

been added, the basic list of ingredients contains many toxic substances. A

search of the Web for natural skin care companies revealed that many companies

advertise that herbs have been added but do not list all of the ingredients

contained in the products.

A note of caution to hepatitis patients: Some companies manufacture excellent

skin care products that do not contain toxic substances. These companies are

not manufacturing products specifically for people with hepatitis or liver

disease, so some (but not all) of their products do include comfrey (allantoin

is

another name for comfrey). Comfrey is on the list of herbs to be avoided for

hepatitis and liver disease patients.

Read the labels carefully every time you make a purchase, and do not buy the

products that contain comfrey. There is an excellent herbal remedy on the

market for cold sores. However, the main herb is comfrey, so people with

liver disease should not use it.

What is a person supposed to do when confronted by a plethora of skin care

products that contain toxins? Here is a list of things you can do:

• Be knowledgeable about proper skin care

• Be aware that reducing toxins that we apply to our skin helps the liver to

be less overloaded

• Realize that some skin care products are not always safe

• Carry the list of toxic ingredients with you and check the labels

• Avoid products that contain comfrey (allantoin)

• Educate yourself about ingredients that are good for the skin

• Be an informed consumer

Many health food stores carry natural skin care products as well as many mail

order companies. Some clerks are knowledgeable about skin care products and

can help you. Check out the Web sites listed at the end of this article. If

your health food store carries natural products that contain toxins, talk to

the owner about your concerns.

We can’t avoid many of the toxins in our environment such as: air pollution,

water pollution and pesticides. But we do have a choice about the products

that we use for our hair and skin care. Making wise decisions and reducing the

toxins we put on our skin will go a long way toward " taking a load off our

liver " and keeping us healthy and happy.

Skin Care Ingredients

Ingredients are significant in skin care. Following is a partial list of some

common ingredients found in petroleum-based skin care products that you may

want to avoid:

Comfrey (allantoin) — May cause liver-related complications

Alcohol — A dehydrator that strips our skin’s moisture and immune barrier,

making us more vulnerable to bacteria, molds, and viruses.

DEA (diethanolamine), MEA (monoethanolamine), and TEA (triethanolamine)

hormone disrupting chemicals that can form cancer-causing nitrates and

nitrosamines. Restricted in Europe due to carcinogenic effects. Creates foam

in shampoo, shaving creams and bubble bath.

DMDM Hydantoin & Urea (Imidazolidinyl) — Preservatives that release

formaldehyde and may cause joint pain, chronic fatigue, dizziness, loss of

sleep. May irritate respiratory system.

Fragrance — Mostly synthetic ingredients often containing animal urine or

feces. May cause headaches, coughing, and skin irritation.

FD & C Color Pigments — Made from coal tar containing heavy metal salts that

deposit toxins onto the skin causing irritation. Animal studies have shown

almost all of them to be carcinogenic.

Isopropyl alcohol (SD-40) — A very drying and irritating solvent and

dehydrator. Can act as a " carrier " accelerating the penetration of other harmful

chemicals into your skin.

Mineral Oil — Petroleum by-product that clogs the pores and interferes with

the skin’s elimination process. Can result in premature aging.

PEG (Polyethylene glycol) — Potentially carcinogenic petroleum ingredient

that can alter and reduce the skin’s natural moisture factor. Thickens

products.

Propylene Glycol (PG) and Butylene Glycol — Petroleum plastics which can

weaken protein and cellular structure. Acts as a wetting agent and solvent.

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) & Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES) — Used in 90

percent of personal care products that foam. May damage the skin’s immune

system. Can be transformed into nitrosamines, a class of carcinogens.

Triclosan — Hormone disrupters. Stored in body fat. Widespread use in

antibacterial cleansers, toothpastes, and household products may promote the

emergence of ‘super bugs’ that it cannot kill.

[Guest guest]

Gosh, I'll have to print and read this Monday but I bet most stuff I

use like shampoos, lotions, hair color, cosmetics etc are eat up

woth toxins. I've been using Roffler shampoo and finishing rinse

for 20+ years. I bet it has something not nice in it but it is good

shampoo/rinse compared to anything else I used in past.

Blah.........I bet hair coloring is a nasty thing too. I have

tried Tom's and 's toothpast and it's fine with me. It's just

amazing to me they put all these toxins in everyday use products.

Who has time to figure it all out!! I had a site one time where

you could put in a name of a product and it would tell you if on the

toxic list. Can't remember right now and I have to get in bed or

won't be able to get out of it Monday. I'm late a lot for work b/c

gettin out of bed is like conquering the universe.

It is so weird here in NC. Was in 60's today and bizarre it has't

been cold and all week 66 Monday and in 50's after that. I think

Global Warming is going to be changing our lives forever.

Rhonda

>

> Yes, Wholefoods can be expensive, but watch for their sales. I

shop a lot at

>

> Wild Oats and they have 25% off sales in the

> lotions/shampoos/toothpaste/mouthwash and other incendentials....I

just bought JASON Aloe Vera 84% Shampoo

> with NO LAURYL/LAURETH SULFATES for $4.99. I also buy the

JASON " Sea Fresh " all

> nautral toothpaste, WITHOUT FLORIDE and is pure, natural and

organic, plus has

> a nice taste....they also have a GREAT mouthwash.

>

> For hand and body lotion I buy the AVALON ORGANICS Lavender

enriched with

> Beta Glucan at TJ Max for $2.99 a bottle. you will find AVALON

ORGANICS in

> Wholefoods, WildOats, Trader Joe's and Sprouts for $5.99 to $6.99

a bottle....I'm

> the TJ Max queen....LOL I get more bargins there than in discount

stores.

> When I switched all my cooking pots and pans to glass and

stainless steel, I got

> name brand stainless steel $99.00 pans/skillets with lids for

$5.99 to

> $9.99....I got rid of my Microwave years ago, however, those of

you who still use

> your microwave, PLEASE to not warm and/or cook foods in the

plastic serving

> and/or storage containers, unless of course you want to ingest

plastic and many

> carcinogenics. Switching to safe things are not as expensive as

many might think.

> I live on a fixed income and manage to buy organic and safe

products for the

> most part.

>

> To make it an easier task, take a 3x5 card and make a list of the

NO NO's

> until you get them planted in your brain....I still carry a list

in my purse

> after all these years, but IT IS WORTH IT. LEARN TO READ

LABELS....Knowledge is

> POWER.......

> ========================

> Skin Care Products and Liver Disease: Read the Label Before You Use

>

> BY ANNETTE WHITE

> The best thing that a person with hepatitis can do is to " take a

load off the

> liver. " Most of us are familiar with some of the ways we can do

this, for

> example, eat organic foods when possible, open the windows in our

homes and cars,

> stop smoking, stop drinking alcohol, detoxify with herbs, and

reduce stress.

>

> How many of us consider that nourishing our skin is just as

important as

> proper nutrition? Do we know what we are putting on our skin? Do

we read the

> labels on our skin care products? Do we know which ingredients are

toxic and thus

> force the liver to work overtime?

>

> Reducing toxins that we apply to our skin can help the liver be

less

> overloaded. Hepatitis patients especially need to be aware of the

potentially

> liver-damaging ingredients found in many skin care products.

>

> The skin is the largest organ of the body and functions both to

eliminate

> from within and keep out the potentially deadly toxins that

threaten its defense

> barrier. " The skin is very underestimated, because all of it

functions in

> contribution to our health and well-being, " says Chae, an

expert in the

> field of skin nutrition.

>

> Therefore, understanding healthy skin means taking into account

its role as

> the largest toxin elimination organ. " I think it´s been thought of

as something

> that is mostly for beauty only, " Chae says, " that it either looks

good or it

> doesn´t look good and thus that kind of ends its judgment. "

>

> Are we aware that treating our skin with the same chemicals used

in

> detergents,antifreeze, lead and solvents can wreak havoc on our

internal organs? Yet we

> unwittingly apply these chemicals to our scalp, face, arms, and

legs whenever

> we use shampoo and conditioner, lipstick, sunscreen, insect

repellent, body

> cream, hand lotion, facial cleanser, shave cream, soap, hair

color, and hair

> spray.

>

> What is good skin care? The bottom line in good skin care is to be

extremely

> aware of the ingredients if you have a compromised immune system.

Good skin

> care mandates that we not put into the body the very waste it

works to

> eliminate, says Chae. But most of us don´t know whether

ingredients in our skin care

> products are good for us or not.

>

> What are the ingredients that we need to be cautious of? She

cautions us to

> be aware of a family of ingredients that has a high incidence of

side effects:

> petroleum synthetics [see sidebar]. Chae recommends that anybody

with immune

> system challenges exercise caution in using skin care products

derived from

> petroleum as these chemicals can be filtered in the liver.

>

> " Denatured alcohol or an isopropyl alcohol or a propylene glycol

can cause

> all sorts of liver problems " when absorbed into the body, says

Chae. In fact,

> propylene glycol is the solvent that is used to kill and remove

barnacles off

> the bottoms of boats.

>

> Propylene glycol, an ingredient used in many conditioners and

shampoos as a

> wetting agent and solvent, can be absorbed through the pores in

our scalp and

> skin, as can Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, an ingredient in almost

everything (soap,

> toothpaste, detergents, shaving cream, shampoos), which serves

double duty as

> an engine degreaser.

> If you read the ingredients listed on a baby oil container, you

will find

> that it is composed of 100 percent mineral oil and fragrance. This

can close

> pores, essentially suffocating the skin, not allowing toxins to be

released.

>

> Isopropyl alcohol (SD-40) is made from propylene, a petroleum

derivative. It

> is a very drying irritating solvent that strips away the skin´s

moisture and

> natural immune barrier. It may promote brown spots and premature

aging of

> theskin.

>

> Synthetic colors, such as FD & C Color Pigments are made from coal

tar. They

> may be carcinogenic. Synthetic colors have no function in skin

care products,

>

> except to make them look pretty.

> Other ingredients in everyday skin care products may irritate,

clog, and

> block our skin´s external and internal defenses. Respecting the

skin´s defenses

> means not over cleansing or stripping it with detergents, says

Chae. Robbing

> the skin of its natural oils and moisture by rubbing chemicals on

it can be

> " likened to a bank withdrawal out of the skin, " she adds. Warning

signs the skin

> gives include redness, sensitivity, swelling and itching.

>

> " The skin can absorb these bad things, " Chae emphasizes. " It can

also absorb

> good things. " Chae says skin care should emphasize primarily plant

> constituents instead of petroleum-based ingredients taking a

lesson from historical

> reliance on salt and mud baths.

>

> Chae has researched ingredients and formulations used in skin care

products

> for almost 30 years and has been a consultant for major

manufacturers,

> physicians, and Fortune 500 companies. " Good things " that Chae

recommends for use in

> skin care products include willow herb, which is an anti-

inflammatory; Japanese

> honeysuckle, which has been used in Chinese medicine for 1500

years; Egyptian

> hibiscus; black walnut, which the American Indians used as a

poultice;

> sunflower extract, which helps protect the hair from sun damage;

and grapefruit seed

> extract.

>

> When we coat the skin with chemicals, we are sealing it, much like

wrapping

> it in plastic wrap, Chae says. Shedding toxins out of your body

through the

> skin is equally as important as keeping toxins from penetrating

inside, thus

> generating more cleansing work for the liver. The skin´s primary

sites of waste

> removal are the scalp and the underarms.

>

> A healthy substitute for petroleum-based ingredients is grapefruit

seed

> extract, which, Chae says, makes a deposit into our skin instead

of depleting it.

> She says grapefruit seeds " are a very high potent antibacterial

agent by nature

> and, unlike chemical antibiotics and antibacterials [do not] cause

the

> emergence of superbugs. " Grapefruit seeds help build the immune

system when added to

> skin care products. Instead of making a withdrawal, people are

making a

> deposit.

>

> Many skin care companies say that their products are all natural,

but a look

> at the labels reveals that even though products like green tea and

herbs have

> been added, the basic list of ingredients contains many toxic

substances. A

> search of the Web for natural skin care companies revealed that

many companies

> advertise that herbs have been added but do not list all of the

ingredients

> contained in the products.

>

> A note of caution to hepatitis patients: Some companies

manufacture excellent

> skin care products that do not contain toxic substances. These

companies are

> not manufacturing products specifically for people with hepatitis

or liver

> disease, so some (but not all) of their products do include

comfrey (allantoin is

> another name for comfrey). Comfrey is on the list of herbs to be

avoided for

> hepatitis and liver disease patients.

>

> Read the labels carefully every time you make a purchase, and do

not buy the

> products that contain comfrey. There is an excellent herbal remedy

on the

> market for cold sores. However, the main herb is comfrey, so

people with

> liver disease should not use it.

>

> What is a person supposed to do when confronted by a plethora of

skin care

> products that contain toxins? Here is a list of things you can do:

>

> o Be knowledgeable about proper skin care

> o Be aware that reducing toxins that we apply to our skin helps

the liver to

> be less overloaded

> o Realize that some skin care products are not always safe

> o Carry the list of toxic ingredients with you and check the labels

> o Avoid products that contain comfrey (allantoin)

> o Educate yourself about ingredients that are good for the skin

> o Be an informed consumer

>

> Many health food stores carry natural skin care products as well

as many mail

>

> order companies. Some clerks are knowledgeable about skin care

products and

> can help you. Check out the Web sites listed at the end of this

article. If

> your health food store carries natural products that contain

toxins, talk to

> the owner about your concerns.

>

> We can´t avoid many of the toxins in our environment such as: air

pollution,

> water pollution and pesticides. But we do have a choice about the

products

> that we use for our hair and skin care. Making wise decisions and

reducing the

> toxins we put on our skin will go a long way toward " taking a load

off our

> liver " and keeping us healthy and happy.

>

> Skin Care Ingredients

> Ingredients are significant in skin care. Following is a partial

list of some

>

> common ingredients found in petroleum-based skin care products

that you may

> want to avoid:

>

> Comfrey (allantoin) - May cause liver-related complications

>

> Alcohol - A dehydrator that strips our skin´s moisture and immune

barrier,

> making us more vulnerable to bacteria, molds, and viruses.

>

> DEA (diethanolamine), MEA (monoethanolamine), and TEA

(triethanolamine)

> hormone disrupting chemicals that can form cancer-causing nitrates

and

> nitrosamines. Restricted in Europe due to carcinogenic effects.

Creates foam

> in shampoo, shaving creams and bubble bath.

> DMDM Hydantoin & Urea (Imidazolidinyl) - Preservatives that

release

> formaldehyde and may cause joint pain, chronic fatigue, dizziness,

loss of

> sleep. May irritate respiratory system.

>

> Fragrance - Mostly synthetic ingredients often containing animal

urine or

> feces. May cause headaches, coughing, and skin irritation.

>

> FD & C Color Pigments - Made from coal tar containing heavy metal

salts that

> deposit toxins onto the skin causing irritation. Animal studies

have shown

> almost all of them to be carcinogenic.

>

> Isopropyl alcohol (SD-40) - A very drying and irritating solvent

and

> dehydrator. Can act as a " carrier " accelerating the penetration of

other harmful

> chemicals into your skin.

>

> Mineral Oil - Petroleum by-product that clogs the pores and

interferes with

> the skin´s elimination process. Can result in premature aging.

>

> PEG (Polyethylene glycol) - Potentially carcinogenic petroleum

ingredient

> that can alter and reduce the skin´s natural moisture factor.

Thickens

> products.

>

> Propylene Glycol (PG) and Butylene Glycol - Petroleum plastics

which can

> weaken protein and cellular structure. Acts as a wetting agent and

solvent.

>

> Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) & Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES) - Used

in 90

> percent of personal care products that foam. May damage the skin´s

immune

> system. Can be transformed into nitrosamines, a class of

carcinogens.

>

> Triclosan - Hormone disrupters. Stored in body fat. Widespread use

in

> antibacterial cleansers, toothpastes, and household products may

promote the

> emergence of `super bugs´ that it cannot kill.

>

>

>

>

>

>