Thursday, July 15, 2010

Dads and Doulas in the Huffington Post


". . .if you're a dad-to-be and you are hesitant to rescind your position as the only advocate for the delivery of your child, consider the percentage of caesarian births in this country and how those statistics might change with an experienced doula by your side, giving you and your partner the support you deserve during one of the most challenging and meaningful days of your life."

Commercial Sunscreens Linked to Cancer

So many of my clients have come in with terrible congested pores and sensitive, rosacea-like skin from using greasy, cheap over-the-counter sunscreens. Ugh. As if preservatives, petrochemicals and pore-blocking additives weren't bad enough, a large study was recently published that proves what we who approach skincare from a holistic perspective have suspected for a long time: chemical sunscreens are not only ineffective- they can be downright toxic.

The Environmental Working Group (EWG)—said, in its fourth annual Sunscreen Guide, that it had evaluated an astounding 500 sunscreens, only finding minimal eight percent to be “acceptable.” A great majority of those common brands found in drug stores and department stores contain an ingredient called Retinyl Palmitate. We already knew this Vitamin A-derivative can sensitize skin. Now the FDA's National Center for Toxicological Research (NCTR) and the National Toxicology Program (NTP) have conducted studies that found potential links between RA and skin cancer.

That's right- SKIN CANCER. From sunscreen.

In the past, RA was in all sorts of sunscreen products and there were no really viable alternatives. Now we have excellent manual - mineral - sunscreens that do the job of protecting skin from UV rays. Without additives, without chemicals. Choose a professional grade mineral sunscreen and see the benefit in beautiful aging and in helping sensitive skin feel cool and healthy. Please remember that whatever you use needs to be applied in an adequate amount, and reapplied every two hours. Even in the fog, San Franciscans.

That and a hat will keep you looking dang fine all summer. Now go out and have fun.

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Blog Archive: The Past is Past

It seems we've been doing this a long time. Past entries from 2005 and 2006 are all here:

http://westwindhealing.blogspot.com/