Most Sunscreens Work Partially Only - Part I

The sun is our friend and foe. That is an apt statement. Without the sun, plants will die and inevitably, all animals will die. Without the sun, our Earth will perish. Yet too much of the sun is not a good thing for our skin. The sun's UV radiation is composed of UVA, UVB and UVC rays. UVC rays are the most energetic out of the three but thankfully, they are very much filtered off by the Earth's ozone layer and do not reach us. Both UVA and UVB cause skin changes such as premature aging and skin cancer. Avoid going under the sun from 9am to 4pm. Wear proper clothes and head protection. It is also good to invest in a safe and effective sunscreen. Many out there either work partially or have undesirable ingredients. There are two classes of sunscreen ingredients : 1. Physical barriers. 2. Those that absorb and deflect sun rays via a chemical reaction. Avoid all these ingredients: PABA, Benzophonone-3 (oxybenzone), Octyl Methoxycinnamate (octinoxate), parabens (synthetic preservatives), padimate-O, parsol 1789 (avobenzone), octisalate All the above ingredients have to potential to cause skin irritations, allergies and reproductive toxicity. Some are readily absorbed by the skin and can cause side effects that we never know. Some of them work only partially and may protect against UVA but not UVB or vice versa. Some are such weak blocking agents that you can forget about having them. Most sunscreens use a combinations of several ingredients and also lots of preservatives. Here are some tips to choosing a safe and effective sunscreen :

• Get sunscreen with either zinc oxide or titanium dioxide. Both are physical screens against UVA and UVB rays. Both are safe and not absorbed by the skin. Zinc oxide is better than titanium dioxide because it covers a wider spectrum in terms of protection.
• Get a sunscreen with a SPF 15 to 30. There is not a huge difference between products with SPF values higher than 30. Sunscreens with SPF 50 provide just 1.3% more protection from UVB rays than sunscreens with SPF 30. It is more important to apply sunscreen generously than to seek out sunscreens with ultra-high SPF ratings. Few people put on enough to actually reach the product's SPF rating.
• SPF numbers only refer to the ability of the sunscreen to protect you against UVB rays. They have nothing to do with protecting you against UVA rays.
• Re-apply sunscreen according to the time instructed on the product (especially more important when exposed to water during swimming and sweating). There is no such things as waterproof sunscreens.
• Look for a sunscreen without loads of ingredients especially synthetic preservatives. You do not want to load so many things on your face. In the end, the sunscreen is doing your skin and body more harm than giving you sun protection.

• Do not take the sunscreen information on the tube or bottle at face value. Check the ingredients thoroughly. When a sunscreen says it covers broad spectrum protection, it may not necessarily give you that protection.

Continued in Part II.

Cod Liver Oil for Young Children

I import awarding-winning Nordic Naturals Children's DHA from USA for my two-year-old. This is a world-reputed brand of cod liver oil. Although there is always concern of heavy metals contamination in fish and cod liver fish oils, I believe this brand is the safest as it has obtained gold standard for its cod liver oils and fish oils. Nordic Naturals solely focuses and produces fish oils and cod liver oils, unlike many pharmaceutical companies which produce a wide range of health supplements. Actually, I stumbled across Nordic Naturals one day while checking on another brand of cod liver oil. This Children's DHA is strawberry-flavoured and contains these ingredients : purified artic cod liver oil, d-alpha tocopherol, strawberry essence, rosemary extract. When Samuel turned two, we weaned him over to drinking cow's milk (fresh milk). Only when we are out, we pack along with us formula. There is no Omega-3 in cow's milk especially when cows are given commercial feed instead of grazing on grass. I suppose only organic fresh milk has omega-3 fatty acids nowadays. And everybody is taking a lot of Omega-6 but too little of Omega-3. It is hard to get Omega-3 from our normal diet. Cod liver oil is the best source of Omega-3 fatty acids with direct forms EPA and DHA which the body can use straightaway. Omega-3 fatty acids are important for brain development especially in the early years, for proper functioning of the nervous system and for proper visual function. At two, it is fine for him to take cod liver oil straight from the bottle. I give him less than half a teaspoon after dinner. One bottle can last about 3 months. I have chosen not to give him Scotts Emulsion after studying all the ingredients that are in it. There are preservatives and lots of other stuff. Ingredients : Water , Cod Liver Oil , Sucrose , Phosphoric Acid 2% or Less of , Tricalcium Phosphate 2% or Less of , Monocalcium Phosphate 2% or Less of , Vitamin A 2% or Less of , Vitamin D3 2% or Less of , Xanthan Gum 2% or Less of , Propylene Glycol Alginate 2% or Less of , Modified Corn Starch 2% or Less of , L-Lysine 2% or Less of , Potassium Sorbate 2% or Less of , Sodium Methylparaben 2% or Less of , Sodium Propylparaben 2% or Less of , Sodium Benzoate 2% or Less of , Artificial Flavor 2% or Less of. Although many of us including I grew up with Scotts Emulsion, we will never know if it is really working. I think with proper education and knowledge, we can make better and wiser choices in what we eat and use. Check out : https://www.nordicnaturals.com/direct/prodsummary.asp?ID=75

Organic Snacks - Wholesome And Healthy

Two organic snacks Samuel takes : Bellamy's Organic Apple Chips and Whole kids organic sultanas. Both are products of Australia. These are healthy, natural and thus safe snacks to eat. Find out more on: http://www.nourish.net.au/ http://www.bellamysorganicfarms.com.au/ The apple chips are sold in Cold Storage supermarkets. They are surely 200% better off than potato chips (and french fries too) which contain acrylamide and is not good to snack too much on. Of course, with sultanas, it is important to take care of his dental hygenie as this snack is sticky and can stay on his teeth.

Nutritious Pectin Gums For Children

I am rather concerned with my boy's vegetable intake as at this age as children can be rather fussy about what they want to eat. He loves carrots, potatoes, corns, grapes, golden kiwi and bananas but that is not enough. He is quite lazy when it comes to pears and apples. He spits out the fibre after chewing them to extract the juice. Well, it is better than nothing. He has tried strawberries but will only eat them if they are really sweet, which is rather rare. He does not want anything to do with oranges no matter how hard I tried to entice him to eat them. He prefers the juice that comes from cartons from supermarkets but well, how much nutrients are left in them after all the processing and pasteurisation?

I have to cut his greens into fine bits so that he will eat them. And he will spit them out if they are too big. That's where the table warfare begins haha! I give him choy sum, buk choy, kai lan, turnip, cabbage, spinach and brocoli. I have read that fruits nowadays do not have as much goodness in them as compared to olden days. This is due to early harvesting before the fruits can ripen. It is said that ten years ago, we needed only take two peaches each day. Now, it is said that we need to take 50 a day to get the same goodness! So, I really wonder about the fruits that we eat. I would not want to eat just fibre! Of course, training my precious one to like his greens is important and so far so good! On top of that, I give him Mannabears. These are yummy pectin gums in gummi-bear shapes. Samuel shunned them in the beginning. He thought they were awful and cried. After tasting them, he now loves them and will always ask for them after dinner. We use these gummi-bears as rewards for finishing his dinner. It is better to reward with these nutritious bears than to give him lollipops or jellies. If you are wondering what good treats to offer to your kids, you can consider this product. Check out more on https://www.mannatech.com/Shopping/Product.aspx There are three flavours - grape, punch and lime. Only fruit and vegetable ingredients are used. These pectin gums are also formulated with nutritional goodness of 12 different dehydrated fruit and vegetables. It also contains Ambrotose Complex. Ambrotose Complex is a recipe of glyconutrients. Glyconutrients are taking the world by storm. Now they are called the missing link to human wellness. They are essentially necessary sugars which are important in cell-to-cell communication in our body. These necessary sugars are found on every surface of our cells. The ingredients to these Mannabears are : Raw sugar, tapioca syrup, water, Ambrotose® complex (contains vegetable gums [pectin, gum acacia, gum tragacanth], xylitol and aloe vera inner leaf gel powder), natural flavours, natural colour: anthocyanins, pomegranate powder, acid (citric acid) vegetable powders (Brussels sprout, broccoli, cabbage, carrot, cauliflower, kale, tomato, turnip), fruit powders (papaya, pineapple). Serving size: 4 bears (I only give Samuel 2 bears for his age). One bottle can last for about two months for Samuel.

Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate

WHAT IS SODIUM LAUROYL SARCOSINATE?

Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate is a anionic surfactant which comparatively is milder than Sodium laureth Sulphate and Sodium lauryl Sulphate. It is biodegradable and is derived from the reaction of fatty acids (commonly coconut oil) and sarcosine (an amino acid). It is a detergent as with SLS and SLES and is used as a foaming and cleansing agent for shampoos, shaving foams, toothpastes and foam washes.

In one cosmetic ingredient review, tests show that Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate has low toxicity in rats and is non-irritating and non-sensitizing to animal and human skin. One concern however is that Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate enhances the penetration of other ingredients through the skin. Therefore, it should not be formulated with ingredients whose safety is based on their lack of absorption or where dermal absorption is a concern (e.g. HC Yellow No. 4, Disperse Yellow 3). At the same time, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate can be nitrosated to form carcinogenic compounds N-nitrosamine, so it is important that it should not be found together with N-nitroso compounds in the same product.

The toxicological properties of Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate have not been fully established. Based on all available data, it is concluded that Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate is safe to be used in rinse-off products. It is best to avoid the use of Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate in leave-on and aerosol products.