Raiza Creme Newsletter #6

This month we will talk about hair care. Basic healthy hair starts with a good diet. Sometimes loss of hair is caused by an iron deficiency. Be sure to eat enough cereal (whole grain), peas or beans. Fresh fruits and vegetable are also important for the vitamin C, which helps the body absorb iron. Hair can be damaged by too much or inexpertly applied perming, dyeing, bleaching and massage. Avoid using hair styling products with alcohol, which dries out hair. Avoid putting hair styling products directly on your scalp. If you put it on your scalp, you will clog the pores on your head.

Other hair care tips:

An all-natural way to eliminate shampoo build-up and toxins in your hair is with apple cider vinegar. Rinse your hair once a week with one cup of apple-cider vinegar.

Before entering a pool, wet your hair so your hair will soak up the initial water instead of the chlorinated water. When swimming wear a cap to protect your hair from chlorinated water. If you choose not to wear a cap, make sure you shampoo and condition your hair right after you are done swimming.

Thoroughly rinse out your hair after shampooing. Shampoo residue may dry your scalp/hair and or attract dirt. It is recommended that you only lather once to avoid drying your hair out. If you have oily hair, lathering again may stimulate your oil glands to create even more oil than normal. Try rotating the shampoo and conditioner periodically; your hair responds differently to different products. Use a conditioner after shampooing. It will moisturize your hair, give it extra protection, add shine, reduce static and make it easier to untangle. Put the conditioner in at about an inch away from the scalp. The roots of your hair contain the most oils and usually don't need the extra conditioning. Be gentle when shampooing and conditioning; remember hair is most vulnerable when wet.

Use a brush whose bristles are made from natural animal hairs. It is softer and more flexible which means less damage will be done to your hair. Hair is most fragile when it is wet so avoid brushing or combing when it's wet. Wait until your hair is almost completely dry before brushing it. Use brushes/combs with widely spaced bristles/teeth and smooth tips. Sharp toothcombs can damage your hair, cause split ends and scratch your scalp. Begin by combing your hair gently at the ends to get any tangles out and work your way up to the base of your hair.

Hot air can be damaging to your hair so when using a hair dryer use the cool setting. Don't leave the blow dryer in one spot for more than a few seconds. Keep it moving and at a good distance away (at least 12 inches) from your hair. Hair sets best as it is cooling, not when it is heated up from blow-drying. Whether using hot rollers or a blow dryer, apply hair spray after hair has cooled to maximize the style.

I hope you found these tips useful. I wish you all health and happiness.

Raiza Crème Newsletter #5

This month’s newsletter is about the herb Echinacea.

There have been some reports that Echinacea is not effective. The mass of evidence; however, disputes this. The truth is - Echinacea DOES keep colds away and it DOES shorten the duration of colds IF you use Echinacea of sufficient quality, quantity, and concentration.

Echinacea is truly a miracle herb. For one thing, it contains echinacoside (a natural antibiotic, comparable to penicillin in effect) that can kill a broad range of viruses, bacteria, fungi, and protozoa, which makes it invaluable in wound healing and in the treatment of infectious diseases. There is a great deal of research that has reported Echinacea’s efficacy in treating colds, flu, bronchitis, tuberculosis, infections, etc.

Echinacea also contains echinacein, a biochemical that protects against germ attack by neutralizing the tissue dissolving enzyme, hyaluronidase, produced by many germs. Also, studies show that Echinacea contains substances that boost the ability of your body’s macrophages to destroy germs. And other studies from the University of Munich have shown that Echinacea extracts boost T-cell production by as much as 30% more than immune boosting drugs.

New research shows that there are compounds in Echinacea, isobutyl amides, which actually work as immno-inhibitors and anti-inflammatories. These bio-chemicals might explain why several studies find Echinacea effective at reducing the symptoms of colds when taken during the onset stage of infection.

Unfortunately not all Echinacea is the same. As with all herbs, there is a wide range of quality, potency and consistency among the numerous venders so you need to be an informed consumer.

Grade of herb - look for high-quality herbs grown organically and with their natural ratio of biochemicals still intact. Did you know that 99% of the herbs used by American companies do not come from the U.S? They are actually imported from Eastern Europe, and from many third-world countries such as India, and China.

The problem here is that these countries use large amounts of insecticides and pesticides in the growing of their herbs. DDT is still commonly used in Asia and organophosphate nerve-gas based insecticides are commonly used throughout Eastern Europe. It's also worth noting that most of the areas in which these herbs are grown in these countries are heavily polluted. The herbs are inundated by polluted rain and irrigated by polluted rivers. In Eastern Europe there have been no environmental laws for decades.

The reason most American companies use these herb sources, is that they are cheap - with herbs costing just pennies a pound. Good quality organic and wild crafted herbs cost as much as 20 times more. Before you use any company's herbal formulations, you should learn where their herbs come from.

Test Potency - look for the signature characteristics of Echinacea potency. When a droppers worth is placed in your mouth you can tell how potent it is by the amount of numbing and tingling you feel. The more numbing and tingling, the higher the potency.

Standardization - Standardization seeks to control one, two, or three "identified" active ingredients at the expense of all the other "active" ingredients that we don't yet know about. If used to boost the "value" of low quality herbs, standardization distorts plant synergy, and it disrupts the natural ratios of active ingredients inherent in the plant itself. Guaranteed minimum potency is a better alternative.

Find a good vendor - look for a vendor with a consistent reputation. Look for an herbal vendor with a reputation for consistency and quality.

How to use Echinacea effectively.

The important thing to understand is that the immune system responds best to periodic stimulus, as opposed to constant stimulus. That is to say, you don't want to use an immune tonic every day. It's not that anything bad happens; it just becomes less effective as the body becomes used to the stimulation.

Each month take a minimum of one consecutive week off from any formula you are using. Use a different formula to cover the time off. For example, when not using an Echinacea based formula, you can use an AHCC or beta glucan formula to keep your immune system at peak levels.

I hope you have found this helpful. Excerpts have been taken from Jon Barrons newsletter. For additional info go to – http://www.jonbarron.org

Newsletter #4 - Sugar

In the United States sugar consumption averages 152 pounds per person per year. Is this surprising? Almost all packaged food contains several kinds of sugar often listed as sucrose, corn syrup, fructose, and caramel color.

All foods must be converted to glucose before they are used by your body as fuel. To ensure your glucose level remains relatively balanced, your body has a safety mechanism. It works like this –

If your level falls too low, your brain tells you that you are hungry. You eat food that is turned into glucose.
If your level rises too high, your brain tells your pancreas to release insulin, which enters your bloodstream to clean up extra glucose.

If you eat a lot of foods that produce high levels of glucose, your body reacts by producing too much insulin. Over time your body stops using insulin effectively, leaving behind excess glucose in the bloodstream. This excess glucose turns into fat. Your pancreas works overtime and releases even more insulin. Super-refined carb-foods are converted into glucose very quickly which is bad news. Your blood-glucose shoots up. This fools your body into releasing too much insulin. This insulin mops up so much glucose that your level falls and your brain tells you that you are hungry again.

These factors can lead to one of two health problems –

1. You exhaust your pancreas and you develop type 2 diabetes. Also know as adult onset diabetes, obesity related diabetes, or non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus. Type 2 is the most common type of diabetes.
2. You develop hyperinsulinism where you have abnormally high levels of insulin in the blood. This can cause hyperglycemia, hypoglycemia, chronic obesity, high blood pressure and more.

All this shows why it is important to balance your blood sugar levels. The stress of repeated sugar spikes exhausts and ages your body faster than normal. Carbohydrates are the easiest of our foods to be converted into glucose. It is important to eat more non-refined carbohydrates. Include whole wheat, rolled oats and other whole grains in your diet. Stay away from white bread, refined sugar, and too many processed foods.

Live long and prosper!

RC Newsletter #3

Deep breathing is very important to good health. Not only does it move some extra oxygen into your body, but in addition the breathing and movement helps the proper functioning of the lymphatic system. The proper function of the lymphatic system helps the entire immune system to keep you healthy. Walking is also excellent for this purpose.

Deep Breathing Exercise

The art of Yogic breathing is called Pranayama. Pranayama offers many different approaches for cleansing the mind and body through breathing exercises.

Diaphragm Breathing.

Start breathing comfortably but deeply, in through your nose and out through your mouth. Imagine that you are breathing from that area of your abdomen just beneath your belly button. Make the in-breath last to a count of 5 and the out-breath to a count of 6. Continue for at least 2 minutes and notice what happens. This 5:6 ratio seems to be a simple yet powerful way you can induce a relaxed state at will.

Deep Breathing Stretch

Sit or stand with your arms at your side. As you raise your arms, breath in deeply using the Diaphragm Breathing technique described above. Raise your arms straight out in front till they are level with the floor. Now as you exhale twist both your arms out to the left side of your body. Continue exhaling as you move your arms up and down 3 times. Your fingertips should move about 6 inches. This is a great exercise for keeping the lungs clear and increasing lung capacity.

This next breathing technique is referred to as the Breath of Fire.

Lie on your back and pant like a dog, breathing rapidly in and out through your mouth 20 times. Then, breathe slowly, deeply and gently in and out 20 times through your nose. Once again, do the mouth-panting 20 times, then resume gentle nose breathing.

These deep breathing techniques can be very powerfully utilized when wanting to get in control of your state. When you are going through a period of change, such as reducing your weight, stopping smoking or developing more confidence, this will help.

Please remember that most people don’t breathe nearly enough. Start to breathe more deeply and notice how much better you feel. Have lots of fun with this. Notice how good you can make yourself feel when you breathe differently.

Newsletter #2

To maintain a healthy body we all need to eat less processed foods and soda, drink lots of water and eat a healthy diet. A healthy diet requires a plant-based diet. We have all heard that we need to eat more fruits and vegetables. Phytochemicals are the main reason why these foods are so good for us.

Vegetables and fruits have a complex composition with a great many vitamins, minerals, fibers and other beneficial substances. Phytochemicals are plant chemicals that offer protection from cancer. Phytochemicals are substances that plants naturally produce to protect themselves against viruses, bacteria, and fungi. Some of these naturally occurring substances are cartenoids, flavonoids, indoles, isoflavones and protease inhibitors. Many different plant foods supply different kinds of protection.

Some of the primary phytochemicals are: Allyl sulfides found in onions and garlic. Ellagic acid found in strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, cranberries, walnuts and pecans. Flavonoids found in green tea, citrus fruit and red grapes. Lycopene found in tomatoes, tomato products and red grapefruit. Phytoestrogens found in soybeans and grains. Resveratrol found in peanuts.

Free radicals are the by-products of cells burning oxygen. Free radicals damage body cells and tissues, as well as DNA, which is your body's master plan for reproducing cells.

Antioxidant vitamins and selenium, a mineral, are effective in neutralizing free radicals. The antioxidant vitamins are Vitamin A, E and C.

Beta-carotene turns into Vitamin A in the body. This is supplied by dark green and deep orange fruits and vegetables: carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, winter squash, bok choy, broccoli, spinach and vegetable juices.

Vitamin C is contained in oranges, cantaloupe, strawberries, papaya, kiwi, red bell pepper, broccoli and brussel sprouts.

Vitamin E is found in wheat germ, almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds and vegetable oils.

Selenium is present in seafood, lean meats and whole grains.

Your diet is an important part of your defense against cancer and other disease. Eating the right kinds of food, everyday, can help you feel better and stay stronger. Eat from five to nine servings of preferably raw fruits and vegetables everyday. A serving is around ½ cup for most foods. Colorful foods are better than white foods such as russet potatoes or white rice.

Another health tip is drinking six glasses of water a day. Drinking a lot of water is the best thing you can do for your skin. So get out the carrots and water! See you at the juice counter.

Raiza Creme Newsletter #1

BEAUTY BEGINS WITH HEALTHY SKIN

No matter what makeup you use, it will not look good on dry flaky skin. Here are four steps to get a nice healthy glow to your skin.

1. Wash your skin. It is best to use a non-lathering cleaner such Neutragena or a non-soap cetaphil cleaner.

2. Use an exfoliant to remove the layer of dead skin. This also helps to remove and smooth fine lines and small surface wrinkles. Using a mild exfoliating cleanser can combine steps one and two. Most good exfoliants use Alpha-Hydroxy acid as their exfoliate agent since it is effective yet mild.

3. Apply a moisturizer. Moisturizer is extremely important to good-looking healthy skin. As we age our skin becomes dryer and free radicals result in oxidation of the skin. Moisturizers hydrate the skin and the anti-oxidants prevent skin damage. The best moisturizers use Safflower Oil and Placenta Protein as their moisturizing agent. Then they add natural anti-oxidants such as Vitamin A, C and E. Almost all moisturizers do a good job with their anti-oxidants, which come from inexpensive plant extracts. It is actually the inert preservative that may be of critical concern. Most manufacturers use very unhealthy, even toxic chemicals as a preservative. This can raise the risk of cancer and should be avoided. Choose a moisturizer that uses Propylparaben or Methylparaben as the preservative. I recommend Raiza Crème. It uses Propylparaben and Methylparaben as the preservative and is far less costly than other crèmes that use these preservatives.

4. Use a skin primer to even out skin texture. Skin primer is a rather new product for consumers though professionals have used it for many years. Older skin has areas of dry and moist skin and a primer evens out these areas. Primer also allows makeup to go on smoother.

It is a good idea to follow these four steps even if you do not plan to use any makeup. Most experts agree that these four steps provide 75% of the beauty enhancement of makeup since it is the hydration provided by these four steps that make skin look radiant. This is especially important for people over 50 years old when the skin becomes dryer and more delicate.