Nutrition. Vitamins. You.
Photo by Joe Yates on Unsplash For many, the winter season is exciting, especially in New York City! The lights, the snow, the scarves and hats can be a welcoming sight to those who enjoy the cold. But with the excitement comes one major issue …
Photo by Marcelo Matarazzo on Unsplash Take a look in the mirror. Your face – once youthful, glowing and smooth – may now be displaying evidence that you’re getting older. Instead, you notice some wrinkles, maybe some sagging and that youthful glow you love may …
Electronic devices like your cell phone, iPad and many other devices do more than just provide endless hours of entertainment and communication. These electronic devices may also be damaging your health – from your skin to your sleeping patterns. This can be through several things, from emf radiation, the noise they emit and also the visuals of the phone.
Most of us are using a device that emits blue light throughout the day, with studies suggesting that 60% of people spend more than 6 hours a day in front of a digital device.
According to BlueLightExposed.com, blue light waves are among the shortest, highest energy wavelengths, causing flickers that create a glare that have been shown to reduce visual contrast and affect sharpness and clarity. “This flickering and glaring may be one of the reasons for eyestrain, headaches, physical and mental fatigue caused by any hours sitting in front of a computer screen or other electronic device.” LED black-light technology – including TVs, computers, laptops, smart phones and tablets – help enhance screen brightness and clarify, emitting very strong blue light waves.
Here are the Top 10 Nutrients for Healthy Vision. Are you incorporating enough? >>
In an interview with Well&Good, Oculoplastic surgeon, Maryam Zamani, MD, expressed her belief that blue light can contribute to pigmentation, premature aging, and other skin woes. “Blue light penetrates deeper than UVA and UVB rays,” she explains. “It goes into the sub-tissue of your skin and creates a certain type of free radical. And you’re always trying to protect your skin from free radical damage.” This can lead to the breakdown of collagen and elastin, which causes irritation, redness and hyperpigmentation. This may be why you are noticing breakouts on your cheeks and down your jawline.
Be sure to keep your phone and keyboard clean by using alcohol-wipes or sprays that kill the bacteria. You’ll also want to be sure you are including natural and effective skin care solutions, like a facial cleanser and moisturizer, that can remove dirt, bacteria and oils from your skin but provide you long-lasting hydration.
A new study from the Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston has found that the blue light exerted by your phone and tablet may do more than take away precious hours of sleep – it may increase your risk of harmful diseases and conditions. A problem, Charles Czeisler, PhD, MD, and the Chief of the division says is a “looming public health crisis.”
Each morning when you wake up, your eyes detect light and send signals to your brain to shut off the production of melatonin. Melatonin is a hormone produced in the pineal gland that regulates your body’s 24-hour clock and sleep-wake cycle. [Read more about Melatonin here!] According to Prevention, cells crank up production of the stress hormone cortisol and the hunger-promoting hormone ghrelin. Your body’s
temperature and heart rate also increase. A study published in the journal PNAS in January of 2015, found that individuals who read from an e-reader before bedtime took longer to fall asleep, experienced less REM sleep, and were sleepier the next morning than those who chose to read a book before bed instead. Over a 5 day period, the participants nighttime melatonin levels dropped by 55%.
There are a few things you can do to protect your vision against these harmful blue light rays.
In our retina, an essential region for crystal clear vision, the concentration of two carotenoids – Lutein and Zeaxanthin (abbreviated L + Z) – are essential for ongoing vision health. They are so important to vision that they are commonly referred to as macular pigments. The macula is a filter that helps protect the eye.†
Healthy, robust macular tissue, rich in L + Z, has key functions, including filtering out blue light and focusing on objects for our sharpest vision (such as in reading a newspaper). If it penetrates deep into our eyes, it damages the many small organs in our retina that are required for vision. Having a thicker macular tissue shields from blue light and this robustness is largely due to its L + Z content.†
Whether it is summer and the temperature is hot and the air is humid, or winter and it’s cold and dry, you skin needs certain minerals and vitamins in order to look (and feel) it’s best. Your skin is the largest organ you have, so …
Photo by Rawpixel on Unsplash By Mariesette Zeyl, ND Did you know that we absorb up to 60 percent of what we apply on our skin? Yes, it is true! Anything you are putting on your skin is being absorbed into your body and into …
Summer is upon us, and that means we’re heading outside! This season can be great for the body (especially those Vitamin D levels) but there are some products that can help us stay healthy this summer – from your skin to your energy levels. Amanda Williams, MPH, Director of Nutrition for InVite® Health brings you the products you need this season.
For many, the summer brings oily, sensitive skin, especially on your face. The heat during the day can also dehydrate the skin and cause sun spots if you’re spending a long time out in the sun. And your sweat (especially if you love to wear hats) can lead to breakouts.
“Vitamin C, when paired with Marine Collagen, promotes Collagen production and targets sun-damaged skin to enhance your skin’s youthful appearance and firmness. Antioxidants like Alpha-hydroxy acid, Aloe Vera, and natural plant glycerin help to provide moisture and hydration for the skin. Red Wine Fruit extracts help target dead skin cells and functions as a barrier to impede future damage.”
Stay clear of parabens, petroleum, colorants, fragrances, sulfates and benzoic acid that can clog your pores and cause damage to your skin.
It is officially the season for shorts, sundresses, and bathing suits! And for many, that means keeping your legs smooth and free of hair. But shaving can cause irritation and damage to the skin, along with ingrown hairs, razor burn and bumps.
You’ll want a product that contains ingredients that tone, nourish and soften the skin, while protecting it from results of a close shave. Amanda reports, “Ingredients like Shea Butter, Aloe Vera, Grape Seed, Witch Hazel and antioxidants like Lemon, Orange and Vitamin E oils should be in your go-to shaving product.”
You may also want to stay clear of foaming creams and gels. These are filed with air and can act as a barrier between the razor and your skin. Amanda explains, “A rich, dense balm or cream allows the razor to get as close to the skin as possible.”
Summer days means sweaty days. But not every deodorant on the market works efficiently and many actually contain harsh and dangerous chemicals, like aluminum.
“The best deodorants keep you smelling fresh with natural ingredients and actually kill bacteria that forms when you sweat. A deodorant using Rice Flour instead of the heavy metal aluminum is safe and will keep your dry all day long. Essential oils like Jasmine and Lavender will keep you smelling fresh and Witch Hazel helps to keep your underarms clean and free of bacteria that can grow in moist climates.”
Healthcare professionals have been advising the public to eat a wide variety of colorful fruits and vegetables. But for many, getting the 5-9 servings a day can be difficult. While there is no replacement for eating fruits and vegetables, by including black-hued superfoods, you can support your body with antioxidants powerful enough to make a difference.
“Black-hued superfoods are high in fruit-antioxidants,” explains Amanda, “including mushrooms and cumin extracts, to help keep skin cells healthy. They also support energy and wellness that the body especially needs to keep up during those long, hot summer days. There is certainly something very special about black-hued superfoods.”
For many, drinking hot tea in the summer can seem difficult. Who likes to feel hot both on the inside and the outside? But the benefits that green tea provides are just too good to remove from your diet completly. The good news is that Green Tea is available in both capsule and tincture forms, where you can take one a day or add a few drops into your water bottle for the same benefits the original hot tea would provide.
“Green tea extact has been used as a tonic in traditional Chinese and Japanese medicine for superior health and longevity for centuries. This is due to its high concentrations of polyphenols and categchins, which tout numerous antioxidants benefits, especially because of ECGC,” explains Amanda.
EGCG has been shown in numerous clinical studies to inhibit the absorption of fat into cells, help burn fat, protect the digestive tract, rejuvenate skin cells and help fend off UV-damage from the sun.†
There are many factors that make the cells and tissues work properly throughout our bodies, but one of the most important are our pH levels – potential of hydrogen. This is a measurement of hydrogen ions in a particular solution; the more ions, the more acidic.
When you eat too many acid-forming foods (as many Americans do), the kidneys can’t always keep up with the acid waste and it can eventually accumulate in our tissues. Consuming those 5-9 servings of fruits and vegetables a day, can help the body maintain alkalinity. But, for many and as previously mentioned, that serving size is difficult to achieve.
“A blend of specialized nutrients like Magnesium, Potassium and Beta-Alanine can help rebalance the acid-alkaline ratio in your body to reinstate important minerals needed for your muscles, cells and bones. During the summer, Alkalizers are important to rehydrate your body from sweat loss.”