Tag: skin

Sweat and sweating

Today’s topic is about sweat, sweat glands and sweating.

This stems from an article I read this morning discussing whether we shower ‘too much’. It quoted a study conducted by the University School of Nursing in Columbia, which claims we don’t need to wash once a day.

The idea being that the body does a good job of managing it’s own bacteria and too much soap can kill off the good stuff. According to the study, showering twice a week is enough, as long as you are regularly washing your hands and changing your clothes.

Scott has recently been studying Biology and this article created a discussion about sweat and sweat glands.

Maybe it doesn’t get as hot and humid in Columbia as Queensland.

I am sure that most of us have found that a crowded train or bus can sometimes be a bit smelly at the end of a hot summer day. Usually this is a result of sweating and for some people this means body odour.

Sweat itself isn’t smelly at all; it’s the bacteria that feed on the sweat and some of the expelled toxins that cause the offensive odour.

Showering doesn’t actually damage the skins bacteria; it’s the soaps we use that can do this.

 The technical stuff …

Sweat glands are used to regulate temperature and remove waste by secreting water, sodium salts, and nitrogenous waste (such as urea) onto the skin surface.

We have two different types of sweat glands: eccrine sweat glands, which are distributed over the entire body, and apocrine sweat glands, located on the scalp, armpits, and genital area.

Interesting fact – we are born with anywhere between 2 million and 4 million sweat glands. The number of such glands we have will determine, in part, how much we sweat. As we age, our sweat glands actually decrease in size and become less effective.

As the body’s’ temperature rises, it will automatically perspire to release salty liquid from the sweat glands to help cool it down.

This is controlled by our autonomic nervous system, which cannot be consciously controlled. However, certain emotions, such as anxiety, anger, embarrassment, or fear, can prompt us to sweat more.

 Sweating is beneficial

The skin is the largest organ of the body, and serves important roles just like any other bodily organ. Sweating actually helps the body in many ways:

– It maintains the body’s temperature to keep it from overheating

– Sweat expel toxins, which supports proper immune function and helps prevent diseases related to toxic overload

– It kills viruses and bacteria that cannot survive in temperatures above 37 degrees Celsius.

– Sweat also cleans the pores, which will help eliminate blackheads and acne.

Despite its many health benefits, most of us use some kind of product to control or stop the sweating process.

 And body odour…..

 There are many different factors that can contribute to body odour.

Some studies into body odour have revealed that our diet plays a large role. This is probably due to the sweat expelling the toxins from the body.

This subject, however, maybe a topic for another post.

Until the next one,

 

Live clean n prosper

Vitamin D, Sunlight & Mushrooms

Today’s topic is Vitamin D, Sunlight & Mushrooms.

I know that this seems like a strange combination but all will become clear.

This morning I read an article about vitamin D deficiency. It seems that despite Australians being referred to as ‘bronzed aussies’ and our nation referred to as a ‘sunburnt country’, many Australians are actually deficient in this vitamin.

Many Australians work predominantly indoors and spend much of their leisure time indoors. This limits overall sun exposure.

The awareness of skin cancer and the increasing use of sun screens also mean that our bodies don’t absorb the necessary rays required to create vitamin D from sunlight.

What is Vitamin D?

It is a hormone that helps the body absorb calcium and control calcium levels in the blood. It is also important for preventing depression, muscle growth, organ development and supporting the immune system.

Recent research suggests adults may actually need at least 2,000 IU of vitamin D every day to maintain a healthy level in the body and reap the most benefits.

Most living things can make vitamin D through sunlight exposure.

The human body is able to produce its own vitamin D3 when the skin is exposed to the sun’s ultraviolet (UVB) rays. When UVB rays hit the skin, a chemical reaction happens: The body begins the process of converting a prohormone in the skin into vitamin D3.

It’s estimated that we should get more than 90% of our vitamin D from daily sun exposure.

The amount of vitamin D absorbed from sunlight depends on some variables, including the country and skin pigmentation. Under picture-perfect conditions, the human body is able to produce as much as 10,000 IU to 20,000 IU of D3 in just 30 minutes

Studies have found that between 2 to 15 minutes of sun exposure to your unprotected face, arms, legs or back, three to four times every week is enough for your body to produce all the D3 it needs. Times will vary depending on the time of year and where you live. (Source – ABC Health)

Where do the Mushrooms come in?

Research has found that we can get a small amount of vitamin D from food. Fish and eggs naturally have some vitamin D, while some processed foods have added vitamin D.

Mushrooms also have a small amount of Vitamin D. The form of D vitamin produced in mush­rooms is D2, unlike the D3 found in the few animal foods that naturally contain it.

It used to be thought that D2 was less potent and bioavail­able in the body than D3. A recent study comparing D2 from mushrooms with D3 from supplements, has found that D2 is as effective as D3 in boosting the biologically active form of the vitamin in the body.

It is also possible to boost the levels in mushrooms by putting them in the sun for a while.

Just 15 minutes of direct sun­light can produce 200 to 800 IU in 85 grams of mushrooms regardless of type. At least 90% of the vitamin is retained after storage and with cooking.

To do this your­self, place the mushrooms with the “gills” (or underside) facing the sun to increase D production. The mush­rooms may discolour or dry out a little.

If you like mushrooms, exposing them to UV can help you get more vitamin D, however you have to eat a lot. They will certainly boost your levels and add other nutritional elements to your diet. Most of us probably find it’s easier to take a vitamin D3 supplement.

Till the next post,

Live Clean n Prosper

Toxic build up

[et_pb_section transparent_background=”off” allow_player_pause=”off” inner_shadow=”off” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”on” custom_padding=”1px|0px|54px|0px” make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”off” custom_width_px=”1080px” custom_width_percent=”80%” make_equal=”off” use_custom_gutter=”off” fullwidth=”off” specialty=”off” admin_label=”section” disabled=”off”][et_pb_row make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”off” custom_width_px=”1080px” custom_width_percent=”80%” use_custom_gutter=”off” gutter_width=”3″ custom_padding=”0px|0px|27px|0px” allow_player_pause=”off” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”on” make_equal=”off” parallax_1=”off” parallax_method_1=”on” parallax_2=”off” parallax_method_2=”on” parallax_3=”off” parallax_method_3=”on” parallax_4=”off” parallax_method_4=”on” admin_label=”row” disabled=”off”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ disabled=”off” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”on”][et_pb_text background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” admin_label=”Text” use_border_color=”off” border_style=”solid” disabled=”off”]

Today I thought that I would share why we changed the products that we use in our home.

In my first post I mentioned toxic chemicals or chemicals that can be absorbed by the body. A build up of these chemicals over time can cause an adverse effect on our health. This is what many health practitioners, nutritionists and dieticians call ‘toxic build-up’.

Through attending a health seminar we also learned that what we put on our skin, could also contribute to this ‘toxic build-up’ making us unwell.

Our skin is our body’s largest organ

and is vital to your health, yet many of us fail to take good care of it. The skin is a semi-permeable membrane. This means it has the ability to absorb much of what you put on it. So informed choices are critical to optimise your health. You should give your skin the same thoughtful care you give your diet, because much of what goes ON you ends up going IN you.

Dr Mercola.com summarises this best; ‘Putting chemicals on your skin or scalp, such as getting a hair dye, may actually be worse than eating them. When you eat something, the enzymes in your saliva and stomach help to break it down and flush it out of your body. However, when you put these chemicals on your skin, they are absorbed straight into your bloodstream without filtering of any kind, going directly to your delicate organs. Once these chemicals find their way into your body, they tend to accumulate over time because you typically lack the necessary enzymes to break them down. There are literally thousands of chemicals used in personal care products.’

‘Many of the same poisons that pollute your environment are also lurking in the jars and bottles that line your bathroom shelves. We all risk becoming a toxic waste dump from the products we use, the foods we eat, and the environment in which we live.’

We also did a bit of our own research and found that in Australia there are several different regulatory standards. Depending on how the product is classified. The one common standard in Australia, the US and the EU that we could find is ‘cosmetics must have a list of ingredients on the label, regardless of whether it is toxic or not.’ There are still many chemicals being included in our personal care products that can ‘build up’ in our bodies. These chemicals can contribute to health issues down the track. You just have to do the research to find a company that that leave these ingredients out of their products.

So, after making some changes we have had some notable results.

The occasional war with Dandruff ended along with a reoccurring skin irritation.

Once we noticed these improvements we decided to make other changes.

So in the pursuit of better overall health we decided to avoid as many added, unnecessary chemicals as possible; from our household and personal care products to the food we eat.

Till the next post,

Live Clean and Prosper

[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]