(NaturalNews) Botox is the fastest growing treatment for wrinkles. 3,181,592 people were injected with botox in the United States alone last year, and it is becoming incredibly popular in another 75 countries where it has been approved. Yet this is a toxic poison so dangerous that it could actually be used as a "weapon of mass destruction." Sure, it may smooth out the wrinkles by paralyzing the muscles, but the results don't seem to be worth it.



According to Public Citizen, who analyzed FDA data on Botox from 1997 to 2006, 180 patients developed life-threatening conditions after being injected with Botox. There were 16 deaths and 87 hospitalizations. Four of the deaths occurred in children under 18. This paralysing poison can also cause paralysis of the respiratory muscles and dysphagia (difficulty swallowing), leading to pneumonia and fluid in the lungs.



In addition to botox, people are grasping at their youth through dangerous laser surgeries, toxic chemical peels, and cow collagen injections among others.



Yet the answers to beautiful, glowing skin are in our lifestyles and in nature. The skin is the largest organ of the body, and our overall health is reflected on it. Botox and other techniques can mask the problems for a while, but it the problems will eventually come through, if not on our skin then in our health. No matter what our age, we can make changes in our lives that will show up on our skin.

Here are 7 steps to ensuring beautiful, glowing skin.



1. Avoid food intolerances



If you are intolerant to certain foods, it may show up as bags or dark circles under the eyes. Sugar is one of the most aging toxins, since fluctuating blood sugars are highly aging. Cow's milk is linked with Acne and poor skin quality. Excess alcohol and other toxins that make the liver overworked can make the skin look overworked. A healthy Diet that is filled with foods that nurture is the key to radiant skin.



2. Avoid Free Radicals and Eat Loads of Antioxidants



Free radicals such as house hold chemicals and cigarettes cause aging. The irony is that all of these expensive creams and potions that promise to turn back the years, along with botox and other processes cause free radical damage that will eventually appear on the skin, no matter how much they seem to work in the short term.



But despite our efforts to avoid toxins, we are still going to come into contact with free radicals. Even exercise causes free radicals. Consuming as many antioxidants as possible is the natural antidote. Kale, cabbage, chilli peppers, parsley artichokes and Brussels sprouts are some of the most powerful vegetables. Berries, pineapple, pomegranate, prunes and kiwis are some of the fruits with the highest antioxidant activity. Raw chocolate, bee pollen, goji berries, and spirulina are just a few of the new super foods shown to dramatically reduce aging, as well as most other health issues.



3. Find Your Optimum Weight and Stay There



The endless cycle of losing weight, gaining it back only to go on yet another diet is terrible for the skin, not to mention dangerous for the body and exhausting for the mind. This constant rise and fall of weight can potentially cause wrinkles and saggy skin. Maintaining your optimum weight keeps skin firm and youthful. Cutting out or at least dramatically reducing the amount of "dead" food such as bread, pasta and rice while significantly increasing the amount of living food like fruits and vegetables is a simple change you can make to find your ideal weight and enjoy optimum health.

.

4. Limit Intense Sun Exposure



Excess sun exposure can cause skin damage. Yet this fact has been taken to the extreme, making people scared of getting any sun at all. The key is to get short bursts of sun so that you don't get sun burned. Eating plenty of antioxidants will actually make you less likely to get sun burned.

On the other hand, sunscreen has been shown to cause aging and disease, so covering up when the skin has had too much sun is far more effective. Research indicates that broccoli sprouts are an especially good natural sunscreen food, and scientists are attempting to create a sunscreen out of them.



5. Moisturise with Nature's Most Perfect Oil



Coconut oil keeps the skin strong and supple, preventing sagging, wrinkled skin. It protects from free radicals and is a natural sunscreen. It prevents dry skin, blemishes and liver spots. It even has the ability to restore and rejuvenate damaged skin. It heals and repairs, leaving the skin radiant and youthful.



Coconut oil has been used for centuries by people all over the world. It is nature's oldest and most popular moisturiser and youth restorer. Who needs botox and toxic skin creams when there is nature??



6. Ensure you Get Plenty of Essential Fats



Omega-3 fatty acids are a key ingredient for beautiful skin. Most people are seriously lacking in these fats that are vital for vibrant, healthy looking skin. Eczema, dry skin, cracked heels and premature aging are all signs of omega 3 deficiency. Omega-3 fats prevent dehydration in the cells so that the skin cells are strong and full of moisture. Fish oil and Alaskan wild salmon are good sources of omega 3. If you are a vegan, you can use hemp, linseed and chia seeds.



7. Relax Your Facial Muscles



Be aware of your facial expressions. If you frown a lot, try to relax the muscles. This is actually a good form of meditation. Go around your face and discover where there is tension or holding. Breathe into the area and feel it let go. Focus on all of the key muscles groups and feel them melting into relaxation.



by: Sheryl Walters, citizen journalist







About the author

Sheryl is a kinesiologist, nutritionist and holistic practitioner.

Her website www.younglivingguide.com provides the latest research on preventing disease, looking naturally gorgeous, and feeling emotionally and physically fabulous.

And her latest website www.raiselibido.com offers a vast quantity of information on how to increase sex drive and enjoy a vibrant sex life.





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Seven Steps to Gorgeous, Radiant Skin

By Doug Kaufmann

Email was relatively new in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s and few of us old timers knew how to use it anyway. I was working at that time for Dallas Dermatologist, David Weakley, M.D. Let me start at the end this time and work toward the beginning of this newsletter.



I was finally able to receive emails. Helen’s email simply stated:



Doug, that pink pill (I think it was called diflucan) was the best anti-depressant I’ve ever taken in my 13 years of suffering from depression. May I get more of them? Helen



WELCOME TO KNOW THIS…..THE NEWSLETTER THAT LITERALLY CHANGES EVERYTHING!

Dr. Weakley was a brilliant man. I say “was” because he passed away many years ago. He graduated from Johns Hopkins in Baltimore and moved to Dallas, Texas to begin his dermatology practice. He was board certified in Dermatology and attracted some of this nation's best dermatologists to work with him. He was on the scientific board of a national Psoriasis foundation in N. California, and was also a respected contributor to “Cutis” a widely marketed professional dermatology journal. What he wasn’t, however, is more applicable to this newsletter.



In 1986, he wasn’t a believer that fungus could cause skin disorders. As a matter of fact, he vehemently denied such a link and felt comfortable telling me where he stood on the issue. During our phone conversations, he’d tell me that he worked with some of the brightest dermatology minds and medical researchers in the world and that “if” fungus caused psoriasis, they would surely already know it. Welcome to the past 40-years of my career! I lived in Los Angeles then and, during one such conversation, he invited me to come to Dallas and see how badly these Psoriasis patients suffer before being so flippant as to insinuate that fungus could cause their disease. Four days later, I was in Dallas.



There is an old saying that many live their lives by; when the student is ready, the teacher appears. I was willing to travel knowing full well that one day, hopefully sooner than later, Dr. Weakley would become the student and I the teacher. Egos, I felt, prevented many of our brightest from knowing the cause. After meeting me and feeling more comfortable with the relationship, he invited me to see some of his most difficult skin diseased patients. I remember thinking, “These are his worst? California must have more mold than Texas!" David knew that there was nothing more he could do for these severe Psoriasis patients and they actually seemed to be happy to meet me, hoping that I might offer something different that might finally help them. I returned to Dallas often to follow up with these great new friends.



Neither of us was aware of what those early months together would bring towards a better understand of skin disorders. Sometimes at quitting time (5PM), he would call me into his office and review patient charts in absolute amazement. He’d read my notes for a few minutes and then he’d keep saying, “Amazing!” “Why don’t we know this, Doug?” I’d repeat, “You do now and we must help as many people as we can.”



One day, he offered me a 5-year contract to relocate to Dallas, Texas and assist him in helping his toughest patients. Like other physicians before, Dr. Weakley eventually became comfortable allowing me to give input in his psoriasis patients’ treatment. He trusted me enough to routinely prescribe a systemic antifungal drug (usually Diflucan) and a gut antifungal drug (Nystatin) while I placed his patients on what is now called the “Phase One Diet.” Be it acne, psoriasis, perioral dermatitis (seriously! It’s called muzzle rash!), or eczema, in many cases, we had finally discovered “the cause” of their suffering. I asked the patients to return for a visit with Dr. Weakley and me in 2 weeks after beginning this new therapeutic approach. Having seen favorable responses like these hundreds of times already, I knew that when he saw more proof of the fungal link to skin diseases, and with his great contacts, soon we would be able to publish these findings in respected medical journals and forever close the door on “etiology unknown” dermatology. Yes, I was a dreamer in the 1980’s! In only 14 days, many came back grinning from ear to ear with the amazing results that they had already seen. I know that long time KNOW THIS readers and fungus aficionados alike will fully comprehend this next sentence. In reality by helping so many, we had placed the management of their serious skin diseases directly back in their hands. This, my friends, is why “etiology unknown” sells so well in the halls of Science today. If we can literally control our own symptoms before they become diseases, or even control our own diseases….would we finally be able to reduce our personal healthcare insurance policies and even our doctor visits? You’re beginning to see the big picture of why I contend that medicine works so hard to maintain the status quo.



One afternoon, Dr. Weakley did contact one of the major dermatology journals in my presence and spoke to the editor who was an obvious friend of his. He became outraged after that call when he learned that the journal refused to publish any article in which fungus was claimed to be “the cause” of skin disorders. Of course, this was not news to me, but it was to him. It upset him so much that he questioned his work of 40 years by calling their withholding of factual information “a blatant cover-up!” Having another individual actually stand in my shoes was a remarkable experience, especially a prominent physician who was finally “getting it!” That incident, a dissolving partnership and an unsuccessful try at introducing surgery into his practice all cost him a great deal of worry and stress. In a short time, Dr. Weakley passed away, but not before Helen figured out what caused her depression. He was kind enough to fill the prescription for her.



The term “skin deep” is one that is used far too often and abused almost every time. Within the context of this article, keep in mind that, in almost every case, if not every case, what I learned from my years working with Dr. Weakley was the shear magnitude of illness and the impact it has on patients. I learned that it wasn’t rare to have his patients request quick service when checking in at his front office. They were there for a 9:30 appointment, had a 10:00 meeting with their psychiatrist in the same building and then an 11:00 appointment with their chiropractor, who was across town.



Toward the end, Dr. Weakley would ask the patients why they were so hurried in his office. After explaining their hectic schedule filled with doctors' appointments, he’d be fascinated as they taught him that our program had finally relieved not only the skin problems, but also their Depression and pain. No longer were they relegated to 3 or 4 doctor visits on their day off. They got it! They know that the very reason all of their complaints were resolving was because we were successfully killing fungus as part of their treatment in ridding their dermatologic problems! Who would have thought that Depression was linked to fungus, and yet fungal growth in the brain is very well documented phenomenon. Clinicians simply know nothing about it!



At this late point in his career, Dr. Weakley simply could not believe what his eyes were seeing and his ears were hearing. Even though he knew that Diflucan only killed fungus, he had finally seen enough that he was certain that Helen’s Depression had, indeed, responded favorably to a simple antifungal pill. He renewed her prescription and she was very thankful, for as long as she took that pink pill, she was not depressed for a few days at a time. Of course, today we know that compliance to an eating program based on continual starving of fungus, might have totally weaned her off of the Diflucan.



As you ponder my many years of trial and tribulations or laugh at the real way the phase one diet was “invented,” keep in mind that there were many guardian angels along the way. I remember the last time I saw Dr. Weakley. He was fragile and very weak. He was still angry about his failed attempts at introducing surgery into his practice and his partnership problems. But he was also one of my guardian angels. He fought me initially, as most do, but he was willing to take a chance because he truly loved his patients and, in doing so, he helped many more than other dermatologists. Even if it meant spending a few weeks with me while disproving my methods as analogous to snake oil, he was willing to do it for his patients, whom he always told me had suffered enough. Had I failed, my guess is that any one of his respected medical journals would have jumped at publishing such quackery! In the end, he did help hundreds of his patients and, by doing so, he was able to pass away knowing that he had finally discovered a piece of the clinical puzzle that few brilliant men ever do.



Today, I say FUPO! Please always think Fungus Until Proven Otherwise when ill suffering from health problems. Find a physician who cares about his patients' welfare and teach him as I did many years ago.

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Doug Kauffman appears to have been on the leading edge of fungal related skin disorders. In the days that he speaks of here, he was all MD/allopathic. Rx is NOT a barefooters' choice for combatting systemic fungal conditions, but the use of herbs and the right essential oils would be! Please note that he mentions diet. ~PC~

(NaturalNews) In today's often hectic world, all some of us really want to be doing is sitting in a spa. Spas, however, are often known for outrageous prices, but the good news is you can make many simple spa treatments right in your own home. Even better: many spa treatments offer health benefits, aside from a relaxing afternoon and break from the madness of the outside world. Plus, when we're relaxed we tend to be happier, which influences every interaction we have.



Natural Salt Baths

Natural salt baths are a great way to relax and as a bonus, each of the baths below helps detoxify us too. Epsom Salt baths are well known to relax the muscles while neutralizing acids in the body at the same time. Baking soda baths are known to remove radiation as well as alkalize the body. Quality Sea Salt s are especially beneficial as they clear negative energy from our bodies - which is particularly helpful after a stressful day or encounter. With any of these, just add one or two cups to any bath - and jump in and relax.



Essential Oil Baths

Essential oils can also be added to any bath, and some popular ones include lavender, rose, rosemary, or tea tree oils. Lavender is known for relaxation, rose for reducing nervous tension, and rosemary for mental invigoration. Tea tree is great for skin problems, including acne, fungal and bacterial problems. Use about fifteen drops of essential oil in each bath.



Relaxing Spa Waters

One of the best things about being at a spa is the waters they often have available. They're often tinted with cucumber or lemon and are a delight to drink. Cucumber water can be easily made at home using a half gallon of purified water and a thinly sliced cucumber. Just combine, refrigerate and let sit overnight before consuming.



Another delicious spa water can be made using whole jasmine flowers. Just pick a large handful of jasmine flowers (that haven't been sprayed with chemicals), stir them into a half gallon of purified water, and let sit for four hours or more before consuming.



These spa waters are delicious, refreshing, and especially nice to hydrate in. Jasmine is known to lift poor moods and heal the female reproductive system, while cucumber is great for the skin and has cooling properties.



Homemade Body Scrub

Sea salt and coconut oil body scrubs are invigorating and exfoliating at the same time. Just use a couple tablespoons of quality Sea Salt s with a tablespoon or two of coconut oil in the shower as a full body scrub. Wash before using and just rinse the scrub off, without using soap. Afterward, your skin will likely feel better than you can remember, but be careful of any slippery surfaces with the oil.



Enzyme Treatments for the Skin

Enzymes are a popular exfoliant in spa treatments but because enzymes are hard to keep alive, using fresh fruit is often better than an expensive jar based potion. There are many ways to prepare enzyme-rich facial and body treatments, and most of them start with papaya or pineapple - or both. Just blend a little pineapple and/or papaya and add any of the following optional ingredients below that you like.



Aloe: Hydrates the skin.

Oatmeal: Acts as a scrub.

Lemon juice: Lightens the skin and age spots (as does papaya).

Honey: Moisturizes and offers antibacterial protection.



Then, rub your mixture on your face or entire body and leave it on for ten minutes before washing it off with a washcloth.



More:

http://www.alternativehealth.co.nz/...

http://www.naha.org/top_10.htm

http://www.ehow.com/how_5989622_mak...

About the author

Kim Evans is a natural health writer and author of Cleaning Up! The Ultimate Body Cleanse. Deep cleansing has helped her, personally, eliminate over a dozen problems in her own body - including several that medical professionals had said there were no solutions for, except long-term drugs.

Cleaning Up! outlines a powerful, easy to do, body cleanse. It's easy, at-home cleansing and includes colon cleansing, liver cleansing, candida cleansing and much more. It's designed to address the root causes of most all disease and offers deep detoxification that will remove more toxicity than most people think is possible... Learn more at www.cleaningupcleanse.com.

Kim also recently launched a natural health photo project. It's designed to help you easily spread messages of health and consciousness around the globe. Have a look here.





Treat Yourself with Natural Homemade Spa Treatments and Recipes



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