Jai’s Blog

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What is in Commercial Lotions?

Since Vaseline is the most common commercially produced lotion on the market we will break it down and show you what’s in it and why it really should not go on your skin.

We’ll review the directions, warnings, ingredients, and storage. After this review please reconsider applying any of these chemicals to your skin. Try Mother Jai’s lotion, simply made of organic soy wax, organic coconut and sunflower oils.

ACTIVE INGREDIENTS: White Petrolatum USP (100%)……….…Skin Protectant

Other Ingredients: Water, Glycerin, Petrolatum, Stearic Acid, Glycol Stearate, Dimethicone, Isopropyl Isostearate, Dihydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Hydroxyethyl Urea, Tapioca Starch, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Magnesium Aluminium Silicate, Stearamide AMP, Carbomer, Isopropyl Myristate, Cedrol, Triethanolamine, Disodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Propylparaben

WHAT ARE THESE INGREDIENTS?

Carbomer: class of chemicals made from acrylic acid. They are thickening agents that help control the viscosity and flow of cosmetic products. They are also solvents, helping formulas to stay well mixed. You’ll find them in styling gels, facial moisturizers, sunscreen, shampoo, anti-aging treatments, cleansers, and scrubs. Though generally considered safe, they can sometimes contain “neutralizing agents” TEA or EDTA. It is a known allergen that causes eye irritation. These can carry contaminants that can be potentially carcinogenic.

Cedrol: is a sesquiterpene alcohol found in the essential oil of conifers (cedar oil), especially in the genera Cupressus (cypress) and Juniperus (juniper). It has also been identified in Origanum onites, a plant related to oregano. Cedrol has toxic and possibly carcinogenic properties.

Cetearyl Alcohol: fatty alcohol that’s either produced from the end products of the petroleum industry or derived from plants (palm oil-palmityl alcohol). It comes in the form of a white, waxy solid. It’s no longer derived from sperm whale oil (where it was originally discovered) seeing how whales are now an endangered species.

  • Cetearyl alcohol is also a surfactant that boosts a products foaming capacity. This property is important in bath soaps, hand soaps, shampoos, conditioners and many other personal care products.
  • Cetearyl alcohol is also a main ingredient in cosmetics such as foundations, concealers, liquid lipsticks and mascaras to stabilize a solution and to prevent the separation of emulsions.
  • Small amounts of alcohol applied to skin cells in lab settings (about 3% alcohol, but keep in mind skin-care products contain amounts ranging from 5% to 60% or more) over the course of two days increased cell death by 26%. It also destroyed the substances in cells that reduce inflammation and defend against free radicals.
  • Exposure to alcohol causes skin cells to literally self-destruct and the longer the exposure to alcohol continues, the worse it gets for your skin cells. The same study found that only two days of exposure was dramatically more harmful than one day of exposure, and that was using an alcohol concentration of less than 10%, which is much lower than what’s in many alcohol-based skin-care products.
  • This research clearly demonstrates the connection between free-radical damage to skin cells and alcohol exposure. Interestingly, this is exceptionally similar to the free-radical damage that results from excessive consumption of alcohol in the short and long term.

Dimethicone: it’s a silicon oil, man-made in the laboratory and used in personal care products as an anti-foaming agent, skin protectant, and skin and hair conditioner. Manufacturers like it because it makes products easily spreadable, so you get that feeling of the lotion or cream gliding over your skin. Dimethicone also helps form a protective barrier on the skin, and can fill in the fine lines and wrinkles on the face, which is why it’s often used in makeup primers.

Why Dimethicone is Bad for Your Skin? That artificial coating on the outside of skin causes several issues:

  • It traps everything under it—including bacteria, sebum, and impurities—which could lead to increased breakouts and blackheads
  • The coating action actually prevents the skin from performing its normal activities—like sweating, temperature regulating, sloughing off dead skin cells, etc.
  • Prolonged exposure to dimethicone can actually increase skin irritation, due to the coating property and because dimethicone is listed as a possible skin and eye irritant
  • Those with sensitive or reactive skin are at risk of an allergic reaction to dimethicone
  • On top of all this, dimethicone is a non-biodegradable chemical—bad for the environment
  • You’re creating a dependency on the coating product, disrupting the skin’s own hydrating processes, which in the end increases dryness, making fine lines and wrinkles more noticeable
  • The coating properties may increase breakouts, particularly if you’re susceptible to acne, which will lead to scars and older-looking skin
  • You’re doing nothing to boost the health and vitality of the skin, thus letting aging take its toll

Dihydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride: This raw material is a captive molecule of Unilever, trademarked as “Glycerol Quat™”. Glycerol Quat is basically a moisturizing / hydrating agent. Developed by DOW chemical.

Disodium EDTA: primarily used as a preservative and stabilizer, this ingredient is essentially used to prevent products from deteriorating and from smelling rancid.  This can usually be found in most skin care products.

Glycerine: (also known as glycerol) has enjoyed a long career as a key moisturizing ingredient, and while it can be obtained from both vegetable or animal fats and oils, it is most commonly derived from biodiesel waste courtesy of the saponification of oil and fat. The non-toxic and eco-friendly substance certainly seals moisture into skin, but it does so while also triggering subdermal skin layers to dry out, creating a chronically chapped sensation.

Glyceryl Stearate: Is chemically used to reduce the greasiness of an oil and to stabilize the product.

Glycol Stearate:  produced by chemically reacting stearic acid and ethylene glycol; Like many other long chain oil derived ingredients glycol stearate is used as a skin conditioning agent (emollient), but according to the cosmetic database it is also used as a surfactant, opacifying agent and an emulsifier, find most use in shampoos, body washes and moisturizers (US Department of Health and Human Services).

Hydroxyethyl Urea: this ingredient is derived from the urine and other bodily fluids of animals.  Used as a humectant and skin conditioning.

Isopropyl Isostearate: the ester of isopropyl alcohol and isostearic acid, is used as a skin conditioning agent-emollient in cosmetic products.

Magnesium Aluminium Silicate: is a naturally occurring mineral derived from refined and purified clay that is used primarily as a thickener.  Although the molecules are too large to be absorbed into skin, there is always concern about the use of aluminum.

Methylparaben: is a chemical preservative used as a fungicide in skin care products that is readily absorbed through the skin. There is controversy over the safety of this ingredient.

Petrolatum: another term for petroleum jelly. Petrolatum is mineral oil jelly (i.e. petroleum jelly). It is used as a barrier to lock moisture in the skin in a variety of moisturizers and also in hair care products to make your hair shine.

  • A petroleum product, petrolatum can be contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Studies suggest that exposure to PAHs — including skin contact over extended periods of time — is associated with cancer. On this basis, the European Union classifies petrolatum a carcinogen ii and restricts its use in cosmetics. PAHs in petrolatum can also cause skin irritation and allergies.
  • In the European Union, petrolatum can only be used in cosmetics “if the full refining history is known and it can be shown that the substance from which it is produced is not a carcinogen.” There is no parallel restriction in Canada. Petrolatum has been flagged for future assessment under the government’s Chemicals Management Plan.
  • Mineral oil and petroleum distillates are related petroleum by-products used in cosmetics. Like petrolatum, these ingredients may be contaminated with PAHs.

Phenoxyethanol: is a glycol ether that has a commercial, laboratory-produced synthetic counterpart. In its pure chemical form, it is a colorless liquid with a pleasant odor, commonly used in perfumes and cosmetics. Other uses for phenoxyethanol are insect repellents, antiseptics, solvents, anesthetics, soaps, cellulose acetate solvents, dyes, stamp pads, ballpoints, inks, and preservatives used for human specimen dissection.

  • Phenoxyethanol has antimicrobial, antibacterial, and germicidal properties, and is used for preserving pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and lubricants. While it may have those benefits, it also has toxicologic properties when inhaled, ingested, or contacted on the skin in large, or concentrated amounts.
  • Severe eye and skin irritation and damage, including eczema, hives.
  • Lung irritation, hypotension, ventricular dysrhythmias.
  • Brain cell damage, central nervous system (CNS) depression which includes decreased breathing rate, decreased heart rate, loss of consciousness leading to coma or death due to inhibition of the brain’s activity.
  • Repeated, long-term exposure causes organ damage, including peritonitis, serositis, and renal injury.
  • Nipple cream used by lactating mothers can cause severe CNS problems and other digestive disorders in infants.
  • Exposure to small amounts of phenoxyethanol may cause dermal, ocular, and lung irritation.
  • Excessive and long-term exposure to phenoxyethanol can cause severe damage to internal organs.
  • Small amounts of the chemical compound can be largely found in cosmetics and should be avoided according to the European Commission on Cosmetic Ingredients (CosIng).
  • Phenoxyethanol is toxic to the kidneys, liver, and nervous system.

Propylparaben: used as an anti-fungal preservative, it occurs as a natural substance found in many plants, although it is manufactured synthetically for use in cosmetics.  Use of parabens is quite controversial.

Stearic Acid: is a saturated long-chain fatty acid with an 18-carbon backbone. Stearic acid is found in various animal and plant fats, and is a major component of cocoa butter and shea butter. Stearic acid, also called octadecanoic acid, is one of the useful types of saturated fatty acids that comes from many animal and vegetable fats and oils.

  • It is a waxy solid, and its chemical formula is CH3(CH2)16COOH. Its name comes from the Greek word stear, which means tallow. Its IUPAC name is octadecanoic acid. — Wikipedia.
  • Stearic acid is a white, waxy natural acid that can be found in animal and vegetable fats. It is used as an emulsifier and emollient.
  • Stearic acid can cause skin irritations with symptoms of severe itching, redness, and swelling, and rash-like symptoms similar to tiny red spots.
  • Stearic acid can also make the skin sensitive to substances and direct exposure to the sun.
  • Stearic acid cause hive-like spots in the skin which often lead to blisters that can damage the skin.
  • Stearic acid can be harmful to the environment, particularly the aquatic environment.
  • Stearic acid can be hazardous to the digestive, immune, integumentary, ocular, and respiratory systems.

Stearamide AMP: it is an organic compound derived from a reaction involving ethylenediamine and stearic acid.  It is used as a foam booster and viscosity increasing agent.  It is thought to be of low toxicity, however very little information was available.  

Triethanolamine:  also known as TEA, is a reactionary byproduct of two toxic substances: ethylene oxide and ammonia. Triethanolamine is used for several purposes in a variety of cosmetics and personal care items. Its main purpose is to balance the pH level of products, but it also helps to emulsify ingredients that usually do not blend well. This ensures they spread smoothly on skin and hair and prolongs shelf-life. Additionally, Triethanolamine is a sometimes a foaming agent and adds fragrance to products.

  • The problem then rests in the hands of the consumer, who may be absorbing small amounts Triethanolamine into their skin via many common products used daily. The accumulation of small doses of this toxic substance then becomes a large dose. Continual daily exposure over long periods of time may be extremely unhealthy.
  • Triethanolamine can cause skin, hair and eye irritation and inflammation on a short term and long-term basis. Its immediate effects include itchy, watery eyes, dry and brittle hair and itchy skin. Over time, Triethanolamine use can cause chemical damage to skin such as blisters, a hot, burning sensation, hives and flakiness.
  • In clinical trials done on animals, high doses of Triethanolamine caused liver, bladder and testicular cancer. Similar animal studies showed Triethanolamine can have negative effects on organs, even in low doses, especially when applied around the lips, mouth and eyes. Triethanolamine has also proven to be an immune system and respiratory toxicant, as well as a skin and full body allergen. It may cause genetic mutations in vitro as well.
  • Additionally, Triethanolamine can be carcinogenic when combined in products with N-nitrosating agents as these may react to form nitrosamines.

DRUGS.COM – Information on Topical Emollients

What is Vaseline Intensive Care?

Emollients are substances that moisten and soften your skin.

Topical (for the skin) emollients are used to treat or prevent dry skin. Vaseline Intensive Care are sometimes contained in products that also treat acne, chapped lips, diaper rash, cold sores, or other minor skin irritation.

Important Information

Follow all directions on your medicine label and package. Tell each of your healthcare providers about all your medical conditions, allergies, and all medicines you use.

Before taking this medicine

You should not use a topical emollient if you are allergic to it. Vaseline Intensive Care will not treat or prevent a skin infection.

Ask a doctor or pharmacist if it is safe for you to use Vaseline Intensive Care if you have: deep wounds or open sores; swelling, warmth, redness, oozing, or bleeding; large areas of skin irritation; any type of allergy; or if you are pregnant or breast-feeding.

How should I use Vaseline Intensive Care?

Use exactly as directed on the label, or as prescribed by your doctor. Do not use in larger or smaller amounts or for longer than recommended.

Clean the skin where you will apply the topical emollient. It may help to apply this product when your skin is wet or damp. Follow directions on the product label.

Apply a small amount of topical emollient to the affected area and rub in gently.

If you are using a stick, pad, or soap form of topical emollient, follow directions for use on the product label.

Do not use this product over large area of skin. Do not apply a topical emollient to a deep puncture wound or severe burn without medical advice.

If your skin appears white or gray and feels soggy, you may be applying too much topical emollient or using it too often.

Some forms of topical emollient may be flammable and should not be used near high heat or open flame, or applied while you are smoking.

Store as directed away from moisture, heat, and light. Keep the bottle, tube, or other container tightly closed when not in use.

What should I avoid while taking Vaseline Intensive Care?

Avoid getting Vaseline Intensive Care in your eyes, nose, or mouth. If this does happen, rinse with water.

Avoid exposure to sunlight or tanning beds. Some Vaseline Intensive Care can make your skin more sensitive to sunlight or UV rays.

Vaseline Intensive Care side effects

Get emergency medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficult breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.

Stop using the topical emollient and call your doctor if you have severe burning, stinging, redness, or irritation where the product was applied.

Further information

Remember, keep this and all other medicines out of the reach of children, never share your medicines with others, and use this medication only for the indication prescribed.

Always consult your healthcare provider to ensure the information displayed on this page applies to your personal circumstances.

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Low Back Pain

Low Back Pain: a common, painful condition affecting the lower portion of the spine. This is one of the most common musculoskeletal disorders that plagues the population and is said to be the second most common complaint doctors hear from patients.

What can cause lower back pain?

Most acute low back pain is mechanical in nature, meaning that there is a disruption in the way the components of the back (the spine, muscle, intervertebral discs, and nerves) fit together and move. Some examples of mechanical causes of low back pain include:

Congenital Differences:

  • Skeletal irregularities such as scoliosis (a curvature of the spine), lordosis (an abnormally exaggerated arch in the lower back), kyphosis (excessive outward arch of the spine), and other congenital anomalies of the spine.
  • Spina bifida which involves the incomplete development of the spinal cord and/or its protective covering and can cause problems involving malformation of vertebrae and abnormal sensations and even paralysis.

Injuries:

  • Sprains (overstretched or torn ligaments), strains (tears in tendons or muscle), and spasms (sudden contraction of a muscle or group of muscles)
  • Traumatic Injury such as from playing sports, car accidents, or a fall that can injure tendons, ligaments, or muscle causing the pain, as well as compress the spine and cause discs to rupture or herniate.

Degenerative Problems:

  • Intervertebral disc degeneration which occurs when the usually rubbery discs wear down as a normal process of aging and lose their cushioning ability.
  • Spondylosis the general degeneration of the spine associated with normal wear and tear that occurs in the joints, discs, and bones of the spine as people get older.
  • Arthritis or other inflammatory disease in the spine, including osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis as well as spondylitis, an inflammation of the vertebrae.

Nerve and spinal cord problems:

  • Spinal nerve compression, inflammation and/or injury
  • Sciatica (also called radiculopathy), caused by something pressing on the sciatic nerve that travels through the buttocks and extends down the back of the leg. People with sciatica may feel shock-like or burning low back pain combined with pain through the buttocks and down one leg.
  • Spinal stenosis, the narrowing of the spinal column that puts pressure on the spinal cord and nerves
  • Spondylolisthesis, which happens when a vertebra of the lower spine slips out of place, pinching the nerves exiting the spinal column
  • Herniated or ruptured discs can occur when the intervertebral discs become compressed and bulge outward
  • Osteoporosis (a progressive decrease in bone density and strength that can lead to painful fractures of the vertebrae)

Non-spine sources:

  • Kidney infection and stones can cause sharp pain in the lower back, usually on one side
  • Endometriosis (the buildup of uterine tissue in places outside the uterus)
  • Fibromyalgia (a chronic pain syndrome involving widespread muscle pain and fatigue)
  • Tumors that press on or destroy the bony spine or spinal cord and nerves or outside the spine elsewhere in the back
  • Pregnancy (back symptoms almost always completely go away after giving birth)

What are the symptoms of lower back pain?

  • Stiffness: It may be tough to move or straighten your back.
  • Posture problems: Many people with back pain find it hard to stand up straight.
  • Muscle spasms: After a strain, muscles in the lower back can spasm or contract uncontrollably.

Back pain can range in intensity from a dull, constant ache to a sudden, sharp or shooting pain. It can begin suddenly because of an accident or by lifting something heavy, or it can develop over time as we age. Getting too little exercise followed by a strenuous workout also can cause back pain.

There are two types of back pain:

  1. Acute, or short-term back pain lasts a few days to a few weeks. Most low back pain is acute. It tends to resolve on its own within a few days with self-care and there is no residual loss of function. In some cases a few months are required for the symptoms to disappear.
  2. Chronic back pain is defined as pain that continues for 12 weeks or longer, even after an initial injury or underlying cause of acute low back pain has been treated. About 20 percent of people affected by acute low back pain develop chronic low back pain with persistent symptoms at one year. Even if pain persists, it does not always mean there is a medically serious underlying cause or one that can be easily identified and treated. In some cases, treatment successfully relieves chronic low back pain, but in other cases pain continues despite medical and surgical treatment.

Alleviating Low Back Pain

In some instances, completely eradicating low back pain may not be feasible, so the focus should be on improving function and reducing pain. It is important to inform your client that pain reduction and improved function may not be immediate and may take several months to become evident.

Avoid the following movements so as not to exacerbate pain in the low back:

  • Rapid twisting, forward flexion or hyperextension
  • Unsupported forward flexion
  • Simultaneously lifting legs while lying prone or supine
  • Twisting at the waist with feet turned

In physical training:

  • Be aware of proper posture and alignment
  • learn how to adopt and maintain a neutral spine
  • learn to be aware of lumbar spine, abdominal bracing and glute activation
  • Monitor discomfort and regress or cease exercise, if necessary

Exercises to Strengthen the Core and Alleviate Back Pain

Start with one set and increase to two to three sets as tolerated and as function improves the recommended range for muscular endurance is 12-16 reps depending on your fitness level and low back pain. Start with fewer repetitions when inexperienced until you can work up to the muscular endurance repetition range.

  1. Wall Roll: Improves torsional control and encourages abdominal bracing through co-contraction. Assume plank position with both elbows planted on a wall. Abdominals are braced. While on the balls of the feet, pivot, pulling one elbow off the wall. Avoid any motion at the spine while the movement occurs. Work up to approximately 10 repetitions.
  2. Clamshell Exercise: Retrains the gluteals, which is important for improving back health. Lie on the side, and anchor the thumb on the anterior superior iliac spine. Reach around with the fingertips and position them to land on the gluteus medius. Keeping the heels together, open the knees like a clamshell. The position of the fingertips on the gluteus medius should allow the client to feel glute activation.
  3. Side Bridge: Targets lateral muscles, which are important for optimum spinal stability. On the side of the body, place elbows under the shoulder. Elevate hips and knees off the ground. Perform regression with knees on the ground if this is too much for your client. Hold for 20 seconds
  4. Bird Dog: Safely and effectively develops spinal extensors. Begin on all fours, hands under shoulders and knees under hips. Extend opposite arm and leg (hold position as tolerated by client). Work up to holding extended position for seven to eight seconds on each side.
  5. Glute Bridge: Improves core stability via glute activation. Lie supine, elevate hips off the ground. Activate glutes as hips are elevated. Hold for three to five seconds.
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The Pathology of Complaining

We’ve all had a day where nothing seems to go right and we just want to complain about it to someone. That moment you feel absolutely powerless about a situation and you feel the need to tell someone about it. Or when that one rude or unkind person hurts your feelings or ego and leaves you talking about it to others the rest of the day, and maybe even the next day. That feeling of anger, hatred, bitterness and wanting retribution builds and builds as you talk about and relive the situation.

We know we all do it, once in a while at least. Yet there are those who do it every day, all day. They usually have something new to complain about with every new activity that they participate in throughout the day. These are the ones that cannot find happiness or satisfaction out of anything in life. Even though they may be blessed with a home and a family, they still find it difficult to be happy, with anything.

When we complain we highlight and enhance the negative feelings we have and increase the negativity that surrounds us. The more power we give to negativity the more power it has over us. The more we are susceptible and exposed to negativity the more it affects our mental and, in turn, our physical health. In other words, negativity breeds negativity. Negativity causes injury.

Now I can’t say why this happens more with some people than others. Everyone reacts completely differently and handles situations using the experience and knowledge they have. In my day to day communication with people I have found a correlation to childhood abuse (physical or mental) or negligence in those who complain or talk negatively more often. They experienced negative beginnings in life and do not know how to escape those cycles of thoughts and feelings. It happens more than anyone really knows.

What does this do to the mind and body over time?

Here are some great articles about it.

How Complaining Rewires Your Brain for Negativity

By Dr. Travis Bradberry

Research shows that most people complain once a minute during a typical conversation. Complaining is tempting because it feels good, but like many other things that are enjoyable—such as smoking or eating a pound of bacon for breakfast—complaining isn’t good for you. When you repeat a behavior, such as complaining, your neurons branch out to each other to ease the flow of information. This makes it much easier to repeat that behavior in the future—so easy, in fact, that you might not even realize you’re doing it. Repeated complaining rewires your brain to make future complaining more likely. Over time, you find it’s easier to be negative than to be positive, regardless of what’s happening around you. Complaining becomes your default behavior, which changes how people perceive you.

Complaining Is Also Bad for Your Health

While it’s not an exaggeration to say that complaining leads to brain damage, it doesn’t stop there. When you complain, your body releases the stress hormone cortisol. Cortisol shifts you into fight-or-flight mode, directing oxygen, blood, and energy away from everything but the systems that are essential to immediate survival. One effect of cortisol, for example, is to raise your blood pressure and blood sugar so that you’ll be prepared to either escape or defend yourself. All the extra cortisol released by frequent complaining impairs your immune system and makes you more susceptible to high cholesterol, diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. It even makes the brain more vulnerable to strokes.

The Solution to Complaining

There are two things you can do when you feel the need to complain. One is to cultivate an attitude of gratitude. That is, when you feel like complaining, shift your attention to something that you’re grateful for. Taking time to contemplate what you’re grateful for isn’t merely the right thing to do; it reduces the stress hormone cortisol by 23%. Research conducted at the University of California, Davis, found that people who worked daily to cultivate an attitude of gratitude experienced improved mood and energy and substantially less anxiety due to lower cortisol levels. Any time you experience negative or pessimistic thoughts, use this as a cue to shift gears and to think about something positive. In time, a positive attitude will become a way of life.

Does Complaining Damage Our Mental Health?: How the way we complain impacts our mental health.

By Guy Winch, PhD. Posted Jan 19, 2012  https://www.psychologytoday.com/experts/guy-winch-phd

So Many Complaints, So Few Results

We complain today more than ever before in history but few of our complaints get us the results we want. Instead we usually find ourselves repeating the same tale of woe or dissatisfaction to one person after the other in an effort to rid ourselves of our frustration. Of course, even if the person is compassionate enough to validate our emotions we typically find ourselves reliving the aggravation every time we tell the tale. The problem is that today we associate the act of complaining with venting far more than we do with problem solving. As a result, we complain simply to get things off our chest, not to resolve problems or to create change, rendering the vast majority of our complaints completely ineffective. Even when we do address our complaints to the people who can do something about them, we tend to be unsuccessful far more often than not.

How Complaining Ineffectively Harms Our Mental Health

When we have so many dissatisfactions and frustrations, yet believe we’re powerless to do much about them or to get the results we want, we are left feeling helpless, hopeless, victimized, and bad about ourselves. Obviously, one such incident won’t harm our mental health, but we have so many complaints, this scenario happens many times a day. This accumulation of frustration and helplessness can add up over time and impact our mood, our self-esteem, and even our general mental health.

How Complaining Effectively Benefits Our Mental Health

Think back to when you called a customer service hotline and were successful in resolving the matter, or when you voiced a complaint to your spouse and they responded with an apology and a promise to make better efforts in the future. Do you recall how pleased you were with yourself? How happy that made you in that moment? How empowered you felt? Just as ineffective complaining can damage our mental health, complaining effectively and getting results can be incredibly empowering and it can affect our mood and self-esteem for the better. The next time you call a friend to vent about something that frustrated you, ask yourself if it is something you would like to change. If so, consider skipping the whining and taking positive action to complain effectively and get a result. You’ll be doing something positive for your mental health as well.

As you see, even Doctors know complaining has a direct mental and thus, of course, physical effect on the body. Chronic complaining and negativity leads to mental illness, including depression, and toxin retention that leads to heart disease, diabetes, obesity, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure. Negativity affects the entire body, not just the mind.

Where are toxins stored, you ask? In body fat, as you store toxins in the fat layer and the fat cells fill up the body has to make more room to store more toxins. So the body adds fat tissue to increase its toxin carrying capacity. So, in other words, the more toxins you retain through negativity, the more body fat you will retain as well.

Having trouble losing weight? Stop and take a critical look at your thinking, communicating, and actions. The more negative they are the harder it will be to lose body fat.

Developing health problems like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, etc? Think about how you react to life and find more ways to be grateful. You won’t even notice the fat melting away as you find and develop your own personal happiness.

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Why DO We Need Sleep?

Sleep Architecture follows a pattern of alternating REM (rapid eye movement) and NREM (non-rapid eye movement) sleep throughout a typical night in a cycle that repeats itself about every 90 minutes. What role does each state and stage of sleep play?

NREM (75% of night): As we begin to fall asleep, we enter NREM sleep, which is composed of stages 1-4

N1 (formerly “stage 1”): Between being awake and falling asleep; Light sleep

N2 (formerly “stage 2”): Onset of sleep

  1. Becoming disengaged from surroundings
  2. Breathing and heart rate are regular
  3. Body temperature drops (so sleeping in a cool room is helpful)

N3 (formerly “stages 3 and 4”): Deepest and most restorative sleep

  1. Blood pressure drops
  2. Breathing becomes slower
  3. Muscles are relaxed
  4. Blood supply to muscles increases
  5. Tissue growth and repair occurs
  6. Energy is restored
  7. Hormones are released, such as: Growth hormone, essential for growth and development, including muscle development

REM (25% of night): First occurs about 90 minutes after falling asleep and recurs about every 90 minutes, getting longer later in the night

  1. Provides energy to brain and body
  2. Supports daytime performance
  3. Brain is active and dreams occur
  4. Eyes dart back and forth
  5. Body becomes immobile and relaxed, as muscles are turned off

Benefits of Sleep: There are many benefits to getting a good night’s rest on a consistent basis. These are just a few reasons why you need to make sleep a top priority in your life: 

  • Improves learning and memory. 
  • Sleep helps the brain commit new information to memory.
  • Positive impacts on metabolism/weight.
  • Increases safety and performance. 
  • Strengthens immune system 
  • Reduces stress.
  • Reduces your risk for injury
  • Better mood. 

Sleep and Wellness

  • Getting enough and good quality sleep is essential to maintaining wellness in its entirety.
  • Adequate sleep benefits every single system and/or process occurring within the body.
  • Inadequate sleep has a wide range of detrimental effects on the health and wellbeing of the entire individual.
  • Everyone is different, so sleep schedules and lengths of sleep vary greatly from person to person.
  • The first step to attaining wellness overall is to ensure that the body and mind both get adequate and high quality rest and relaxation.

What happens if we don’t get enough sleep? Just to name a few.

  1. Trouble with thinking and concentration.
  2. Forgetfulness and loss of short term memory.
  3. Difficulty making decisions, poor choices.
  4. Mood changes and mood swings.
  5. Impulsive thoughts and actions.
  6. Accidents occurring with lack of concentration and inability to think clearly.
  7. Immune system dysfunction/malfunction.
  8. High Blood Pressure
  9. High Cholesterol
  10. Difficulty focusing or seeing for long periods.
  11. Increased risk of Heart Disease and atherosclerosis.
  12. Increased appetite and decreased metabolism.
  13. Weight gain.
  14. Diabetes.
  15. Hormonal imbalances.
  16. Low libido.
  17. Poor balance.
  18. Poor coordination and motor skills.
  19. Graying of skin and hair.
  20. Decreased collagen and increased wrinkling of skin.
  21. Poor wound healing.
  22. Development of arthritis.

A review of 16 studies found that sleeping for less than 6 to 8 hours a night increases the risk of early death by about 12 percent. (http://www.healthline.com/health/sleep-deprivation/effects-on-body). The obvious signs of sleep deprivation are:

  • excessive sleepiness
  • yawning
  • irritability
  • daytime fatigue

Sleep Deprivation: is the condition of not having enough sleep; it can be either chronic or acute. A chronic sleep-restricted state can cause fatigue, daytime sleepiness, clumsiness and weight loss or weight gain. It adversely affects the brain and cognitive function. It can also:

  • prevent your immune system from building up its forces. If you don’t get enough sleep, your body may not be able to fend off invaders. It may also take you longer to recover from illness. Long-term sleep deprivation also increases your risk for chronic illnesses like diabetes and heart disease.
  • negatively affect your mental abilities and emotional state. You may feel more impatient or prone to mood swings. It can also compromise decision-making processes and creativity.
  • prompt your body to release higher levels of insulin after you eat. Insulin controls your blood sugar level. Higher insulin levels promote fat storage and increase your risk for type 2 diabetes.
  • affect growth hormone production, especially in children and adolescents. These hormones help build muscle mass and repair cells and tissues. The pituitary gland releases growth hormones continuously, but sleep and exercise also help induce the release of this hormone.
  • make you experience microsleep in the day. During these episodes, you’ll fall asleep for a few seconds or minutes without realizing it. Microsleep is out of your control and can be extremely dangerous if you’re driving. It can also make you more prone to injury due to trips and falls.

If sleep deprivation continues long enough, you could start having hallucinations—seeing or hearing things that aren’t there. A lack of sleep can also trigger mania in people who have manic depression. Other psychological risks include:

  • impulsive behavior
  • depression
  • paranoia
  • suicidal thoughts
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What Are Chakras?

When we hear the word Chakra, we may think of esoteric things, when it is an ancient word that simply names points in our body where the central nervous system connects with the peripheral nervous system. Each of these points circulates and disperses the electrical energy that flows through our nervous systems and out to our bodies. This electrical energy is what keeps our cells functioning, our mind thinking, and our body working.

Yes, I said electrical. Very low-level electromagnetic energy that is created, stored, and utilized throughout the body. Many people believe this electrical energy to be the soul, life force or spirit. This electromagnetic energy is technically carried along nerve fibers with the help of charged ions (sodium, potassium, chloride, and calcium) that use positive and negative electrical charges to push/pull electrical signals along the nerve fiber.

The nerve fiber is more conductive using the myelin sheath. Myelin is a layered material composed of phospholipid, cholesterol and protein that winds around nerve cell axons. Myelin insulates nerve impulses from neighboring nerve fibers, and it increases the speed of impulses through nerve axons.

Each chakra is located along the spine and brain where large bundles of nerves exit the spinal cord and innervate the body. These junctions or nerve bundles circulate or spiral the energy from the bundle out towards the body as a type of active transport using the myelin sheath. These are considered energy centers, there are seven main centers, five along the spine and two in and on the brain.

When our nerves are nourished and healthy the electrical impulses travel easily from brain to body and back again. When they are unhealthy, inflamed or malnourished, the electrical impulses are impeded, and dysfunction occurs within the corresponding area of the body. Meaning our chakra is blocked and we should take steps to get the energy flowing again.

Opening and promoting chakra flow is as simple as eating nutritious food most of the time, exercising regularly, meditating often (chakra meditations for example) and practicing self-care every week. If you’ve developed an ailment or disease try these simple things first and you will see a drastic reduction in or complete reversal of your illness or disease.

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