Health Matters February 2015

HEALTHMATTERS

HEALTHMATTERS

FEBRUARY 26 - MARCH 4, 2015

Natural

Skincare

The secret to healthy, glowing skin?

It’s not in your makeup bag. It’s in your diet.

By Rykesha Hudson

H

ealthy skin starts from the within.

Many people turn to topical treatments for problem skin – chemical laden makeup, cleansers, toners, scrubs and moisturisers - but they offer only temporary relief to skin problems. Whether you are battling with dry skin in winter, sensitive skin in summer or acne prone skin, maintaining a healthy diet is key to your skin’s health.

If bodies are not fed with the right nutrients these problems will continue to plague us. Superfoods, vitamins and supplements are packed with nutrients and are a great way to nourish the skin from the inside out.

ALMONDS

Almonds are seeds (not nuts) stuffed with vitamin E, which works like a super sun blocker.

Vitamin E acts as an antioxidant that helps to protect skin cells from UV light and other environmental factors that generate cell-damaging free radicals.

SAFFLOWER OIL

The omega-6 fatty acids found in safflower oil can be the ultimate moisturiser for dry, flaky, itchy skin. It keeps cell walls supple, allowing water to better penetrate the skin. Scientists have found that this oil may help people who suffer from severe conditions like eczema.

GRAPEFRUIT

Grapefruit contains vitamin C, an antioxidant that protects the skin from free radical damage. It also has lycopene that helps keep skin smooth. The potassium in the fruit can prevent wrinkles and age spots, and the amino acids makes skin more firm and soft.

GREEN TEA

When it’s hot, the tea releases catechins, a type of antioxidant with proven anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties.

CARROTS

Carrots are loaded with vitamin A and other antioxidants that can keep skin healthy, vibrant and glowing. They can also prevent signs of aging like wrinkles, pigmentation and an uneven skin tone. Plus, carrots contain the carotenoids beta-carotene and lycopene that help protect skin against UV damage. Being rich in potassium, they also help solve the problem of dry skin.

BERRIES

Bursting with flavour and colour, raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, cranberries, and blackberries are packed with cancer-fighting,

disease-preventing antioxidants in high concentrations. They help replenish the skin’s natural antioxidant defenses, while mopping up dangerous free radicals produced by ultraviolet radiation’s assault on skin.

FLAXSEEDS

These tiny seeds contain omega-3 fatty acids, which erase spots and iron out fine lines. The fats are believed to stifle the body’s response to irritation and attract water to skin cells to plump up the skin and reduce wrinkles.

DARK CHOCOLATE

Once upon a time, people believed that chocolate caused adolescent acne. This myth has since been expelled after it was found that flavonols, the antioxidants in dark chocolate, reduce roughness in the skin and protect against sun damage.

SALMON

Fish is an excellent source of lean protein. Coldwater fish species like tuna, swordfish, or salmon are superb sources of natural omega-3 fatty acids. These essential nutrients work to quell inflammation and promote a healthy immune system.

BRAZIL NUTS

Nuts may be high in fats, but they’re the good fats: polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fat, which promote a healthy circulatory system.

Brazil nuts are a rich source of selenium, an essential mineral that’s crucial for proper immune system function. These rainforest nuts are also rich in skin-friendly antioxidants like vitamin E, and have been shown to improve skin’s circulation, yielding a healthier glow.

THEY SAY ‘it’s what’s on the inside that counts’, and when it comes to nurturing healthy skin, it couldn’t be more true.

PAGES 27-29

28 | THE VOICE FEBRUARY 26 - MARCH 4, 2015

HEALTHMATTERS

Chase the winter blues away with sunshine Jacqueline Asafu-Adjaye

SPONSORED FEATURES EDITOR

F

ollowing a long winter with shortened daylight hours, it’s hard to measure whether you are meeting the recommended daily amount of vitamin D that your body needs.

Sun exposure in moderation is the greatest natural source

of vitamin D – a nutrient crucial to overall health.

Sunlight triggers vitamin D production in the body, which is why it’s known as the sunshine vitamin.

Your skin pigment also can be a natural sunscreen. African Caribbean and Asian people

with dark skin, are at higher risk for vitamin D deficiency because the pigment melanin decreases their skin’s ability to produce vitamin D from the sun.

Someone with very dark skin needs up to 10 times the amount of sun exposure than someone with a very pale complexion to make the same amount of vitamin D. Approximately 40 to 60 percent of African Americans are

vitamin D deficient.

“I advise most patients to get around 15 minutes of sun exposure without sunscreen, three to four days a week,” Dr. Ballesteros said. “Patients at high risk for skin cancer should get their vitamin D through diet and supplements.”

HEALTH RISKS Being deficient in vitamin D can pose health risks. The nutrient helps the body absorb,

retain and use calcium – one of bone’s main building blocks, says Dr. Ballesteros. Without enough vitamin D, children may be at greater risk for rickets, a softening and weakening of the bones, and adults may be at greater risk for osteoporosis.

Vitamin D deficiency also has been associated with increased risk of autoimmune diseases, hypertension, infectious diseases, muscle weakness, cognitive impairment.

D IN YOUR DIET You can get some of the vitamin D you need from your diet.

The nutrient occurs naturally in a few foods, including salmon, mackerel, canned tuna, egg yolks, cheese, mushrooms and beef liver – and in fortified foods such as milk, yogurt, orange juice and breakfast cereals.

However, even the best dietary sources of vitamin D do not contain plentiful amounts of the nutrient, and many people according to medical research, do not eat enough of these foods.

OTHER RISK FACTORS Health studies list the following additional factors that increase your risk of vitamin D deficiency: • Medical problems, such as Crohn’s disease, cystic fibrosis, and celiac disease affect your intestine’s ability to absorb vitamin D from the food you eat.

• Being overweight or obese affects the level of vitamin D in your blood because the nutrient is fat soluble, which means it gets diluted.

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•Advancing age affects your kidneys’ ability to convert vitamin D to its active form and your skin’s ability to make vitamin D. What should you watch for if you’re concerned about your vitamin D level?

Although most people do not have symptoms, those who do, experience bone pain, muscle weakness and joint stiffness as the most common signs of vitamin D deficiency.

Some people also get “the blues.” However, these symptoms often are subtle and can be misdiagnosed as fibromyalgia, dysthymia, degenerative joint disease, arthritis, chronic fatigue syndrome and other diseases, according to a study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

“Patients at high risk for skin cancer should get their vitamin D through diet and supplements.”

A SIMPLE BLOOD TEST CAN ACCURATELY MEASURE YOUR VITAMIN D LEVEL. “I include a vitamin D screening as part of a patient’s annual physical,” Dr. Ballesteros said. “About 70 percent of my patients have a deficiency.”

TAKE ACTION If you’re concerned you’re not getting enough vitamin D through diet and sunlight, talk to your doctor about taking a vitamin D supplement.

The Institutes of Medicine recommends most children and adults under age 70 get at least 600 International Units (IU) of vitamin D daily, and those over 70 should aim for at least 800 IUs. Dr. Ballesteros and many doctors believe that people need nearly double this amount for maximum benefit.

“It’s also important that people are consistent. You should not stop taking the supplement when your vitamin D level rises,” Dr. Ballesteros added.

“Supplementation must continue for the proper level to be maintained.”

CONTINUED ON PAGE 29

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FEBRUARY 26 - MARCH 4, 2015, THE VOICE | 29

Top up on Vitamin D

ARY 22 - 28, 2015

GROUPS OF THE UK POPULATION AT RISK OF NOT GETTING ENOUGH VITAMIN D ARE: All pregnant and breastfeeding women babies and young children under the age of five Older people aged 65 years and over people who are not exposed to much sun, such as people who cover up their skin when outdoors, or those who are housebound or confined indoors for long periods People who have darker skin such as people of African, African-Caribbean and South Asian origin.

What does the Department of Health recommend?

THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH RECOMMENDS: A l pregnant and breastfeeding women should take a daily supplement containing 10 micrograms (0.01mg) of vitamin D to ensure the mother’s requirements for vitamin D are met and to build adequate foetal stores for early infancy All babies and young children aged six months to five years should take a daily supplement containing vitamin D in the form of vitamin drops to help them meet the requirement set for this age group of 7-8.5 micrograms (0.0070.0085mg) of vitamin D a day.

Babies fed infant formula will not need vitamin drops until they are receiving less than 500ml (about a pint) of infant formula a day, as these products are fortified with vitamin D Breastfed infants may need to receive drops containing vitamin D from one month of age if their mother has not taken vitamin D supplements throughout pregnancy.

People aged 65 years and over and people not exposed to much sun should also take a daily supplement containing 10 micrograms (0.01mg) of vitamin D. You can buy single vitamin D supplements or vitamin drops containing vitamin D (for use by under-fives) at most pharmacies and supermarkets.

Women and children who qualify for and already participate in Healthy Start can get free supplements containing vitamin D.

“Fountain”

Sharing Jamaica’s gift’s to the world!

O

n a 2008 trip to Jamaica, London-born Sandra Gustard discovered the healing properties of the hot mineral springs and the Pimento. After applying the oil to her body (she had a pinched nerve and herniated disc) the pain went away and she came back to New York with the idea to blend and bottle “Fountain Pimento Oil” for sufferers of arthritis, joint pains, herniated discs, sunburns, dry skin, swollen limbs and numerous other painful disorders.

“Fountain Pimento Oil is an excellent, all around product,” said Lady English, the formula’s creator and lead crusader.

She not only considers it a miracle, but “a complete medicine cabinet in a bottle.”

AWARENESS I think everyone should have a bottle in their home, just as you would a bottle of Bay

CLASSIFIED Rum!, Jamaica’s best kept secret” as she coins it is a blend of lots of Jamaican leaves including pimento, nutmeg and fever grass with Jamaican Black Castor Oil. “When I first brought it out I would give free massages at Nursing homes and churches, as I knew that the Pensioners would benefit from it the most!

Now through word of mouth, and promotion, we have customers all over the world, I really mean all over Dubai, Australia and throughout Europe.

So several thousand customers later, I know that “Fountain Pimento Oil” has really made a difference to the way lots of us now manage our pain.”

Her goal is to raise awareness of the organic, chemical and preservative-free natural pain reliever, natural diuretic, and skin moisturizer. “We need to reduce our dependence on prescription or over-the-counter medications, as everything we need for survival, healing and healthy living has already been provided for us naturally,” she states.

TREAT A journalist in London from her teenage years, “Lady English” also hosts a weekly radio show in the New York Tri-state area called “The English Connection”, and is also the Entertainment Correspondent for “The Reggae Spin Show in St. Petersburg, FL. “I’m always in Jamaica covering the major music events, plus I have to get my leaves for the oils, we soak the leaves, not just add oils to oils” quips the jovial

mother of four girls The “Fountain” range of products has now grown to include a hair food (a blend of Jamaican black castor oil, jojoba oil and Jamaican peppermint leaves), bath salts and the latest offering “Fountain Mighty Roots” which is a hair root stimulator and rapid edge growth oil. “This oil will grow back those picky edges, or in lots of cases no edges”, she laughingly asserts. “All my ladies know how we treat our hair in the name of style sometimes, but when we remove that weave, it takes all of our sides and hair front with it – I can’t even lie, it’s happened to me, but it’s sorted now because of “Fountain”!

“Fountain” products are currently available in the UK at Maestro Records, 163 Rye Lane, Peckham, London SE15.

Wholesale enquiries please email: pimentooil@gmail.com or call (0207) 635-7299 or www.fountainoil.co.uk

“Jamaica’s Gifts to the World” FOUNTAIN PIMENTO OIL “for all your aches & pain” Fountain Jamaican Black Castor Oil Hair Food with peppermint “the food your hair’s been waiting on”!

Fountain Pimento & Mint Medley Bath Salts “gets to the core of your pain”

Fountain Jamaican Real Black Castor Oil “just like Mama used to mek” Mighty Roots “you owe it to your roots”

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BUY YOURS TODAY CALL: 020 7635 7299

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