Category Archives: MSM

Anti-ageing, Green Magma, MSM, OREA

Living life the natural way: anti-ageing diet and supplement solutions

Here’s the bad news: there’s no fountain of youth and, equally, there’s no silver bullet for ageing. As time goes on, we all get older and we all physically age – it’s an inevitable, irreversible fact of life. However, the way you live your life can help minimize the effects of the ageing process as much as is possible. How you live your life – exercising regularly, adopting a good diet and possibly taking the right supplements – can keep your body as fighting fit as it can be while the years pass. To that end then, if you want to call this ‘anti-ageing’, there are things you can do to put it into action.

To start with, your approach should be one of psychology; of perspective. Don’t look on your body as an ageing mass of organs and limbs held together by ever more sagging skin; instead love your body, as the saying goes. Look on it as the well-oiled, incredible machine it is. Many people think of their homes or their cars as their pride of joy; they want them to look as impressive and pleasant and operate as effectively as possible. Why shouldn’t you do the same when it comes to your own body?

An Anti-Ageing Diet

So what does this all mean when it comes to diet? Simple: good nutrition. A person a few years older than someone else is likely to possess a digestion system that’s not quite as efficient. But often this is as much down to diet and lifestyle as to age; too many years of not eating as healthily as you might and not getting all the vitamins, minerals and nutrients possible – and, yes, not getting as much physical activity as you can; no doubt not as much as your youngers self.

But the good news is that exercising more and making positive changes to your diet go hand-in-hand. The more active you are the hungrier you’ll be and the bigger your appetite, while the better you eat the more energetic and positive you’ll feel and, thus, the more up for getting outside and exercising regularly you’ll doubtless become.

As you may have expected, high-quality, organic fruits and vegetables are the way forward, along with healthy proteins and fats, a number of dairy products, whole grain foods and often less salt1.

More specifically, here are some great food ideas for introducing more nutrition to your diet:

  •  Blueberries – truly tasty and packed full of Vitamins C and E, which are antioxidants to combat the likes of harmful free radicals
  •  Broccoli – once declared the healthiest food of all (however that’s actually measured, of course), this vegetable’s chock-full of vitamins, antioxidants and fibre
  •  Fatty fish – we’re talking the likes of sardines, salmon and mackerel here, all of which are high in Omega-3 fatty acids, which are excellent for helping to stave off the threat of heart disease and stroke
  •  Fibre – it’s important to get enough fibre generally from your diet to lower blood pressure, inflammation and cholesterol and reduce the risk of diabetes, as well as ease constipation; that means, in addition to vegetables, throwing into the mix foods like whole grains, bran-based cereals and brown or wholegrain rice
  •  Nuts – also packed with fibre, as well as protein, healthy Omega-3 fatty acids and unsaturated fats, nuts make for very heart-healthy food
  •  Olive oil – research from as recent as 2013 suggests that those who regularly consume extra virgin olive oil may see a major reduction in ‘bad’ cholesterol (LDL), while their health-enhancing ‘good’ cholesterol (HDL) levels may rise
  •  Tomatoes – blessed with lycopene (the phytochemical that makes them red), adding to your diet enough tomatoes may help to prevent the development of both prostate and lung cancer; cooking or mashing your tomatoes may even release more lycopene, experts believe
  •  Yogurt – often a good source of calcium, yoghurt is a food whose contents help to reduce bone-loss as you age; if it’s fortified in Vitamin D, then all the better.

Finally, don’t overlook the incredible health benefits – and, thus, importance to anti-ageing – of water. It may not seem that exciting or exotic, but water remains the most important thing we can put in our bodies (so long as it’s pure and filtered), basically because our bodies are so reliant on it; up to 60% of the human body’s actually made up of water. For instance, drinking more water than you usually do may result in some simple but stark, positive benefits; such as feeling less fatigued, suffering fewer headaches, being able to concentrate for longer and feeling less constipated1. Why? Because these things are all symptoms of dehydration – so stay hydrated, whatever your age!

Anti-Ageing Supplements

As has been hopefully made clear, altering your diet and undertaking decent, regular exercise can work wonders when it comes to staving off the full effects of physical ageing (and the ailments that come with it). Yet, for some, doing these two things isn’t as easy as for others; plus, other people may wish to go the extra mile. In both cases, taking the supplementation route for anti-ageing’s highly advised. The following natural supplements – and many more – can be bought through The Finchley Clinic:

Green Magma 312gGreen Magma (Barley Grass Powder) – a ‘green food’ alkalising powder, this product comprises more than 20 enzymes, as well as a whole host of vitamins, minerals and amino acids, ensuring it aids digestion and detoxification.

 

MSM 500MSM – methylsolfonylmethane (MSM) is believed to help skin, hair and nail growth, enhance connective tissues and joint function, improve enzyme activity, maintain hormone balance and keep the immune system functioning effectively.

 

ZNatural 60mlORËÁ (formerly ZNatural) – taken daily, this supplement can successfully detoxify and cleanse the body, permeating the kidneys and other organs, blood, glands and cellular tissue and supporting the body’s own natural immune defence and disease resistance systems.

 

Reference:

1. Donovan J. ‘Best Foods for Your Anti-Ageing Diet’. Webmd.com. http://www.webmd.com/healthy-aging/guide/anti-aging-diet#1. Last reviewed: 24 Aug 2016.

MSM, Parfait Visage, Skin care, Women’s health

Look good and be healthy: why you should use organic skincare products

No question, going organic is firmly established as an approach to maintaining a good, balanced diet. The organic route to eating more healthily and more environmentally responsibly is scientifically proven and thus followed by millions around the world. However many are now increasingly going the organic route when it comes to something else – what they put on their bodies; that is, skincare and cosmetic products. Why? After all, it’s not like we’re putting ingredients of non-organic skin products inside us, is it? Well, actually; yes it is.

Skin absorption

You may not be aware of it, but your skin is one of your body’s organs – its biggest, in fact. And, like all other organs, it absorbs a great many things, such as the nutrients we need as well as unfortunately the harmful toxins we definitely don’t. The problem is then, in applying different skincare and cosmetic products to yourself all the time, you’re potentially forcing your skin to absorb even more toxins than it ordinarily would do so. Unless you can be sure the products you’re applying to your skin don’t contain toxins, of course.

Yet, naturally, many of us can’t be sure of that – or don’t check. Indeed, a good number of the established products many women apply to their skin contain phthalates (salts or esters derived from phthalatic acid) or parabens (preservatives) that disrupt the endocrine system (which oversees the creation, development and deployment of the body’s hormones)1. Unsurprisingly, studies suggest the more such products you use on your body, the higher the concentration of toxicity from them manages to make its way through the skin and into the body – plus, research also points to these toxins causing reproductive problems and increasing the levels of cancer risk2.

Go organic

The advantage of adopting an organic-derived skincare and cosmetic routine is pretty obvious then. You won’t be unnecessarily exposing your body to any of those unnatural, dangerous preservatives and other toxins that non-organic products harbour. Moreover, experts believe that, in relying on natural ingredients to make your face and skin look good, you might even help treat potential hyperpigmentation (patchy darkening of the skin) and inflammation, as well as photoaging (sun damage to the skin that reveals itself over time)3, 4.

Fundamentally, skincare products should surely not just ensure you look good on the outside but definitely not harm you on the inside – and if they can aid you living healthily and looking after your body too, then all the better. These are three pointers that you might try to follow when looking to buy cosmetics and skincare products:

  • Avoid ingredients such as potentially harmful chemicals, irritants or preservatives
  • Opt for on-allergenic, carefully formulated products containing natural, organic ingredients
  • Always try to buy items free of non-genetically modified organisms (GMOs) that haven’t been tested on animals.

Organic product examples

So, armed as you now are with the information, why not try out one or two organic skincare products – the following are all available through The Finchley Clinic:

msm-lotion-rose

MSM Lotion Rose (150ml) – a fine lotion for the hands, body and face containing methylsulfonylmethane (MSM), the organic sulphur compound that’s the fourth most prevalent mineral in the human body, and fragranced with rose geranium and palmarosa oils, rose extract, aloe vera and shea butter; ideal for dry and ‘problem’ skin

aqua-spirit

Aquaspirit (previously Oxy-Skin) (4floz) – thanks to its circulation-stimulating properties, bio-available oxygen and aromatherapuetic nutrients, this product oxygenates the blood in the face and skin, energising the cells and promoting healthier, more radiant skin

parfait-visage

Parfait Visage (1.7floz) – a 100% organic product that, owing to its ingredients including vegetable palm stearic acid, sweet almond oil, whole leaf aloe vera, hemp seed oil, MSM and essential oils, penetrates and moisturises seven-layers-deep in the skin, enhances new cell growth and stimulates new healthy tissue.

References

  1. Dodson R. E., Nishioka M., Standley L. J., Perovich L. J., Brody J. G. and Rudel R. A. ‘Endocrine Disruptors and Asthma-Associated Chemicals in Consumer Products’. Environmental Health Perspectives. 2012 Jul; 120 (7): 935–943. doi: 10.1289/ehp.1104052.
  2. Braun J. M., Just A. C., Williams P. L., Smith K. W., Calafat A. M. and Hauser R. ‘Personal care product use and urinary phthalate metabolite and paraben concentrations during pregnancy among women from a fertility clinic’. Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology. (2014)24.459–466
  3. Fowler J. F., Woolery-Lloyd H., Waldorf H. and Saini R. ‘Innovations in natural ingredients and their use in skin care’. Journal of Drugs in Dermatology.2010 Jun; 9 (6 Suppl): S72-81; quiz s82-3.
  4. Bowe W. P. and Pugliese S. ‘Cosmetic benefits of natural ingredients’. Journal of Drugs in Dermatology. 2014 Sep; 13 (9): 1021-5; quiz 26-7.
Arthritis, MSM, Osteoplex

Dealing with arthritis conditions – it’s not just drugs and surgery

For many of us, getting old and our joints becoming painful and affecting our mobility is just a part of ageing. We hope we won’t get arthritis but accept we may, so it’ll simply be what happens when we reach an advanced age.

Today, arthritis is the most common cause of disability in the United States, with more than 20 million afflicted people experiencing severe limitations in their daily lives1. Staggeringly, it accounts each year for almost one million hospitalisations and nearly 45 million outpatient visits2 – and it’s been estimated the financial cost of arthritis is close to $100 billion, almost half of which is in loss of earnings.

But is all this inevitable? Well, there are actually several different forms of arthritis, thus the causes are complex. But, equally, that means nobody afflicted by arthritis should give in to the disease – as there also various forms of treatments available with the potential to greatly improve sufferers’ quality of life.

Osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis

The two most often-suffered forms of the condition are osteoarthritis (or non-inflammatory arthritis) and rheumatoid arthritis (or inflammatory arthritis). The most common form of all is the former. Potentially affecting hands, wrists, feet, the back, hips and knees of sufferers, it afflicts more than three in every 10 women by the time they reach 65 years of age. And it can be caused, in part, by obesity and sedentary lifestyles, as well as previous joint trauma.

For its part, rheumatoid arthritis sees the body’s immune system attack its own tissues – not least joints in the fingers, wrists elbows and knees (potentially leading to deformity if left untreated). But why does the immune system do this? It could well be because a sufferer lacks certain minerals in their body (e.g. potassium, calcium and magnesium). Indeed, if you’re not getting enough – of the right form of – calcium in your diet (irrespective of whether you drink milk or not), your body won’t produce enough synovial fluid, which is what lubricates the joints. And, without effective lubrication, the bones in joints will rub against each other and result in cartilage decay and an inflammation response.

Moreover, if somebody’s suffering from arthritis it also means they’ll have too many toxins in their body and, owing to the onset of the condition, it’s likely one of the places that the body chooses to dump these toxins will be the joints – these toxins that will cover and coat chronosytes, the cells that produce synovial fluid, hence the fluid won’t effectively be produced doubly over. Plus, of course, it’s these toxins that the immune system is aiming for when it attacks the body’s tissues and, here in particular, the joints.

Treatment

1. Medication

For rheumatoid arthritis, a likely form of treatment is biological medication, which will doubtless involve injections; however, the most common medical treatment comprises ‘disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs’ (DMARDs). Taken as tablets, they look to ease symptoms and slow down the progress of the disease. They work by blocking the effectiveness of the immune system’s chemicals when they attack the body’s joints. Typical DMARDs include methotrexate, hydroxychloroquine, leflunomide and sulfasalazine.

2. Surgery

To reduce pain or correct deformities, surgery is an option that’s sometimes turned to, for example:

  • carpal tunnel release – to treat abnormal bending or remove inflamed tissue lining the finger joints by cutting a ligament so pressure on a nerve is relieved or finger tendons released
  • arthroscopy – to remove inflamed joint tissue via the insertion of a thin tube with a light source into the joint and then removing the damaged tissue using special surgical instruments inserted through other small cuts in the skin
  • arthroplasty – to replace parts of or all of a joint (i.e. hip, knee or shoulder) for someone with advanced rheumatoid arthritis; the latest replacement joints tend to have a lifespan of 10-20 years.

3. Physiotherapy

This form of treatment is well regarded for improving fitness and muscle strength and the flexibility of joints among arthritis sufferers. Physiotherapy may also provide effective pain relief via heat packs or ice packs or via transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), which sees a small electrical pulse applied to an affected joint to numb the nerve endings.

4. Complementary therapy

Many people with rheumatoid arthritis try complementary therapies – such as massage, acupuncture, osteopathy and chiropractic therapy – for short-term relief from symptoms.

5. Supplements

Finally, for those suffering from the effects of arthritis, boosting the body’s mineral content through specific arthritis supplements could also be highly beneficial. All the following supplements are available through The Finchley Clinic and come highly recommended for arthritis sufferers:

MSM-90-tabletsMSM (methyl sulphonyl methane) aids in cartilage formation and collagen generation, helping to maintain joint and muscle health, while it may also assist liver detoxification in the body and aid immunity; available in tablet form (1,000mg – 90 tablets, 180 tablets, 250 tablets and 500 tablets), as a warming balm and in powder form (200g, 454g and 900g)

 

 

OsteoplexOsteoplex (90 capsules) contains nutrients that help strengthen the skeletal system, bone health and the function of nerves and muscles, including magnesium, boron, Vitamins D and K, beta carotene and calcium citrate

 

 

NutracoolNutracool is an all-natural rub-in formula that provides soothing relief from strained muscles and joint and knee tenderness.

 

 

References:

1 CDC.gov. 2016. Arthritis. At A Glance Reports. Publications. Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. CDC. http://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/resources/publications/aag/arthritis.htm.

2 Yelin, E., Cisternas, M., Pasta, D., Trupin, L. “Direct and Indirect Costs of Musculoskeletal Conditions in 1997: Total and Incremental Estimates Revised Final Report” (July, 2003).