Shirley looks good for her age with one exception: her lips are constantly flaking. The flaking and fine lines around her mouth make her face look older than her years.

She’s constantly rummaging around in her purse for her tube of lip balm, and can’t go anywhere without it. It doesn’t matter which brand she uses. She’s tried them all. Shirley has found over the years that most lip balms don’t moisturize much. In fact, her lips often feel drier after she uses them.

It also doesn’t matter whether or not the products she uses are considered to be natural, like the ones found in health food stores and high-end cosmetics counters. In fact, she’s found that some of the formulas advertised to soften and repair lips are among the worst. Let me give you a few reasons why many lip balms are not true moisturizers and should be avoided – and what you can use instead that looks and feels better.

Ingredients to avoid

A friend of mine recently lamented the disappearance of her favorite lip balm. “I liked it because it had menthol in it, and my lips always felt cool and moist,” she shared with me. “I used it all the time. I always had one or two tubes of this lip balm in my pocket or purse.” But this was a clue to her problem, not the solution.

If a lip balm feels cool and soothing, take a close look at its ingredients. Does it contain menthol, camphor, or phenol? They may make dry, burning lips feel cool initially, but they’re among the most drying ingredients you can find. Eventually, they’ll make your lips feel worse. They will never moisturize them. The best they can do is to briefly soothe your lips. If your lip balm contains any of these ingredients, don’t wait to use it up before replacing it. Throw it away.

Mineral oil – also known as petroleum jelly – is a cheap ingredient that also feels like it’s moisturizing your lips. It’s probably the worst ingredient you can find in a lip balm. This is because it seals off your skin and prevents it from breathing, much like wrapping your skin in plastic wrap. Mineral oil also dissolves some of your skin’s natural oils. Eventually, it will dry your lips and make them feel hard.

Just what is mineral oil anyway? In case you’ve forgotten, it’s a byproduct of gasoline production. Why would anyone want to put a derivative of gasoline on his or her skin? Someone who doesn’t know any better.
Some lip balms are advertised as being “natural.” But what does that mean? Not everything that’s natural is necessarily safe or beneficial. Salicylic acid is a natural exfoliant found in some lip products. An exfoliant works like a fine sandpaper. But you’d never use sandpaper on your lips. Salicylic acid irritates your lips and often leaves them more chapped than before you used it. There’s no good reason for you to use a product that irritates the tissues in and around your lips.

True lip moisturizers

It’s possible to find lip balm ingredients that really moisturize, but it can take some searching to find them. There’s one common low-cost ingredient that I believe should be in every lip moisturizer. Unfortunately, it’s not. I like it because it helps increase collagen production. This keeps your lips plump, while it removes fine-line wrinkles. It’s also easily available and inexpensive. This ingredient is none other than vitamin C.

When I gave a lip balm containing vitamin C to one of my friends, she could feel the difference immediately. She found its effects lasted for hours and made her lips feel fuller. And what’s more, she had to use it only once or twice a day. Other lip balms needed to be applied more frequently.

But vitamin C does much more. Along with vitamin E, it also protects your lips from exposure to the elements and environmental damage. A study from the University of Maryland Medical Center showed that vitamin E helps protect the collagen and elastin in the skin and reduce fine lines and wrinkles.

Vitamin E also helps to neutralize free radical activity that occurs when you’re exposed to the sun. That’s what sunscreen does. You need both vitamin C and vitamin E in an absorbable form to reduce damage from the cold winter weather and the drying heat of the summer. The problem is not many lip balms contain both. But any product that contains sunflower seed oil does.

It protects you like sunscreen

There are other oils that moisturize your lips. They’re just not in the majority of lip balms. The best-kept lip moisturizing secret I’ve found is a combination of oils from two Hawaiians’ nuts: macadamia and kukui. They are sometimes called natural sunscreens. Their oils protect native Hawaiians skin from the tropical sun. Technically, these nut oils have antioxidants and anti-inflammatory ingredients that protect against the sun’s harmful UV rays. That’s what a sunscreen does.

You can find these two nut oils in a proprietary blend called SOLaLeur® that has been shown in studies to reduce inflammation by 85%. It works beautifully. The problem is that this ingredient is expensive. Just one kilo costs $800! So not many companies are willing to use it. If they really knew how beneficial these two nut oils are, I’d like to think that at least some of them would reformulate their products to include them.

The last ingredient needed to moisturize your lips is the most common and inexpensive one. It’s water. Stay hydrated by drinking water throughout the day. If you’re dehydrated, your body will draw moisture from wherever it can be found – like from your largest organ: your skin.

Remember that if you’re over the age of 60, your body needs more water than when you were younger. This is a time when you’re not able to absorb as much. Dry lips are an indication that you’re not drinking enough water. Don’t wait until you’re thirsty. Sip some water or other liquid whenever your mouth feels a little dry.

Hydrating Lip Therapy

Don’t be surprised if you strike out looking for a lip balm that’s effective against dry, flaky lips. There’s not much out there I feel comfortable using. In fact, until recently, I was using a little of Système 41’s Nourishing Day Crème on my lips in the morning. At least I knew it wasn’t going to hurt me. It worked better than conventional lip balms, but wasn’t anything I could put in my purse to use later in the day. And it wasn’t designed to replace lip balms.

Fortunately, my friend and colleague, Janet Zand, OMD, LAc, who formulated the Système 41 skin care products, put all of the beneficial information on lip therapy ingredients together and designed a product specifically for the lips, and Hydrating Lip Therapy was born. It contains SOLaLeur®, which protects against inflammation, and sunflower oil which contains vitamins E and C. And it has nothing harmful in it.

If you’re tired of lip balms that you need to constantly re-apply and don’t do what they say they will do, I suggest you call the folks at Système 41 and try Hydrating Lip Therapy. You’ve never tried anything like it. You can order Hydrating Lip Therapy by calling 800-791-3446. Be sure to give them offer code WHC214 when ordering.

How Fruits and Veggies Can Protect You From Breaking Your Hip

There are numerous kinds of stressors that affect our health, from a poor
diet to insufficient sleep and more. But not many people are aware of oxidative stress, and it can have life-changing consequences.

A new study out of the University of Cincinnati (UC) has found for the first time that a particular kind of oxidative stress can significantly predict hip fractures in postmenopausal women. Oxidative stress, you may remember, is the physiological stress caused by damage from free radicals – those unstable molecules that can harm your cells and organs. And oxidative stress is found throughout the environment in tobacco smoke, air pollution, the water we drink, radiation, and heavy metals.

One way to determine your exposure to oxidative stress is by measuring substances in your blood called fluorescent oxidation products (FIOP). In one study, researchers measured three different wavelengths of FIOP. Each reacts differently with a person’s DNA. Researchers found that one of these FIOPs predicted the risk of future hip fractures. This FIOP is generated in the presence of heavy metals.

You can’t avoid oxidative stress. It’s everywhere. But you can neutralize some of it with a two-step program: a diet high in antioxidants, and reducing heavy metals. For antioxidants, first make sure you’re eating plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables every day. If you’re not, supplement your diet by adding a high antioxidant powder like Advanced Greens Formula (800-791-3395) to your morning or afternoon smoothie, your breakfast cereal, or mixed in with a little water or diluted juice.

The greens will help remove some heavy metals. But for a meaningful job of removing them, you really need an ongoing detoxification formula that binds to heavy metals and carries them out of your body. The one I like best, based on the results I’ve seen from laboratory tests on myself and numerous patients, is PectaSol Detox Formula (800-791-3395).

Take a balanced approach

You lower your risk of getting a broken hip by not falling. And, as you get older, injuries and weakening muscles increase this risk of falls. Balance is a key to your stability, and it’s particularly important as you age. You can work with
a personal trainer, join a local gym, see a physical therapist, or just follow the simple steps in a helpful book, How to Prevent Falls by Betty Perkins-Carpenter, PhD.

This clearly written book is available through Senior Fitness Productions www.howtopreventfalls.com. It’s got some of the same exercises I learned years ago from a personal trainer. And each clearly and simply stated exercise is accompanied by step-by-step illustrations.

Yang, Shuman, Diane Feskanich, Walter C. Willett, Heather Eliassen, and Tianying Wu. “Association Between Global Biomarkers of Oxidative Stress and Hip Fracture in Postmenopausal Women: A Prospective Study,” Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, 2014; DOI: 10.1002/jbmr.2302

The Relentless Pain Only a Biopsy Is Likely to Find – And How to Stop It

Recently, a colleague of mine told me about Kay, a friend of hers who experienced extreme pain after having hip replacement surgery. The surgery was expected to be routine, lasting only a few hours. Instead, it took twice as long. No doctor could explain the reason for Kay’s relentless pain. And nothing they tried either reduced or stopped it. Her surgeon didn’t offer any explanation for this pain. Neither did Kay’s other doctors. But I wanted to know why the surgery took so much longer than expected. Perhaps that would give us a clue.
It turns out it did.

Her surgeon happened to mention in passing that Kay almost slid off her gurney during her initial surgery. A quick-thinking nurse grabbed and repositioned her, which prevented her from sliding off the gurney. But it also sent some of the surgical instruments flying. They had to be replaced with sterile ones. This interruption extended the length of her surgery and resulted in her body being put in an awkward position.

I would not have thought it was possible for poor positioning to cause constant pain after surgery. But I had just researched a case where one of my own patients, Jessie, had a similar situation occur. In fact, I had even written about it in an earlier newsletter! This condition is rare, but it does exist.

You may remember that Jessie had suffered a series of hip replacement surgeries. The first one was to remove and replace parts of her hip joint that had become damaged from arthritis and were making it painful for her to walk.
This first surgery should have resolved her pain, but it didn’t. About a month after the initial operation, for no reason that anyone could explain, Jessie’s pain got worse. Her surgeon suggested exploratory surgery to see what might be going on. But this surgery – and two others – found no explanation for
her pain.

Both Kay and Jessie suffered from a rare complication of surgery called postsurgical neuropathy. Kay’s neuropathy was caused by damage to her nerves from stretching and compression, while Jessie’s neuropathy was due to inflammation. Each needed to be treated differently.

Postsurgical inflammatory neuropathy

With postsurgical inflammatory neuropathy, peripheral nerves that connect the brain and spinal cord to the rest of the body become inflamed. This can interfere with communication between brain and body. When it does, the immune system attacks the nerves, and immunosuppressive drugs are considered to be the preferred treatment.

You’ve heard me say many times that just about every chronic illness involves inflammation. You don’t want this neuropathy to lead to even more serious conditions.

So the first step is to know what you have. That will allow you to treat it quickly and prevent it from becoming more serious. If the neuropathy begins immediately after surgery, look for indications of compression or stretching.
If your pain begins a few days or more after surgery, this can be a sign of postsurgical peripheral neuropathy.

Contact your doctor immediately and tell him that you want a thorough evaluation for inflammation, including a nerve biopsy.

Let your surgeon know that pain originating from nerve inflammation has been successfully diagnosed in a Mayo Clinic study published in the journal Brain (2010) and could explain the reason for your pain.

In fact, P. James Dyck, a Mayo Clinic neurologist and senior author of this study, has said “It is logical for patients to believe that it was the surgeon’s fault that they developed a neuropathy because it occurred after the surgery.... In these cases, we have strong evidence that the neuropathies were not the surgeon’s fault but were caused by the immune system attacking the nerves.”

The researchers of this study point out that presently, nerve biopsy is the
only way to confirm the diagnosis with certainty.

In the Mayo Clinic study, 23 patients developed neuropathy within a month of having surgery. Twenty-one of them had increased inflammation. Seventeen patients received immunotherapy, and all of them improved.

Researchers believe that postsurgical inflammatory neuropathy is more common than you may think. It’s just under-recognized because the only way to diagnose it is with a biopsy.

The usual treatment for this neuropathy is often high-dose corticosteroids (anti-inflammatory drugs). If you’d rather try a natural, but untested substitute, you may want to begin taking a strong anti-inflammatory herbal formula containing turmeric, such as Reduloxin (800-791-3395). Whatever you take, take it as soon after you identify your problem as you can. If you catch it quickly, herbs may be sufficient. If you’ve waited for weeks or months, corticosteroids could be a better solution.

One thing is certain. If you rely on pain-killing drugs like opioids to reduce your pain, you may be making a huge mistake. They can turn out to be the
most harmful solution of all.

In the first review of its kind, a study appeared in the American Journal of Public Health (2014) that found more people died from commonly prescribed painkillers than from heroin and cocaine combined. Consumption of opioids is highest in the U.S. and Canada.

You also can take specific nutrients that will help target and support your damaged nerves. One of the best is Benfotiamine, which is a special form of vitamin B1. It has a unique structure that enables it to pass directly into the cell, where it can begin the healing directly on the nerve.

Advanced Bionutritionals has combined Benfotiamine along with several other nerve-supporting nutrients in a formula called Advanced Nerve Support.

It is a powerful blend of six vitamins and nutrients that can help support normal nerve function. I’ll have more on Advanced Nerve Support in a future issue. But
for now, you can order it by calling 800-791-3395.

Staff, NP, J Engelstad, CJ Klein, KK Amrami, RJ Spinner, PJ Dyck, MA Warner, ME Warner, and PJB Dyck. “Post-surgical inflammatory neuropathy.” Brain, 2010; DOI: 10.1093/brain/awq252.

NUTRITION DETECTIVE

How Plant Stem Cells Can Make Your Skin Look Youthful — And Protect Against Skin Cancer

If you’re interested in natural solutions for skincare, chances are you’ve heard about plant stem cells. These cells have been an exciting discovery because they allow us to mimic what our own stem cells do for our skin. This is important because stem cells can help you maintain a youthful, healthy appearance. Plus, as I’ll show in a moment, they can help fight skin cancer as well.

Every organ in your body relies on stem cells because stem cells are “master cells.” They regenerate damaged tissue and help the body repair itself. They have the ability to develop into many different types of cells. When a stem cell divides, it can either remain a stem cell or become another type of cell with a more specialized function — like a skin cell. And since our skin is our largest organ, stem cells are particularly important to it.

Researchers have been fascinated by how stem cells work in the skin. New research, published in the journal Cell Stem Cell and conducted by Kim Jensen at the Biotech Research and Innovation Centre at the University of Copenhagen, recently investigated the role of these cells more closely. Jensen reports, “Until now, the belief was that the skin’s stem cells were organized in a strict hierarchy with a primitive stem cell type at the top of the hierarchy, and that this cell gave rise to all other cell types of the skin. However, our results show that there are differentiated levels of stem cells and that it is their close micro-environment that determines whether they make hair follicles, fat glands, or sweat glands.”

Through this research, Jensen and his team were better able to understand how stem cells work and how they affect skin maintenance. These results give insight into how skin cells turn into skin cancer without any genetic changes in the stem cells. They’ve also been able to mark early stem cells so they can map the cells’ behavior and create a “family tree” of cells.

An interesting discovery they’ve made is that when tissue is damaged, different types of stem cells all rush in to help repair the damage as quickly as possible. But this can be dangerous, because this repair can trigger stem cells’ genes to activate, which can give rise to cancer. This discovery helps the researchers have better direction in understanding the role of tissue damage in skin cancer — and gives all of us another reason not to damage our skin with sun exposure.

Clearly, our stem cells are vital to the health of our skin. But we lose them as we age. That’s where plant stem cells can come in and make a big difference. One of my favorite ways to take advantage of plant stem cells is through the Système 41 line of products. These products harness a plant-based stem cell extract called PhytoCellTec®, which reinforces your own stem cells to keep your skin looking young, healthy, and vibrant.

Système 41 was developed by Janet Zand, OMD, LAc. Dr. Zand is a board certified acupuncturist, doctor of Oriental medicine, nationally respected author, lecturer, natural health practitioner, and herbal and nutraceutical products formulator who has helped thousands of people achieve better health. I love her products as well as her free Skin Care Insider newsletter. This weekly newsletter gives you information on how to protect and enhance your skin — naturally. Find out more about her products and her fantastic tips by visiting her at www.systeme41.com. Your skin will thank you.

Medical News Today, 19 Aug 2013.

LETTERS

Q: I get sore after I exercise and don’t want to take any medications. What can you suggest I do or take that would be completely safe? If you know of anything that would enhance my performance as well, that would be wonderful. – J.F., Roanoke, VA

A: Some professional athletes, who are limited in which supplements they can legally take, have found that an amino acid found in watermelon juice, L-citrulline, reduces post-exercise muscle soreness. It’s readily available and inexpensive enough for you to try. And it’s certainly safe.

A recent study in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry (August, 2013) found that it’s also effective. L-citrulline did, indeed, enhance athletic performance and relieve sore muscles when taken an hour before exercising. The researchers tested both plain unpasteurized natural watermelon juice and watermelon juice drinks enriched with additional L-citrulline.

Surprisingly, the natural juice was more bioavailable than the enriched drink. So try drinking a glass or two of watermelon juice – you don’t need any fancy designer drinks – and see if it indeed relieves some of your pain. At the very least, it will cool you off after a run.

American Chemical Society (2013, August 14). “Watermelon juice relieves post-exercise muscle soreness.” ScienceDaily. Retrieved August 16, 2013, from http://www.sciencedaily.com- /releases/2013/08/130814124907.htm.

Q: I am a cancer survivor for 12 years. Do I still have to take calcium d-glucarate? I used to take omega-3 fish oil. But I stopped for fear of mercury contamination. My body already has a lot of mercury and I didn’t want to add anymore. – M.S., e-mail

A: Neither calcium d-glucarate nor any omega-3 oil will contribute to cancer, but mercury could. It’s a toxic heavy metal that isn’t safe in any amount. It’s much more important to get rid of your mercury than to look for the ideal supplements.

Good quality fish oil supplements contain no mercury or any other pollutants. So you’re not getting mercury from them.

This suggests that you’re getting mercury from your teeth or from eating fish. If you have old silver fillings, check with your dentist to make sure none are cracked or breaking down. If so, have them removed by a dentist who specializes in removing amalgams. Otherwise, mercury in your teeth can leak into the tissues in your mouth.

As for fish, you can stop eating it or remove any mercury you may have accumulated from your diet. I recently wrote an article saying that many people may need to stop eating fish because of the contamination. However, I still eat fish because the oral detoxification program I use will remove mercury, other heavy metals, and environmental pollutants.

I suggest you begin cleansing your blood by taking PectaSol Detox Formula for one month. Then add Detox Complete, which removes heavy metals from tissues. Take the two supplements for at least six months and then re-test for mercury. You can order both products by calling 800-791-3395. I think we should all be taking two of each twice a day.

As for calcium d-glucarate, you only need it if you have excess estrogen. Ask your doctor about this.