The skin is our largest organ and will absorb toxic chemicals as easily as natural substances.

Many of these toxic substances (think hair dyes, cosmetics, nail polish, sunscreen…) disrupt our endocrine system (hormones) and can lead to chronic illness.

You can research online for more natural alternatives – the ones I recommend are from Young Living (the folks that make awesome essential oils) as Gary always used to say that you should be able to eat whatever you put on your skin!

When you think of the hazards of being beautiful, what comes to mind is likely painfully thin models or trying to walk in six-inch stiletto heels. What probably would never cross your mind is going for your weekly manicure. Yet even if you are careful and only stick with certain safe brands of nail polish, you could be exposing yourself to toxic chemicals according to new research.

The study, which took place at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, found that even many nail polish formulations that promote their exclusion of multiple hazardous chemicals may contain others that are equally harmful.1 These results are based on an analysis of 40 bottles of nail polish manufactured by 12 different brands.

As awareness of the toxicity of many chemicals rose in the early 2000s, some nail polish brands started indicating on their labels that the product was “three-free,” meaning it did not contain what were known hazards at the time. These chemicals were dibutyl phthalate, a plasticizer that improves the texture of polish; toluene, a solvent that maintains polish consistency; and formaldehyde, which helps polish harden. Dibutyl phthalate is associated with reproductive issues, toluene is a nervous system and developmental disruptor, and formaldehyde is a carcinogen that has been linked to cancer. All the polishes evaluated in the study were clearly labeled to show that they did not contain these specific harmful chemicals and others.

To give a sense of the scope of the problem and the number of chemicals involved, there are now polishes labeled “five-free,” “10-free,” and “13-free.” Unfortunately, there is little Food and Drug Administration oversight of the ingredients used in nail polishes and no approval is required before they can be sold to the public.

The current research zeroed in on this lapse, as well as the fact that while labels may claim to be free of many harmful chemicals, they do not necessarily specify which ones have been removed. To that end, the investigators evaluated the contents of the 40 polishes they had purchased and discovered a number of problems.

In many cases, when a nail polish was free of one of the toxins, it had simply been replaced by a similar chemical that served the same function, making it equally harmful. Interestingly, the three- and five-free polishes tended to have the same chemicals eliminated from their formulas, but the 10-free and 13-free products were inconsistent as to which chemicals were removed. And while not a single polish tested was found to contain dibutyl phthalate, quite a few of the samples contained one or two different plasticizers that have a similar level of toxicity. Even more duplicitously, one of the polishes tested positive for a plasticizer that it specifically pronounced was not in its formula.

Before you swear off manicures forever, there are a few things to consider. Samples were not drawn from every brand of polish, so there may be some that do a better job of excluding harmful chemicals. Unfortunately, the brands of the products selected for the research were not provided. What’s more, two of those included are among the most popular polish brands, and together they make up 15 percent of the market. Therefore, chances are good if you wear polish, you may have worn a brand that was included.

While there hasn’t been much research on just how readily these chemicals are absorbed by the body through our nails, what has been shown is disturbing. A 2016 study at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina found that 10 to 14 hours after painting their nails, women’s bodies had metabolized triphenyl phosphate, another endocrine disrupting chemical, and their levels increased by close to seven times what they had been prior to exposure.2

The fact is that many of these chemicals are known to contribute to problems in the nervous and reproductive systems and potentially increase the chance of developing cancer. So, while it is probably fine to wear nail polish occasionally, regular manicures may not be worth the risk. Plus, if you get them done at a salon, you may be subjected to fumes during your visit, not to mention UV lights to dry polishes more rapidly that give off radiation that can cause skin cancer. Ultimately, a nicely filed and buffed look is likely the healthiest way to go.

• 1.Young, Anna S.; et al. “Phthalate and Organophosphate Plasticizers in Nail Polish: Evaluation of Labels and Ingredients.” Environmental Science & Technology. 10 October 2018. Accessed 14 October 2018. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.est.8b04495.
• 2.Mendelsohn, Emma; et al. “Nail polish as a source of exposure to triphenyl phosphate.” Environment International. January 2016. Accessed 15 October 2018. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412015300714#

We need to be in the sun for our bodies to make this amazing hormone (also called a vitamin) that provides so many protective health benefits.

Per the article below, we only need 10-20 minutes per day on bare skin. Sunburns are not a good thing, but we have to be careful about putting on sunscreens that may contain toxic substances, as the body absorbs these and it can cause other chronic health issues.

Be responsible and balanced…get in the sun with bare skin for 10-20 mins per day..then get in the shade and/or apply a non-toxic sunscreen. 

If you live in an area where it’s difficult to get in the sun, or possibly during winter months, use a good VItamin D supplement per the article below. Email me if I can help.

We’ve all heard the scary statistics that a woman has a one-in-nine chance of developing breast cancer during her lifetime. While survival rates are now high if it is caught before it has metastasized, cancer treatments are still nothing you would ever want to go through. Many breast cancer patients have to endure some combination of chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery, all of which carry risks and can affect your health. But what would you say to a safe and natural way to potentially reduce your breast cancer risk? New research suggests that upping your vitamin D intake might be the way to go.

The study, which was conducted in a joint effort by researchers at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, and Grassroots Health, a non-profit public health research organization in Encinitas, California, found that women with higher levels of vitamin D in their blood had a much lower risk of developing breast cancer than their peers with lower levels of the vitamin.1 The investigation included more than 5,000 women, all of whom were 55 or older.

Blood samples were drawn from each of the subjects and vitamin D levels were measured. This data was then cross-referenced with the women’s medical records over an average span of four years. The participants who had vitamin D levels of 60 nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL) or higher were found to have an astounding 80 percent lower risk of developing breast cancer compared to their counterparts whose levels were 20 ng/mL or less.

For those whose blood levels of vitamin D fell into that middle range of 20 to 60 ng/mL, there was an impact shown as well. Among these volunteers, the higher their vitamin D levels were within this range, the lower their chances were of a breast cancer diagnosis.

While the study was not designed to prove cause and effect, it certainly did provide evidence of a substantial connection between vitamin D levels and breast cancer risk. And considering that breast cancer is the most commonly occurring cancer in women according to the American Cancer Society, it stands to reason that every woman should want to take all possible precautions to avoid becoming one of the statistics. According to the United States National Cancer Institute, more than 266,000 new cases of breast cancer will be diagnosed this year in America, and there will be nearly 41,000 deaths due to breast cancer.

So why aren’t women getting sufficient vitamin D to potentially help protect themselves from breast cancer? The National Institutes of Health guidelines presently recommend 600 IUs daily of vitamin D for adults. But this number is based on bone health, for which a vitamin D blood level of 20 ng/mL or higher is considered sufficient. The present study, however, demonstrates that it is nowhere near enough to reduce breast cancer risk.

Vitamin D can safely be taken at in quantities up to 2,000 IUs every day. You can certainly obtain some of your vitamin D through sun exposure, which helps your body produce the vitamin if you are not wearing sunblock. All you need is 10 to 20 minutes a day in the sun. But to ensure that you’re getting enough vitamin D on days that you don’t go out or on cloudy days when vitamin D production is significantly reduced, it makes sense to supplement. That said, you need to choose your supplements wisely, opting for vitamin D3 rather than D2. D2 is markedly less potent and has a shorter duration of action in its value to the body than D3. To learn more about the differences, read Jon Barron’s informative article Vitamin D Nonsense.

And in addition to breast cancer, maintaining adequate levels of vitamin D has been linked to prevention of a number of health issues, including diabetes, multiple sclerosis, and irritable bowel syndrome. So men and women can equally benefit from making sure their vitamin D levels are always sufficient.

• 1.McDonnell, Sharon L.; et al. “Breast cancer risk markedly lower with serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations >60 vs <20 ng/ml (150 vs 50 nmol/L): Pooled analysis of two randomized trials and a prospective cohort.” PLoS One. 15 June 2018. Accessed June 30 2018. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0199265.