Judging by the number of anti aging skin products that contain parabens, you’d have to think they contribute in a big way in protecting the skin from aging.

What are parabens?

Parabens are a large collection of synthetic chemical products found in most skin care and cosmetic products including moisturizers, shampoos, foundation, face powder, exfoliants, baby products… There are thousands of skin care products that contain parabens, the list is endless.

The reason parabens are put into skin care products is they have an antibacterial effect and act as a preservative.

So what? There are two problems.

The first and most serious one is the potential for parabens to be absorbed by the skin into the bloodstream from where they can lodge in our fatty tissues. As women are the main users of these products, the breast tissue is of particular concern.

Parabens mimic the hormone estrogen and can be absorbed by the breast tissue. In fact parabens, in their unconverted form, have been found in breast tumours.

What’s the other problem with parabens?

Anti aging products are bought by both men and women in the hope of preserving the appearance of their skin. The problem is that some parabens can react to the UV rays in sunlight to produce a substance that actually accelerates aging.

No problems, you may think, I’ll just wear a sun block.

Good idea, you should be wearing one anyway. Just check the label though because… guess what? That’s right, parabens are even found in certain sun protection products.

How can I tell if there are parabens in the products I use?

It’s very difficult because they go under so many different names! Some of the more recognisable ones are: Ethylparaben, Methylparaben, Isobutylparaben, Aseptoform Butyl and Benzoic acid. Parabens have many synonyms so without knowing all the names, which is virtually impossible, reading the label will only add to further confusion.

It’s fairly safe to say if you see several long names you can’t pronounce on the back of a product, there’s a paraben lurking somewhere inside! Over 90% of skin care products, contain these chemicals. They are there because they are cheap and until recently, considered relatively safe.

The FDA has requested cosmetic companies to test the various ingredients they use to manufacture their products (May 2005). While they are to be commended for this, the process is laboriously slow and ongoing.

How can I protect my family against parabens?

Easy! Use natural cosmetics. The products on the site below contain no parabens whatsoever and are free of other cancer causing agents. And no, they’re not expensive!

Wendy Owen is a health researcher and author. For advice on absolutely natural skin care visit just-natural-skincare.com just-natural-skincare.com Sign up for our newsletter and recieve 5 free beauty books

Heartburn Cure

Those of you reading this article are probably heartburn sufferers and are in search for a heartburn cure.

We will start off by answering what the definition of heartburn is then we will talk about possible cures.

Heartburn despite the root has nothing to do with the heart itself. It is a pain or discomfort that is felt in your chest or sometimes it can be felt in the upper stomach. The burning sensation can also be felt in the middle section of your back. Heartburn can be triggered by the types of meals we eat and the type of posture we sit in. Heartburn is a digestive problem and not an actual heart problem as mentioned above.

What Causes Heartburn you may ask ?

In your stomach you have acid which is used to digest food. In much simpler terms when you eat a meal it passes through your oesophagus which is the tube the carries food to the stomach from your mouth. Once the food is in your stomach it is broken down using this acid. Therefore, when you experience heartburn it’s small amounts of this acid rising from your stomach to your oesophagus . Another word for this action is reflux or acid reflux.

The issue at hand that causes heartburn is when it rises to your oesophagus (your tube that passes food to stomach from neck) there is not protection or stomach lining to prevent the burning from the acid. In your stomach there is protection by your inner stomach lining.

What are some specific causes of heartburn ?

There are many issues that can cause heartburn in an individual.

Smoking can cause heartburn. Because there is a muscle that separates your stomach from your gullet(oesophagus). When you smoke this muscle can be relaxed allowing passage of your stomach acid to your oesophagus.

Being Overweight can be a cause of heartburn. Again because of the extra fat around the stomach it will cause the muscle that blocks your stomach acid to become relaxed and allow passage to your throat area.

If you eat large meals. This can be another cause of heartburn. Your best bet would be to eat much smaller meals so your stomach will not become to full causing your blocking muscle to move out of place allowing acid to pass.

Wearing tight clothing around the waste also causes heartburn.

Also, if you eat large meals right before you go to bed will cause heartburn also.

Stay tuned in our next article we will talk about Heartburn cure.

Trevor has been contributing to the internet for over 5 years. For more information on this topic please visit cure-heartburn-now.blogspot.com Cure Heartburn Now.