Naturalpath

Inflammation is linked to bad digestion, arthritis, heart disease and other ailments. Luckily, a naturally anti-inflammatory diet can help, says Ashley Koff, RD, author of Recipes for IBS. Here are her tips for getting started:

Spice it up!

Nature gives us potent anti-inflammatory weapons in the form of tumeric (curcumin) and ginger. Experiment with other spices for flavor and anti-bacterial properties.

Get protein from vegetable sources and grass-fed animals

. Think quinoa, millet, pumpkin seeds, hemp, flax, walnuts, lentils and beans. When eating animals, choose lean sources like grass-fed chicken, eggs, buffalo, and wild fish like sardines and salmon (avoid fish high in mercury).

Consume natural sugar

. Skip sweeteners and products with high fructose corn syrup and instead enjoy the natural sweetness and healing nutrients of fruits.

Eat foods instead of food products

. Avoid preservatives, hormones, chemicals and partially hydrogenated oils in favor of healthy fats like those in avocado, walnuts, hemp and chia.

Jenny just wants to know: I love a firming skin care product that has witch hazel listed as one of it’s ingredients. Someone told me that witch hazel is why the product firms but the effects are only temporary. And over time my skin will stop responding to the “firming” action and there will be a rebound effect and my skin will get even looser. Is this true? Does witch hazel do such a thing?

The Right Brain responds:

In addition to being the namesake of a popular cartoon character, witch hazel is widely touted as an astringent. What does it do for your skin? Keep reading!

Why use an astringent?

First, let’s talk about what “astringent” really means. Generally the term is defined as a substance that shrinks or constricts body tissues. For example, the puckery mouth feel you get after drinking red wine is cause by a class of chemicals called tannins. The tannins react with the mucosa in your mouth causing it to feel tight and rough. In skin care, astringents impart a tightening sensation to the skin.

Moms can be many things, but one thing’s for sure, she’s your gene pool.

At the recent Step Up Women’s Health Panel: Our Mothers, Ourselves, we learned how mom’s health history + lifestyle choices = our future. We took notes:

• The skin-y from dermatologist Dr. Doris Day—genes do determine some of your derma-health, but lifestyle choices are key. Think in terms of “daylight protection” instead of “sun protection” (even cold, cloudy days require sunscreen). We learned: Look for sunscreens that are “photo stabilized” (they don’t break down in the sun).

• The heart of cardiologist Dr. Nieca Goldberg’s advice? Along with genetics and diet, daily stress can inflict major wear and tear on our ticker. We learned: Keep stress levels low with yoga and meditation.

• Let’s talk about sex with expert Logan Levkoff, who says ladies need to get comfortable talking to our OBGYNs about our sex lives. That imperative info gives them a “leg up” in examinations. We also learned: The panelists were all in favor of the HPV vaccination.

Demi’s buzzing about Burt: Is Burt’s Bees bodywash really the bee’s knees (forgive me for the horrible pun)? It is supposedly all natural and has no harmful ingredients. I am just scared to try it because I am a very gullible person and all of their advertisements are so convincing.

The Right Brain’s stinging reply:

Burt’s bees claim to fame is that their products are “natural.” That’s a tricky claim since there are no real standards for what qualifies as a natural cosmetic product.

Unbee-lievable

Let’s take a look at exactly what good ol’ Burt says about his body wash. (By the way, in case you didn’t know, Burt’s Bees was recently purchased by the Chlorox company.) According to Drugstore.com this product is “an all-natural creamy body wash infused with oil beads to moisturize while you cleanse.” It’s also “pH Balanced, Sodium Lauryl/Laureth Sulfate Free and Paraben Free.” And here are the ingredients:

Water, Decylglucoside, Carthamus Tinctoria (Safflower) Oleosomes, Sodium Cocoyl Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, Glycerin, Fragrance, Coco Glucoside, Glyceryl Oleate, Non Fat Dry Milk, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Xanthan Gum, Glucose, Citric Acid, Glucose Oxidase, Lactoperoxidase