Here’s an article I wrote for Fitness First Magazine Jan 2012 edition

For the full article read here. Facts about fertility

Friday 13th Jan 2012, Today Tonight (Channel 7 Australia) ran a story on women and high testosterone levels. Sam was inundated with women conacting her after the story ran. All with stories of anger, rage and feeling really down on themselves. Many with weight issues, and many saying “I just want an end!”

So dramatic and soul destroy is testosterone, it is something Sam Beau Patrick believes all women should know about.

Here is the story

And here is her blog.

Tonight on Today Tonight – watch me being interviewed and some patients about high testosterone and the affects it can have in your body.

Channel 7, 630pm

Friday 13th Jan

Promo trailer

DO you have Facial flushing? Maybe a red glow on your face that is worsened with wine or heat. If you have any embarrassing facial redness read on below!

A study in 2009 conducted in LA and London, found that 20% of the women interviewed had acne rosacea! (By the way, this is a male and female condition).

How do you know if you have it?

The classic features are a facial redness or flushing that may seem to be raised, may have pustules, and may have red spots interspersed over your face.

People may also suffer with burning, dryness, swelling, skin thickening and nodules (later it may make your nose quite bulbulous).

It can be confused with allergies, acne or sensitivities to make up.

This next bit is straight from wikipedia:

A survey by the National Rosacea Society of 1,066 rosacea patients showed which factors affect the most people:[17]

• Sun exposure 81%
• Emotional stress 79%
• Hot weather 75%
• Wind 57%
• Heavy exercise 56%
• Alcohol consumption 52%
• Hot baths 51%
• Cold weather 46%
• Spicy foods 45%
• Humidity 44%
• Indoor heat 41%
• Certain skin-care products 41%
• Heated beverages 36%
• Certain cosmetics 27%
• Medications (specifically stimulants) 15%
• Medical conditions 15%
• Certain fruits 13%
• Marinated meats 10%
• Certain vegetables 9%
• Dairy products 8% thanks wiki.

What Causes it?

The jury has long been deciding the main causes. I have been in the health industry for 25 years and have always known there exists a gut/bacteria connection, but now research is fairly conclusive. This is the latest info.

- a mite called Demodex burrows into the hair follicle and can cause secondary infection with its faeces (not nice I know, but true)

- 88% of people with Rosacea where also shown to have Helicobacter pylori – the bacteria that causes stomach ulcers (ref Szlachcic A. The link between H.pyloir ad rosacea. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2002 Jul; 16 (4): 328-33)

- 46% of people with Rosacea have Small Intestinal Bacertial Overgrowth (SIBO) which will give you gut symptoms and results from bacteria migrating from your large bowel into your small bowel.

How to treat it

I would preface here that any treatments natural or orthodox are always best supervised by a health professional. If you want to know a good practitioner who can help you, i recommend called ANTA or Metagenics 1800 777 648 in Australia and they can tell you someone close to where you live.

Not surprisingly great results are achieved by killing the helicobacter pylori and correcting any SIBO. This can be done naturally, with medications or a combination. Diet alone, may not be strong enough as H.pylori is hard to kill.

There is also evidence to suggest an alkaline diet may be of benefit (or add wheat grass or spirulina to your diet).

Metagenics (the company above) have launched a facial cream that has anti-bacterial qualities and may help with killing the mite on your face. It’s definitely worth a try.

Once you have killed the offending agent and have things under control, I strongly recommend a probiotic to plant back into your gut and help protect from further out breaks and over growth.

The short answer is NO!

Most hair straightening products use formaldehyde. Which is a naturally occurring gas and is linked to leukaemia. Here are some facts:

1. Formaldehyde (which I will call by its chemical name FA) – is the substance used in murder movies to asphyxiate people (often leading to death). If you watch the people, they choke, splutter and struggle to breath and they usually rub their eyes. These are the acute side affects of FA. It is also used in nail polish (hence the overwhelming odour and the reason planes ban you from doing your nails inflight). And other areas of use are in fabrics (which is why you should always wash your clothes before you wear them for the first time), wood work and the automotive industry.
2. Long term FA does a few nasty things – it strip our DNA , it breaks our protein chains, but more importantly it interfers with nitric oxide which is a necessary part of our inflammatory/stress system. If this is suppressed we create loads of free radicals which cause cancer
3. Long Term FA also causes infertility issues and hormone problems (in China one study reported occupational exposure of FA caused 70% period abnormalities, compared to 17% control). FA is widely used in cars, fumes and smog which is one reason why cancers such as breast and ovarian cancers are on the increase in first world countries.
4. FA is well known to cause leukaemia which is the nastiest blood born cancer, and if it doesn’t affect the mum it can affect the baby – and seeing as hair dressing is mainly a female dominated industry, this is a concern
5. Short term exposure is can cause eye problems, skin irritation and breathing issues.
6. It is long term exposure that is the greatest concern and considering that in 2005 there were 124,000 new hair dressing apprenticeships handed out (I couldn’t find stats on current numbers of hair dressers) it is a MAJOR concern.
7. Are the ACCC on to it quick enough? This is interesting. The ACCC usually only respond when complaints from consumers hit a certain point which is a shame in Australia and for Australians. The EU banned FA in 2007, the USA passed a bill last year in the building industry and the use FA and restrictions. Sweden and Japan banned it from cosmetics and yet we have done nothing. I get a little annoyed at the ACCC (they get so much funding, are meant to protect consumers and often appear like a sleeping watch dog, not the “watch dog” that they claim – but that is a personal opinion).
8. Do we need to worry – YES! Do hair dressers and nail techs need to know about it – YES. Should consumers know about it – YES! Straight hair at the potential expense of your health – crazy. I am sure if most people were aware, they would look for another option.

This is where you will find gluten and what it can do in your body… every parent needs to know this stuff!

Gluten – What Every Parent Needs To Know