Tuesday 9 December 2014

THE ALTERNATIVE TO...NATURAL SKINCARE - RIO ROSA MOSQUETA SKINCARE RANGE

Women around the world want smooth, young looking, silky soft, glowing, wrinkle free skin and Mother Nature has provided a wonderful rosehip oil to achieve this. It is made from a wild rose called Rosa Affines Rubiginosa, commonly known as Rosa Mosqueta, which grows in the southern slopes high in the Chilean Andes. 

Its fabulous anti-ageing and skin rejuvenating properties have been the best kept beauty secret of South American women for centuries. For those of you who like a bit of science, the oil has been well researched since the 1980’s and have been found to contain exceptionally high levels of essential fatty acids (mainly Omega 3 and 6) which are essential to skin regeneration, as well as Retinoic acid, which is a derivative of Retinol (vitamin A). 

It is these essential acids that are used by the body to produce hormone-like substances which encourage cell growth. These new ‘perfect’ cells slowly migrate to the surface, creating fresh new hydrated skin and eventually fading scars and blemishes.

In clinical research, both in Europe and South America, pure Rosa Mosqueta oil has been proven repeatedly to significantly reduce scars and stretch marks – including severe post-operative scarring - and combat wrinkles and other signs of skin ageing. It is very useful for fighting the effects of sun damage, which is characterised by wrinkles, rough, leathery inelastic skin with brown age spots.

The brand we prefer at Elixir is Rio Rosa Mosqueta, and many of you already know how well the oil and the Day & Night Cream work. I am therefore really pleased to introduce the brand new products in the range, which now includes Cream Cleanser, Skin Brightening Exfoliator, Eye Contour Cream and Face & Decolletage Firming Serum.

All the products include the amazing Rosa Mosqueta rosehip oil, which I guess I shall never stop raving about. Additionally, the range contains some ingredients you will be familiar with such as shea butter, avocado extract and aloe vera, plus a few you may not have come across before.

Babassu butter is made from a seed oil from the Amazon with similar properties to coconut oil, which is deeply moisturising and helps plump away fine lines. Sacha Inchi oil is high in essential fatty acids such as omega 3, 6 and 9, and also rich in antioxidants and vitamins A and E. Manilkara leaf extract has anti-ageing properties, and Golden Bamboo hydrates, soothes and nourishes the skin. White Tea and Chamomile extract helps to refresh, tighten and brighten.

Regular use of these lovely products will help rejuvenate your skin day after day. You should not use the oil on an unhealed or open wound, but it can be applied to scar tissue as soon as the wound is knitting together or the stitches have been removed. Rosa Mosqueta oil is excellent for reducing scars, but should not be used on active acne, open eczema or very oily skin. 

Randi Henderson
View the Rio Rosa Skincare Range at Elixirhealth.co.uk

To Detox or Not – Benefits or Balderdash?

To some, Christmas is a time of commercialisation and greed. To others it's a big joy occasion and a time to visit family and friends and exchange greetings and gifts and, er...eat, eat and eat! Drink and be merry. But do we ever consider, after the festivities, it's a time to detox? Is detoxing balderdash or a benefit to us?

As always, we read around, ask around, then make our own minds up. Personally, I see detoxing as a necessary prelude to good health, whether its a short period of abstinence or a proper clean out inside. We clean ourselves on the outside but rarely consider the condition of our inside. To be honest I rarely meet people who constantly maintain “good diets” or people who don’t let themselves go a little, and more than usual around festive times.  “Good diets”  is a can of worms. To a vegetarian those who eat ‘meat’ will always be endangering their health (and probably vice versa); and once you go down that road you encounter so many dietary types, many of whom are vociferous in defending their nutritional position. And unless you grow or farm your own everything it’s hard to find most food groups which are fresh and nutritious and which hasn't been chemically sprayed or forced fed, whether it’s fruit, vegetables or meat. It’s therefore plain nonsense when government health departments declare a ‘good diet’ will see you through. See who through? And the wind of change is all about consuming fat and protein, avoiding sugar and consuming few carbs, all contrary to modern medical opinion which recommends 'balance' and low-fat diets. Who are we to believe?

Lifestyle choice, of course, varies:  Some smoke or we come into contact with smokers; drink alcohol; eat junk food regularly; knock back the tea or coffee and fizzy drinks; work with ill people or groups of people with randomly good health (school kids, patients, etc.,); work in jobs where chemicals are used (hairdressers, industry, etc); have sedentary occupations; or simply are dependent on conventional drugs to maintain health.

The upshot of many lifestyles lead to skin problems, catarrh, coughs colds and flu, wind and bloating and tiredness, headaches, bad breath, heavy periods, and so on. Consequently, while hopefully we don’t get all the above symptoms all together or some most of the time, the fact of the matter is, we all have days when we could do with a good clean out on the inside.

They say obesity is increasing in every country of the world, with America and the UK leading the field. At Elixir Health Foods, irritable bowel and constipation are two of the major health problems showing massive increase. So if you’re in those two categories of being overweight or suffering from IBS, or simply being human and over-indulge from time to time, there is a good deal of benefit to be gained by detoxing, (Yes, it’s always sensible to consider your lifestyle choices as well, and looking carefully at your diet.)

Basically, there’s only one way to go – DOWN! The bowel! While the liver and kidneys deal with most of the junk that we encounter in daily life, the bowel needs to be working every day. Allegedly the Chinese have a saying: “Death begins in the colon.” As dramatic as it sounds, from a health point of view there’s a lot of sense in the expression. As the main exit route from the body, if the bowels are clogged up all sorts of health issues can occur. Think about it: if your bowels aren't working, it’s not just that your other organs aren't going to work so effectively, the question is what happens to all those toxins building up in the body, instead of passing through?

If the large intestine is filled with rotting fecal matter (basically ‘crap‘) – instead of nutrients from your food being absorbed into the blood stream and benefiting you - all those toxins get taken in instead, making you feel yucky! Skin problems, IBS, heartburn, mouth problems, catarrhal congestion, tiredness, the list goes on!

Assuming there are no serious health issues behind anyone’s health condition and it’s just a question of wanting to clean up the inside, it’s always smart to begin with a bowel cleanse and go on to support the liver and kidneys. And If you take any product for cleansing the bowels or dealing with constipation it’s a brilliant idea to take a good probiotic or digestive aid. The bowels depend upon good bacteria. These good bugs work with the existing friendly bacteria. They stop the growth of  harmful microbes, which really benefits your digestion and absorption of food. They also help build your immune system, by assisting the body in making vitamins. So always consider taking a good probiotic. Often they will stop wind and bloating just by taking a course of these.

Also remember that the liver, likened to the ‘sewage’ plant of the body helps to clear waste away. Another job it does is break down fats, which is very important in helping to maintain weight. So a product, such as Milk Thistle offers liver protection and liver cell regeneration. In the A Vogel product, Milk Thistle Complex, the other ingredients do good things as well such as Cynara (artichoke) which helps the liver break down fats, thereby assisting in keeping cholesterol levels balanced. Dandelion nourishes the liver and helps improve the way bile (which breaks down the fats) is produced and transported.

And as Alison Cullen, Nutritionist at the herbal company Bioforce says, “Solidago will help cleanse and support your kidneys, helping them deal with toxins and keep your fluid balanced properly. After a course of Solidago Complex you may well fee more energetic and notice that your eyes are less puffy and any tendency towards fluid retention has diminished.” Remember to drink more water while using this product just to help the kidneys do their job more effectively.

So, to detox or not?

Have a great Christmas from all at Elixir!
www.elixirhealth.co.uk