HEALTHMATTERSHEALTHMATTERSFEBRUARY 26 - MARCH 4, 2015 PAGES 27-29

HEALTHNaturalSkincareThe secret to healthy, glowing skin? It’s not in your makeup bag. It’s in your diet.

Healthy skin starts from the within. Many people turn to topical treat-ments for problem skin – chemical laden makeup, cleansers, toners, scrubs and moisturisers - but they offer only

temporary relief to skin problems. Whether you are battling with dry skin in winter, sensitive skin in summer or acne prone skin, maintain-ing a healthy diet is key to your skin’s health. If bodies are not fed with the right nutrients these problems will continue to plague us. Su-perfoods, vitamins and supplements are packed with nutrients and are a great way to nourish the skin from the inside out.

ALMONDSAlmonds are seeds (not nuts) stuffed with vi-tamin E, which works like a super sun blocker. Vitamin E acts as an antioxidant that helps to protect skin cells from UV light and other envi-ronmental factors that generate cell-damaging free radicals.

SAFFLOWER OILThe omega-6 fatty acids found in saffl ower oil can be the ultimate moisturiser for dry, fl aky, itchy skin. It keeps cell walls supple, allowing water to better penetrate the skin. Scientists have found that this oil may help people who suffer from severe conditions like eczema.

GRAPEFRUITGrapefruit contains vitamin C, an antioxidant that protects the skin from free radical dam-age. It also has lycopene that helps keep skin smooth. The potassium in the fruit can prevent wrinkles and age spots, and the amino acids makes skin more fi rm and soft.

GREEN TEAWhen it’s hot, the tea releases catechins, a type of antioxidant with proven anti-infl ammatory and anti-cancer properties.

CARROTSCarrots are loaded with vitamin A and other an-tioxidants that can keep skin healthy, vibrant and glowing. They can also prevent signs of ag-ing like wrinkles, pigmentation and an uneven skin tone. Plus, carrots contain the carotenoids beta-carotene and lycopene that help protect skin against UV damage. Being rich in potas-sium, they also help solve the problem of dry skin.

BERRIESBursting with fl avour and colour, raspber-ries, blueberries, strawberries, cranberries, and blackberries are packed with cancer-fi ghting,

disease-preventing antioxidants in high con-centrations. They help replenish the skin’s nat-ural antioxidant defenses, while mopping up dangerous free radicals produced by ultraviolet radiation’s assault on skin.

FLAXSEEDSThese tiny seeds contain omega-3 fatty acids, which erase spots and iron out fi ne lines. The fats are believed to stifl e the body’s response to irritation and attract water to skin cells to plump up the skin and reduce wrinkles.

DARK CHOCOLATEOnce upon a time, people believed that choc-olate caused adolescent acne. This myth has since been expelled after it was found that fl a-vonols, the antioxidants in dark chocolate, re-duce roughness in the skin and protect against sun damage.

SALMONFish is an excellent source of lean protein. Cold-water fi sh species like tuna, swordfi sh, or salm-on are superb sources of natural omega-3 fatty acids. These essential nutrients work to quell infl ammation and promote a healthy immune system.

BRAZIL NUTSNuts may be high in fats, but they’re the good fats: polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fat, which promote a healthy circulatory system. Brazil nuts are a rich source of selenium, an es-sential mineral that’s crucial for proper immune system function. These rainforest nuts are also rich in skin-friendly antioxidants like vitamin E, and have been shown to improve skin’s cir-culation, yielding a healthier glow.

THEY SAY ‘it’s what’s on the inside that

counts’, and when it comes to

nurturing healthy skin, it couldn’t be more true.

By Rykesha Hudson

| THE VOICE FEBRUARY 26 - MARCH 4, 201528 HEALTHMATTERS

Chase the winter blues away with sunshine

Following a long winter with shortened day-light hours, it’s hard to measure whether you are meeting the recom-

mended daily amount of vita-min D that your body needs.

Sun exposure in moderation is the greatest natural source

of vitamin D – a nutrient cru-cial to overall health.

Sunlight triggers vitamin D production in the body, which is why it’s known as the sun-shine vitamin.

Your skin pigment also can be a natural sunscreen. African Caribbean and Asian people

with dark skin, are at higher risk for vitamin D deficiency because the pigment melanin decreases their skin’s ability to produce vitamin D from the sun.

Someone with very dark skin needs up to 10 times the amount of sun exposure than someone with a very pale complexion to make the same amount of vitamin D.

Approximately 40 to 60 per-cent of African Americans are

vitamin D deficient.“I advise most patients to

get around 15 minutes of sun exposure without sunscreen, three to four days a week,” Dr. Ballesteros said. “Patients at high risk for skin cancer should get their vitamin D through diet and supplements.”

HEALTH RISKSBeing deficient in vitamin D can pose health risks. The nu-trient helps the body absorb,

retain and use calcium – one of bone’s main building blocks, says Dr. Ballesteros. Without enough vitamin D, children may be at greater risk for rick-ets, a softening and weakening of the bones, and adults may be at greater risk for osteopo-rosis.

Vitamin D deficiency also has been associated with in-creased risk of autoimmune diseases, hypertension, infec-tious diseases, muscle weak-ness, cognitive impairment.

D IN YOUR DIETYou can get some of the vita-min D you need from your diet. The nutrient occurs naturally in a few foods, including salm-on, mackerel, canned tuna, egg yolks, cheese, mushrooms and beef liver – and in forti-fied foods such as milk, yogurt, orange juice and breakfast ce-reals.

However, even the best di-etary sources of vitamin D do not contain plentiful amounts of the nutrient, and many peo-ple according to medical re-search, do not eat enough of these foods.

OTHER RISK FACTORSHealth studies list the follow-ing additional factors that in-crease your risk of vitamin D deficiency:• Medical problems, such as Crohn’s disease, cystic fibrosis, and celiac disease affect your intestine’s ability to absorb vi-tamin D from the food you eat.

• Being overweight or obese affects the level of vitamin D in your blood because the nutrient is fat soluble, which means it gets diluted.

•Advancing age affects your kidneys’ ability to convert vi-tamin D to its active form and your skin’s ability to make vi-tamin D.

What should you watch for if you’re concerned about your vitamin D level?

Although most people do not have symptoms, those who do, experience bone pain, muscle weakness and joint stiffness as the most common signs of vi-tamin D deficiency.

Some people also get “the blues.” However, these symp-toms often are subtle and can be misdiagnosed as fibromy-algia, dysthymia, degenerative joint disease, arthritis, chronic fatigue syndrome and other diseases, according to a study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

A SIMPLE BLOOD TEST CAN ACCURATELY MEASURE YOUR VITAMIN D LEVEL.

“I include a vitamin D screen-ing as part of a patient’s an-nual physical,” Dr. Ballesteros said. “About 70 percent of my patients have a deficiency.”

TAKE ACTIONIf you’re concerned you’re not getting enough vitamin D through diet and sunlight, talk to your doctor about taking a vitamin D supplement.

The Institutes of Medicine recommends most children and adults under age 70 get at least 600 International Units (IU) of vitamin D daily, and those over 70 should aim for at least 800 IUs. Dr. Ballesteros and many doctors believe that people need nearly double this amount for maximum benefit.

“It’s also important that peo-ple are consistent. You should not stop taking the supplement when your vitamin D level rises,” Dr. Ballesteros added. “Supplementation must con-tinue for the proper level to be maintained.”

CONTINUED ON PAGE 29

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Jacqueline Asafu-AdjayeSPONSORED FEATURES EDITOR “Patients

at high risk for skin cancer

should get their

vitamin D through diet and supple-ments.”

29FEBRUARY 26 - MARCH 4, 2015, THE VOICE | HEALTHMATTERS

Top up on Vitamin D “Fountain” Sharing Jamaica’s gift’s

to the world!

GROUPS OF THE UK POPULATION AT RISK OF NOT GETTING ENOUGH VITAMIN D ARE:All pregnant and breastfeed-ing women babies and young children under the age of fi ve Older people aged 65 years and over people who are not exposed to much sun, such as people who cover up their skin when outdoors, or those who are housebound or confi ned indoors for long periods

People who have darker skin such as people of African, African-Caribbean and South Asian origin.

What does the Department

of Health recommend?

THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH RECOMMENDS:A�l pregnant and breastfeed-ing women should take a daily supplement containing 10 micrograms (0.01mg) of vita-min D to ensure the mother’s requirements for vitamin D are met and to build adequate foetal stores for early infancy

All babies and young chil-dren aged six months to fi ve years should take a daily sup-plement containing vitamin D in the form of vitamin drops to help them meet the require-ment set for this age group of 7-8.5 micrograms (0.007-0.0085mg) of vitamin D a day.

Babies fed infant formula will not need vitamin drops until they are receiving less than 500ml (about a pint) of infant formula a day, as these products are fortifi ed with vi-tamin D

Breastfed infants may need to receive drops containing vitamin D from one month of age if their mother has not taken vitamin D supplements throughout pregnancy.

People aged 65 years and over and people not exposed to much sun should also take a daily supplement containing 10 micrograms (0.01mg) of vi-tamin D.

You can buy single vita-min D supplements or vita-min drops containing vitamin D (for use by under-fi ves) at most pharmacies and super-markets.

Women and children who qualify for and already partic-ipate in Healthy Start can get free supplements containing vitamin D.

On a 2008 trip to Ja-maica, London-born Sandra Gustard dis-covered the healing properties of the hot

mineral springs and the Pi-mento. After applying the oil to her body (she had a pinched nerve and herniated disc) the pain went away and she came back to New York with the idea to blend and bottle “Fountain Pimento Oil” for sufferers of arthritis, joint pains, herni-ated discs, sunburns, dry skin, swollen limbs and numerous other painful disorders.

“Fountain Pimento Oil is an excellent, all around product,” said Lady English, the formu-la’s creator and lead crusader. She not only considers it a miracle, but “a complete medi-cine cabinet in a bottle.”

AWARENESS I think everyone should have a bottle in their home, just as you would a bottle of Bay

Rum!, Jamaica’s best kept se-cret” as she coins it is a blend of lots of Jamaican leaves in-cluding pimento, nutmeg and fever grass with Jamaican Black Castor Oil.

“When I fi rst brought it out I would give free massages at Nursing homes and churches, as I knew that the Pensioners would benefi t from it the most! Now through word of mouth, and promotion, we have cus-tomers all over the world, I re-ally mean all over Dubai, Aus-tralia and throughout Europe. So several thousand customers later, I know that “Fountain Pimento Oil” has really made a difference to the way lots of us now manage our pain.”

Her goal is to raise aware-ness of the organic, chemical and preservative-free natural pain reliever, natural diuretic, and skin moisturizer. “We need to reduce our dependence on prescription or over-the-coun-ter medications, as everything we need for survival, healing and healthy living has already been provided for us natural-ly,” she states.

TREAT A journalist in London from

her teenage years, “Lady Eng-lish” also hosts a weekly radio show in the New York Tri-state area called “The English Con-nection”, and is also the En-tertainment Correspondent for “The Reggae Spin Show in St. Petersburg, FL. “I’m always in Jamaica covering the major music events, plus I have to get my leaves for the oils, we soak the leaves, not just add oils to oils” quips the jovial

mother of four girls The “Fountain” range of

products has now grown to include a hair food (a blend of Jamaican black castor oil, jojoba oil and Jamaican pep-permint leaves), bath salts and the latest offering “Fountain Mighty Roots” which is a hair root stimulator and rapid edge growth oil. “This oil will grow back those picky edges, or in lots of cases no edges”, she laughingly asserts. “All my ladies know how we treat our hair in the name of style some-times, but when we remove that weave, it takes all of our sides and hair front with it – I can’t even lie, it’s happened to me, but it’s sorted now be-cause of “Fountain”!

“Fountain” products are currently available in the UK at Maestro Records, 163 Rye Lane, Peckham, London SE15. Wholesale enquiries please email: pimentooil@gmail.com or call (0207) 635-7299 or www.fountainoil.co.uk

“Jamaica’s Gifts to the World”

www.fountainoil.comBUY YOURS TODAY CALL: 020 7635 7299

FOUNTAIN PIMENTO OIL “for all your aches & pain”Fountain Jamaican Black Castor Oil Hair Food with peppermint “the food your hair’s been waiting on”!Fountain Pimento & Mint Medley Bath Salts “gets to the core of your pain”Fountain Jamaican Real Black Castor Oil “just like Mama used to mek”Mighty Roots “you owe it to your roots”

 

CLASSIFIED| THE VOICE JANUARY 22 - 28, 2015 44

www.edengardensnutraceuticals.com