Healing Anthropology's Blog

We can’t stop time, and nowhere is this more visibly discerning than on the surface of our largest organ, the skin. Why does the skin appear to age so rapidly? As we grow older, skin cells regenerate more slowly, making if difficult for the epidermis to repair itself. We also produce fewer hormones with age, which thinks skin, leaving it more vulnerable to damage. What more, oil-producing glands become less active, resulting in dry, fragile tissue. These effects are exacerbated by too much sun exposure, which accelerates the visible signs of aging, including discoloration, sagging and fine lines.

All that aside, there is still good news. You can grow old gracefully while still be proactive in keeping your skin as healthy and happy as possible. This does not include fighting aging with chemical creams, Botox, and other unnatural methods. What is does include is exercising, healthy skincare and eating right. Eating right is even more important then previously presumed. New research shows that a diet rich is certain nutrients can prevent and reverse skin aging more effectively than expensive treatments.

Stock up on the following foods to help your skin stay smooth, supple and young, no matter what your age.

Kiwis-super high in Vitamin C which is crucial in the production of collagen (eat 2 a day)
Berries-excellent source of ellagic acid, an antioxidant that helps protect skin against sun damage and reduces inflammation. Also rich in polyphenols which protect skin from free-radical damage (eat 1/2 cup per day)
White Tea-blocks enzymes that break down collagen and elastin (drink at least 2 cups a day)
Flaxseed Oil-contains Omega-3 and -6 essential fatty acids which decrease skin roughness and scaling as well as build membranes around cells which helps keep skin moist and supple. (1-2 Tbsp a day on cold foods or used after cooking, heat kills its goodness)
Spinach-very high in vitamin K inhibits calcification. Calcification limits skin elasticity which leads to wrinkles. (eat 1 cup at least 3 times per week)
Dark Chocolate-rich in flavonols that protect skin from harmful UV light. (eat 1 oz a day)
Tomatoes-amazing source of lycopene which stabilizes a volatile form of molecular oxygen that causes the skin to age. (aim to eat 1 cup cooked tomatoes with olive oil several times per week)
Carrots-rich in vitamin A which serves as a barrier, providing a healthy surface lining to prevent bacteria from entering the body. (eath 1-2 cups carrots or other bright-orange foods every week)
Avocados-rich in vitamin E and lutein which reduce harmful effects of the sun and help combat collagen breakdown. (eat 1-2 per week).

Recipes coming soon!!

90% of women with the breast cancer have no family history of the disease. This leaves many breast cancer survivors wondering if the disease was caused by chemicals in the environment. Although the American Cancer Society estimates that environmental toxins cause 6% of all cancer deaths, or about 34,000 lost lives each year, the group doesn’t offer specific advice on which chemicals to avoid to reduce breast cancer risk. The Federal Cancer Panel says this number is inaccurate and that cancers related to environmental toxins have been “grossly underestimated.”

To some extent, scientists will never have “definitive” answers, says Julia Brody of Silent Spring Institute, an advocacy group that studies breast cancer and the environment. People are exposed to a countless mix of chemicals over a lifetime. Since cancers usually take decades to develop, it can be hard to make clear connections. And since researchers can’t test toxins on humans, they rely on studies in animals and lab dishes, as well as observations of population trends, Brody says.

Scientists sometimes disagree about how to interpret the results. Even more crucially, though, experts disagree about how to act in the face of uncertainty. Some cancer experts, such as the American Cancer Society’s Michael Thun, says it’s important to make health recommendations only when doctors can be very sure about the science. “The problem with sounding too many alarms is that people can’t tell what’s real,” he says.

But when there is no risk in avoiding chemicals yet to be tested and big potential risks in not avoiding them, why risk it? Why not exercise caution to reduce exposure? Especially when other medical leaders, such as the President’s Cancer Panel and the Endocrine Society, follow the “precautionary principle,” arguing that it makes sense to reduce exposures to chemicals that appear harmful. In a May report, the cancer panel urged the country to act to protect people from “grievous harm” caused by toxins. And in a 2009 report, the Endocrine Society warned that hormone-disrupting chemicals in consumer products may contribute to cancer, infertility and other conditions.

Doctors expect to get many answers from the National Children’s Study, launched this year, which will follow 100,000 children from birth — or earlier — through age 21. Researchers will study chemicals in blood, urine and even umbilical cords, looking for links to cancer, asthma, autism and other disorders.

But Brody says that Americans don’t need to wait for that study’s results to begin protecting themselves and their children. More than 200 chemicals have been linked to breast cancer in animals, she says.

A growing number of scientists are particularly concerned about chemicals that alter natural hormonal systems. These chemicals don’t need to cause genetic mutations to cause breast cancer, says Janet Gray, a professor at New York’s Vassar College.

Toxins could increase the number of new cancers by pushing girls into early puberty — a known risk factor for breast tumors, Gray says. Such “hormone-disrupting” chemicals are everywhere — plastics, pesticides, even perfumes.

“We believe there’s enough science to act now,” says Janet Nudelman of the Breast Cancer Fund.