Recently while strolling through Whole Foods with my mother we both complained about how dry our skin is this time of year. Not to mention that I’ve been plagued with black heads again and I felt like it was related to my lotion. The helpful lady in the skin section overheard my mom mention that she uses Pond’s and made a noise that sounded a lot like pearl clutching. She expressed that with all of the petro-chemicals that she would never put anything like that on her face. I whole-heartedly agreed and she then made us some lovely samples of face products to try. Some cream for my mother’s face and some oil for me. She also indicated that a woman should never moisturize at night. Something about your face going through a cleaning cycle, etc… For my overly sensitive and uber oily acne prone skin she recommended Sea Buckthorn oil. She said that oil counteracts oil and would clear my skin right up. Having tried the olive oil experiment before and deciding that for my skin it really is best used only as eye make-up remover and under eye moisturizer due to the clogged pores that quickly developed I expressed my concern. She reassured me and noted that Dr. Oz said it’s just fine. She gave me a sample and I tried it out. The first day or two it did seem to make my skin soft, smooth and moisturized. However, again the build up began. Within a week I had oily clogged pores all over my face. Then the irritated white heads grew. My pores increased in size and my face powder began to look dirty and feel like sludge by noon. So, after three weeks I have given up. It wasn’t a costly experiment (only about $13 for a bottle), but unfortunately another failed attempt at using oil as moisturizer. I’m sure for some women this is just the natural product they’ve been looking for, but for my skin it just doesn’t work. I love that it’s cruelty-free, organic and natural, but none of that matters if it doesn’t work. I’ve given the bottle to my husband to use on his painful eczema as the Sea Buckthorn Berry has been traditionally used on many skin conditions throughout the Himalayas. I’ll report back on whether or not he has any better experiences with this wonder fruit. Have you tried the newest organic cosmetic sensation? If so, what was your experience?
I had been sick for two months with some kind of terrible combination of upper respiratory/sinus infection and possibly allergies and/or asthma. My doctor tried combinations of medication (up to 5 at a time) which required a map to sort out what I had taken, what I was currently on, and what was left to try. After the first antibiotic didn’t clear things up, she opted for another, stronger antibiotic. Unfortunately, one of the side effects included colitis!?! I, of course, developed colitis within 2 days of taking the antibiotic and have a history of many and varied gastrointestinal disorders. I can safely say, that there are some places from which one never wants to bleed..ever. Not only was this condition painful, but it was also very embarassing and terribly inconvenient to experience in the workplace, but you still have to get your work done. On the advice of my best friend and then a similar conversation with my mother I decided to up my probiotic intake from just 
. The Mayo Clinic also has a Q&A on probiotics on their website called, “
“. In the end, while medical science works to improve our health through the use of antibiotics, it is important to remember that we have access to good bacteria that can help us as well as bad, so be good to your belly and your body will love you for it.
