Sensitive skin during pregnancy

They say, 'Your skin will glow with absolute radiance when the baby comes along,' Yet you hate it that you cannot agree with that.

Is your skin a total baby these days - and not in a good way? Here's why and what you can do about your suddenly supersensitive skin ever since your pregnancy begins.

What is it? Skin tends to become more sensitive during pregnancy, not only due to your higher hormone levels, but because it has become more stretched and delicate. Skin and body care, or even detergents, may suddenly cause irritation, or conditions such as acne or eczema may become worse. Your raging hormones make your skin more sensitive to contact with substances that might not normally affect you, such as sunlight, heat, chemicals in the skin or body care, and even certain foods.

What to do? At all cost, avoid products that are laden with tons of additives, dyes, or fragrance, any of which can exacerbate the problem. Keep the dry and flaky areas well-moisturized. Avoid taking hot shower, which will dry out your skin. Finally, always protect your skin from the sun with a high-factor sunscreen (SPF 15 or more for Malaysia!). Avoid all things fragranced, lotions, perfumes, or even your trusted skin care, may now cause irritation.

Check with our consultant or nutritionist on a suitable range of skin care for a stress-free pregnancy!  

Green Your Home

One day, I used a kitchen cleaner to clean my keyboard which is supposed to be sparkling white in color, but now grey-ish. After cleaning it and inhaling the chemical residue from the cleanser, I suffered from migraine for the next few hours. From then on, I knew I needed something less chemical, something greener. I started finding out more about green products.

Products we’re using to clean our home and clothes have quietly become more chemical-based over the past-century; many ingredients have a detrimental effect on our health and our world.

Can that be the reason why more kids are suffering from allergies nowadays?

Many of our favorite cleaning products contain benzene, which is toxic to inhale and a carcinogen phosphates, which damage river and marine life and naphtha, which a is CNS (central nervous system) depressant. Now, run to your kitchen or your toilet to check the cleaning agent to see how many chemical ingredients it contains.

Toxic hair color!

'How often do you dye your hair?' , 'as soon as the roots show its true color' .

Most of us may have been told that hair dyes contain various toxic and harmful chemicals. But many of us accepts the fact and continues to have our hair dyed every few months or even weeks! That's because the thought of having our roots showing its true color appears uglier than the toxic chemicals.

But now you may want to have a second thought before heading to the hair salon. Studies by Dr. Sakabe Mitsugu, director of clinical environmental medical centre of Kitasato Inst. Hospital finds that hair colorant may propagate growth of cancerous cells. So BEWARE if you have a family history of cancer. No one know if the tiny cancer cells are already in our body and you don't want to be feeding it, making it grow quicker.

Parabens in skin care, how bad are they?

The dangers of parabens in our skin care are just beginning to surface. Weight gain, skin aging and certain types of cancer are suspected to be caused by parabens! Shocking!

It is in fact that up to 60% of whatever placed on our skin goes into our bloodstream. This is where the danger states. Parabens are the most commonly used synthetic preservatives in many cosmetics and skin care. They ensure a long shelf life by stopping the growth of harmful bacterial, yeast and moold. But recent studies (by Suzanne M. Snedeker) found parabens in human breast cancer tissue. This raises obvious questions about their ability to accumulate in our body.

Most companies opted for parabens for the function and the justifiable cost. However, there is also evidence that parabens may disrupt the body's hormone systems by duplicating the effects of estrogen (female hormones).

Cautious!

Be aware that words like 'natural' or 'organic' do not mean paraben free. Learn to read the label and find out more for your own good.

3 Sabah hotels awarded ASEAN Greenest Hotel

The next time you are on a family vacation, work trip or meeting, if budget permits, check out one of these environmental-friendly hotels in Malaysia, recipients of the ASEAN Green Hotel Award.

Its comforting knowing that 3 out of 10 of them are located at our home state, Sabah.

• Hotel Melia Kuala Lumpur
• Mines Wellness Hotel, Selangor
• Nexus Resort Karambunai, Sabah
• Renaissance Kuala Lumpur
• Shangri-La Hotel Kuala Lumpur
• Shangri-La Rasa Ria Resort, Sabah
• Shangri-La Rasa Sayang Penang
• Shangri-La Tanjung Aru Resort and Spa, Sabah
• The Andaman Langkawi, Kedah
• The Frangipani Langkawi Resort & Spa

Study finds organic food is in fact MORE nutritious

The French Agency for Food Safety (AFSSA) has found that organic food is superior nutritionally, in research pushed in the Journal Agronomy for Sustainable Development. Authored by Denis Lairon, the French study found key differences between organic and conventional foods.

The study concluded that organic plant products contain more dry matter and minerals, specifically Iron and Magnesium, and contain more anti-oxidant micronutrients such as phenols and salicylic acid. Organic animal products contain more polyunsaturated fatty acids (healthier type of fats required by our human body).

The study also revealed that organic vegetables contain far less nitrates. 80% human exposure to nitrates originates from vegetables. Nitrates has been linked to gastric cancer, circulatory problems and respiratory conditions such as asthma. Lairon also found that 94-100% organic food has no pesticide residues.