African Shea Butter

African Shea Butter

African Shea Butter is made from the seeds of the Karite tree (known as the Tree of Life) which grows wild in West Africa. In Africa, there are number of therapeutic uses for the "King of skin care ingredients" including ingesting it for colds and flus and as a ceremonial food. Africans use it on the skin of infants, because of it's incredibly mild properties on the most sensitive of skin. Also, it does an amazing job of protecting and moisturizing their delicate skin. Africans also use Shea Butter with the elderly to help with aching joints and to keep their skin supple. Due to the dry nature of the Sahara, it is also used regularly to help with cracked and dry skin.

The 7 Top Reasons to use Shea Butter

1. Dry Skin - Helps dramatically reduce the issues associated with dry skin. Specifically, Shea Butter helps prevent chapping, chafing and skin cracks (especially on the feet and elbows).

2. Psoriasis, Eczema, Dermatitis - Has shown to have remarkable effects on rashes, psoriasis, eczema, and dermatitis. French dermatologists used Shea Butter on 35 people from different age, sex and racial backgrounds for a period of ten days to 5 months. These subjects had all types of skin disorders ranging from dry and wrinkled skin to serious burns and rashes. There was substantial healing in all of the cases, and in some cases the healing was almost miraculous. These clinical trials have all been well documented by the French Ministry of Health.

2. Skin Irritations - Minor skin irritations including allergies, insect bites, frost bites, sun burns, burns, and small skin wounds all respond positively to treatment. Shea Butter glides on smoothly and easily and penetrates into the skin immediately, having a very quick effect,

3. Wrinkles - Helps dramatically with wrinkles. Shea Butter works by rejuvenating skin cells and cleaning pores. Shea Butter also helps by preventing wrinkles by keeping moisture protected in the deeper dermal layers of the skin.

4. Dry Hair and Scalp - Helps prevent weak hair from breaking, fading or thinning out. Unlike almost all other hair conditioners on the market, which use Petroleum by-products, Shea Butter does not clog pores or block the hair shafts. It also helps prevent dandruff and revitalizes split ends. In addition, it will protect the hair from the damaging rays of the sun, hair dryers, perms and dyes. A good idea is to use it before swimming in a pool or the ocean to help protect your hair from chlorine and sea salt.

5. Sensitive Skin - One of the best choices for people with ultra-sensitive skin, including infants. Why? The chemical composition of shea butter is close to vernix, the substance found on newborns at birth, so there is no negative reaction to it by even the most sensitive people.

6. Stretch Marks - Excellent for the prevention and treatment of stretch marks and other kinds of scar tissue. It works by moisturizing and feeding nutrients to these areas which helps dramatically reduce the appearance of scars or stretch marks. In addition, Shea Butter is also good for the healing of sore nipples of nursing mothers.

7. Aging - Wonderful for older people who are looking to prevent bed sores and want to keep the suppleness of their skin. Shea Butter works great for the elderly population and can be used everyday.

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Unsafe Mercury Leveles in Tuna

According to many experts, mercury is a dangerous heavy metal that has been found in many different kinds of seafood including a wide assortment of tuna and other seafood. Unfortunately, consumption of fish is the primary source of mercury in the American population. For some people, especially pregnant and nursing women, even small levels of mercury can pose serious health threats to a fetus or baby. It has even been shown that women of child-bearing age (even if not pregnant) can hurt their future baby's development because mercury stays in the body for a long time.

Mercury rains down on rivers and the oceans mainly from from the emissions generated by coal-burning power plants. When mercury enters the water, bacteria actually transforms this heavy metal into an even more dangerous toxin. In the oceans, mercury appears to be at the highest levels in predatory fish.

So, what can happen if you or a child has mercury poisoning? Symptoms of mercury poisoning typically includes vision, hearing, speech impairment as well as a significant decrease in coordination. Studies also suggest that high levels of mercury in the body can also cause neurological and cardiovascular damage and an over-all depression of the immune systems which puts a person at greater risk for illness. In children, in addition to the above mentioned problems, mercury poisoning can also cause learning disabilities, including autism. Long term exposure to mercury can result in brain damage and ultimately death.

So, which fish have the highest levels of mercury? It appears that the following kinds of fish have the highest amounts of mercury: tilefish, tuna, shark, swordfish, and king mackerel. It had been suggested that light canned tuna was lower in mercury than white tuna, but according to new data from Consumer Reports, that may not be true. Their analysis of both kinds of tuna showed that light canned tuna may have equally as much mercury as that of canned white tuna.

David Acheson, M.D., the chief medical officer at the FDA has stated "If you eat a single can of something that's a little higher than the average, it's not going to do any acute harm." However, it has been found that some cans of tuna contain significantly higher amounts of mercury than the average. This puts a person eating these kinds of seafood at significant risk of mercury poisoning.

The first and best way to avoid mercury poisoning and protect yourself is to avoid these kinds of seafood. In my opinion, the risk far outweighs the benefits or taste or nutritional importance. It is important to get Omega fatty acids in the diet, but I recommend flax oil or a vegan source of DHA. One omega-3 fatty acid is docosahexaenoic acid or DHA, so a vegan source is the purest and best source of this nutrient. I would avoid getting Omega fatty Acids from fish oil, because they can also contain mercury and they tend to go rancid sitting on store shelves and in your pantry.

A lot of people ask about detoxifying mercury from their bodies. Fortunately, there have been a large number of people who have had great success in eliminating most of the mercury from their bodies from herbal detoxification.

In order to detoxify mercury safely from your body, I strongly recommend using a top quality, organic herbal formula.

The best formula I have seen based on years of experience and feedback from people is an organic herbal formula sold at Organic Health and Beauty. To learn more about this organic herbal detoxification formula for mercury poisoning, click here.