Kybella to reduce double chin: FDA approved to destroy fat cells

I avoid coverage of drugs and cosmetic procedures, but I thought this one might be of interest to a lot readers. It's exciting news but I'm also torn because I personally would never, ever recommend a brand new drug with no post-marketing data. So no, I do not recommend this one, but read on.

Yesterday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Kybella as a treatment for adult submental fat (fat below the chin). Kybella is a cytolytic drug that will physically destroy the cell membrane when injected into tissues. When properly injected into submental fat, the drug destroys fat cells. When improperly injected, it can also destroy other types of cells, such as skin cells. It can cause nerve damage among other problems. Read more about it on the FDA website.

Is Kybella safe to use? Kybella has been approved by the FDA, but doctors will need to be trained on the proper injection techniques in order to be able to safely and efficaciously inject patients. Kybella price and availability has not yet been made available by the manufacturer.

What does that mean for those with fatty chins? This new drug is something you can consider talking to your doctor about. I wouldn't jump into it because of the severe adverse effects of the drug. Read up on the clinical trials, analyze risks vs benefits and get your doctor's clinical opinion.

Beware of Toxic Heavy Metals in Your Makeup

Is your makeup slowly poisoning you? Heavy metals such as lead, arsenic, mercury, aluminum, cadmium, manganese, and nickel can lead to organ toxicity, neurological problems, and contribute to cancer growth. Heavy metals can be found in a lot of things. In small amounts, they are harmless. They can, however, accumulate if you are using a lot of products with heavy metals or if you use such products daily.

Lead is actually found in most lipsticks

The FDA released a 2012 report that found lead in 400 brands of lipsticks. They considered the amounts negligible since they are controlled and people ingest little of their lipstick. This should be noted for anyone sensitive to lead or are suffering from certain conditions. Surprisingly, the cheaper Wet 'n' Wild Mega Mixers Lip Balm Bahama Mama contains the least lead of the 400 brands while several L'Oréal and Maybelline lipsticks contained the most amounts of lead, up to 7.19 parts per million. So if you're using Maybelline's Color Sensational Pink Petal lipstick, don't try to lick or eat it!

How to stay safe

Do your research. Read the ingredients, investigate the ingredients and buy from brands you are familiar with or are regulated. Note that just because it is unlisted in the ingredient list doesn't mean it is not there. Avoid makeup of unknown origins. Be particularly wary of lipsticks because you can easily accidentally ingest it. Lipsticks dyes from unregulated sources can contain high amounts of lead.

Fake makeup from eBay can be a lot more dangerous than you think. They don't just fake a brand name, they could add abnormally high amounts of heavy metals to imitate the deep pigmentation of more expensive makeup. Stay safe, makeup lovers!

Origins Samples & 5 Vegetables Drink

I vacationed in Atlantic City the past week and stopped at the Macy's in Center City Philadelphia on the way back. Nancy from the Origins counter was the biggest sweetheart in the world. She even offered me a complimentary facial and gave me a sample of the Origins A Perfect World Guardian. I fell in love with the product as soon as she applied it to the back of my hand. My hand felt so supple and soft that I could not resist touching it. It is similar to one of those Lush hand treatment experiences. If you're ever in the area, definitely stop by to visit the ladies at this Origins counter.

Sample pot of Origins A Perfect World Age-defense skin guardian with White Tea

Nancy was very excited to let me know that Origins is very loved by many beauty bloggers. She didn't say magazines or editors, but bloggers! Origins is a brand name loved by magazine editors and celebrities alike; I'm proud to know that the blogger seal of approval is held in great esteem by them.

Mysterious Green Drink

The drink above doesn't look too appetizing, does it? That's because it isn't. I was on my way to making a fruit smoothie this morning when I decided that I would instead use up the random stale produce in my fridge. I added green apple, pineapple and green bell pepper. The drink is not as horrible as it looks and sounds since the pineapple masks most of the scent.

Many years ago I loss weight drinking daily a fresh vegetable mix consisting of blended green apple, green bell pepper, celery, cucumber and bitter melon. I drank a big glass every morning and effortlessly loss 5 pounds in less 2 weeks. I know people who claim that this specific combination eases weight loss. Personally, I think the weight naturally dropped because the big glass of yuck filled me up with nutrients and  made me lose my appetite. It also made me feel very energetic throughout the day. I eventually stopped drinking the concoction partly because I hated cleaning the juicer, but mostly because I naturally have low blood pressure. The daily consumption of celery lowered my blood pressure more than I liked. I guess I could just reduce or eliminate the celery, but I decided to stop drinking the disgusting drink altogether.

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June Giveaway A Day daily prize is $10 Paypal or $15 Sigma Gift Card.

Is Fasting Good or Bad? My 3-Day Water Fast

Some people fast for religious reasons, cultural reasons or health-related reasons. Regardless, I believe that a fast, when done correctly , under professional guidance and under the right mindset, can do one a lot of good. It can rid the body of toxins. I think that fasting is bad and extremely harmful if one just wants to lose weight fast, starve oneself or control one's weight/life through starvation. The mind must be sound before the body can be.

Some people scorn at even the idea of a fast, calling it unhealthy and claiming that it will shut down your metabolism and burn off your muscles. While there is some truth to those claims, not all fasts are created equal and not everyone fasting will be affected the same way. There are many books that write of the benefit of a fast. Some doctors recommend complete water fasts for morbidly obese people or people with digestive and colon issues.

This is not a post about whether fasting is good or bad in general. That part is up to your doctor to help you decide. I personally believe that a fast every few months or once/twice a year is beneficial for me. It clears my body of toxins and gives me a clearer mind, evident in my yoga practice and meditation. This post is only to share my fasting experience with my readers. Perhaps it could be useful to someone fasting or thinking of starting a fast. As this is not my first time doing a fast, I've had good trial and error and have reaped the benefit before.

Day 1 Fast. I drank 3 liters of water and did 20 minute of light cardio. I had a fairly normal day with several slight pangs of hunger that lasted only minutes at a time. Water suppressed the hunger completely. I slept normally at night.

Wellness Week 2012 (March 19th-25th)

During the week of March 19th to the 25th, hundreds of gyms and spas across the United States will offer discounted memberships and health services through the Wellness Week website. Various health and fitness experts will also be speaking about ways you can live life a little healthier.

I'm not usually one to participate in mass media and corporate sponsored events, but this sounds so beneficial that I can't help it! Since I already have a full year gym membership, I won't be paying for any of the special gym and spa offers. I will, however, be enjoying the plethora of health articles, tips and advice offered throughout the week! I guess it's just a little morale boost for my effort to get fit for the Spring.

As a part of Wellness Week, I've decided to take the wellness pledge over at SpaFinder.

I pledge to:

• Change my BREAKFAST
• Choose to MOVE
• HYDRATE
• Connect with NATURE
• Make my SLEEP a priority
• Embrace the power of TOUCH
• Give myself the gift of SILENCE

I also want to amp up my yoga practice and get my diet on track so that I can comfortably fit into my Spring dresses and shorts again. :)

Are Your Cosmetics Hazardous to Your Health?

I recently bought the Coppertone SPF 50 Oil-Free Sunscreen Lotion from a local Target out of the whim. It is not one specifically for the face, but I use it for my body, neck and face - and I love it. It is oil-free, waterproof and long lasting. It does not feel dry or greasy and most importantly, does not break me out. The sunscreen costs only a few dollars, but to me is worth gold.

That got me thinking: Why is something "worth gold" sold for so little when there are many expensive, high-end sunscreens selling well? Surely there is something wrong with mine. I began to investigate the ingredients: The particular bottle I bought was paraben-free (though not all Coppertone sunscreens are).

I decided to dwell deeper and look up all of the ingredients on ewg.org. If you are unfamiliar with EWG's Skin Deep, it is a cosmetics database that lists the health risks, toxicity, and safety of many common cosmetics ingredients.

EWG's Hazard Score Key

Looking through the database, I noticed that my particular sunscreen lotion is listed with an overall rating of 4, which would make it fall under moderate hazard. (To put things in perspective, Aussie Shampoo also has a rating of 4.) The most hazard of ingredients listed is oxybenzone, which scores a 7 on the EWG hazard scale. Benzyl alcohol and triethanolamine respectively scored 6 and 5, which the rest of the ingredients scoring from 0-4.

As it seems, there is nothing especially wrong with my lotion. The most dangerous ingredient turns out to be the sunscreen itself. Accumulation of what seems like innate chemicals can lead to serious health issues - but that is a risk we take to avoid sun damage, aging and cancer.

Ingredients: Homosalate, Oxybenzone, Octisalate, Octocrylene, Avobenzone, Water, Styrene Acrylates Copolymer, Propylene Glycol, Neopentyl Glycol Diheptanoate, Bis Stearyl Ethylenediamine, Stearyl Hydrogenated Dimer Dilionleate Copolymer, Benzyl Alcohol, Acrylates/C10 30 Alkyl Acrylate, Crosspolymer, Oleth 3, Tocopherol (Natural Vitamin E), Triethanolamine, Chlorphenesin, Disodium EDTA

In the end, I am still a fan of my Coppertone SPF 50 Oil-Free Sunscreen Lotion. It isn't obviously more toxic than the food I eat or lifestyle I live. Looking through the cosmetics database though, there seems to be a lot of sunscreen lotions that are less hazardous because they contain physical sunscreen such as titanium dioxide instead of chemical sunscreens. (Read about physical vs. chemical sunscreens.) I will try some of them after I am through with my Coppertone.

I hate looking up ingredients and studying their toxicity. It is troublesome and possibly unnecessary as many ingredients can't be avoided entirely. But it is scary that there are too many toxins to avoid. Most chemicals pose some threat or another - and that is only based on small studies of some ingredients. Can you imagine the dangers brewing behind the chemicals we have not had time or resources to thoroughly research?