Not fair

Carrageenan - Good or Bad for Your Body?

Carrageenan.

I ran into an old friend, Jane, in the local health food store, and was delighted to see her.  “How are you?” were my first words.  This led to a discussion of her granddaughter’s allergies, and how careful the whole family is about putting chemicals in the body or on it.

One item she stressed the most:  “Don’t eat food with carrageenan in it”.

I googled ‘carrageenan risks’, as you might also want to do.  This info put up red flags for me:  “Carrageenan exposure clearly causes inflammation.”  Here’s a link to more about that additive:  http://www.cornucopia.org/2013/12/carrageenan-risks

One day I found a skin care company online that was highly recommended, and ordered a sample kit of their products.  When I looked at the ingredients, I saw they included carrageenan.

I emailed the company and said “You were recommended to me, but I see you have carrageenan in your lotions.  Have you considered leaving it out?”

The answer came back.  She basically said yes, they are aware of the issues surrounding the safety of ingesting carrageenan.  But their lotion has big molecules that sit on the skin and are not absorbed into the body.

That sounded weird to me.  If it didn’t penetrate, then it would just float on top, and how could it get down to the other layers of skin?  The lotions in their sample kit penetrated wonderfully.

So not only does their product contain carrageenan, but I felt I was being snookered by the answer that their lotion didn’t penetrate the skin!

So look at the ingredients and use your own judgment (or muscle test the product).

Feeling stressed this holiday season?  Stand up.  Take a few deep breaths.  Do a quick jig or your favorite stretching exercise.  Or if you have time, turn on some lively music and dance. 
Perhaps add a happy thought:  holding your newborn child or a favorite kiss or a peaceful walk in the woods or receiving a compliment or playing with a pet.  No 'yes but' to negate the happy thought.
Feeling better?  Any time you become aware of feeling stressed or moody is a good time to take a little break, just for yourself.  When you're feeling peaceful and happy, you work better, play better and affect others in a positive way.

Are You Being Snookered?

What Is Your Favorite Color?

Your favorite color can be a  therapeutic color for your body and mind.

Looking at a beautiful flower, a scarf, art work or anything in your favorite color can be uplifting.  I keep a teal blue scarf at my altar because that color calms and pleases me when I look at it. 

Another way to use your favorite color is to visualize a flame of that color filling and surrounding you.

Violet—the color of a bright violet neon sign—can be helpful.  Visualize the violet light or violet flame coming up through your body from the bottom of your feet on up through the top of your head, dissolving any feelings of anxiety, depression, lethargy, unhappiness or boredom.  See or feel those detrimental feelings being dissolved.  Then visualize all that negativity being replaced by white or gold or violet light coming down from above and moving throughout your body.  How does that feel?

I never visualize the color black or red, simply because black is the color of death and red is the color of fear and anger.  Do you wear a lot of black or red?  Changing to a rainbow color can be very uplifting.  How about navy blue instead of black?  Mauve or a beautiful shade of pink instead of red?