Winter is here. For a lot of us that means colder, wetter weather, and dryer skin. If you are looking for a superior moisturizer that also has healing properties, check out Shea. Here are some basic things you might want to know about this healthy healing cream.

Shea butter comes from the Shea nut tree more commonly known as the Karite nut or Mangifolia tree. The name literally means Tree Of Life. Its distribution is exclusive to Sub Saharan West Africa, – where it grows in 19 countries.

It is for the most part hand picked and processed, usually by women and is a major economic and life staple in those communities where it is collected. It can take 20-30 hours to extract just 2.2 lbs, but this slow traditional process allows the butter to retain more of its nutritional, skin care and medicinal properties. When it is finished, its natural moisturizing properties very closely resemble the moisture your own body secrets.

Shea butter’s phenolics, have anti-aging properties similar to green tea. It contains vitamins E and A which help minimize the effects of sun and environment. It also contains cinnamic acid which acts like Alpha Hydroxy, meaning it penetrates and helps with cell regeneration under the skin. – But what makes Shea butter truly better than other seed oils is its restorative or healing power. The healing fraction or properties of Shea Butter can be up to 17% in good quality Shea Butter. (In other seed oils the range is around 1% or lower.)

It’s moisturizing and healing qualities make it a great “go to” cream, for rashes, wrinkles, windburn, sunburn, acne, insect bites, wounds, stretch-marks, psoriasis and eczema. It is also used topically to help reduce inflammation in joints and to ease muscle fatigue. Studies have shown it to be effective as a nasal decongestant due to its ability to reduce inflammation. In Africa women chew the nut to relieve stomach upsets and on babies to encourage soft skin and deep sleep.

Though it originated in the Sub Saharan, Shea butter has been around, travelling in the caravans of Cleopatra, Nefertiti, and the Queen of Sheba. Today it’s known as “Women’s Gold,” because of the employment and income it provides for rural women and farmers in those regions. When you buy Shea butter for yourself or as a gift you can make life better for someone, not just at the holidays, but all year long.

What to look for:

Shea butter is classified into five grades:

• A – raw or unrefined, extracted using water;
• B – refined;
• C – highly refined and extracted with petroleum based solvents such as hexane;
• D – lowest uncontaminated grade;
• E – with contaminants.

Grade A Shea butter retains the most cinnamic acid or healing properties, and the most natural vitamins, especially vitamins A and E, which are partially lost in the other grades. So in purchasing, look for the highest quality Shea Butter, classified as “grade A.”

At room temp natural unrefined Shea Butter should spread easily. It is a creamy beige color, not yellow grey green dark brown or white. It should smell mildly nutty or smoky. This is important because if it has an added scent or has been processed in any way, it is degraded.

Shameless Plug: There are endless places to buy, but If you are looking for organic, fair trade, unprocessed Shea Butter, Ten Thousand Villages is one supplier that delivers on all three. Purchasing from The Ele Agbe Company it sells a high quality product and provides, jobs, training and tools for women and under educated youth.

Shea Butter

Ten Thousand Villages – The Ele Agbe Company

Note: There are some people with skin sensitivities that have an adverse reaction to Shea Butter. The cinnamic acid and cinnamic aldehyde can cause contact urticaria, a skin irritation which results in a reaction of the skin or mucous membrane. It can be as subtle as itching and redness, or as severe as wealts or flares on the skin. As little as 0.01% cinnamic aldehyde can produce this result in sensitive people.

Shea butter is also used in cooking, and as a substitute for cocoa butter in European countries in products such as chocolate. Lower grades are used in hundreds of other products such as a waterproofing wax, hairdressing, candle-making, and many more.

Benefits of raw shea butter

Shea Butter Hair Care

About cinnamic acid

Home Guides – Shea butter benefits

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Peek inside a shea butter facility inUganda

The shea butter economy -big money and exploitation

It’s called the “hygiene hypothesis.”

And it goes like this: Kids who grow up around dogs, cats, siblings – in a more “germy” environment — will not only be much less likely to have allergies to pets, but to foods as well.

It’s a concept, backed by numerous studies, that throws a kibosh on the idea that children need strict “sanitation standards” to grow up healthy.

What researchers are saying is that kids require a certain amount of exposure to microbes and germs to develop a robust immune system. Without this early germ connection, it’s said that instead of developing an “infection fighting” position, the immune system shifts to a more “allergic” one.

Now, my favorite part of this research has to do with how dogs and cats can help.

As a long-time volunteer in a local animal shelter, I’ve seen firsthand the numbers of pets surrendered because of the arrival of a new baby. And that’s a real shame, not only for the poor confused dog or kitty — one who has no idea how in the world they went from a loving home to a small cage in the shelter — but for the baby as well.

Because it’s this early exposure — some studies say before the age of one, others give up to age nine — that appears to provide the best “immunity” against future allergies.

Even better news for all those shelter pets is a study out of Canada and New Zealand several years ago. This research found that to get the best allergy protection, kids need to have both a dog and a cat!

The researchers weren’t exactly sure why having both pets was so beneficial, but said it possibly has to do with the combinations of different allergens and how they can train a developing immune system.

Dr. Thomas Platts-Mills, an allergy expert at the University of Virginia published an earlier study showing how we can even overcome allergies once they take hold.

Kids who might otherwise be allergic, Dr. Patts-Mills said, will not become allergic to a cat living in their home. “It implies that high-dose natural exposure can give rise to a form of tolerance,” he said.

His research was unique as other studies have shown that once a kid becomes allergic, it’s too late to reverse the damage.

But even if your child is already an allergy sufferer, they might still be able to have a canine best friend. Breeds such as the bichon, poodle, Portuguese water dog, Maltese and schnauzer are said to trigger the least allergic responses in those who react to dogs.

But the very idea that pets can help children grow up with a stronger immune system, be healthier and have fewer allergies is good news to puppies, kittens, dogs and cats — and of course, kids everywhere!

With Christmas upon us and New Year’s Eve around the corner, most of us are operating at full swing- working, planning, prepping, shopping, wrapping, etc. With all of that running around (likely in the cold!), it’s easy to get run down. While most of us think of taking care of ourselves from January 1^st on, let’s face it- our immune systems could use a little preparatory love. This home-made brew is a potent mix of anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antibacterial, antifungal (you get the idea) ingredients that can help you prepare for the revelry ahead.

Serving Size: 1 Pot of Tea (roughly 4 cups)

Ingredients:

• Ginger:

o   If fresh, roughly 2 inches, minced or finely chopped

o   If powdered, 1-2 tsps.

• Turmeric:

o   If fresh, roughly 2-3 inches grated or finely chopped

o   If powdered, 1 ½  tsp.

• Lemon:

o   Squeezed, Juiced, or Sliced, as you like.

• Honey, preferably raw, to taste
• Water (4 cups or to the brim of your teapot)
• A pinch of Cayenne Pepper upon serving (please note: the spice will increase the longer the beverage is left to sit, add less if you like a leisurely cup of tea).

There are many ways to prepare this tea, ranging from the use of a juicer, to boiling the ingredients together, to simply pouring boiling water over the ingredients and leaving to steep. However much time you have, this healthful pot of gold can be yours.

An added bonus? The rich red and gold appearance is seasonally appropriate,  perfect for curling up by the fire on a cold night…or reminiscing about the last time you were fireside. Who doesn’t want to coordinate their beverages to their holiday decorations? Wishing you all a happy and healthy holiday season!

Has this happened to you?  The house is full of family and friends in a joyful hum of Christmas chaos.  Too many moving parts and yet it all seems to be going along just fine.  Then   …. The “Poinsettia Incident” occurs!

I spent 20 years of Christmas Seasons as an ER doc.  There are certain problems that occur every year, some serious, some not!  The poinsettia incident is one of the ER Christmas traditions.

You know the story, some of the poinsettia is missing and there are poinsettia leaves in places too far away from the once gorgeous Christmas plant to have just fallen off.  Maybe you even found chewed up leaf remnants.  Oh gosh, chances are that it wasn’t any of the adults who have been munching on the poinsettia … so who is the culprit?  One or more of the kids?  The dog?  The cat?  Who was it?  Did they actually swallow any of it, and if so, how much?

We have all heard the warnings about poinsettia poisoning  …  bad for people  … bad for pets.  Here are some facts.  Researchers looked at 23,000 cases of human poinsettia exposure and found:
●  99% were accidental (is that a surprise to anyone?)
●  there were no deaths associated with ingestion
●  92% did not develop any signs or symptoms
●  the majority did not receive any medical therapy or treatment  (well, if  you consider “reassurance” as medical therapy or treatment, then the majority received that)!

So, bottomline … poinsettias are not a problem for people.  I don’t recommend baking with it or putting it in your seasonal salads, but accidental ingestion is not a problem.  Feel free to call your ER or Poison Control Line, but don’t panic!

What about Fido and Fluffy?  According to the Pet Poison Hotline, there is no problem there either.
The pet may develop a skin allergy from rubbing on the plant or an eye irritation if some gets in the eyes.  Ingested poinsettia leaves may cause vomiting or drooling or slight diarrhea but all of these issues are “self-limited” (they will go away on their own).

So, what to do when Johnny, Fido or Fluffy eats some of your Christmas Poinsettia?  Sigh, smile, clean up the mess  … and add it to your list of Christmastime Stories!  Happy Holidays!

During the holidays it’s nice to have something nutritious for breakfast already prepared and ready to go, so that more time can be spent watching your loved ones tear through the wrapping paper, opening gifts, and partaking in other joyous celebrations.

This is my mom’s egg bake recipe that she serves every Christmas morning. It is so easy that you’ll want to have it in your fridge for a quick grab-and-go breakfast solution all year around.

Egg Bake Recipe:

Serves 6

Organic cooking spray

12 organic eggs

1/2 cup 2% organic milk

1 bag (8oz) reduced fat shredded organic cheddar cheese

1 cup fresh organic spinach- (remove stems)

1/2 cup small ham cubes or crumbled cooked sausage -optional

Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees. Mix together in large bowl the eggs, milk, shredded cheese, fresh spinach and ham cubes or sausage. Pour mixture into a 9 x13 glass Pyrex dish that’s been lightly sprayed with cooking spray. Bake for at least 40 minutes.

In a study conducted at Penn State University, there are “nutritional advantages of raising hens on pasture as compared to on an industry diet in cages: the increases in omega-3 fatty acids and in vitamins A and E. [The study] also found that differences in omega-3 levels in plants have an effect on the eggs.” Vitamins A and E are cancer-fighting antioxidants, and omega-3s support healthy heart and brain function.

Wild Oats Marketplace offers Cage Free Large White and Brown Eggs at Fresh & Easy stores. They are produced without antibiotics, fed vegetarian feed, and free to run, play and nest!

This recipe will free up time for you yourself to run, play, nest and have fun with your loved ones this holiday season!