Welcome to my corner of DoctorSaputo.com! Vicki's Corner is a place where you can find out tips on personal care and household products that I've found to be healthy and safe... Don't think I'm selling them - that's not what this is about. After years of being asked by women about these things, I want to offer the result of all that research!
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Think Before You Pink
Think before you PINK! Pink Washing (pink ribbons) can be a marketing ploy to sell products. Listen to Vicki and learn about some of the BIG cosmetic companies that sell products that contain the toxic chemicals (carcinogens, endocrine disruptors, etc.) that can cause breast cancer, as well as many other diseases. These companies that sponsor "Walks For The Cure" need to “Walk their Talk” and encourage prevention.
To check these companies yourself, go to Cosmetics Database and click on “Skin Deep”. Click on the Healthy Skin Care Products link below for Vicki’s Personal Skin Care Product list for healthy suggestions.
For more information on this topic of Pink Ribbons and Pink Washing, Vicki recommends reading Stacy Malkan’s book, “Not Just a Pretty Face, the Ugly Side of the Beauty Industry”. To watch a video overview on "Think Before You Pink" by Nurse Vicki, click on the link below.
Think Before You Pink
Healthy Skin Care Products
The FDA doesn't regulate skin care products. A cosmetic manufacturer may use any ingredient without government approval and most of the 25,000 chemicals used, have NOT been tested for long term toxic effects. The associations that are supposed to assess the safety of the ingredients are made up of the chemical companies that manufacture the cosmetics! And, 89% of the ingredients in the personal care products haven't even been evaluated for long term safety. The US government is not checking this $50 billion industry. The good news is that there are healthy alternatives.
Our skin is our body’s largest organ and more than 60% of what we put on our skin is absorbed into our blood stream or stored in our bodies. You do not want to absorb hormone disruptors, carcinogens or neurotoxins that are in most commercial products. Organic, natural products are recommended with the absence of synthetic preservatives, artificial colors (esp. FDC’s), chemical fragrances and chemical additives and nanoparticles.
See Vicki’s Safe Personal Skin Care Product list and her list of chemical toxins to avoid. Her list will save you lots of time!
Vicki recommends visiting Cosmetics Database and going to “Skin Deep” to check the safety of your personal cosmetic products.
Besides the above website and doing a google on the internet, Vicki also recommends dictionaries with cosmetic ingredients to assist you in your research: “The Chemical Maze” by Bill Statham, “Cosmetic Ingredients” by Ruth Winter, “What’s in Your Cosmetics” by Aubrey Hampton, etc.
The movie, “The Story of Cosmetics” by Annie Leonard is a must see. Go to http://www.safecosmetics.org/ to view it. It will change your life! The link below leads to a video overview about Healthy Skin Care Products by Nurse Vicki.
Healthy Skin Care Products
More Safe Skin Care Products and Products to Avoid
Personal Care Products to Avoid
There are many personal products that you may use without even thinking that they could be harmful. Vicki talks about some of them and gives you healthy alternatives.
Talc or talcum powder, titanium dioxide, commercial tampons, disposable diapers, baby wipes, antibacterial hand sanitizers, sanitary napkins, feminine hygiene sprays, chemical douches, spermicides, mouth wash and toothpaste are a few of the toxic products she talks about.
You don’t want to miss this important life changing video.
Personal Care Products to Avoid
The links below lead to Vicki's List of...
Top Synthetic Cosmetic Ingredients to Avoid
More Safe Skin Care Products and Products to Avoid
Safe Household Products
There are about 17,000 chemicals in common household products and few are tested for safety or tested before they are put on the store shelves. The terms on the labels (organic, natural) are unregulated.
Commercial cleaners are polluting our homes and contributing to the rise in chronic diseases including asthma and allergies because they weaken our immune systems. Similar to cosmetics, they can contain carcinogens, endocrine disruptors, neurotoxins, allergens, etc.
Everyday products like bleach, disinfectants, fire retardants, furniture polish, non-stick cookware, aerosol sprays, sanitizers with triclosan or triclocarbon and air fresheners, among others, can be making you sick by polluting the air in your home and office contributing to the “sick building syndrome”.
Vicki offers healthy non-toxic solutions and suggestions for healthy alternatives so that your home can be your “safe haven”.
She also recommends Beth Greer’s book, “Supernatural Home” and Debra Lynn Dadd’s book, “Home Safe Home” for more on this topic.
The link below leads to a video overview on Safe Household Products by Nurse Vicki.
Safe Household Products
What you Need to Know about Sunscreens
Beware of commercial sunscreens and use natural organic products. Commercial sunscreens absorb the UV rays and create free radicals. Stay away from chemical sunscreens that can be toxic and actually cause skin cancer, especially when exposed to the sun. Some commercial brands even become inactive when exposed to the sun. Stay away from products that contain nanoparticles and look for "non-nanoized" or no nanoparticles because nanoparticles pass the blood brain barrier and can end up in the brain.
We need 20 minutes of sun a day unprotected to make a healthy amount of vitamin D. The time of day may surprise you...10 am - 2 pm is when the angle of the sun's rays are best for making vitamin D. It is recommended that dark skinned people get at least 3 x's as much sun for healthy levels of vitamin D.
More than 20 minutes in the sun requires UVA and UVB protection. Commercial brands offer UVB protection. Natural organic products with Zinc Oxide and other healthy ingredients such as emu oil, vitamin C and green tea offer UVA and UVB protection. They reflect and scatter the sun's harmful rays.
It is not necessary to wear a sunscreen with more than an SPF of 20 or 30. More than that is marketing competition.
Vicki recommends Stacy Malkan's book, "Not Just a Pretty Face, the Ugly Side of the Beauty Industry" and Beth Greer's book, "Supernatural Home" to learn more about this topic. To watch a video by Vicki on the dangers of sunscreens, click on the link below.
What You Need to Know About Sunscreens
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