Emma Pezzack (a.k.a. the Organic Glamazon), one of our amazing Feelgood Style authors,
is beautifully featured here for a live interview with Current_

Here’s to true natural beauty! Futurenatural offers environmentally sound style products that make you look good on the outside and feel good on the inside. Emma Pezzack, the owner of Futurenatural, offers some insight into her world of high quality skin products that are backed up by a socially and environmentally conscious business. ~ Current Review

Recently Deb wrote a great story on FutureNatural and highlights their brilliant mission regarding the online shop: “All the products we sell are sustainably harvested, consider the environment, and contribute not only to the health of the consumer but the health of the planet.”

On Feelgood Style, Organic Glamazon graciously offers expert advice from great summer skin tips to insider time saving beauty finds.

Read On:

• Organic Skin Care, Natural Cosmetics: The Future is Now
• What is Beauty?

The right blend of essential oils will not only strengthen our immune system but also aid in revitalization and regulation of our emotional and physical responses to our changing everyday environment.

I like Radiance Synergy Blend by Feel-Good Products (no relation to our site) as they focus on healing essential oil blends that provide relief to many ailments or just aid in everyday relaxation. They also create signature synthetic-fragrance-free perfume oils for those interested.

Radiance (pictured above) includeds essential oils of: Grapefruit, Tangerine, Petitgrain, Pepper, Cypress, Sandalwood, Lime, and Helichrysum serotinum.

~ Essential Oils in this blend have been traditionally used to be energizing, warming, calming, uplifting, and to help alleviate stress, tension and depression. This synergy may be useful for depression, apathy and fatigue; also good for travel to refresh and awaken…

Editor’s note: I was given a sample of this along with the Feel-Good Visionary Synergy blend from a scent expert on a healing retreat in Hawaii, and whenever we tried them, any tension simply melt, and we felt pure bliss. Mix a few drops into massage oil for a full body treat.

More about Essential Oils and Aromatherapy:

• Red Flower
• Glowing & Gorgeous In One Easy Step.
• Organic Skin Care, Natural Cosmetics: The Future is Now
• Life Goggles: Beyond Organic Hydrating Body Oil

A chic tote that is durable, replaces disposable bags, looks good, and lasts. The carry-all fold-up totes are under thirteen dollars and come in a variety of designs. For the price and look of this line I’d say these make a great gift for creative kids with art supplies, Moms with babies, beach combers, farmers market and flea market fanatics and anyone who loves bright colors. The large capacity bag nicely folds into its own interior pocket. It easily goes from beach to town, for anything like picnics, shopping, laundry, or as a colorful accessory to that hot summer sun dress.

More about Reusable Shopping Bags:

• Life Goggles: Envirosax
• Nordstrom Bags Go Green
• Daily Tip: Just Say “No” to the Plastic Bag
• More Cities and Stores Banning Plastic Bags

Image courtesy of Tokyo Bay Inc.

“Don’t self-medicate—self-meditate” is one motto for this book (both online and off) on self-meditation which encourages us to reap the evergrowing array of benefits related to the practice of meditating.

Creatively drawn from spiritual practices from Zen, to yoga, Sufism, and insight meditation, this book touches meditation basics, mantras and koans, tips, and ideas. A pocket guide style book, it reminds us to practice our inner breath, that recharges us with energy and vitality. Often people believe the only way to enlightenment is in long drawn out meditation retreats, and while those are amazing, it really only takes time out to meditate a few minutes a day for the same health benefits.

From Amazon’s description

…hundreds and hundreds of meditation practices that can be done during the course of our daily lives. You don’t need to go to a mountain retreat, renounce meat, or walk through coals on the soles of your feet—here’s a meditation to have with a cup of tea….

Created by author Barbara Ann Kipfer, who also wrote 14,000 Things to Be Happy About, Instant Karma, The Wish List, Words of Wisdom, and more.

I own several of her books and will confess to reading them recently during long jury duty breaks, waiting in line and so on. The best part of these do it yourself meditations is that they are easy enough to remember when the going gets tough. My favorite spark of Barbara’s genius is in her happiness web tools which stream more of her wise sayings each time the pages are refreshed!

Today I’d love to share more natural home remedies for glowing skin. Fruits like strawberries and papaya contain enzymes that cleanse the skin of impurities. Avocado is a rich natural moisturizer. Anti-inflammatory skin soothers like cucumber and chamomile prevent redness and calm skin after a gorgeous day in the sunshine.

Chamomile is not only a relaxing tea, but it also calms the skin. This beautiful skin article talks about how to make a simple hot chamomile towel mask to feel refreshed. Some swear by placing cool chamomile tea bags under the eyes to reduce puffy, red or tired eyes.

I also have a great summer tip for this flower. Put a little cool steeped chamomile H20 into a sprtizer bottle, and bring it with you when you are out in the sunshine! If you are a blond or brunette it will lift sunlight highlights in your lovely locks!

Cucumber cools the delicate eye area. Try placing a slice over each eye for a mini facial. For an easy cucumber face toner here is a little recipe. Keep it in the fridge for an added cooling effect after freshening up from a yoga class, brisk walk, or bike ride.

Papaya mashed into a mask makes for an exfoliating treat for the skin. The enzymes in papaya break down dead skin cells and lifts the dewey layer of fresh skin underneath. You can also use the papaya skins after enjoying the fruit. Try not to leave it on too long as it may over-exfoliate, to avoid this mix in a little honey into the mask.

Strawberry is known to clear pores and lift dirt and oils from the skin, try mashing one of your strawberries for a quick oil clearing mask if you’ve returned from a sunbath sweating while wearing sunscreen.

Avocados protect your body (inside and out) from harsh environments and topically it really nourishes and protects from dry skin.

If your skin is dry from the sun and nourishment is needed try this classic avacado mask: All you need is ½ avocado, ¼ cup honey. Mash the avocado and stir in honey, Apply to skin, wait 10 minutes, rinse face with washcloth.

The glutathione in avocado one of the strongest antioxidants and helps to regulate immune cells, detoxify, and protect against cancer. Try snaking on avocado once a week as well as integrating it into your beauty routine.

These gifts from the earth are meant to enhance your sun protection regimen. Sunscreen is top priority when the sunshine heat is on this summer. Try these easy to create healing remedies for when your sun-ripe glow needs a little soothing from mother nature.

Chamomile image by Simon Koopmann licensed under Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.0 Germany

Green Tea contains Camellia Sinesis (its plant of origin) which is rich in polyphenols. Polyphenols are compounds that demonstrate protection from uv sun damage and prevention of oxidative stress. In fact it had been proven that applying green tea to the skin reduced the number of sunburn cells! I suggest making a toner from your extra tea bags because this summer we need all the skin saving shortcuts we can find.

White tea comes from the Camellia Sinensis plant just like green tea, however white tea leaves are harvested earlier in spring, air-dried and foregoe the heating process of green tea. This fact makes white tea one of the richest in cancer-fighting anti-oxidants in the world. Many have proven white tea is anti-aging and can help keep the skin youthful. I adore Arcona’s White Tea Cleanser as I mentioned previously.

Aloe is the perfect summer soother. As Emma, mentioned earlier Aloe is “Scientifically known to draw oxygen to skin” Aloe had wonderful anti-inflammatory properties and heals burns and wounds. Aloe is also made into a juice that cleanses and purifies the inner system giving an outer glow of purity.

Mix the pure juice with a little splash of lime, honey or agave syrup and H2O or sparkeling mineral for a refreshing summer cooler.

Pomegranate like green and white tea is full of polyphenols and contains ellagic acid known for antiinflammatory and antibactrerial properties. Some have said pomegranete can ward off colds or shorted the duration. Pomegranate extract, when added to sunscreen fortifies it into a super protective agent. Actually it shows about a twenty percent improvement in the SPF thanks to new research on the topic.

Apricots help keep one youthful! Recently I learned about anti-aging snacks reading this article and discovered apricots are an amazing anti-aging fruit. Carotenoids are antioxidants found in this fruit that protect the body.

Photo by Johntex, with permission granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation license

There are a good many options out there, and I’ll share my long time favorite the Harmony mat (some say they slip more on this rubber mat but personally I like the ability to grip and stretch the mat as I ease into form) which most yoga places carry. From the Jade Harmony Mat site~

Harmony is Green
Harmony is constructed of natural rubber a renewable resource tapped from rubber trees - containing no PVC or ozone depleting substances - perfect for the yogi concerned about the environment.

To be more complete, here is a long list of some green options out there for yoga mats:

1. Harmony’s PVC-free Jade yoga mats~ “The natural choice is the Harmony™ mat from Jade. Harmony™ brings together natural rubber from the Far East, one of the earth’s most amazing natural resources, and Western technology to form a mat that is perfect for your yoga practice.”

2. Natural dried grass yoga mat with a natural latex backing~ “the Natural Serrations of the dried grass help you maintain grip without providing artificial ’sticky’ support. It is exclusively designed for helping you work towards a balance.”

3. PER new environmentally friendly Yoga mat~ “made of “PER” (Polymer Environmental Resin), a material that is considerably more sensitive to the environment and your health than most Yoga mats made of PVC. This mat does not contain phthalates or heavy metals and its method of production is completely non-toxic.”

4. Vinyassa yoga rug Organic cotton (fair trade) ~ “From the cottonseed to the spinning, weaving, cutting and sewing, every Intent yoga rug is completely toxin and pesticide-free. Imported from a certified organic farm in Egypt, and “fairly traded”. Workers enjoy a healthy environment where they create stylish, non-toxic, allergen free products for, you..”

5. Eco Yoga Mat, created with jute and backed with natural rubber ~ “Super grippy on all floor types and rich in color. A joy for your practice! Biodegradable…”

6. AgoyUSA’s PVC-free and latex-free Earth Mat (made out of recyclable thermoplastic elastomer) ~ “The earth mat, made from a revolutionary synthetic form of rubber, is not only beautiful, it’s also free of PVC, Phthalates, toluene, heavy metals, latex and natural rubber. Plus it’s decomposable.”

7.  Gaiam’s 100-percent natural rubber yoga mat~ “Earth Lovers Yoga Mat features an innovative blend of natural rubber and recycled material with a bark-like nonslip texture. “

Still not convinced about switching to a green mat? Well, remember the non-eco sticky mats are made of PVC (polyvinyl chloride) plastic containing cancer-causing dioxins that is released into the atmosphere and in addition, softening PVC products for mats includes more harsh toxic chemicals (such as Phthalates) which leach into the air. So make the switch, invest in an earth friendly mat instead, you are worth it!

 Image Source.

1. How do you brainstorm designs for the shirts? More specifically, what is your favorite tee and why?

My inspiration for the designs comes from reading and using a little bit of imagination. It’s the kind of thing that takes practice, I think the more you exercise your imagination the more pleasing the results are. My favourite tee right now is Only sheep need a shepherd. It just represents what my site is about - doing things your own way and not following the crowd. It can be interpreted in various ways: religious, political, ideological, etc.

2. What does the word “Sustainability” mean to your organization?

Sustainability is about leaving the Earth in a better state than we found it. To me that is the simplest way of describing it. We are increasing the number of organic t-shirts that we have available, and I hope that soon they will all be organic. We also use American made shirts because we believe that the employees get a living wage.

3. Is your organization’s vision to drive social and environmental activism? What are the long term goals you’ve set out to complete?
I am interested firstly in making t-shirts available to the public that are not made in sweat shops and that are not damaging to the environment. There is so much product out there that is just toxic to the environment. The production of non-organic cotton uses huge amounts of pesticides and chemicals, which all ends up in our rivers, oceans, and ultimately, in our bodies. I think that offering the public a more ecological product is probably the biggest single thing I’m proud of. Secondly I want people to be more intimately aware of the dangers facing our planet - we are all aware on a logical level of global warming, war, etc, because we see it on the news, but I think that by wearing a message on your chest you identify more with the problems we are facing and might be more likely to take further action and to influence others. I don’t really like to use the word activist. At no point did I ever decide “I’m going to become an activist”, the term just reeks of pretension. I just try to do what I can and I’d like for other people to make themselves more aware of what is going on in the world, try and understand what is bad and good for the planet and live as closely as possible in accordance with their own beliefs.

4. Can you share some inspirational thoughts on eco-fashion with our readers?

Reuse what clothes you have, give them away or recycle them if you have finished with them. Just buy more clothes when you need them and buy what you think makes YOU look good, not what makes someone else look good.

5. Finally, are you focused on marketing to individuals or have you worked with groups like Rainforest Action Network (RAN) on campaigns or with AdBusters? Or any other organizations working to save our environment?

We market to individuals but have occasionally sold to organisations. All the profits from our shirt “Stop shark finning” go to Sea Shepherd. I urge everyone to find out about shark finning and to support Sea Shepherd. Sharks have roamed the oceans for 400 million years. They are in danger of being wiped out in a couple of decades because of the demand in China and other Asian countries for shark fin soup.

Image Source: http://www.bant-shirts.com/organic-t-shirts.htm

We’ve hand-picked inspiring holidays from over 270 tour operators (and 100s of places to stay) to save you time. All the companies are specialists in their chosen fields, the best at what they do, and run by passionate people who care about your holiday and about the environment and local people.

Responsible Travel has also partnered with Climate Care to help offset the trips taken. CarbonFund, Terra Pass, and Fly Neutral are all worth considering seeing that the average flight pollutes roughly seventeen hundred pounds of CO2 per person into the stratosphere. This scientific fact is frightening, and with this new knowledge comes responsibility.

So if you are living for an escape to the #1 eco-retreat located within the Fiji Islands (and created by Jean-Michel Cousteau), but worried about dumping over four thousand pounds of CO2 per passenger to get to Figi, please consider some of the awesome offsetting options we’ve listed above.

Image by Jose Manuel licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.5 License.

While we’re up to our lovely ears in luxury eco-products and services, I’d like to dematerialize things for a moment. Painted here is Pandora, with the myth in mind. This post, however, is not about to become a golden art history lesson, or one on fairy tales, I promise. I am writing here to share the wonders of Pandora’s Jukebox. I bring up Pandora in the spirit of the Feelgood Jukebox we created not so long ago.

Music is a passion of mine, I love finding new melodies from tunes on Pandora. Just type in your favorite song or artist and voila a station based on the same genre! The best is it is free, it was not always free, but now it is, and hopefully for good.

I created a Doris Day station for a friend that loves oldies, and a Rosa Passos station for when I feel like traveling to Brazil in my mind.

Please, just for fun, share with us some of the favorite Pandora Radio stations you’ve created.

Image Source :“This image is in the public domain because its copyright has expired.”

1. Since you’ve become a yogi, what are some of the health benefits you’ve enjoyed?
I feel much more solid, integrated and aligned. I have a much healthier body, mind, spirit and heart and a vastly improved outlook on life. When I first started I did not have the endurance, balance, coordination, and strength that I have now. I had very little upper body strength. I couldn’t push up into a backbend (Urdhva Dhanurasana, Full Wheel) or lower down to Chaturanga Dandasana with skill and ease. Now I am stronger than ever!

2. Do you have any poses or breathing exercises that help to restore health and vitality to the body to feel better?
Downward facing dog is a great pose to release the hamstrings and increase flexibility for stiff backs and arms. It is an inversion which has a cooling effect and is great for the nervous system. It will also help increase wrist strength and arm strength.
When practicing yoga, it is important to remember to breathe through your nose. It is calming to exhale twice as long as you inhale.

3. What are some techniques to help increase the health benefits of yoga?
Yoga is a powerful practice. The more you practice, the more benefits you will gain. The positive effects for a beginner after just one hour a week of practice will last about a week. Techniques vary from system to system in yoga. In Anusara yoga, the biomechanics of the postures help optimize your alignment in your body and influence how you carry yourself off the mat which has an impact on how you see the world. It is important to synchronize your breathing with the movement for an optimal posture. Rule of thumb, as you lower down to the earth (example, Chaturanga), you exhale. As you move away from the earth or rise up, you inhale (cobra pose).

4. Is there a meditation you can share with our readers that will boost energy and mood?
You may repeat mantras silently in your head or out load. One that I like repeating is the beginning phrase of the Anusara invocation, “Om Namah Shivaya”, which means “I offer myself (bow)to the goodness within my heart”.
Another moving meditation is to chant “Om” periodically during your practice while holding a posture, for example, handstand against the wall or Warrier II. This will focus you on your breathing and help you find ease in challenging poses.

5. What is a healthy yoga routine and how often do you suggest practicing?
A healthy yoga sequence (1 hour -1 and ½ hours typically) has a beginning warm-up of dynamic movement, example, sun salutes to get the blood flowing, and moves on to a more challenging sequence of standing postures where you work to refine the postures. Inversions, for example, a handstand, usually follow and then seated postures to Savasana (the resting pose). A healthy yoga routine involves intelligent sequencing. If you are working on hip openers, you may work towards a Maha (pinnacle) posture that represents your peak experience during a pratice. Usually Maha postures are challenging and represent a culmination of your hip opening efforts in this example. An appropriate Maha posture in a hip opening sequence for beginners might be Pigeon Prep Thigh Stretch, where you grab hold of your back foot and draw it towards you. For more advanced practicioners a Maha pose might be full pigeon pose (eka pada rajakapotasana) ~ See my (above) picture.

Ginger teaches at Practice SF, see the current schedule. Here is the description of her class:

Alignment In Vinyasa~ Step into the flow of grace and explore Anusara Yoga’s Universal Principles of Alignment and life-affirming Tantric philosophy. Learn to engage deeply and make each pose a creative expression from the heart in a flowing sequences that focus on proper form. Classes explore standing, inverted, seated and supine poses in a combination of dynamic, flowing sequences and steady, isometric actions that focus on proper alignment.

YGG has been inspiring healthy gardeners for almost a decade now with what they describe as a “contemporary, laid-back approach to gardening that places equal importance on environmentalism, style, affordability, art, and humour.”

Communities such as this offer great tips for getting closer to nature and discovering the constant ways we are nourished by it. Sites like YGG, GR, and Sustainable-Gardening help sow seeds of knowledge no matter where you are on the planet. Some places on Earth make it easier to start personal and community gardens with projects like Victory Gardens in San Francisco for example. These projects are a source of needed change, and a way to express our appreciation for the natural world.

Hawaiian Hibiscus image via yours truly.

What is with these chemicals that create bad air? Most importantly how do we rid our sacred spaces of them? Well, we can begin by trying to avoid products with theses toxins in the first place and bring in plants that are known to eliminate the existing ones.

Formaldehyde is an indoor threat found in everything from carpets to paper goods to clothing, household cleaners and particle board. It may cause headaches, teary eyes, breathing difficulty and is known to be a nasty carcinogen to human beings. Luckily the common spider plant, bamboo plant, philodendrons, azaleas, chrysanthemums and poinsettias are effective in clearing the air of the problems created by formaldehyde.

Benzene is also known to cause drowsiness, dizziness, vomiting, and is known to be in everything from paint to plastics, inks, synthetic fibers, gasoline, detergents and especially aftershave, perfumes, and mouthwash, as it is known for it’s intense smell. Plants like the peace lily are great at eliminating benzene. Chrysanthemums and the lovely gerber daisy (pictured above) are also effective for this. 

Trichloroethylene is found in paints, dry cleaning, inks, varnishes, and more. It has effects similiar to alcohol poisoning and may bring on headaches, faintness and cause damage to the kidneys and liver over time. Luckily the beautiful peace lily, chrysanthemum and gerber daisy also help absorb this toxin. 

So next time you find yourself at a plant nursery, garden center, or farmers market, look out for some of these miracle indoor plants that will help keep your breathing environment as oxygenated as possible. I am not just speaking of cut flowers here, the best bet are plants that will grow and bloom for bouquets over and over again if you treat them right!  

Image Credit: josef.stuefer at flickr under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 License

“TELECOMMUTE :: See if you can work out an arrangement with your employer that you work from home for some portion of the week. Not only will you save money and gasoline, and you get to work in your pajamas!”         

Image Source 

Join Chic for a Cause : Stop the Spray ~ Our Body, Our Decision   

What? A fashion fundraiser to grow awareness about opposing the harmful effects of the aerial spraying of pesticides. When? May 30, 2008 Where? Muse Studios, 224 6th St. San Francisco, CA 94103 Time? 6-9 pm Admission? $10 Why? To stop the “Light Brown Apple Moth program” which is really a toxin dump on California! 

Last fall a pesticide was dumped on Californians that included ingredients that are carcinogens, mutagens as well as other toxic chemicals in microcapsules that reach deep lung tissue. Soon after spraying in 2007, 600 plus reports of illness were recorded such as respiratory distress, nausea and vomiting, as well as serious skin irritations. Now the spray is back and we need to take a stand! Sign the petition, participate in events if possible, and please help educate others.Monthly for up to 5 Years beginning Summer 2008, there is the threat of pheromone-based pesticides in microscopic plastic capsules that are scheduled to be sprayed from low-flying aircraft over our communities. Brought on by the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) under mandate by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) which classifies LBAM as one of the quarantinable pests that must be eradicated.

This toxic shower of chemicals places children, the elderly, pregnant women, the very ill, outdoor workers, animals, and our native wildlife, bikers and many more at a high risk.“Other ingredients are toxic to aquatic species. Surfactants in the spray might have contributed to red tide and deaths of hundreds of waterfowl.”
 

Not effective: Experts say the moth is impossible to eradicate and best controlled by natural predators that are plentiful in California: birds, spiders, wasps, flies, beetles, lacewings, and earwigs.Not necessary: Twice confirmed in court: the moth has zero impact on CA agriculture or ecosystems. LBAM is a paper pest. Trade issues, not crop damage, are causing quarantines that lead to economic losses for farmers.Not right: Millions of people are being exposed to pesticides against their will. The petition on StopTHeSpray.ORG is calling for informed consent as a condition for pesticide spraying. We must honor the need for “due respect to the preciousness of human life and the right of individuals to determine what is done to their own bodies.” Calif. Health and Safety Code S. 24,171.   

To get involved please visit StoptheSpray.org  Image Credit 

The healing properties are remarkable, see for yourself. Elderberry is known all over the world for it’s culinary treats including an elderflower ‘champagne’ from Europe, and a an elder berry soup in Scandinavia and other parts of the world. Now scientists and researchers have found that is not only protects cells it helps one restore oneself to a healthy state, full of vitality!

I subscribe to the Secret Scrolls which recently offered this gift of visual bliss called Planet Earth

Most importantly, I am checking in to see if you have seen the stories told by the authors of the Secret movie. Well, tell us, have you seen the Secret? If the answer is yes, then live your bliss, be guided by it… If not, the film is an uplifting series of tales about those that accomplished their biggest dreams by using the power of positive thinking, or what they call “the secret law of attraction.”

The idea is to think of what you do want and how to bring that into being with your thoughts.

To give an example of how I practice the Secret ~ Planet Earth here is a little reverse engineering meditation for us:

“Imagine yourself in 2030, alive and well, having watched our world move into a sustainable one, having witnessed what Joanna Macy calls the great turning of our time ~ the shift from the industrial growth society to a life-sustaining civilization. Imagine it is so, and how we did it, and how we will sustain life on this planet for future generations.”

While the Secret movie is not all based on healing the planet, the powerful messages in the film may be used to heal the world, to help those move into this great turning with joy. I am pleased to share this little earth honoring clip that was so graciously shared with me. This truly is a phenomenal film that uplifts everyone that sees it! Remember, the world is abundant, and there is enough for everyone. I’ve been learning to live in this attitude of gratitude and it simply feels good

Photo courtesy of aLine media 

Arcona is a genius natural skin healing line created by a chemist and pioneer in holistic skin care “long before it became trendy, she developed skin care products and treatments that would provide Hollywood celebrities—and women and men everywhere—with an alternative to cosmetic surgery and other harsh treatments to forestall the effects of aging.”

Their products may be found online and at select spas offering facials. None contain petrochemicals, binders or fillers, chemical stabilizers, parabens, sodium lauryl sulphates, perfumes, dyes, or any caustic, toxic ingredients.All Arcona ingredients are enzymatic-based which means they include high concentrations of antioxidants, plant lipids and extracts, sea vegetables, essential oils, vitamins and minerals. Think of live food for your skin in a sense. Since everything we put on our skin is absorbed by our bodies, the richer the nutrients the healthier our skin becomes.

ARCONA has a philosophy of beauty springing from within and truly believe everyone’s skin can and should look beautiful at any age whatever their history.

“Our ingredients are processed and products manufactured according to state-of-the-art, chirally correct technology. They only the finest quality, all natural ingredients in products that penetrate deep into the cellular layers of the skin to effect real change, resulting in glowing, healthy skin at any age…”

The active ingredients are formulated to work synergistically, so for maximum efficiency, the enzymes, antioxidants and amino acids are cold-processed at very low temperatures, in small batches, to keep them active and effective. This method preserves the integrity of the ingredients! Because heat processing leaves nutrients lifeless and ineffective, Arcona believes in only the best cold processed blends. As they say: “Think of what happens to fresh vegetables when they are overcooked!”

One of my favorite refreshing cleansers is Arcona’s White Tea Purifying blend~

“Antioxidant facial cleanser purifies as it tones leaving skin pore less and refreshed. Neutralize free radicals, calm and protect skin with antioxidant rich white and green teas. Nourish, clarify, and strengthen skin with cranberry enzymes. Helps maintain skins natural ph balance with soothing yucca, vitamin E, and aloe extracts.”

Image Source 

Wellness Formula is a blend of healing ingredients,

The immune system is our guardian angel if you will, it heals us with unconditional love, responds quickly to outside influences, and protects the body in microscopic, unconsciously controlled ways. When illness attacks hit, there is a way to consciously address these problems to support your natural healing system. The answer is Wellness Formula. It works very well when allergies or colds strike, and when we encounter extreme conditions and need a boost.

A key benefit of the daily wellness vitamins are increased and sustained antioxidant defense.

The maker Source Naturals provides a nice overview on how to befriend your immune system with this formula and explains the benefits of the blend:

“White blood cells generate free radicals, highly reactive molecules that can damage cells. Vitamin C, a free radical scavenger, is concentrated in certain white blood cells at much greater levels than in surrounding fluid, providing them with a built-in defense mechanism. Bioflavonoids complement the action of vitamin C.”

Here are many more of the formula’s active ingredients:

• Vitamins A and C
• Astragalus
• Boneset
• Echinacea
• Isatis
• Propolis
• Selenium
• Zinc
• Beta Carotene
• Bioflavonoids
• Hawthorn
• Pau d’Arco
• Calcium
• Magnesium
• Garlic
• Goldenseal
• Mullein,
  
• Copper
• Oregon Grape
• Siberian Ginseng

For example they explain more about specific ingredients like Siberian Ginseng for: “Stress Response Mechanisms~

Science now shows that emotional and physiological stress significantly impact the immune system. Siberian ginseng is an adaptogen whose key constituents, saponin glycosides, support the body’s stress response.”

The formula also helps the respiratory system by helping to naturally aid in cleansing mucous membranes. Nasal passages, sinus areas, throat and bronchial tubes are protected and guarded by mucous membrane. Our membranes help to protect us and to cleanse the body of outside influences. Nutritional aids that help the integrity of these membranes is key because these moist layers of connective tissue are the initial helpers in immune defense. The Wellness Formula has a special blend of respiratory healing ingredients as well to aid in the health of the entire system.

I have been taking these vitamins for some time now and let me tell you, they work. I am always protected by my guardian angel immune system that I nurture with Source Naturals Wellness Formula and I feel great!