I did not want to go on any kind of hormone pills or patches so I did some research and found a woman who went into early menopause and did very extensive research in this area and developed her own hormone creams. They are very different than the kind you get compounded by the pharmacist or buy in the health food store. On her site, she has all the information you will need to help you come up with your own protocol that will relieve your symptoms. These creams are not just for menopausal woman. Young woman who have heavy periods, severe cramps and "PMS" can also benefit from them as can woman who have long surpassed this landmark in their lives. The bottom line is that when your hormones are out of whack it can cause a myriad of symptoms to everything from anxiety, depression and mental fogginess to name just a few.

The site is www.thehqlprotocol.com  When you visit the site, you need to read all the data on it before you start trying to diagnose yourself. She also offers hormone testing that you really need to get so you know where to start. You also need to use the recommended lab.

My own personal experience was that when I first started with the creams I had to use both creams (estrogen and progesterone) 3 x a day for about 3 weeks. My symptoms were about completely gone by the end of the 4th week and now I use both creams 1x a day and have not had a hot flash since. I had tried creams before both compounded from the pharmacy and several different kinds from the health food store but they had no effect. You can read why that was on her site.

Next time I have a hot flash it will likely be because Johnny Depp did just walk into the room!

Most people think that a clean house means a healthy house but for the average home this cleanliness comes at the expense of exposing their families to hundreds of toxic chemicals which makes it more like a house of toxins which is far from healthy. Toxic chemicals in everything from laundry detergent, dishwasher soap and bathroom cleaners, to name just a few, can contribute to an array of health problems such as allergies, sinus problems, asthma and headaches. For more data on these chemicals read my post How Toxic Is Your Home? For those with children it is even worse for them since their immune systems are more fragile. Don't forget about our four-legged friends, pets are also exposed to these chemicals and due to their shorter life span they are even more affected by these toxic chemicals. They play on lawns that have been sprayed with toxic chemicals, put things in their mouths they should not and drink tap water that is full of chemicals including pharmaceuticals.

The majority of household cleaners and detergents use chemicals that are petroleum based which also increases our nation's dependence on imported oil. The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health has found that one-third of the substances used in the fragrance industry are toxic. This includes fragrances in laundry detergent, cleaners (glass, bathroom, furniture polish, etc) and also things such as fabric softeners and air fresheners.

You can eliminate these toxins by cleaning your home with cleaning products that are green. Green means to use products and methods that won't negatively impact the environment with pollution and toxins or deplete natural resources. In the case of your home it helps to limit your exposure to these harmful chemicals that can affect your health. The more toxins and chemicals that are dumped into the environment the more you get exposed through the food you eat, the air you breathe, etc. When you use that tub and tile cleaner or wash your clothes with that "fresh" smelling laundry detergent or bleach your towels all of those chemicals are washed down the drain into our water systems where they filter out into the ground, our oceans and our air.

Going green can be a little confusing. There are a lot of products that label themselves as "natural" or "organic" and are not. Up until recently, there have been very few household cleaning products and laundry detergents that were actually organic. There is a company now called Greenology products that have the first USDA certified organic label on all their products(this is the only true organic label) including the first laundry detergent to be certified as such. You can check out their website at www.greenologyproducts.com  There is a place to type in your zip code and it will tell you the nearest store where you can buy their products. Surprisingly, Lowes in San Antonio carries their products. 

Getting rid of all the toxic cleaning products in your home (don't forget about your office as well) is huge step in going green and improving the health of your family. It is not that difficult to do. Good news Kermit, it just got easier to be green!

I came across this book called The Science Of Sexy by Bradley Bayou. It is not so much about dressing sexy but just dressing your body to create proportion and highlight your assets. It is very easy to follow and also teaches you how to build a wardrobe.

Bradley has dressed a lot of celebrities at various times so he knows his stuff. The first part of the book has a section where he tells you how to take correct measurements of your body and then using those measurements you determine your body type. Once you have done that you go to the section of the book that addresses your body type.He tells you in that section what to wear and why and also what not to wear and why. The foundation of the book boils down to two simple things: dress to balance your body and learn to conceal your flaws and reveal your assets. It is done in a way that is easy to understand and follow.

I am an average medium inverted triangle which means that I am of average height and weight  and my shoulders are wider than my hips. I would want to avoid anything that has puffy sleeves, for example, because it makes me appear even wider on top which does not make me look balanced. Also, I should wear lighter colors on my bottom half and darker colors on top. I also appear top heavy since my shoulders are wider so v-necks are good for me because they draw a vertical line drawing attention away from my wider shoulders.

There is a section in the back with illustrations of all the different types of clothing. For example, if you look good in a trumpet skirt you can turn to the back and see a picture of what a trumpet skirt looks like. There is also a checklist of how to build a wardrobe and it is not that many pieces or very difficult. I think this is great because how many of us are always buying clothes but never seem to really have a great outfit to wear or complain we have nothing to wear.

This book simplifies dressing and shopping. You will end up with fewer pieces of clothing but what you have will look good on you and you won't be spending money on pieces that just hang in your closet.

You can order this book from amazon.

The Miracle Ball Method is two little inflatable balls that you lie on. The balls are placed in different areas depending on which area you want to work on. That is all you do, just lie on the balls and do some deep breathing. In fact, if you try to do anything else it will not work. How easy is that!

The woman who developed this was a dancer and then started having back pain out of nowhere and could not find relief and was forced to quit dancing. She tried for years to find a solution through the medical route and other alternative means but to no avail. Through her own research and trial and error came up with what she calls The Miracle Ball Method.

It is based on what she calls the cycle of pain which is when your muscles become tense and imbalanced, your body's natural correct alignment system cannot work properly. Muscles that remain tense for long periods lose the ability to relax at all, which results in chronic pain. So when you lie on the balls, your body is supported by the balls, the muscles release their tension, and the pain disappears. There is no visualization, meditation, biofeedback, or anything like that.

The kit comes with the 2 balls and a little book that explains a little more in detail how it works (but not too detailed). The majority of the book is different  "exercises" on ball placement depending on where you are trying to seek relief. Even if you do not have chronic pain this is still a great way to avoid it and help your posture by keeping your body aligned.

Now the best part is that it costs about 12 bucks. That is why I decided to give it a try when I saw it. I figured it was a small investment and would not be a big loss if it did not work. I ordered mine from  www.amazon.com  Just type in Miracle Ball Method under search on the opening page.

I am very happy that I discovered this program of "un-exercise." I hope that it can help you also.

I used to get these treatments from an aesthetician and they cost about $100 for one treatment so this device, even with the monthly auto-ship for the special gels that you use, adds up to be cheaper and also much more convenient in the long run.

The application of micro-current is used to facilitate healing in medicine. It enhances the absorption of nutrients, increases the speed of healing, increases oxygenation to the cells and helps to eliminate waste products just to name a few benefits. When used on the skin it helps to smooth fine lines and wrinkles, lift, and improve cleansing, hydration, circulation and radiance. It is also not just a temporary fix. Over time, it delivers lasting benefits to the skin.

The treatment is done in two phases. Each phase takes about 3 or 4 minutes so the total time is about 8 to 10 minutes by the time you apply the gel, do the treatment, wipe it off and do the second phase of treament. The first phase is called the pre-treatment cycle. During this Pre-treatment cycle the Galvanic instrument and the pre-treatment gel are negatively charged. These negative charges repel each other, delivering the gel into the skin which binds to and lifts out impurities. This takes about 3 minutes.

The second phase or the treatment phase uses a positively charged gel and the instrument is set to the positive charge. These positive charges repel each other helping to deliver the beneficial ingredients to the skin. It also attracts the remaining negatively charged impurities from the pre-treatment cycle, drawing them out of the skin. This is about a 3 minute cycle. You just wipe off the gel and then apply your treatment products.

I have not used any other products from Nu-Skin but this product delivers what it promises and is a great investment for your skin. The recommended use is 2x a week. On the days that I use this, I do not do my DPL light treament  (see my home page for more data on this collagen building light). You can use them both but then you are adding more time to your routine. So by substituting this 2 x a week for the light therapy I do not add any extra time to my routine and I still get good results.

You can order this through my site www.junecamacho.nsedreams.com

The Velscope is a revolutionary handheld device that provides dentists and hygienists with an easy to use adjunctive mucosal examination system for the early detection of abnormal tissue. It is based on the direct visualization of tissue fluorescence and the changes in fluorescence that occur when abnormalities are present. Fluorescence is an optical phenomenon that is manifested as glowing light. We observe it every day in the energy-saving compact fluorescent light bulbs that are used in many households and glow sticks  that are often used in emergency situations.

The Velscope hand piece emits a safe blue light into the oral cavity that excites the tissue from the surface of the mucosa through to the deeper layers (where premalignant changes typically start) causing it to fluoresce. The clinician is then able to immediately view the different fluorescence responses to help differentiate between normal and abnormal tissue. In fact, the Velscope is the only noninvasive adjunctive device clinically proven to help discover occult oral disease (occult in medicine means of a disease or process not accompanied by readily discernible signs). Typically healthy tissue appears as a bright apple green glow while suspicious regions are identified by a loss of fluorescence, which thus appear dark.

In one or two minutes with no rinses or stains required a Velscope examination helps oral healthcare professionals assure their patients the standard of care for oral mucosal screenings has been utilized. The first step in any oral cancer exam would include the white light exam in which the dentist or hygienist looks for lesions in the oral cavity with the naked eye and uses palpation to feel for any lumps in the neck or face.

The second step would be the Velscope exam, which allows the clinician to immediately review the different fluorescence signatures from the oral tissue to help differentiate between normal and abnormal tissue, abnormal tissue typically appears as irregular dark areas and stands out against the otherwise normal green fluorescent pattern of surrounding healthy tissue.

This technology thus helps dental practitioners identify potentially dangerous growths that might have been missed with the naked eye and the exam takes only 2 to 3 minutes. If the clinician does detect anything of concern during the Velscope exam the next step would likely be a surgical biopsy. Only when the results of the biopsy are read by a pathologist can the condition of the tissue be diagnosed. In the worst case the diagnosis could be oral cancer, but in most cases diagnosis will be precancer or some other much less serious form of abnormality.

Cancer in the head and neck region is very difficult to treat and does not have a good prognosis, unless it is caught early. It is very difficult for a patient to see inside their own mouths to detect abnormalities. Unlike breast self exams or other changes that occur on the skin that can alert the patient that something could be wrong, oral cancer is generally never detected by the patient first. Early stages of oral cancer can be cured, but most are not detected early and by the time symptoms occur chances are the cancer may have already begun to spread. Of course we all know the risks factors for oral cancer such as the use of tobacco products and alcohol abuse, however 25% of patients who present with oral cancer have never smoked.

Ask your dentist to get a Velscope if he does not have already have one, and especially if you are in the high risk group. If you live in the San Antonio area you can see my husband Dr. Edward Camacho at Cosmetic Dentistry of San Antonio in our new modern and truly state of the art office that will be opening soon!  He has been in practice for almost 30 years and specializes in cosmetic dentistry including veneers and Invisalign (invisible removable braces).He also does all phases of general dentistry and has patients in all age ranges. Contact 210-379-2222 for more information or go to www.cosmeticdentistryofsa.com  Our site is still under construction so bear with us!

The Nopal cactus contains a group of anti-oxidants called betalains. The Nopal cactus, as I mentioned earlier, is part of a small group of special plants that contain betalains. In fact, it leads the group by containing the highest amounts. Betalains have been proven to reduce the risk of blood clots, to reduce bad cholesterol, protect the liver, boost the immune system, and aids in detoxification.

The brand that I drink is called Nopalea. I drink about 1 to 3 ounces a day. This stuff tastes really good. It is sweetened with a little agave (low glycemic sweetener). You can throw it into a smoothie if you want. I just drink mine straight because it tastes good. I have been drinking it for about 6 months now. I did sign up with the company because it is just easier (I get a monthly auto-ship). If you would like to learn more and to order you can go to www.givingwellness.com You can get a free bottle if you want to try it first. If you decide to order I would appreciate if you did so through the link above. It helps to fund my research and all the great data you get for free!

Another really good product for mechanical exfoliation is a micro peeling and cleansing cloth. This is basically a special kind of washcloth. I have just always liked to use a washcloth at night to remove my makeup. Even if I am using a rinse off product, I like to use a washcloth to dry my face and then wet it and remove any of the residual cleanser around the edges of my face. These washcloths are made of microfiber have a special weave that helps to mechanically exfoliate dead skin cells. Technically, you can wet one of these washcloths and just remove your makeup without any sort of cleanser. But like I said, I do like to use a cleanser to remove my makeup and any residual makeup with this. It is especially good for removing any kind of residual eye makeup. I ordered these washcloths from www.folica.com  The name of the company is Claroderm. They are called micro peeling and cleansing cloths. They are about half the size of a normal washcloth but I find that they work well.

I use a glycolic acid treatment cream for my chemical exfoliation. I use the cream every night except on the night I use my 2 piece micro delivery peel from Philosophy. Glycolic acid is part of a group of acids called alpha hydroxy acids or AHA’s. These acids are found naturally in plants and fruits. Glycolic acid is actually a sugarcane derivative. It works by loosening dead skin cells and allowing them to slough away, leaving new smooth cells. It also helps to unclog pores and helps with hyperpigmentation. Glycolic acid creams come in different concentrations. If you have never used a glycolic acid cream I would suggest that you start off with a 5% solution and use it about 3 nights a week and then build up. As your skin gets more acclimated to the glycolic acid you can go to a 10% cream. The one I like comes from Reviva (www.revivalabs.com) they carry both a 5% and 10% glycolic acid cream. When you apply the cream it is going to sting a little and this is normal. This is a treatment product and not really a moisturizer. I only use my glycolic acid cream at night and I do not put it on my neck and chest. I then apply a night cream on top of it. If this feels like it stings too much then you can apply your night cream first and then apply the glycolic acid cream. The only night I do not use my glycolic acid cream is the night I use my 2 piece mircro delivery peel from Philosophy since my skin is a little more sensitive from being freshly exfoliated. Although Reviva products are not considered organic they are all natural. This brand is readily available in both most health food stores or you can order it online.

There is another product that I use occasionally if I happen to get a breakout. I do not breakout very often, but every three or four months I might get a few pimples. If I feel this happening what really handles it for me is one product by Proactive called Repairing Lotion. Proactive contains finely milled benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid. Salicylic acid is a beta hydroxy acid. In fact it is the only beta hydroxy acid and is derived from the birch or willow tree. Salicylic acid acts much like the alpha hydroxy acids according to the literature. The main difference is that alpha hydroxy acids are water soluble and work best on mature sun damaged skin and beta hydroxy acid is lipid soluble and therefore can penetrate the pores better and works best on skin with blackheads and whiteheads. Benzoyl peroxide is an antibacterial agent. The combination of these two seem to work well on my skin if I get a little breakout. Benzoyl peroxide can be very drying, but the way this product is formulated does not seem to dry out my skin and like I said, I only use it occasionally, and just for the time that I'm having a breakout. You can also just use it as a spot treatment if you get a pimple or two now and then. When I need it, I apply it morning and night and then apply my regular creams on top of it during that time. I do not use my glycolic acid cream when I am using the Repairing lotion. Proactive is not an organic or all natural product, but it is the only thing I have found that works when I get these occasional breakouts. I order mine from www.qvc.com the item number is A31083.

I order the Nude Cleansing Facial Oil from www.qvc.com and the item number is A190657. You will see that I get a lot of my products from QVC. I like buying from QVC because they have excellent customer service. If I order something and use it and I don't like it I can send it back and get a full refund within 30 days. No questions asked no restocking fee or anything like that. Once again it is not a club and you do not have to place minimum orders or anything along those lines. They also will not share your information with anyone else.

In the morning, I like to use a glycolic acid cleanser. The one I use is from www.revivalabs.com it is simply called Glycolic Acid Facial Cleanser. I love the way this makes my skin feel. It leaves it feeling very silky. I use it with my Clarisonic (see my post on Skin Care-Beyond Creams and Serums for more data and how to order it). This is an all-natural product.

Another cleanser I like is from Mychelle dermaceuticals and it is called Fruit Enzyme Cleanser. Sometimes I switch off and use one for a little while and then the other. You don't need to do that, but I like to switch things up from time to time. All of the products from Mychelle are all-natural and are very clean. You can google “Mychelle” for their website.

Cooking anything at high heat seems to produce some toxic chemicals. Acrylamides which are found naturally in a variety of cooked foods are linked to cancer. Once again, the higher the heat the more of these compounds are formed. Acrylamides form in cooked carbohydrate rich foods like bread, pasta and potatoes. Much to my dismay it seems as if potato chips have the highest amount. Research from a Dutch study showed that women who ate higher amounts of acrylamides had double the risk of ovarian or womb cancer. So you might want to throw out that piece of toast that got slightly burned since scraping off the burned part does not really help or think about not eating those potatoes that are fried golden brown.

Marinating meat in red wine seems to help cut down on the formation and also microwaving meat for as little as 2 minutes before you grill it can cut down on them significantly. There are 3 things that can help counteract these compounds. The first is tea polyphenols. Polyphenols are anti-oxidants that help fight off disease basically by neutralizing something called free radicals* that form in the body. Free radicals can cause damage to cells. So drinking tea (green tea is best) and eating foods rich in anti-oxidants like blackberries, blueberries, cherries, cranberries, broccoli and legumes can help fight the effects of HCA’s and acrylamides. Also resveratrol which is an anti-oxidant found in red wine is good so taking a resveratrol supplement will benefit you without getting the alcohol. Diallyl trisulfide which is a compound found in garlic also helps to neutralize the toxic effects of HCA’s and acrylamides.

Take a look at my healthy chocolate it is chock full of anti-oxidants: www.mxi.myvoffice.com/kimberlycamacho . Also, the powdered superfoods that I get from www.superorganicfoods.com are full of antioxidants and are easily mixed into a protein shake. I am currently taking the bilberry, aronia and acai powders. I throw them in my smoothie in the morning. See my smoothie recipe. It is a free-radical fighting power drink!

*Free radicals are basically unstable atoms in the body (everything in this universe is composed of atoms. An atom is basically the smallest unit of something). Some are byproducts of normal metabolism and some are from environmental factors such as pollution, radiation, pesticides, herbicides and cigarette smoke. Free radicals cause damage to cells and free radical damage accumulates with age. Atoms have smaller particles that revolve around them called electrons. Free radicals are short an electron which makes them very unstable and able to cause damage. Anti-oxidants give up one of their electrons to the free radical therefore neutralizing its bad effects. Even though the anti-oxidant gives up an electron and is therefore short an electron, it is still stable in either form so it does not become a free radical itself.