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The Bluecrop variety of highbush blueberries were grown on five organic and conventional farms in New Jersey. The farms shared comparable soils and weather conditions, and the berries were harvested in precisely the same way.

The scientists carrying out the study are based at the USDA’s Genetic Improvement of Fruits and Vegetables Laboratory in Beltsville, Maryland, and at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey.

The team found consistent and significant differences in nutrient content. The organic blueberries contained 46 ORAC units, a measure of total antioxidant capacity, while the conventional berries contained 31 ORAC units.

Accordingly, the organic berries had over 50% more total antioxidant activity. They also contained about 50% higher levels of total anthocyanins, the natural plant phytochemicals that give blueberries their dark colour.

The organic blueberries also had 67% more total phenolics. The authors’ concluding sentence reads: “Blueberries produced from organic culture contained significantly higher amounts of phytonutrients than those produced from conventional culture.”

Source: S.H. Wang et al., “Fruit Quality, Antioxidant Capacity, and Flavonoid Content of Organically and Conventionally Grown Blueberries,” Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

Try MiEssence Berry Radical certified organic anti-oxidant for organic blueberries and more!

Our bodies cannot exist without enzymes! Even vitamins, minerals, and hormones cannot do their jobs without enzymes. They are the catalysts, the dynamic power that gives us our ability to function at the highest level of good health. Enzymes are the spark of life!

Great. So what are they?

If you’re like most people, you haven’t a clue what enzymes are. Enzymes are highly complex protein molecules. They work together with oxygen to help us digest food. This is important because unless food is digested properly, it is not usable by the body.

Enzymes and oxygen are destroyed whenever food is cooked or highly processed. Eating cooked and/or processed foods puts a tremendous burden on your body. Instead of the necessary digestive enzymes coming directly from your food (as nature intended), your body must now call upon its stored reserves to properly digest that food. These reserves are limited. Once the body’s digestive enzymes become depleted, your body has no choice but to draw upon its reserve supply of metabolic enzymes.

So what’s the big deal? The big deal is, if these metabolic enzymes have to be used to digest your food, a series of unfortunate events are set in motion in your body’s metabolism as these metabolic enzymes are now taken away from other important activities.

Consequently, numerous bodily functions are disrupted. Your immune system weakens, making you more susceptible to disease. Your energy level drops. In fact, the functioning of every organ system in the body, including the brain, begins to stress out – all because enzymes have been diverted to digest food.

What’s worse? We only inherit a certain enzyme potential at birth. However, if we depend solely on our body to produce all the enzymes we need, our enzyme potential will be depleted at a much faster rate than nature intended. To fortify your enzyme potential, you must eat raw foods as much and often as possible. Failure to do so may result in serious illness and/or premature aging!

InLiven is a certified organic blend of whole raw superfoods and probiotics (which help the body produce enzymes).

A growing number of individuals are seeking so-called green cleaners — products assumably made with natural, nontoxic, and biodegradable ingredients. Sales of natural cleaning products totaled $105 million in a recent year.

Some of these cleaners promise that they contain natural (instead of synthetic) agents, break down quickly in the environment, or pose less of a toxic threat to humans and ecosystems. But critics caution that just because the ingredients in green cleaners are plant-based or natural doesn‘t necessarily mean they‘re safe.

Although green cleaners may purport to list all ingredients, the market is largely unregulated — which means consumers still must be wary of what‘s in the bottle. Even cleaning products labeled “natural” may contain some fraction of synthetic chemicals.

Or they may contain natural ingredients consumers would rather avoid, such as petroleum distillates, some of which can cause cancer. And just because a cleaning product is biodegradable and made from plant-based sources doesn‘t mean that it is without potential adverse effects on health.

Plant-based ingredients included in some green cleaners include the foaming agent coconut diethanolamide (DEA) — which can cause allergic dermatitis. And a recent study of natural and nontoxic consumer products found the suspected cancer-causing chemical 1,4-dioxane in roughly half of 100 tested products — including several dishwashing liquids with words such as “Earth friendly” and “eco” in their brand names.

Consumer advocates have pressed for stricter labeling rules, but the industry has resisted, arguing that long lists of ingredients would create a distraction on product labels, drawing attention away from important safety information.

Dare to compare!  MiEssence Dishwashing Concentrate proudly discloses all its gorgeous ingredients!  View all MiEssence cleaning products here!

A steaming cup of tea is a dawn-breaker, a stress‑reliever and a lets-get-together beverage.

Simple but true, antioxidants promote well-being. In fact: the more the better to boost your body into the disease prevention realm. Many studies are now showing that drinking tea may help to prevent heart disease and cancer with a dose of antioxidants in beverage form. On your next adventure, hydrating your body could take on a whole new meaning.

History records tea as long ago as when Chinese Emperor Shen Nung was boiling drinking water and the leaves of a nearby
bush fell into the pot creating the first pot of tea. In the new millennium, scientific evidence is supporting the link between tea and health benefits.

Research shows that the major antioxidants in tea, called flavonoids, neutralize the “free radicals” in the body – helping to maintain healthy cells and tissues. There are many different terms for the antioxidants in tea: flavonoids, tannins, polyphenols and catechins.

Flavonoids are special groups of antioxidant phytochemicals found in black and green tea, apples, onions, and other fruits
and vegetables. The amounts and types of flavonoids found in tea depend on the variety, the manufacturing process, and the
brewing conditions. The majority of the flavonoids are released after 2 minutes of steeping. Antioxidant levels remain the same whether the brewed tea is hot or cold. Research is still being done on whether adding milk, lemon, sugar or artificial sweetener to tea will impact the antioxidant benefits.

For a powerful anti-aging anti-oxidant, try the MiEssence Berry Radical!

Source: http://amolife.com/healthy-food/all-about-tea.html and http://lifeinthehealthlane.blogspot.com/2007/08/tea-more-than-just-beverage.html

A recent study released by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics found 232 chemical contaminants in umbilical cord blood samples from ten newborn American babies. Among the findings: two synthetic musks, components of fragrance, were found in 7 of the 10 cord blood samples.

Artificial musks commonly added to fragrances and personal care products can be absorbed through skin or inhaled, and concentrate and persist in our bodies – so our many small exposures can add up fast. Synthetic musks have also been found in human breast milk and fatty tissues, and are present in wastewater and rivers.

Trade Secrets

The cosmetics industry and other industries that use “fragrance” in their products use a whopping 9,000 tons of synthetic musk annually. Preliminary research raises concerns: musks may disrupt hormones and are toxic to aquatic life.

Because of a loophole in labelling law, the ingredients in “fragrance” are considered trade secrets, so companies don’t have to tell us what’s in their scents.

Dozens or even hundreds of synthetic chemical compounds like synthetic musks are linked to cancer, infertility, behavioural and developmental illnesses.

So what can we as concerned consumers do about this?

Certified Organic: The safest way to keep our bodies free from toxins and from transferring toxins in the womb is to make sure that all our botanical products are certified organic.

Carefully Read Labels: Many products contain harsh chemicals and synthetic fragrance along with a featured natural or even certified organic ingredient. Don’t be fooled by a label that tries to draw you in with a compelling ingredient.

Be Proactive: Contact the manufacturer of a cosmetic or skin product that lists “fragrance”, “perfume” or “musk” on the ingredient label and ask the company to use non-toxic ingredients and fully disclose all ingredients on products labels.

Online Resources: Consult the list of companies that have signed the Compact for Safe Cosmetics and use EWG’s Skin Deep database to run an advanced search of products without synthetic fragrance.

MiEssence has solved the “artificial fragrance” dilemma with exquisite certified organic Botanical Perfumes. Hand-blended from rare and potent botanical extracts, absolutes and essential oils proven to warm, calm, uplift, and energize.

Try sample sizes of Love, Wild, Free, Brave, Calm, and Delicious in our perfume Sample Collection, or order full sizes in beautiful showcase bottles.

Scientific tests in the US and Japan have proven beyond doubt that lemon increases concentration and helps prevent errors made by office workers. With concentration improved by lemon aromas relaxing brain waves, people under test conditions have repeatedly delivered higher-standard work with up to 50% fewer errors.

Get inside help when tackling your paperwork or making important decisions. Inhale MiEssence pure, certified organic lemon oil in a bath, through a diffuser or inhale the fragrance from a tissue.

Try lemon oil yourself; you may be amazed by the improvement!

P.S. Lavender, jasmine and peppermint oils also have beautiful fragrances proven under test conditions to help concentration and study.

CLICK HERE to find out more about these and other MiEssence internationally certified organic essential oils!

Far from freshening air, chemical based air fresheners and deodorizers add dangerous chemicals to the air we breathe. Air fresheners work by using a nerve-deadening chemical that interferes with our sense of smell, by coating the nasal passage with an oily film, by masking an offending odour with a different odour, or by deactivating the odour.

Air fresheners are made from a number of toxic chemicals; including formadehyde – a carcinogen and sensitizer, naphthalene – a suspected carcinogen, xylene – a neurotoxin and possible reproductive toxin, butane gas – a neurotoxin, and strong chemical fragrances. Some solid deodorizers include the pesticide paradichlorobenzene, a carcinogen which can also cause liver and kidney damage. Aerosol air fresheners release chemicals as tiny particles which can be inhaled deeply into lungs and transferred into the blood stream. Plug in air fresheners break chemicals into even smaller particles.

The key to freshening air is to remove or dilute the offending odour (by cleaning, ventilating or absorbing), not to cover it over with another chemical.

With MiEssence’ Rainforest Air Freshener, you can create a lush rainforest environment in your own home with the crisp and invigorating aromas of blue cypress, lemon myrtle and blue mallee eucalyptus. Yes, aromas of organic cold pressed plant extracts instead of chemical nasties from a test tube! MiEssence Rainforest Air Freshener comes in an environmentally friendly non-aerosol pump spray!

PAHs, or polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, are common contaminants in petrolatum, also called petroleum jelly or paraffin and sold under well-known brand name of Vaseline.

Petrolatum is listed as a probable human carcinogen in the European Union’s Dangerous Substances Directive (UNECE 2004).

PAHs and Breast Cancer

Researchers at Columbia University found that the breast tissue of women with breast cancer was 2.6 times more likely to contain elevated levels of PAHs than the breast tissue of women without breast cancer (Rundle et al. 2000).
Petrolatum is found 7.1% of products on the market, including 15% of all lipstick and 40% of all baby lotions and oils.

Mineral-based cosmetics are getting much attention. Is it a new marketing ploy or are there real benefits?

Why Care?

o Mainstream powders block pores and prevent the skin’s natural respiration. Once airborne, may be inhaled and absorbed directly to lungs. As 95% of powders are talc-based, an asbestos like lung irritant, this is of concern.
o Other toxic ingredients include formaldehyde, quartenium-15, imidazolidinyl urea, MEA, TEA and DEA and parabens.
o Mineral powders, typically titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, mica and iron oxide, are micro-pulverized to form microscopic flat crystals, which overlap each other on the skin to form a filter. The skin can breathe, as they do not interrupt the skin’s natural function and are typically free of fillers like talc, oils, surfactants and preseravatives.
o The minerals themselves mixed with pure pigment are inherently beneficial:
o Natural sun protection, as titanium dioxide carries an SPF of 15 to 20.5
o Relieves skin problems such as acne, eczema, psoriasis and rosacea due to titanium and zinc’s natural anti-inflammatory properties which sooth and calm skin breakouts and irritations.
o Minerals reflect light off the skin, reducing appearance of pores and wrinkles.
o Minerals do not harbor bacteria, but they do absorb oil from your skin.

Caution Is Required

Pulverized minerals that are “nano-sized” may cause stress on internal systems when inhaled. Use particles 7 microns (7,000nm) or more. Read the label carefully, as there is no set definition for the term “mineral make-up”. Look for pure crushed minerals of the earth, as refining the oxides reduces the natural state. A naturally derived state has been processed to remove unwanted elements. Be wary of D&C or FC&C colourants. Although approved for use, they are synthetically created and reduce the mineral blend to less than naturally derived.

Application

Brushes are an essential tool for applying mineral cosmetics. Natural MiEssence mineral cosmetics and cosmetic brushes can be found by visiting http://certifiedorganic.mionegroup.com/en/category/4.