We find ourselves living in unprecedented times. The levels of pollution in our air, including all of the smoke that currently covers the Western United States, is an assault on our bodies and the earth down to our cellular levels. Is there anything that can be done to minimize the effects of exposure to these free radical damaging molecules? Let’s dive deeper.
What is oxidative stress, and a free radical anyway?
Oxidative stress is an imbalance between free radicals and antioxidants in our bodies. Free radicals are oxygen containing molecules with an uneven number of electrons. The uneven number allows them to easily react to other molecules. Symptoms of oxidative stress are fatigue, memory loss or brain fog, muscle or joint pain, wrinkles and grey hair, decreased eye sight, headaches and sensitivity to noise, and susceptibility to infection. Who can not relate to any of these symptoms!? Uncontrolled oxidative stress can speed up the aging process and can be an exacerbating factor for many of our current health maladies.
What can we do?
Avoid cigarette smoke and pollution as much as possible. Be mindful of consuming other inflammatory causing substances like sugar, alcohol, refined carbohydrates, and processed foods. Instead, consume a diet filled with fresh fruits and vegetables. Basically, foods filled with color are foods high in antioxidant properties. Supplements like vitamins A, C, E and CoQ10 can help to reduce oxidative stress in the body and on the skin.
Essential Apothecary Alchemist fills our products with nutrients that both feed and protect the skin from the premature aging that is caused by oxidative stress.
LUSTER and LUSH have an abundance of free radical fighting components. We formulated LUSH and LUSTER using liposomal vitamin C for efficient penetration into the skin, vitamin E, CoQ10, aloe vera, coconut oil, rosehip seed oil, sea buckthorn seed oil, and essential oils of lavender and rosemary. All of these skin foods are powerful free radical fighters.
Please make sure you are washing your face in the morning and before bed. This simple act removes accumulations of free radical exposures and helps to remove dead skin cells. Also, applying the skin with protective and healing benefits of LUSH and/or NECTAR after cleansing, will keep your skin nourished and preserved from early aging caused by free radical damage.
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