Parabens are chemicals widely used in the cosmetics and personal care industries as powerful preservatives. Preservatives are necessary in all products that have water in them because water is a breeding ground for bacteria and many types of fungus. Preservatives protect the product from these microbes keeping the product fresh and healthy.
Sounds good, right?
Wrong. The problem with parabens is their implications in cases of allergic reactions, estrogenic activity (acting the same way that the female hormone estrogen acts in the body), and even breast cancer.
While parabens have long been deemed as “practically non-toxic,” (Soni, M.G. Evaluation of the health effects of methyl paraben: a review of the published literature. Food and Chemical Toxicology (2002))recent findings are suggesting otherwise.
Skin irritatation, contact dermatitis, and Rosacea are just a few effects being reported as allergic reactions to parabens found in commercial health and beauty products.
Experiments have shown that parabens act as xenoestrogens (according to Wikipedia, xenoestrogens are novel, industrially made compounds that have estrogenic effects and differ chemically from naturally occurring estrogens produced by living organisms. Their potential ecological and human health impact is under study.).
At Emily’s Beauty In Balance we believe strongly in the vital importance of a natural balance in the body. Hormones play an immense role in this, maybe even more than any other factor. When the hormones are out of balance, the body is out of balance. When the body is out of balance, diseases and afflictions result.
Why add artificial hormones to your body?
How many of the products you use each day contain parabens?
With the estrogenic activity of parabens known, it is no surprise that they have been found to be linked to breast cancer.
Parabens were found directly inside of breast tumor tissue in a study by PD Darbre (Concentrations of parabens in human breast tumors. J Am. Coll. Toxicol 2004). There have been many other studies in which up to 18 out of 20 breast tumor samples contained parabens.
Do we know for sure?
No one does. For now, this is just speculation. But we make our products without parabens because we can’t ignore the data and wait for cold hard proof. Beauty In Balance is about making educated decisions about our health and bodies.
Friday, September 4, 2009
Monday, August 31, 2009
Balance and The Virtue of Temperance
Of thirteen beneficial principles outlined by Benjamin Franklin as keys to his success, Temperance was listed first. Was there a reason for this? Could it be the most important virtue?
Franklin further explained his first principle with the instructions "eat not dullness; drink not to elevation." Taken literally, the meaning of this advice is obvious. Eating too much makes us feel dull or ill and can lead to obesity and the corresponding health defects. Drinking too much alcohol can make us lose control, do things we normally wouldn't and shouldn't do, make us sick and ruin our organs.
But what about further implications? Why would Benjamin Franklin see this virtue as so important?
This week I thought a lot about Temperance and what it really means to exercise it. My conclusion was that Temperance is paramount to a balanced life because without employing it we cannot begin to master any of the other virtues necessary for success.
How can one sustain any virtue without the ability to control the self in the presence of desire? Metaphorically, eating to dullness and drinking to elevation symbolize indulging in desires to a point at which doing so has rendered us less effective individuals. This is why maintaining our appetites within the bounds of reason is essential to moving forward in our quest to master ourselves and increase our quality of life.
Can the man who has eaten three boxes of cookies and a quart of ice cream get up and have the energy he needs to accomplish his tasks? Can he who has consumed an excess of alcohol be trusted to make the right decisions for himself and his family in a time of crisis? Similarly, when we cannot control our actions in the face of temptation we cannot expect ourselves to perform at our peak levels or think clearly enough to make the right choices when it counts.
The importance of Temperance is further demonstrated in the fact that it is considered one of the four Cardinal Virtues of Christianity and Catholicism. In this instance it is known as the practice of moderation and interestingly, St. Augustine defined it as "love giving itself entirely to that which is loved..." St. Augustine's is a vision of believing in something so highly that it would be a sin to allow for distraction or corruption away from its value.
Fourteenth century sculptures show Temperance, Temperantia, with a clock on her head and wearing a horses harness. Here the bit is in her mouth and she is holding the reins. The clock can represent dominance and control over the passage of time (see how temperance relates to tempo and temporal), in addition to a measure of self-control---for it is the strict regulation of the mechanics of clockwork that renders the clock useful. So may our regulation of ourselves deem us useful in the eyes of Temperantia.
Because of its wild freedom, endurance and virility a horse can symbolize our own will and animal instincts. Temperantia both wears the bit and holds the reins. She is thus both controlled and controlling.
To Doug McManaman, author of an article entitled The Virtue of Temperance, "the measure of temperance is the order of reason." This means that the moderate behavior is governed by our determination of what action is most reasonable in a given situation.
McManaman continues to describe intemperance as a condition akin to slavery and states that acquiring the four Cardinal Virtues of Prudence, Justice, Courage and Temperance all depend on Temperance itself. He further explains that this is because the virtues are a function of the will, yet with intemperance the will is not free but rather at the mercy of our longing.
This dependence of all virtue upon the practice of Temperance is precisely why it is classified as a cardinal virtue, where "cardinal" signifies "pivotal." Every righteous habit we are to acquire is rooted in our ability to exercise discipline, restraint, moderation and ultimately, Balance.
In order to determine the most reasonable action in any circumstance and achieve mastery of Temperance we look to Greek philosopher Aristotle, who believed that all virtue is rooted in the mean. By 'mean,' he was referring to the arithmetic average, or most typical and rational behavior in a determined set of behavioral choices. This average is also known in mathematics as the "central tendency," and according to Aristotle it is toward this central tendency that the virtuous man will lean.
An average as a model for righteous behavior can similarly be seen in the Neo-Confucian Chinese concept entitled the "Doctrine of the Mean." This concept echoes the Taoist philosophy of honoring the balance of nature through moderation in all things. The natural balance represented in Taoism can be seen depicted in the Ying Yang.
Doctrine of the Mean has also been translated as the "Middle Way," the "Unwobbling Pivot," and "Focusing the Familiar." Unwobbling pivot in Chinese is 'chung yung,' where 'chung' means leaning neither one way nor another and 'yung' means not changing.
According to the Doctrine of the Mean, the mean is a way of perfecting the self through directing one's mind toward a constant state of equilibrium and therefore achieving eternal balance. The guiding principle of this doctrine is abstention from acting in excess.
Temperance and abstaining from excess can in fact be seen in countless literary depictions throughout both ancient and modern history, with the earliest documented representation in the Cretan story of Icarus and his father Daedalus. In this story, Daedalus builds wings for his son and himself so that they can escape from their king. He warned Icarus to "fly the middle course," but Icarus did not listen. Icarus flew so high that he burned his wings on the sun and fell to his death.
Other examples include the words "Nothing in Excess" inscribed on the door to the temple of Delphi and Plato's philosophy of proportionality exemplified in the metaphor of a boat. According to Plato, "If we disregard due proportion by giving anything what is too much for it; too much canvas to a boat, too much authority to a soul, the consequence is always shipwreck."
Temperance is ultimately a balance in action, and by tempering our behavior we can invite the benefits of a more balanced disposition into our lives. It is self-restraint, control and rationality. What are some ways we can integrate it into our every day choices and interactions? How will this lead to further success in other areas?
Franklin further explained his first principle with the instructions "eat not dullness; drink not to elevation." Taken literally, the meaning of this advice is obvious. Eating too much makes us feel dull or ill and can lead to obesity and the corresponding health defects. Drinking too much alcohol can make us lose control, do things we normally wouldn't and shouldn't do, make us sick and ruin our organs.
But what about further implications? Why would Benjamin Franklin see this virtue as so important?
This week I thought a lot about Temperance and what it really means to exercise it. My conclusion was that Temperance is paramount to a balanced life because without employing it we cannot begin to master any of the other virtues necessary for success.
How can one sustain any virtue without the ability to control the self in the presence of desire? Metaphorically, eating to dullness and drinking to elevation symbolize indulging in desires to a point at which doing so has rendered us less effective individuals. This is why maintaining our appetites within the bounds of reason is essential to moving forward in our quest to master ourselves and increase our quality of life.
Can the man who has eaten three boxes of cookies and a quart of ice cream get up and have the energy he needs to accomplish his tasks? Can he who has consumed an excess of alcohol be trusted to make the right decisions for himself and his family in a time of crisis? Similarly, when we cannot control our actions in the face of temptation we cannot expect ourselves to perform at our peak levels or think clearly enough to make the right choices when it counts.
The importance of Temperance is further demonstrated in the fact that it is considered one of the four Cardinal Virtues of Christianity and Catholicism. In this instance it is known as the practice of moderation and interestingly, St. Augustine defined it as "love giving itself entirely to that which is loved..." St. Augustine's is a vision of believing in something so highly that it would be a sin to allow for distraction or corruption away from its value.
Temperance is commonly represented in allegorical sculpture as a woman mixing wine and water in two jugs. Thus both the wine and water are diluted with each other to make two mixtures of equal and moderate potency. The wine is tempered by the water.
Fourteenth century sculptures show Temperance, Temperantia, with a clock on her head and wearing a horses harness. Here the bit is in her mouth and she is holding the reins. The clock can represent dominance and control over the passage of time (see how temperance relates to tempo and temporal), in addition to a measure of self-control---for it is the strict regulation of the mechanics of clockwork that renders the clock useful. So may our regulation of ourselves deem us useful in the eyes of Temperantia.
Because of its wild freedom, endurance and virility a horse can symbolize our own will and animal instincts. Temperantia both wears the bit and holds the reins. She is thus both controlled and controlling.
To Doug McManaman, author of an article entitled The Virtue of Temperance, "the measure of temperance is the order of reason." This means that the moderate behavior is governed by our determination of what action is most reasonable in a given situation.
McManaman continues to describe intemperance as a condition akin to slavery and states that acquiring the four Cardinal Virtues of Prudence, Justice, Courage and Temperance all depend on Temperance itself. He further explains that this is because the virtues are a function of the will, yet with intemperance the will is not free but rather at the mercy of our longing.
This dependence of all virtue upon the practice of Temperance is precisely why it is classified as a cardinal virtue, where "cardinal" signifies "pivotal." Every righteous habit we are to acquire is rooted in our ability to exercise discipline, restraint, moderation and ultimately, Balance.
In order to determine the most reasonable action in any circumstance and achieve mastery of Temperance we look to Greek philosopher Aristotle, who believed that all virtue is rooted in the mean. By 'mean,' he was referring to the arithmetic average, or most typical and rational behavior in a determined set of behavioral choices. This average is also known in mathematics as the "central tendency," and according to Aristotle it is toward this central tendency that the virtuous man will lean.
An average as a model for righteous behavior can similarly be seen in the Neo-Confucian Chinese concept entitled the "Doctrine of the Mean." This concept echoes the Taoist philosophy of honoring the balance of nature through moderation in all things. The natural balance represented in Taoism can be seen depicted in the Ying Yang.
Doctrine of the Mean has also been translated as the "Middle Way," the "Unwobbling Pivot," and "Focusing the Familiar." Unwobbling pivot in Chinese is 'chung yung,' where 'chung' means leaning neither one way nor another and 'yung' means not changing.
According to the Doctrine of the Mean, the mean is a way of perfecting the self through directing one's mind toward a constant state of equilibrium and therefore achieving eternal balance. The guiding principle of this doctrine is abstention from acting in excess.
Temperance and abstaining from excess can in fact be seen in countless literary depictions throughout both ancient and modern history, with the earliest documented representation in the Cretan story of Icarus and his father Daedalus. In this story, Daedalus builds wings for his son and himself so that they can escape from their king. He warned Icarus to "fly the middle course," but Icarus did not listen. Icarus flew so high that he burned his wings on the sun and fell to his death.
Other examples include the words "Nothing in Excess" inscribed on the door to the temple of Delphi and Plato's philosophy of proportionality exemplified in the metaphor of a boat. According to Plato, "If we disregard due proportion by giving anything what is too much for it; too much canvas to a boat, too much authority to a soul, the consequence is always shipwreck."
Temperance is ultimately a balance in action, and by tempering our behavior we can invite the benefits of a more balanced disposition into our lives. It is self-restraint, control and rationality. What are some ways we can integrate it into our every day choices and interactions? How will this lead to further success in other areas?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)