These Makeup Ingredients Could Be Killing You

 I am sure it isn't any secret now days, but if you were living under a rock like I was for the past 8 years, you might not know that many drug store cosmetics actually contain really toxic ingredients that can increase your risk for developing cancer in the future or aggravate in-tolerances/allergies you may not know you have.
   It is a theory in fact that Fibromyalgia could also be triggered in some individuals due to dozens or even hundreds of small allergic reactions which an individual may have to common household chemicals they come into contact with throughout the day. Multiple Chemical Sensitivity Syndrome is found to overlap with illnesses like Fibromyalgia in 16% of  people who have it. 40% of people who have Chronic Fatigue are seen to also suffer from MCS. Now, the only way to really be sure if you have Multiple Chemical Sensitivity is to go and get a very intensive allergy test done, but you can always start eliminating the things which are overall bad right away. Today, I wanted to spread the word on these eight harmful chemicals and metals found in your makeup because, if you have been sick since fifteen like me, you probably want to reduce the number of variables that could make it worst.

1. Formaldehyde and/or Formaldehyde preservative- This stuff is used to keep dead people from rotting as quickly. It is a known carcinogen on the FDA list. Formaldehyde exposure is said to be possibly linked to brain tumors, hematopoietic, and lymphatic cancers. This is a common ingredient in nail polishes.
2. Petrolatum- Is an ingredient that is commonly found in creams and lotions. It is linked to skin cancer with long term use. Petrolatum is oil-based as the name implies and cannot be metabolized by the body but do penetrate the skin, meaning its really hard to get this chemical out once it is in your body. While not on the list of carcinogens provided by the FDA it is one ingredient which is hotly debated to be there.
3. Cyclomethicone and anything ending in "siloxane"- These sorts of chemicals are often found in foundations, deodorant, facial creams, and other lotions. It can be harmful to your reproductive system's health. While it leaves your skin smooth and silky, I am not sure it is worth not avoiding since reproductive system cancers have very low survival rates.
4. Parabens- Are commonly found in shampoos, conditioners, foundations, concealers, and lipsticks to name a few. This preservative is used to prevent fungus and bacteria growth in your products. This one is debatable as to whether it is truly bad or not, but it has suggested links to endocrine system disruption, reproductive toxicity and neurotoxicity, among other issues. Many companies are starting to move away from its use, but it may be something to look out for.
5.  DEA - This chemical makes that nice lather and bubble you see in a bubble bath or from a shampoo or soap most commonly. It can also be in sunscreen or moisturizer. It is on the carcinogen list and has been linked to cancer in the liver. 
6. Aluminum- Common in your kitchen and surprisingly common in your deodorants. This is something I personally am working on removing from my life in entirety. It is linked to breast cancer and there have been many studies that would strongly suggest Aluminum exposure can increase your changes of developing Dementia or Alzheimer's Disease. 
7. Lead- Is a color additive in lipstick and is not regulated in the slightest. It can cause hair loss, rashes, and a large number of other bad things to happen with prolonged exposure. This one also does not metabolize so once it gets into your body very hair or impossible to remove.
8. Mercury- Found commonly in Mascara, it is a neurotoxin and like other heavy metals will not metabolize.

 If this has been eye-opening and helpful let me know in the comments below and subscribe for more stuff like this in the future. I try and post something at least once a week. I am going to do some updates later on with brands that don't have these gross ingredients.

Back-Pain Free Garden plots/boxes

I really like growing fruits and veggies these days. It is a really peaceful outlet that I can do on my own, but there was a span of a few years where I had to give it up on my favorite pass time. It was getting super painful to bend over and squat down to maintain the plants. In order to not permanently loose my one actually productive hobby, I started to think of alternative ways which I could plant and maintain my mini-field. On day it suddenly hit me when I was watching a YouTube video on indoor hydroponics. The farm where the video was being filmed was actually growing vertically all the way up to the ceiling. Needless to say, when I can afford a home of my own (or rather if I can? ), I am going to get into some hydroponics. Before that though, I am building myself the perfect raised bed to practice outside for a few years. I say practice, because I have can't say I have had the best track record of keeping my plants alive since I've been sick. I also have a lot to learn about getting the most productivity out of my garden too. This time I want to start with baby steps, simple and slowly to absorb all the information at my new pace.  If you want to join me and try my new styled raised plot here are the instructions and a little doodle for reference:

Materials:

• 1 strong, kind friend or parent (or several days of time, I got a helper for this but if I did it alone I'd probably be laying no more then 3 blocks a day)
• 42 thin cinder block bricks with or without holes or 4 long boards (I am doing cinder blocks to make it more permanent, if you use wood be sure to hassle the store people to cut it for you they do it for free, and that means less work for you)
• 4 48 inch long wooden stakes (Wood version only)
• 4 tubes of a Cement sealer/ glue or if you are using wood pick up nails, hammer and wooden stakes.
• 1/2 a gallon of paint or stain in your favorite color and paint (optional)
• A shovel with a rectangular shape
• 8-12 bags of potting soil (I used a mix or yard dirt that my helper dug up while grading and cheap dirt to fill in the lowest levels of the plot and good dirt on the last 8 inches).
• Your least favorite or only gardening gloves

Instructions:

•  Pick your location and remove any grass/level the spot for the size bed you want. The materials list above makes a bed that is roughly 8' by  3' in size.

       For blocks:

• Once your location is mostly level and clear, start laying your first tier of bricks you'll want to use 5 bricks each long side and 2 blocks for the short sides, put your cement glue or sealer on the sides of the bricks in even squiggles and make sure to push them together tightly. For the next row, do the same and also add glue to the bottom of your brick, if any glue comes out smooth it back into the crack with your gloved hands. Repeat for the last layer.
•  Paint and fill with your choice of dirt and plants

      For wood:

• In the store request each board except one cut in half (these are the long sides), have the last board cut so that you have 6 pieces which are 2 1/2 ft long(these are for the short sides).
• Once your location is mostly level and clear, take your long wooden stakes and hammer into ground till the stand roughly 36-40 inches tall.
• Now that the stakes are in, nail the planks into the stakes for the short sides, then the long ones. Be sure to line the planks as close together as possible. 
• Paint and fill with your choice of dirt and plants.

I am no expert in building, but so far mine is looking like it will hold steady. Let me know how I can improve this or if you have any questions in the comments below. Shameless plug, if you want to keep tabs with this blog and my journey for inspiration, gardening ideas, or tips on how to live decently with fibromyalgia subscribe with your email today. I don't get any of your info, but you get a little notification whenever I post win-win right!?

5 Fibromyalgia symptoms your doctor's pamphlet doesn't mention..

So when after you've had fibromyalgia for a least a year, you'll may start to notice some more strange symptoms popping up out of no where into your life. This is where your life with an illness gets really fun! For me at least, it has turned into somewhat of a game since I was about 17 years old.. the is it worth my time at the doctor's game. I will be the first person to acknowledge how terrible that sounds, but I have a really limited amount of money and I am hanging onto my office job by the skin of my teeth it. I will say I DO NOT RECOMMEND playing this sort of game with your health, if you have a new symptom pop up make sure to get it looked at properly. That being said, here are my top 5 weird symptoms which popped up at one  point or I never got told about by my doctor till years into my new life.

1. Raynaud's Syndrome- Your fingers and toes may turn blue or purple one day when you are walking home from class on a winter's day or just a normal one which was extra long. If you live in a northern area, this could just be frost-bite. If you live in a southern area, like I do, its going to scare the snard out of you and you'll probably think you might be dying. Do not be super alarmed, Raynaud's Syndrome is a very treatable condition. Bring it up at your next doctor visit.
2. Non-Cardiac Chest Pain- This particular symptom has cost me probably about two or three thousand dollars. I am so sorry if you also have this...but hey that's the Fibro life. As you saw in your doctors diagnosis pamphlet thing, Fibromyalgia may cause individuals to experience painful muscle spasms through-out there bodies, what they don't mention is that these can happen in the muscles of your rib-cage. This can lead you to thinking that you are having a heart attack on occasion even when you are not. For this one I had to get a really extensive cardiac health analysis done when I was 18 years old, but even so I still worry like a mad women when this symptom happens.
3. In-ability to regulate your body temperature- Winter can feel like summer, Summer can feel like winter. The weather doesn't dictate what you wear, your body temp does. I've noticed sometimes I'm two degrees colder than the normal temp sometimes, I usually don't get higher temps then normal, but I will get colder...its even something my doctor wrote noted. Not sure if it affects anything with heat regulation, but its something I think might.
4. Increased PMS syndromes- It's like if PMS became a really hardcore biker babe and decided she wanted to rule a small rural town with her gang. My doctor denies it, but the internet forums and my body say otherwise.
5. Speech Impediment- Not only will you have the dreaded Fibro-Fog, but you may be "blessed" with the inability to properly find and say your words. This is my worst enemy, people laugh at me for it, and I hate it. I have yet to find a doctor who will take me seriously on this and it is a source of great embarrassment. I could be talking normally one moment then suddenly i can't get the word I want out, or I might say a totally different word and not even realize it till I'm told.