Archive for January 2016
January 8th, 2016 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
What is a fatty acid? A fatty acid (example: palmitic acid) has a carboxylic acid attached to a long hydrocarbon chain. Why are fatty acids so important? Fatty acids are used as a major source of energy during metabolism and as a starting point for the synthesis of phospholipids, the main category of lipid molecules used to construct biological membranes (generally composed of two fatty acids linked through glycerol phosphate to one of a variety of polar groups). Why are the differences in chemical structure so important? The chemical structure makes the function possible. Stearic acid cannot do what linoleic acid can. Fatty acids can differ in number of carbon…
January 6th, 2016 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
There are many DIY vitamin C options. You can take some suggestions from the ascorbic acid usage page for a simple solution, search the forum for tons of different recipes, or try out this recipe below from Dr. Sivak. DIY vitamin C serum with ascorbic acid, ferulic acid, and phloretin 15% approx. tsp: teaspoon. All measurements are approximate, unless you have a laboratory scale and can measure grams and milligrams. Use level teaspoons, NOT full teaspoons. 1 tsp (5 g) ascorbic acid 1 tsp Sea Kelp Coral 1 tsp rosehip oil 3 tsp (15 gm) distilled water 1/8 tsp ferulic acid 1/8 tsp phloretin 1/4 tsp Antioxidant Booster 1/4 tsp vodka or pure ethanol (NOT…
January 6th, 2016 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
Just like we associate certain food smells and tastes with childhood and nostalgia, fragrances from baby products trigger those same feelings. This is why, despite the fact that fragrances in baby creams, shampoos and diapers are unnecessary, they still “sell” and you will find them in most products. In most cases, these fragrances are okay. However, the fact remains that we do not know enough about allergies to tell us what can be used without risk of causing long term eczema and contact dermatitis. It seems that even the companies that manufacture these products don’t know enough, and this is bad. The most offensive example I have found is Boudreaux’s…
January 6th, 2016 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
Why do you need anything? Aren’t your lips just like your skin? Not really. The skin of the lips, with their three to five cellular layers, is very thin compared to typical face skin, which has up to 16 layers. The lip skin does not have sweat glands or hair, so it does not have the usual protective layer of sweat and body oils which keep the skin smooth and somewhat protected. For these reasons, the lips dry out faster and become chapped more easily. And why the color? In people with light skin color, the lip skin contains fewer melanocytes (cells which produce melanin, which gives skin its color).…