Dr Barbara Olioso's Blog

Parabens and breast cancer cells, evidence you can see

2009-10-15T16:55:50+01:00

On the 15th of September, Channel 5 Live Studio featured the work of the most recent work of Dr Philippa Darbre. Philippa is the scientist behind the controversial 2004 article where parabens were found in breast cancer tissue. Well the article found a lot of opposition from the scientific community because the parabens were found in the controls indicating possible cross contamination. Philippa's explanation is that parabens are everywhere and also usually controls are not published in scientitic articles, meaning they are probably found in all controls unless you use high purity solvents. Because Philippa wants to prove her point and she is really concerned about the potential health issues behind the exposure to parabens, she has spent the last 5 years doing her own research at Reading university, with no sponsoring.. The first result is the pictures shown on Channel 5, where breast cancer cells were cultivated with and without parabens. The pictures speak by themselves (more cells with parabens) and they certainly point out to me we certainly need more research done on the safety of these ingredients. What do you think?

Organic Farming is only the start: the soil is the real asset

2009-07-15T12:10:45+01:00

Last night I went to a fantastic talk on organic gardening by Charles Dowding. Charles was very generous with tips and insights and embodies gardening at its best, with a strong pair of arms, a brown tan and no fat!
Charles made me realise I had a blind spot in relation to organic farming. I shall explain why. Charles lives near a field where they farm organic spelt. Last year they could not crop it in August because of the heavy rain. So they did it in September when it was dry but the soil was still wet. Heavy and huge machines squashed the soil making it very compact. When it rained all the water flooded his field and nearly his house. The rain water and the compacted soil are a deadly combination for soil erosion and flooding. This means that even if organic farming is good it needs to incorporate the health of the soil as it is the major asset which we need to care for. No wonder flooding has been a big problem in the last few years..
Charles runs one day workshops on No Dig Growing, you can find out on his website here

Lifescape Magazine: healthy tips and positive inspirations

2009-07-08T10:31:28+01:00

I find Lifescape magazine like a real breath of fresh air: it covers all aspects of a woman's life (fashion, beauty, food, environment, emotions, health and more) in an informative and balanced way. I think Lifescape provides very good and valuable information to modern women living a busy lifestyle and still wanting to be positively informed about healthy alternatives.
I love the editor's blog, because Rajasana is so honest in sharing her experiments that I smile when I read it. If you would like to read Lifescape or subscribe (it is very good value for money), please visit the website here

The Cosmos standard finally out

2009-06-28T19:16:18+01:00

At the end of last month the organic harmonised standard came out. Six European organic certification bodies got together to create a double standard, one for organic and one for natural cosmetics, that hopefully is going to make clearer to define what organic and natural is in the beauty industry. The standard is available Here My opinion is that the most positive aspects are a more cosmetic approach to the standard, an easier way to calculate the organic percentage of a finished product and a clearer idea of natural derived ingredients accepted by the standard. I believe the main challenges of the standard are the use of hydrogenated ingredients, the lack of pesticides analysis, an ingredients positive list and a clear position on palm oil derivatives. What is your opinion about it?

Fantastic facial with Nuz Shugaa

2009-04-19T16:33:47+01:00

Today I had an amazing treat with celebrity facialist Nuz Shugaa. My skin was awakened thanks to Nuz's firm and yet gentle touch along with the natural revitalising products she uses (she selected the ones suitable for my skin). At the end my skin was not only glowing but also when I touched it it felt like silky velvet! Nuz is great passionate as I am about applying only natural products on the skin and also about avoiding extreme measures such as botox. So far she has converted 37 women so to stop injecting the damn toxin into their body because gain without pain is possible: it is all about long term investment with a good diet, quality natural skin products and also jump starting the skin with facials on a regular basis.
Nuz is having her website done, where you can find her contact details to arrange an appointment.

Willie's supreme cacao: a taste of the jungle

2009-03-31T13:57:05+01:00

I am a declared chocoholic, so I always like to share my latest find and experience, and Willie's supreme cacao is certainly a rare pearl. To understand the uniqueness of this chocolate you need to know it is made the old way, using old machinery keeping the whole nutritious parts together. The chocolate bars found in the shops are made with cocoa extract (cocoa butter (when you are lucky), cocoa solids, cocoa liquor and so on) blended with lecithin, sugar, etc rather than the pure thing. In a way chocolate bars are like lemon juice made using its individual ingredients (such as water, citric acid, ascorbic acid etc...) whereas Willie's cacao is like the lemon juice squeezed out of a fresh lemon!
Because of its wholeness (light and shadow together), you get to experience a rainbow of flavours, and that is something that blew me away, especially having a very sensitive sense of smell. It is like a journey of everchanging taste discovery, starting with sage and rosemary, then moving to beeswax and other earthy flavours. The best way I can describe it is like I am walking in the amazonian jungle and I can taste its smell..
This is the experience I got with the cocoa bar. Another way of experiencing it is by grating the big cocoa chunk with milk (I used goat mik), warm it up gently and then adding sugar to it (I use xylitol, a very healthy sugar): really yummy! To buy it on line visit Mummy Deli

Right brain, the place of wonder

2009-03-12T10:48:09+00:00

I have just watched the video of brain scientist Jill Bolte Taylor, describing with extreme lucidity and humour the stroke that shut down her left brain, making her experience reality purely through the lens of her right brain. She survived and took her 8 years to recover, but her message is so inspiring that I want to share it with you. Click here

A new approach to antiaging

2009-03-04T09:44:54+00:00

A few days ago I visited my friend Ali I noticed how good she looked: her face was much more relaxed and her lines were finer. So I told her and in a very passionate way she said "I have been taken very good care of myself all week: I have done absolutely nothing!" She really made me laugh but I also thought that it did work. I have a dream now, doing nothing for a week!

New book by Janey Lee Grace out in March

2009-02-13T19:27:50+00:00

Janey Lee Grace, green campaigner and dedicated mother, is about to publish the pocket version of Imperfectly Natural Woman with new recipes and green tips. As caring for the family has been a mother's thing since the beginning of time, she is launching her new book on mother's day, to inspire modern mums with natural, healthy and easy alternatives, because caring for the children is also caring for the planet..

Try heaven in the mouth

2009-02-13T19:16:20+00:00

I thought I sorted out my chocolate addiction but after trying Blakes organic dark truffle chocolate, I am hooked again. Why? Simply I have never experienced anything like it: the texture melts like velvet in the mouth, caressing the tongue, while the cocoa nibs create that contrast the teeth enjoy. The flavour is simply perfectly balanced and not too sweet, so that you can really taste the pure chocolate flavour. I feel total admiration and gratitude towards Blake, this is a masterpiece!
And today while talking about it at the health food shop a lady raved about their chocolate milk and coconut bar, she is addicted too. Join the club, it is really nice!