BEAUTYCOUNTER with Tina Brodsky

November 10, 2019 Ellie Voci

Tina Brodsky is a consultant with Beautycounter, a Santa Monica based manufacturer of high-performance personal care products and cosmetics that don’t use toxic ingredients linked with human health issues. She is a mother of three and has been passionate about health, wellness and the environment for many years. She holds a BA in Sociology from Tulane University, an MBA from NYU’s Stern School of Business and a certificate in Sustainability from the International Society of Sustainability Professionals. She is also a Partner at TAG Investors Group and invests in distressed properties around the country.

Tina Takes The Questions:

What inspired you to become a consultant at Beautycounter?

If you would believe it, a single product did the job! I was an early customer of Beautycounter’s but the turning point for me was when I first started using the Face Oil #2, now known as Counter+ No. 2 Plumping Face Oil. I had come to realize that I believe in the company philosophy and couldn’t live without the products. There was a real trust factor there for me!

I was shocked to learn that The FDA does not require any pre-market safety testing on chemicals in cosmetics and body care products, with the exception of color additives. How is this possible?

It’s really all about money. The beauty and personal care market in the US is over $80 billion strong and, sadly, although the FDA “regulates” this industry, there isn’t much oversight. The space is basically a free for all, even with organic and natural products. 80-90% of ingredients on the market are never tested for safety and their effect on human health.

I also recently learned that the European Union bans or restricts close to 1,400 chemicals in their cosmetics alone, while the US only bans 9? This statistic blew me away!

Actually, the EU now bans more than 1,400 ingredients, and yes, it’s unbelievable but true. The US has one of the most loosely regulated personal care markets. This is a pressing issue because of the sheer number of chemicals in our products and food. Since World War II, approximately 12,000 chemicals have been introduced into commerce and the number is growing rapidly.

Tell me about Beautycounter’s Never List ™ and whether you think it’s a useful tool for consumers to use while shopping for clean beauty products?

The Never List ™ is a great tool! It’s made up of more than 1,500 questionable or harmful chemicals that we never use as ingredients in our products. This includes the over 1,400 chemicals banned or restricted in personal care products by the European Union, plus additional chemicals screened by Beautycounter and found to be of concern. Some examples of harmful ingredients include retinol (often found in anti-aging products) and formaldehyde.

An easy guide, that you can take to the store with you, is the EWG’s Skin Deep app, providing a database of thousands of products and comprehensive safety ratings on each. This is far less daunting and much more manageable than carrying a long list around. An indispensable resource!

One of the things I love about Beautycounter is that it’s a purpose driven company that wants to do more than sell us safe personal care and beauty products. Gregg Renfrew, Founder of Beautycounter, wants to actually create regulation reform in the beauty industry, and has taken the cause to Washington! Can you tell us more about this?

Yes, of course! Gregg Renfrew launched Beautycounter in 2013 to address a pressing personal concern within the beauty and personal care market: the lack of safe and well performing products for her family. Her mission of getting safe products into the hands of everyone is really at the core of the business model. Beautycounter, as a B corp, is driven by a mission and, as a result, adheres to higher standards for social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability. The company has really spearheaded a movement for change!

We continue to work on both the state and federal level to advocate for regulation and higher standards across the industry. The most notable reform that we’ve helped champion is The Personal Care Products Safety Act, which requires companies to make sure their products are safe before marketing them. Prior to this, it had been 80 years since Congress passed a cosmetic law!

Many people are trying to eat clean and organic when possible in order to lower their exposure to toxins, pesticides and unhealthy foods. The move to clean beauty and personal care product seems to lag behind. Why do you think that is?

I think that with every new mode of thinking, things take time. Regulation has only recently hit the food industry. While the FDA also is charged with oversight of the personal care products industry, it remains largely unchecked which means that companies are basically free to do whatever they’d like. Toxic ingredients, including known carcinogens and endocrine disruptors, are often less expensive and easier to source than organic ingredients. Beautycounter and other health focused companies are leading the charge to change the landscape so that soon all products on the shelves will be safe to use, with all ingredients fully disclosed.

What do you say to women who feel clean beauty will never be as effective or luxurious as their favorite conventional products?

Try Beautycounter! Our products are both safe to use and extremely effective. It’s the performance that initially grabs most clients and the trust factor that keeps them. In the 4 years that I have used the products, my skin has improved drastically. To me, using clean products is as important as eating clean food. Everything, that you expose yourself to affects your health, both negatively and positively.

It’s hard to get people to overhaul their products and start from scratch, especially if they think their products are working for them. Where should someone start if they want to begin switching over to clean beauty products?

Luckily, Beautycounter product lines are easy to navigate. While our makeup is fantastic, I’d start with skin care and in that category, we have several lines: Countercontrol for Oily or blemish prone skin, Countermatch which uses Bio-Mimic Technology to match the composition of skin, giving it precisely what it needs and nothing it doesn't. Countertime, (which I use) our premier anti-aging line that features our plant-derived Retinatural Complex, to visibly firm, brighten, and plump the skin and Nourishing, our basic line for normal skin featuring ingredients like hydrating coconut oil and soothing aloe. We also have Counterman, a line specifically tailored for men, because they have skin too:)

I’d also include our Body Lotion (either Hydrating or Melting Body Balm), Cleansing Balm (either Counter+Lotus Glow or Special Edition in a larger size) to remove eye makeup and to use as a nighttime moisturizing mask, and a Face Oil (either 1, 2 or 3)to mix in with your daily moisturizer.

If readers want to learn more, where can they find you?

It can be difficult to know what to choose, so I’d be happy to speak to your clients about their specific needs and concerns and recommend products that are best for them. Anyone interested in Beautycounter and our movement can find me here .

Thank you Tina for taking the time to talk with us about clean beauty and Beautycounter!

The Dirty Truth

Did You Know: Over 80,000 chemicals have been introduced into the marketplace since WWII.

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Functional Medicine with Dr. Susan Blum

July 28, 2019 Ellie Voci

Susan Blum, MD, MPH is an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Preventive Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and Founder and Director of Blum Center for Health in Rye Brook, New York, where she leads a team of physicians, nurse practitioners, nutritionists and health coaches to provide cutting edge Functional and Integrative Medicine services. She’s also the author of two books, The Immune System Recovery Plan (Scribner; 2013), and Healing Arthritis (Scribner; 2017).

Susan Takes The Questions:

Q) You’re a board certified medical physician, but you take a functional approach to medicine. Can you briefly explain the difference between the two approaches?

There is a big difference in both perspective and the clinical approach to treating patients. The viewpoint of conventional medicine sees the definition of Optimal Health as the absence of disease. In functional medicine, our view of Optimal Health is to function at the highest level possible, all the way to the end, and hopefully that’s into your 90’s!

This same viewpoint is seen in the clinical approach. As a doctor practicing conventional medicine, most of my time is spent giving medication to treat the symptoms of a disease that I just found. We call that downstream medicine.

Instead, as a functional medicine specialist, I spend my time as a medical detective, going upstream to where the symptoms originate. We focus on finding the cause of the problem, and treat the cause. Often times I am working with lifestyle (nutrition and stress), but also focusing on healing the gut microbiome, and environmental medicine, identifying and removing toxins from the body.

Q) What made you decide to pivot from your classical training and take an integrated, 360 degree approach to health?

I was always interested in Preventive Medicine, and went to Columbia for a Masters in Public health, in addition to my medical training, to pursue this interest. However, it was disappointing and I didn’t find what I was looking for, namely a way to address the role of nutrition and stress in causing chronic illness. I needed to look “outside the box” to get this training. This led me to The Center for Mind Body Medicine to learn more about stress and strategies to use with my patients, and The Institute for Functional Medicine to learn another operating system for my clinical practice.

And then, in 2000, I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and I was determined to figure out why I had it. I used my new functional medicine skills and training on myself and cured myself of this autoimmune issue, and the rest is history :)

Q) These days we constantly hear the term “inflammation” in relationship to disease, especially autoimmunity. What is inflammation, and what role does it play in autoimmunity.

Inflammation, by definition, is when there is redness, swelling, pain and heat in an organ or tissue. This is easy to see when you have arthritis and have it in your joints. But when you have inflammation on the inside, you can’t see it but it is causing silent damage that you might or might not feel. Inflammation itself is caused by irritating chemicals released from your immune cells that zip around your body and cause irritation on the inside. Eventually, this can damage your tissues and organs and hurt their ability to function.

Q) 24 million Americans have at least one autoimmune disease, and the numbers are steadily on the rise. What is going on?

There are several theories about why autoimmune disease is on the rise. Autoimmunity happens when the immune system makes a mistake and attacks your own body. This can happen when the immune system is damaged, or when your cells are damaged making them look abnormal and triggering an appropriate immune reaction.

In the first case, the immune system can be damaged directly from environmental toxins and from a damaged gut microbiome. 70% of the immune system develops inside the intestinal lining, and the gut microbiome is critical to help it develop properly. Over the past decade, both of these things have worsened: the environment has become more toxic and our collective gut health has worsened too, mostly because of poor diet, lots of stress, and too many antibiotics. The immune system loses “tolerance”, which means it loses its ability to know the difference between self and not self.

In the second scenario, infections and toxins can directly damage tissues and cause an autoimmune reaction. Infectious diseases like lyme and other mosquito and tick borne illnesses, and viruses like Epstein Barr, have become more common and persistent, and can be triggers for autoimmunity. When they persist in the body, they live inside cells and your immune system attacks your own tissues trying to get at these microbes. Toxins also can damage tissues in your body directly and cause an autoimmune reaction.

Q) What are two to three simple things readers can do today to improve inflammation, and their immune system?

Make sure your gut is healthy: Eat lots of fiber, and probiotic and fermented foods. Eat more plants. If you have persistent gut symptoms, seek help from an integrative medicine practitioner.
Protect yourself from environmental toxins: go to www.ewg.org to understand how to choose foods lower in pesticides, how to choose cleaning products for your home, the lowest mercury fish, the best cosmetics.
Find time every day for relaxation and introspection. Stress can damage the gut and the immune system.

Q) Hippocrates said “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” What is the number one thing we should do when it comes to diet? Should we all avoid gluten? Are all carbs bad? Is Keto safe?

If you have an autoimmune disease you should avoid gluten. Even if you don’t have an autoimmune disease, you should test yourself by removing it for 3 weeks and then eating it again to see if you notice symptoms.
Some people with autoimmunity, especially those with lots of gut symptoms, might feel better temporarily removing grains and legumes because they are high in lectins which are hard to digest. So after, they will say that all carbs are bad. However, eventually the goal is to include the good carbs, which are whole grains in small amounts and also legumes because they are high in fiber and very good to support good gut health, in order to bind and remove toxins from the gut.
Ketogenic is well studied for cancer, and epilepsy. Some research on diabetes. I don’t like Ketogenic for a long term food plan because it encourages saturated fat which can raise cholesterol, and it doesn’t encourage enough plants to support the microbiome and liver detox system.
The long term best food plan to support the microbiome and the liver detox system is a plant forward diet, which is basically the Mediterranean Diet.

Q) What are you interested in now? Is there any new research coming out that has you really excited?

There has always been good research on calorie restriction and the positive impact on cellular aging, and on reducing chronic illness and inflammation. I am very excited about the current research that shows that you can mimic calorie restriction and gain all the benefits by practicing different fasting strategies that are much easier to live with than eating 800 calories daily for the rest of your life!

The two that we use at Blum Center are the fasting mimicking diet, which we call the 5 Day Fasting Cycle, and which we are now using for our weight loss programs. We have also worked with Organic Pharmer to create a 5-Day program that can be used during the Fasting Cycle and that exactly follows the nutritional guidelines of the Fasting Mimicking Diet.

The other thing that I am recommending to all my patients to practice in between their 5-Day Fasting Cycles, is Time Restricted Eating (sometimes called Intermittent Fasting), which is when you eat for 8 hours and fast for 16. For example you would eat from 11-7 daily. You are allowed coffee, tea in the mornings, as long as no calories. This is easy to follow and a big relief for those who have struggled for so long.

These new strategies for supporting a healthy metabolism, reducing cellular aging, and prevention and reversing chronic disease are very exciting!

You can sign up for Dr. Blum’s newsletter and learn about online programs and resources at www.blumhealthmd.com. You can also sign up for Organic Pharmer’s newsletter and stay up to date on promotions and plant-based food and weigh-loss programs, like their 5-Day Jump Start Meal Program and Fasting Cycle Meal Program for weight loss.

Thank you Susan for taking the time to talk with us about health, autoimmunity and the benefits of a holistic approach to wellness!

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TEA TIME with Sarah Scarborough

June 11, 2019 Ellie Voci

Sarah Scarborough is the owner, founder, and tea buyer for Firepot Nomadic Teas, a Nashville based tea company that creates organic teas using the highest quality, ethically sourced teas from around the world.

More recently, Sarah embarked on a new project called Tea Huntress, in which she shares tea as a ritual through workshops, private Tea Ceremonies and experiential retreats including yoga retreats. We caught up with Sarah to discuss her incredible journey, and the role tea can play in one’s overall health and sense of well-being.

Photo by Christen Clemins

Sarah Takes The Questions:

Q) Sarah, you’ve had the most incredible journey, which I can’t wait to get into. But first I wanted to touch on your childhood: You often credit summers spent in Finland at your family’s lake house as having laid the foundation for everything that followed in your life. Can you tell us a little about these magical summers, and the lessons you learned there?

Thank you Lisa!

No words could express how much summers spent in Finland have impacted who I am and my values and beliefs. There is so much simplicity, practicality and connection to nature in the Finnish way of life. To have experienced bathing in the wood-heated sauna, fetching pure water from an old, deep spring, fish from the glacial lake and blueberries from the boreal forest is one of my life’s greatest blessings! I was given the gift of seeing, first hand, how to live in harmony with nature, and how to live simply with quality rather than quantity.

At the same time, I grew up most of the year in the US, so I witnessed the contrast, which imprinted on me a huge and long lasting sustainability ethic. Through my work promoting wellness and sustainable business at Firepot and connecting people to themselves and to Nature with Tea Huntress, I am able to share the gift of my Finnish summers.

Q) You often say Tea chose you. Can you tell us a little more about that?

Yes, Tea is powerful like that! Through a series of coincidences, I came to work in a Tibetan teahouse in Montana in 2001. That is where I started Firepot Chai. I knew at that time, in every cell in my body, that this was right. It was as if I could feel my path unfolding in front of me. It felt like falling in love--really energized and clear and good. Opportunities in tea have continued to fall into my lap ever since and over the past 18 years, Tea has led me around the world and brought me adventure, health, a spiritual practice, incredible friends and an income!

Q) Did you intuitively know you were being guided in the right direction, towards your passion and life work, or did it take time to really embrace tea.

I knew it intuitively, but I am stubborn so it still took many years to fully embrace. I started really trusting and surrendering to my path in 2008 when I could see with perspective how Tea kept coming back and that, even in hard times, I was supported.

Q) Do you believe that most of us have this sort of guidance, but we’re too busy racing about to hear and tap into it? Or, do you think you got lucky?

We all have it. I am an introvert and like to spend time alone in nature, which makes it easier to hear. It just takes practice, willingness to listen and asking questions.

Q) Do you have any advice to share about how we can quiet the noise in our busy lives and minds to better tune in and understand our life purpose and path?

Yes, ritual is really good for that. A good daily ritual for clarity, or finding one’s path, would involve a daily meditation and a daily practice. Your practice, or way, can be yoga, tea, walking, dancing, writing, etc… Anything you perform regularly, silently and with intention works! Just focus on the intention practice daily.

Q) How do you quiet the noise in your own life as a busy entrepreneur and mom of two active, young boys?

I make time each day to meditate and for at least 10 minutes of silent tea (preferably outside) followed by a quick ritual I wrote for myself that helps me connect with my highest self and my purpose. I practice yoga and go for a walk or run most days too. It sounds like a lot, but really it takes only an hour or so a day and I either wake up early to make time or I squeeze in what I can throughout the day!

Q) In the U.S., tea is consumed most often as an alternative to coffee, whereas other countries such as Japan and India view tea as ritual and have long, rich tea traditions to promote feelings of harmony, connection, and balance. Do you think most of us are missing the real point and gift of tea?

Tea is an amazing drink, but yes, it is so much more than that! I think of tea in 2 lineages:

1) The British lineage, which, since the 1600s has viewed tea as a beverage. This tradition is famous for setting up plantations in British colonies like India and Africa to produce high yields of what we in the West call black tea for Breakfast tea and iced tea.

2) The Buddhist lineage, which is at least 5,000 years old, views tea as a spiritual guide, a god and a gift from Mother Earth.

You can imagine that the way tea is grown in processed in each tradition varies wildly!

Q) Can you tell us a little about how these different values affect the growing and harvesting practices?

Albert Einstein said “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle. I would say that in the Buddhist lineage, the producers and farmers would be more apt to see everything as a miracle. They would be more likely to have a spiritual connection to tea and to the land and to see the interconnectedness of all life. They would then treat the land and the tea with love and respect, like a dear friend, rather than a commodity. They would see the richness and joy in life lies in the art and service of their work, rather than in increasing yield and profit . They would choose quality over quantity and organic and natural options every time.

Q) Do you feel that the different values/goals/intentions of the growers impact the beneficial/healing/spiritual properties of the tea?

Of course. If you view everything as a miracle, you could break this down to science. For example, organic techniques and careful, mindful work will produce more nutritious and potent tea. If you view everything as a miracle, you could acknowledge that the energy infused into the leaf from the grower is high vibrational and thus more healing to your body, mind and spirit.

Q) How can a busy, active person, with no prior connection to tea, introduce a sustainable, personal tea ritual into their busy lives?

Simply by making some tea. Find some good, organic tea and then see what happens! I always recommend treating yourself to a teapot that you love because loose leaf tea is such a beautiful experience. Some of my favorite teas are Firepot’s Iron Goddess of Mercy, Himalyan Royal Ruby and Japanese Kukicha. If you want to explore the world of matcha, you will want a matcha bowl and a matcha whisk as well as some ceremonial matcha. Of course, chai is the ultimate bridge from coffee to tea for coffee people who want to get into tea- and Firepot Chai is so, so good!

Q) What can one expect to gain from a regular tea practice?

Some time each day to slow down and connect with themselves and to remember to stay present and to appreciate the simple pleasures in life!

Q) What does your personal tea ritual look like?

I put the kettle on when I wake up and then I bring my tea and teaware to the front porch or in front of the fireplace in the winter. I choose a tea each day based on my mood, the season and what I have available. Then, I choose my teaware based on the tea. When the water is hot, I bring it to my tea space (I keep it warm in a thermos or on an electric or gas burner). Then, I sit down to prepare the tea. Sometimes I burn incense. Sometimes I play music. Sometimes is is mundane. Sometimes it is magic.

Q) How do you share your passion for tea, nature, and ritual with your children?

We spend a lot of time outside and try not to overcrowd our schedules. As far as ritual, they come find me when they wake up in the mornings on the front porch, so they understand intuitively the regularity and sacred nature of tea time. They know it’s important--I don’t have to say anything specific to them about it.

Q) You recently created a wellness tea line called the Ritual Collection. Can you tell us more about this collection and why you created it?

I wanted to offer a line of wellness teas in tea sachets for jet lagged travelers and people on the go who need a quick, more simple tea ritual. Each tea in the Rituals Collection has one or more functional botanicals from ancient wellness traditions like Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine. Each tea was designed with a specific intention in mind and has tips to cultivate that intention on the box. So, we’re offering not just tea but a ritual guide as well.

For example, Cult of Flowers, my favorite, is a hibiscus rose blend with schizandra berries, vanilla and cinnamon. It’s intention is to attract love and beauty and it offers a yoga flow, essential oils, affirmations and other actions to support the functionality of the tea!

Q) Travel is a constant thread in your story. You have traveled the world for over 20 years, sourcing the best teas and learning about the cultures and farming practices that produce them. How have these experiences informed your mission, both professionally and personally.

From day one, Firepot’s mission has been to improve lives through sustainable business. To change the world through ethical trade and organic agriculture was the reason the business was started and that was born out of a deep sustainability ethic, as I mentioned.

Eighteen years later, the mission is the same. We have expanded the breadth of our commitment to sustainability and now, as well as offering ethical and organic teas, we are members of 1% for the Planet; we have an exciting partnership with Akilah Institute, a women’s university in Rwanda, where we source the tea for our chai. We also are committed to no single use plastics, organic ingredients at our tea bar in Nashville and also to supporting other women entrepreneurs.

Q) What’s up next for Sarah Scarborough?

I love to learn new things! Currently I’m studying French and learning to sail!

THANK YOU SARAH FOR TAKING THE TIME TO TALK WITH US, AND SHARE YOUR INSPIRING THOUGHTS ON HEALTH, WELLNESS, AND A GROWTH MINDSET. WANT MORE MARTHA? CHECK HER OUT ON SOCIAL @FIREPOTNOMADICTEAS + @tea_huntress

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