Month: January 2018

Age Is Only A Number

I recently celebrated an almost milestone birthday and someone recently asked me how it feels to be almost eighty.

Hummm…. I never really thought about it. Honestly. Age to me has always been just a number. It does not define me, nor does it have anything to do with how old or young at heart I feel. I certainly don’t feel old. Whatever wrinkles I have I have earned them by living.

There are those who might chime in that I’m only fooling myself. Not really. I know the year I was born, but I’ve lived my whole life on the premise that as long as I can put my feet on the floor at sunrise, I’m going to enjoy every minute of the day ahead. I’m going to tackle whatever monster comes my way and know that I have never been given anything that is too tough to beat. I will survive.

Sure. I have made bad decisions in my life, but I haven’t let that stop me from learning from them. Making lemonade out of lemons is part of the deal in this human life we are all living if we want to have a good journey.

Copyright Sandra Hart 2018. All Rights reserved

The Miracle Of Bee Venom

New Zealand is without a doubt the most beautiful country I have ever visited.

It has it all. The white sands and clear water. The snowy mountains towering over still lakes. Palm trees and waterfalls. Secluded beaches and hidden coves, native culture and thermal waters.

It is also the home of the Manuka flowering bush and also New Zealand sheep that are raised for their high quality wool.

Another by product of their wool is lanolin. Mother.

Lanolin, also called wool wax or wool grease, is a wax secreted by the sebaceous glands of wool-bearing animals. Lanolin used by humans comes from domestic sheep breeds that are raised specifically for their wool.

From the Manuka plant comes Healthful Manuka Honey and several skin care products using bee venom.

Honey bee venom is used cosmetically to ‘fool’ the skin into thinking it has been lightly stung with the toxin melittin. me lit tin. : a toxic protein in bee venom that causes localized pain and inflammation but also has a moderate antibacterial and antifungal effect.

This causes the body to direct blood towards the area and stimulates the production of the naturally-occurring chemicals collagen and elastin.

Collagen strengthens body tissue while elastin is the protein that helps the skin to remain taut and bounce back into shape after being pressed or pinched.

The venom also has the effect of relaxing the muscles, it is claimed.

Experts collect bee venom by placing a pane of glass alongside a hive and running a weak electrical current through it, which encourages the insects to sting the surface.

Because the bee’s lance remains in its body, it does not die.

I have done my due diligence on skincare containing bee venom. They do work. There is one caution. After all, the ingredients that work for one person may not have any effect on another. Even worse, instead of helping your skin, you may have an allergic reaction to any one of the ingredients in any product you apply on you skin. So it is important to do a small patch test if you are highly allergic to bee stings or have sensitivity toward ingredients in the products.

Copyright Sandra Hart 2018 ©

All Rights Reserved